Page 60 of Stolen Goods
“But he makes being a jerk so easy.”
Jo glared at him. “If you want a reduced sentence and a good plea deal, I’d suggest you cut the crap.”
He sighed. “I know, Jo Jo. I know.” And then he put his hands behind his head and leaned back, a positively wicked grin widening his lips. “But, you know, this is half your fault. You knew I was coming. You knew when. You could’ve told him to get dressed. I mean, you practically teed it up for me.”
A sheepish look passed over her face, and she pulled her lower lip in. “Well, I needed to pass the time. And I needed some stress relief. And I didn’t want to lie, so I just thought, what can we do that doesn’t involve much talking? So…”
Thad faked a puking noise.
“Oh, you’re one to talk,” she scoffed.
They bickered like brother and sister, the underlayer of affection evident in their tone as they tossed jibes back and forth. He glanced her way, brief and quick and burning, then closed his eyes to laugh at something Jo said. It hurt for some reason, a sharp prick, as though an invisible hand had pinched her skin. Addy stood there and watched, the outsider, acutely aware that she was in way over her head.
- 23 -
Thad
“Those are my terms,” Thad stated for a second time. Parker sat across from him, hands folded on the tabletop, jaw clenched, lips pulled into a thin line. Thad sat back and crossed his arms, then shrugged. “Take them or leave them.”
The Fed’s nostrils flared wide.
It brought a smile to Thad’s lips.
“Nate, it’s not that unreasonable,” Jo said softly. “And it makes sense. He can’t be in jail during the trial. You know that. The system, it’s a mess. You put him in there, he’ll be dead before he gets to testify.”
Addison sucked in a sharp breath from the side. Thad reached beneath the table and squeezed her knee, tossing a quick wink in her direction, trying to lighten her mood. He didn’t blame her for the confused, worried look she returned. This wasn’t her world. This was the world he’d dragged her into.
“Witness protection, it makes perfect sense,” Jo continued. “And the other thing, well—”
“The other thing is what I’m hung up on,” Parker cut in with a frown. “Of course he’ll go into WITSEC. There’s no other way. And the rest of that deal, well, it’ll be for a judge, lawyers, and agents far more important than me to decide. But bringing civilians into this? Now? I don’t like it.”
“You don’t have to,” Thad cut in. “If you want my cooperation, you’ll do it.”
Jo sighed just as Parker turned a hard look back on him. “And if you don’t want to rot in a jail cell for the rest of your life, you might consider being a little more grateful that I’m even having this conversation right now.”
“I think you think the federal prison system is a lot more secure than it is,” Thad murmured, pursing his lips. “Go ahead, put me in jail, see how long it lasts. Don’t forget that if I didn’t show up on your doorstep this morning, the Feds would still be running around like chickens with their heads cut off, no clue how to find me.”
The Fed closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Just like that, Thad knew he’d won. Parker stood up and grabbed his phone from the table. “Let me see what I can do.”
He hobbled down the hall, limping.
“What’s with his leg?” Thad asked, nudging his chin toward the Fed as he turned to Jo.
The fire in her green eyes made it clear she was pissed. Her tone didn’t hold back either. “He got shot. Saving my life. When the Russiansyouwere working with blew up our home!”
Thad swallowed. “Oh.”
“Oh. Yes, oh!” she snapped and then forced her lips closed, blowing a long, tension filled breath through her nostrils. She clenched and unclenched her hands on the tabletop, until finally, her shoulders slumped. “He’s not even supposed to be working right now. He’s supposed to be on leave, but he didn’t want me to come alone. Nate’s trying to help us, Thad. Please, just try to remember he’s not the bad guy.”
“I know,” Thad murmured.I am.
Jo sighed as though she could read the rest of that sentence in his eyes. “You’re not the bad guy either, Thad. Not really. They are. Which is why you’re here. And why the Feds will work with you, if you stop being a jerk. So we can put the actual evil people away.”
His heart shrank back in a wince, but Thad didn’t move. He knew what she was saying was true, but in this situation, he didn’t know how to begin to lower his guard. The defenses were so strong even he wasn’t sure how to get around them. Instead, he just asked, “How long will he be, do you think?”
Jo blew her hair out of her face. “Ten minutes, two hours? With his boss, you never know.”
“We should get cleaned up,” he said. “You go first, Addison. I’ll get our things from the car.”
