Page 174 of State of Retribution

“Take a break,” Avery said to them when he entered the room.

Ramsey scowled when he realized who’d come to call.“You can fuck right off.You’re in bed with Holland.”He scoffed.“Living at the White House.”

“My wife is close to them.”

“So are you, so don’t try to deny it.Everyone knows it.”

Avery shrugged as he took a seat next to the bed.“I don’t care what people think.Our friendship with them predates the White House.Everyone knows that, too.”

“Whatever you have to tell yourself.”

“I sleep just fine at night.Do you?”

Ramsey’s expression turned stony.“The whole lot of you—Farnsworth, Malone, McBride, Forrester, even the fucking FBI… You’re all in cahoots to protect your precious princess.People say you married her friend so you could stay close to her.Bet you didn’t know that.”

Avery hadn’t known that people had said that, and it hurt to hear it, because it wasn’t true.

“Thought people didn’t know you had a thing for her, didn’t you?It was the worst-kept secret in town.Your poor wife having to settle for being second-best.”

Avery wanted to punch Ramsey’s lights out for daring to speak of Shelby, but instead, he laughed.“Better than your wife, who lost a son and a husband to ego and hubris.That must be a bitter pill for her to swallow.”He leaned in.“Do youknowhow much time you’ll do for threatening to assassinate the president?You’ll never see the light of day outside prison again.”

Ramsey shrugged as if he didn’t care, but his gaze darting around gave away his true feelings.

“That you were stupid enough to confess on that video…” Avery shook his head.“I bet you didn’t see Offenbach turning on you after you recorded that.Did you?When did it happen?Right after the video?Is that when he shot you?After he got you to confess to what the two of you had done?”

Ramsey’s expression became thunderous.“He shot me by accident.”

Avery laughed.“Is that what you think?One of the most precise marksmen in the world doesn’t make mistakes with a gun, and surely you must’ve realized that when you were hogtied and bleeding on his kitchen floor.What I’d like to know is how you’ve justified partnering up with the man who killed your kid.”

The look on Ramsey’s face indicated he would’ve murdered Avery if he could have.“Dylan was only following orders.It wasn’t his fault.I blame Malone and Holland.They gave the order.And he didn’t mean to shoot me.We had plans to make Ruby Ridge look like a Cub Scout meeting.He needed my help.”

Avery laughed again.“Whathelpcould you possibly be to someone with his skills?Nah, after he’d gotten you to help him with the details, you were a liability, and that’s why he shot you.But it’s rich that he got you to confess on video beforehand and then let you live to face the consequences.I’ll bet you were excited to make that video letting Holland know her time was running out with you two clowns coming for her.”

“She’s shitting a brick.The crosshairs on her husband’s head was a nice touch, didn’t you think?”

“She’s hardly shitting a brick.She just interviewed Offenbach’s ex-wife and is helping us make the case against the two of you.”

“How can she do that when she’s suspended?”

“Oh, you haven’t heard?That was lifted almost as soon as it happened.”

“She roughed up that Reese guy!”

Avery shrugged.“So what?”

Ramsey’s face had gotten very flushed, and spittle collected in the corners of his mouth.“She let a murderer go free, and so did her asshole father!”

He shrugged again.“So?”

“She should be charged!”

“Do you think anyone is worried about charging her after you two idiots killed four innocent people, kidnapped and raped a woman, sent drones to the White House and shot the Secret Service agent protecting the first lady?”

“I never touched that woman!”

“I notice how you don’t deny the rest of it.”Avery stood to leave, having gotten what he’d come for: Offenbach’s plan to make Ruby Ridge look like a Cub Scout meeting, which was horrifying.

“I never admitted to anything.”

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