Page 34 of Trusting Laurence
“I’ll have the usual, thanks.”
Larry nodded, then indicated a table in the corner of the room where they could sit with their backs to the wall. They’d be able to see who came and went. He placed their order before following his friend to the table.
He took a seat, dragging his hands tiredly over his face, and looked over at the other man. There was so much to tell that he was at a loss on quite where to start. For the first time in a very long time, he felt lost as to how to proceed. The last time he’d felt this overwhelmed had been back in the early days of his career with the agency.
He gathered his thoughts, and taking a deep breath, he started to lay it all out for Preston. The waitress came over with their drinks, and he paused while she flirted with them for a minute. Usually, he enjoyed the interaction. Today, he just wanted to get on with things.
As she walked away, Larry continued talking. Periodically, Preston would ask a question to clarify a point, but for the most part, he was quiet as he listened. When Larry reached the end, the man simply sat there. He looked as shellshocked as Larry himself had felt earlier when Finn had dropped the bombshell on him.
“I’m tempted to ask if you’re sure, but I know that’s a pointless question. You would never have come to me unless you were. Jesus, Larry.” Just as Larry had earlier, Preston ran his hands over his face.
“Yeah.”
The two men sat in silence, each contemplating their own thoughts. The situation had far-reaching consequences, and the fallout would be enormous when the knowledge became public. Careers would implode, and anyone being seen to associate with those involved would come under intense scrutiny too. The question was, though, how did they handle the situation?
Their leak was a man in a position of power and had friends in very high places. They would need to tread carefully; their case would need to be airtight.
“Okay, let’s start with something simple on the scale of difficult to impossible.”
“Shoot.”
“Marcus Forrester. Do you feel the knowledge he has is worth risking our careers for? Because you know if I can swing a pardon, the governor is going to want something solid and worthwhile.”
“Yeah, I reckon Marcus is in deep enough to be privy to important info. Important enough to crack this ugly mess wide open.”
“All right, as long as you’re sure.” He swallowed the last mouthful in his glass and indicated for the waitress. “Refill?”
“One more. I have another appointment still this evening, so I’m driving.”
Order placed, Preston continued. “Set up a meeting with Forrester. I want something in good faith before I stick my neck out for that arrogant prick. Unless he can make it worth my while, he’s going to rot in that prison.”
While that wasn’t exactly what Larry had been hoping for, it was a fair comment. Since this case had the potential to ruin not only his career but the other man’s too, he understood.
“You got it. I’ll get hold of the warden and make the arrangements. If I’m not mistaken, I think Forrester is still in the hospital wing. They worked him over real good.”
Their drinks arrived, and the two men sat in silence while they savored the burn of the finest scotch as it went down smoothly. Each lost in their own thoughts as they contemplated the shitstorm about to rain down. The silence was a comfortable one, borne of long years of friendship. And in that moment, Larry was supremely grateful for that bond. The fact that he felt uncertain of the loyalty of those around him, meant he appreciated it where he found it.
They chatted for a while about inconsequential matters in an attempt to lighten the dark mood that had settled over them during their meeting.
“I guess I’d best be on my way,” Larry said when they’d both finished their drinks. “Don’t want to be any later for my appointment than I already am.”
He got to his feet, Preston doing the same, and put his hand out. As the other man shook with him, he continued, “Thanks for meeting with me on personal time. I didn’t want to do this at the office. You never know who’s listening.”
“No problem. I understand. This is a pretty sensitive matter. See what you can organize regarding Forrester, and let’s take it from there, yeah?”
Larry nodded. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I’ve contacted Jim Walker and have a date.”
On the drive back to Tahlia’s, he went over everything that had taken place that evening. He considered all the information from different angles and contemplated various strategies and plans of attack. He couldn’t wait to break up the sex trafficking ring.
To reward himself, he would retire. He was getting too old for this shit. Smiling grimly to himself, he savored the idea. Then he shifted his attention back to the idea that the delectable Tahlia was waiting for him. Talk about a reward. First, though, he would have to come clean with her and tell her about the lifestyle –hislifestyle.
As he made his way to her suite, he ran all the ways he could break the news to her. When she opened to his knock, however, all coherent thought emptied out of his head. It was late, and she’d obviously gone through her nightly routine. She stood inside the door, barefaced, her vibrant red hair a riot of curls as it hung free. The thing that had him almost swallowing his tongue was her outfit.
Tahlia had on the most delicate-looking lacy concoction he’d ever laid eyes on. And it had his blood warming. As much as he appreciated the exquisite negligee, his mind raced with ideas on how quickly he could divest her of it and get her beneath him. He’d had her once, and it wasn’t enough. He wanted to love her all night, if she would let him – to lose himself in her sweet softness and forget the evil and treachery of the world around them.
And then he remembered they needed to talk.
“Hi, come on in.”
