Page 33 of Trusting Laurence
“Fuck you, asshole,” Hector spat in reply.
“Already told you, you ain’t my taste.” He smiled grimly at Hector before continuing. “Who you working for, Hector?”
“I ain’t telling you nothing, man.”
“I can protect you, you know. I can keep you safe.”
“You don’t know what you talking about. And I ain’t got nothing to say to you.”
It interested him greatly that, despite the swearing and blustering, the other man was afraid. He was curious about who the man was working for that had him so frightened.
He handed Hector over to the agents, having a quiet word with them before calling Finn to let him know he’d been delayed but was on his way.
Traffic was light, and he reached the designated meet spot in good time. He parked a little distance away to scope out the lay of the land. There was no movement and no sound out of the ordinary. When he felt as comfortable as he was going to get under the circumstances, he climbed out and made his way to the nearest building.
Once again, he stopped to listen. Not hearing anything, he entered the building as quietly as possible. He stood for a moment just inside the door and allowed his eyes to become accustomed to the dimness. As they adjusted, he scanned the room in search of Finn.
He spotted his agent leaning against a wall on the opposite side from him. If he didn’t know the man better, he’d have sworn he was relaxed, without a care in the world. But he did know him better and could see the tension telegraphed in his stance.
Larry made his way over to where Finn stood. “Hey, how’s it going?”
The other man straightened. “Gotta say, boss man, I’ve been better.” He indicated with his head for him to follow.
They entered the office just to the side of where Finn had been standing. The furniture inside was old and well used, but dust free. Clearly, this space was put to use on a regular basis. The other man indicated for Larry to take a seat.
“What you got for me?”
Finn heaved a huge sigh, a hand going to his neck where he rubbed. “What we have, sir, is a clusterfuck of note. If my informant is to be believed, and I believe he is, we have a problem on our hands that is going to have far-reaching consequences.”
Larry frowned. “Lay it out for me.”
And that’s exactly what the man did. He listened without comment as Finn shared all the information his informant had given him. But the more Finn spoke, the sicker Larry began to feel. They’d known they had a leak in the department. What they hadn’t known is just how deep the mole was buried.
By the time Finn was finished, a rage unlike any he’d ever felt bubbled through him. His heart raced, his breathing was shallow, his mind buzzed. He wiped a shaking hand over his brow, frowning at his shoes as his mind scrambled to process everything he’d just heard.
Now that he had the answer to the question that had been haunting him recently, he had no idea how the hell he was going to fix the problem. It was delicate and needed to be dealt with carefully, but there was no way out. It had to be dealt with. The problem was, he had no idea who he could turn to for help. No idea who he could trust.
Right about then, he would have sold his soul to the devil for a bottle of Pepto Bismol.
12
Larry waited impatiently for the District Attorney to arrive. Preston James had agreed to meet him at the club, since they were both members there. He needed a neutral space where he was assured of privacy and, more importantly, no possibility of bugs.
He felt jumpier than a cat on a hot tin roof. This case had taken a turn he couldn’t have foreseen. He’d been in the game long enough to expect the unexpected, but this time, he’d been completely blindsided by the revelation of who the mole was. Not prone to nerves, even under fire, even he was jittery.
With absolutely no clue who in the department could be trusted, Larry felt cut off from any support he might have asked for in the past. He was going out on a limb putting his trust in Preston. However, they’d been friends for years, so he’d chosen to give him the benefit of the doubt. First they’d been at school together, then they’d attended the same college before Larry had chosen to go into the private sector while Preston had gone on to work for the state.
Right on time, the District Attorney strode into the bar area of the club. He wore an aura of confidence like a second skin. He drew many admiring glances, but today, Larry could see he was all business. Considering the nature of their meeting, he wasn’t surprised either. He’d shared a small amount of information, enough to whet the man’s appetite, but not enough to compromise the case should it get back to the mole.
His gut twisted at the thought. He couldn’t believe it when Finn had revealed their leak. He’d have bet his entire career the person was a company man to the bone. Clearly, he’d been wrong.
“Larry. How’s it going?” Preston held out a hand.
Larry stood, taking the proffered hand. “Not so great. How about you?”
“I was doing pretty good until I got your call, brother. Sounds like you’ve got a really crappy situation on your hands.”
“You can say that again. In the words of my agent, what we have here is a clusterfuck of note. Pull up a chair, and I’ll bring you up to speed. I’m definitely going to need your help on this one. What can I get you to drink?”
