Page 31 of When You're Broken
Finn turned, letting a cold glint settle in his gaze.“I can do whatever I need, Mr.Smeaton.I trained as an FBI agent, and right now, if you don’t give me the answers I want, I will bury you in so much legal trouble you’ll never see daylight again.Or… I could make this more painful.”
Smeaton gave a startled laugh, though it rang hollow.“You’re a cop.Or do you not care about the law at all?”
Finn kept his voice low.“I care about one thing: an escaped killer named Wendell Reed who’s kidnapping and murdering people, including the brother of the woman I love.”He stepped closer, an imposing presence, overshadowing Smeaton’s desk.“If you’re complicit in that by withholding information, I’ll ruin your life.No more polite inquiries, no more playing nice.”
Smeaton pushed his chair back, color draining from his face.“You’re insane.”
Finn’s jaw clenched.He reached out, grabbed Smeaton by the lapels of his suit, and yanked him to his feet.With surprising force, he shoved Smeaton against the tinted window that overlooked London’s skyline.The shock of it rattled Smeaton’s breath.
From the corridor, Amelia’s voice called, “Finn!Finn, open the door!”She pounded on the door, rattling the handle.“What are you doing?!”
Smeaton coughed, staring at the dizzying view behind him.The drop would be lethal if that glass gave way.“You’re crazy,” he hissed, struggling against Finn’s grip.
“You have no idea,” Finn growled, pressing him closer.The glass shuddered slightly but held firm.“Wendell Reed kidnapped Brendan, Amelia’s brother.We suspect he’s behind multiple murders, aided by Renfield’s forging.We want to find Renfield, or at least figure out how to track him.You know something.Don’t lie to me.I know you’ve still been dealing with Renfield.Tell me everything he’s said to you.If you don’t, I might slip, and you’ll see just how far you can fall.”
Smeaton’s face went sheet-white.“I—I can’t—”
Finn’s voice dropped dangerously.“The woman banging on that door is the love of my life, and the man out there is trying to kill her.I won’t let that happen, do you understand?So if you have any sliver of a clue about Renfield or his whereabouts, spill it now, or I swear I’ll make you regret it.”
Smeaton swallowed, panic shining in his eyes.The glass behind him gave a faint squeak under his weight.“All right, all right,” he gasped.“He came to me a few days ago—Renfield.He said he’d provided a gun and a fake passport for some ‘dangerous client.’Said he was heading underground to avoid blow-back, because the smugglers he dealt with were after him for money.He didn’t say exactly where he was hiding.I have no idea.”
Finn eased his grip but didn’t fully release Smeaton.“You must have something more than that.An emergency phone number that’s off the books, an account, anything.”
“Yes, yes.He gave me a phone number to contact him if any big deals came in—some burner phone.I never used it, but I have it.”Smeaton’s words tumbled out in a rush.“I can write it down, that’s all I know, I swear.”
Finn let go, stepping back with a glare.Smeaton stumbled, nearly collapsing onto his desk.With trembling fingers, he grabbed a notepad, scribbling a series of digits.He thrust the paper at Finn.“That’s it.Please, you said you’d turn a blind eye to my involvement.I can’t be incriminated for this.”
"Then keep your mouth shut," Finn said coldly, snatching the note.He unlocked the door, pulling the chair away.Amelia all but burst in, face taut with anxiety.She glanced at Smeaton, scanning for any sign of real injury.
“I’m okay,” Smeaton said weakly, smoothing his suit, as though that might restore his dignity.He glared at Finn.“Just… take that phone number.That’s all I’ve got.”
Amelia’s eyes flicked with a mixture of relief and residual anger.“Finn… are you okay?”
He nodded, not quite meeting her gaze.“I’m fine.Let’s get out of here before I do something we’ll all regret.”
They left the plush office, ignoring Smeaton’s trembling attempt at a farewell.In the hallway, Amelia steered Finn aside, voice hushed.“What exactly did you do?He looked terrified.”
Finn tucked the note into his pocket.“I threatened him—nothing more.I made sure not to cross a line, but… we needed that lead.Wendell isn’t waiting around politely.”He paused, scanning her expression.“If we want to save Brendan, if we want to keep you alive, we can’t play nice all the time.”
She breathed out, tension still visible in her posture.“I get it.I just don’t want you losing yourself in the process.I’m with the police… There are lines I can’t cross...”Then she forced a small nod.“At least we have something: Renfield’s phone number.”
Down the corridor, a couple of office workers paused, staring at them with mild curiosity.Amelia shot them a polite but dismissive look, propelling Finn toward the elevator.“Let’s talk once we’re in the car,” she murmured.
The elevator ride down was silent, the two of them wrapped in their own thoughts.By the time they reached the lobby, the day’s light had dimmed further.Business-suited men and women brushed past them, a swirl of weekend plans or after-work errands on their minds.Finn and Amelia navigated the crowd wordlessly.
Outside, the breeze had picked up, carrying a slight chill from the city’s concrete corridors.A swirl of headlights crisscrossed the roads as they returned to the multistory car park, each footstep echoing in the gloom.Once inside the structure, the dim lighting cast harsh shadows across the parked cars.
Finn unlocked his vehicle, the same battered one that clunked around corners, and they slipped inside.Amelia dropped into the passenger seat, fiddling with her phone.“Let’s see if this number yields anything.”She tapped the screen, but the line rang, eventually shifting to voicemail.She hung up, disappointment etched into her face.“Voicemail.”
Finn grimaced, leaning back into the driver’s seat.“We’ll need a trace on it, then.Check recent cell towers, see if we can locate Renfield’s last known movement.We’ll need a warrant for that.We should ask Rob.”
Amelia took out her phone and tried calling Rob, presumably to expedite the trace, but pressed the phone to her ear in vain.She shook her head.“No answer.Great.”
Finn placed the keys in the ignition.“Unfortunately, we’ll need to ask McNeill, then.Let’s get a warrant to ping Renfield’s phone, and we can track down his movements.With any luck, he’ll lead us right to Wendell Reed if he’s been meeting with him.”
Finn dialed McNeill’s number, but when he answered, he sounded perturbed.Something in his voice sounded strained.“Hello.”
“McNeill, it’s Finn.We’ve got Renfield’s number.I’ll send it over.Can you get a warrant so we can ping it and find out what his most recent movements were?”
