Page 49 of Fighting Conviction
“From the hotel log, we know when, or at least we can infer, the organization behind the kidnappings will be at the McIntosh. Now we can plan accordingly to surveil and extract, if necessary.”
“We can have an actual plan instead of like last time where we were fucked from the beginning. They’ve kept real damn quiet for nearly a year. I’m glad we’re finally gonna go somewhere with it,” Jason said.
Snake clicked on his keyboard and mouse and another screen pulled up. “There’s something else we didn’t have last year. Now we have the list.”
“The list?” Phoenix asked.
Snake nodded. “Yep. We have the list of donors, invited guests, eligible ‘scholarship recipients.’” He used finger quotes because young women, like Ellie, who’d just turned eighteen at the time, were fooled into thinking they were planning their future while the assholes in charge of the party were planning on stealing and doing God knows what with them.
Devil popped a piece of Big Red into his mouth, attempting to keep his mouth busy and avoid being a smart-ass. But he couldn’t help himself. “Does anyone even actually get scholarships from this shitshow or are the elite Ashland assholes fuckingeveryoneover.”
“Surprisingly enough, there is some legitimacy to the scholarships. They’ve raised and donated over a million dollars to local Ashland high schoolers.” Snake pushed his glasses up on his nose and shrugged.
“For real?” Jaybird asked, his eyebrows up to his hairline. “How are they keeping this all under wraps?”
“Big money in high places?” Snake answered. “It’s how these things get by cops and the general public. They probably use the scholarships as a guise for when people find out about the party, and they don’t spread the word about their charitable donations to make sure no one looks into it too hard. Choose the right people to be involved and boom, you’ve got yourself a covert operation to do whatever the fuck you want.”
Hawk exhaled a deep breath before shaking his head. “Anyone can be bought.”
“Exactly. But we have last year’s list and this year’s.” Snake continued. “Now I need to cross reference them and figure out who our players are. Jaybird, maybe Ellie can help—”
“No.” The anger Devil had felt rumbling the entire conversation finally escaped in a growl and he felt the heat of everyone’s stare as all eyes drew to him.
Jaybird’s brow raised. “No?”
Devil crossed his arms and stopped chewing his gum to stare right back. “I said ‘no.’ Ellie’s not getting anywhere near any of this ever again. I won’t allow it.”
“Youwon’t allow it?” Jaybird scoffed. “Who the fuck are you to say anything about her? What, you teach her some self-defense and all of a sudden you call the shots when it comes to her?”
“Guys.” Snake raised his voice, as if he was trying to drown out the anger flooding the room. “I hate to break it to ya, but Ellie’s an adult. Don’t you think she should be the one calling the shots? She at least deserves to be informed and have the choice of whether or not she wants to be involved.”
“She’s too fragile. She can’t handle being brought into something like this. She was fucking gunned down in a tree just last night—”
“Fuck, Devil, don’t put it that way, goddamn.” Jaybird’s groan ended as a harsh rebuke.
“—Involving her is out of the question.”
“Effing men. Ellie wants to be involved, you idiots.”
Devil stiffened at the new voice, but his alert posture relaxed when he recognized the newest arrivals. Snake, however, was funny as fuck as his pale face reddened all the way up to his blue-black hair.
“How the fuck didyouget in?”
Chapter Eighteen
Devil glanced up at the newest arrivals in the room. How Nora had snuck herself, Assistant District Attorney Marco Aguilar, and Officer Henry Brown into their fucking war room was beyond him. The quirky woman was a magician with technology so he’d learned not to question it. He wouldn’t understand the explanation anyway.
That didn’t stop Snake though. “I told you to text me so I could get you a temp code.”
“Who the fuck is with Jules, Nora?” Jaybird demanded.
“What the hell are you doin’ here, Henry?” Phoenix sputtered out. “What are any of you doin’ here?”
“I invited them,” Hawk explained. “Nora, Marco, Henry, why don’t you have a seat.” He gestured to the table.
“And Jason.” Nora pointed her finger at Jaybird as she walked to her seat. “Why don’t you do your woman—and me—a favor and leave her the eff alone, you godsdamned stalker. She’s at home and just fine.”
Jaybird snapped his eyes to Hawk. “We need to get this meeting over quick. I can’t be having Jules alone. She’s pregnant for Christ’s sake.”
