Page 113 of Fighting Conviction
ADA Aguilar turned to Ellie. “You said he had a board in his living room?” Ellie nodded. “What was on it?”
Ellie wracked her brain to remember. “I didn’t get to see it much. The Russian said their boss wouldn’t like it… and he said a few things in Russian I think I remember, hold on.” Ellie scrunched her eyes closed and tried to remember back to hearing Vlad talk on the phone. “He said something on the phone like… ‘he knows too much’ and ‘it is done.’ From where I was it sounded like he was talking about the investigator, and… maybe Vlad did something about that.”
Her belly twisted up and she felt queasy, thinking the investigator might’ve been poisoned after all, but tried to remember the other thing she’d heard. “The investigator was obviously working with them though. The Russian guy said the boss was pleased with him for working so hard for…someone.” Ellie frowned, trying to understand the word but caught back up when she realized it couldn’t have been English.
ADA Aguilar’s brows raised. “For who?”
She shook her head hoping it would rattle the words free from her memory bank. “Vlad said Investigator Burgess had done good work for…” She searched her mind for the Russian word he’d said but she couldn’t remember it more than sounding it out. “I wish I’d studied better, but it sounded like uhlayuh… yactuh… est, or something—”
“Alea iacta est?” Snake asked, animated as he turned in a circle to the computer, not even waiting for Ellie’s agreement and nearly bumping Naomi beside him in the motion.
“Um, yeah. Sounds like it, I guess. Then Vlad looked at the board, I think. Investigator Burgess said he was ‘keeping tabs on people for Rusnak’ but then Vlad said the boss wouldn’t like it. Investigator Burgess begged him not to tell. Guess that doesn’t really matter now.”
“Sorry, Ellie, but did you say ‘keeping tabs on people for Rusnak’?” ADA Aguilar asked, and Ellie nodded slowly.
“Excuse me.” ADA Aguilar pulled his phone from his pocket as he walked out. “Agent Kuo, yes ma’am, it’s Aguilar. I need your guys to search the station…”
The door closed behind him and the room was silent for a moment before Hawk spoke. “Well, if that’s everything—”
“Hold on.” Snake typed three keys hard and the screens all filled up with various articles. “Alea iacta est, it means something close to, ‘The die has been cast.’”
He turned to them proudly, but the room was silent. “Well, it’s a Latin phrase, originally from the Greek, attributed to Julius Caesar when he crossed the River Rubicon—”
“Ugh, no one cares, Snake. Get to the juicy meat.” Phoenix pulled his ball cap around and used the bill to cover his face before acting like he was asleep. “What does it mean in connection with all this?”
Snake narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know yet…”
“It’s somethin’ though, isn’t it?” Naomi asked. She leaned closer to Snake but seemed careful not to touch him. “I mean, it’s somethin’ you can look into, right Wes?”
Ellie’s brows raised.
‘Wes?’ Interesting.
“You’re right,” Hawk muttered before tapping his lips. “It’s something to look into. We’ll add it to the list. Is there anything else to cover?”
Everyone grumbled in the negative. “Alright. As you were men—I mean, ladies and uh, gentlemen.”
“Smooth,” Nora laughed before everyone stood up and milled around.
Jason came up to Ellie and pulled her into a hug. “You okay, El? Promise?”
Ellie smiled and let him hold her for as long as he needed. He’d done good giving her space, even though Ellie knew it had to have been killing him inside. “I’m okay. Dev’s been taking care of me.” She gave Dev a sideways glance and grinned at his blush.
Jules bumped Ellie’s shoulder and gave her a knowing smile. “He’s been doin’ that from the beginning, I think.” She turned to Ellie’s brother and rubbed her large pregnant belly before leaning against Jason. “Come on, Jay. Your daughter is kickin’ your fiancée’s bladder and if they both don’t get a cheeseburger ASAP therewillbe hell to pay.”
Jason laughed and gently wrapped his arm around Jules, as if he was afraid she might literally pop if he handled her too roughly.
“See ya, El. Devil, take care of her.” Jason tilted his chin up at Dev before lifting an eyebrow at Ellie. “I don’t want to have to hear about you getting kidnapped again.” Jules gave Jason a playful slap and turned him to exit the room.
Dev glanced at Ellie and her skin tingled as his fingertips trailed down her arm and squeezed her hand before yelling at Jason’s back. “I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that. Haven’t you learned by now?” He grinned wider than Ellie had ever seen him as he looked back down to her. “She can take care of herself.” He squeezed her hand and brushed his lips over her forehead. “Isn’t that right, angel?”
Ellie smiled and squeezed back. “Yep. But it helps to have the devil on my side.”
Epilogue
One week later
“El! Are you ready? Your boy’s eatin’ all our food in our kitchen! Hey, I was watchin’ that!”
