There was a pause, and “Same place, an hour?”
He hung up.
Jamie stared at the screen as if it might blink back at him, and the silence between us twisted tight. I should’ve eased him into this, should’ve built a bridge before dropping him into the abyss. But I hadn’t. I’d thrown it all down like a gauntlet, and now the fallout was coming.
Countdown to detonation: five… four… three…
And God help me, I deserved the blast.
“You’re working for Lassiter!” Jamie yelled, his voice cracking with fury as he shoved me back a step. His whole body was tense, vibrating with rage, his eyes wild. “Are you playing us?”
I caught his wrists before he could shove meagain, gripping tighter this time. His pulse thudded under my fingers.
“I’m playing him,” I growled, jaw tight. “I’m leaving.”
“The hell you are,” he snarled, jerking away. But I moved fast, grabbing his arms and dragging him with me. He resisted hard, heels skidding on the floor, his free hand punching at my shoulder.
“Let go of me!”
“Not until you shut the fuck up and listen!”
He struggled the whole way, throwing his weight back, but I muscled him forward until we were nose-to-nose with the board. I shoved him lightly, enough to make him stumble the last step and land in front of the mess of names, photos, and red marker lines.
“Look,” I snapped. “Look at this. These are the names of people Robbie gave us. Victims. Dead or missing or broken. Every one of them matters. I’m doing this for them. And for him. For Robbie.”
Jamie stood rigid, chest heaving, fists clenched at his sides. I saw the fire in him flicker, burning bright—then shift. Rage gave way to something colder. His shoulders sagged.
“You need to let me do what I have to,” I said, blasting through the static between us and makinghim listen. “You want to stop Lassiter? Then, let me get close enough to drive the knife in. Trust me.”
His eyes flicked to mine, and his jaw worked as if he had more to say but couldn’t find the words. The silence stretched, brittle and heavy.
He didn’t speak.
But he didn’t stop me either when I left ten minutes later, wearing a brand new recording device, this time in a pocket square.
I hoped he’d be there when I got back.
When I stalkedinto the restaurant and over to the table where Lassiter was waiting, I didn’t sit. I tossed the file onto the table between us like a challenge. The digital forensics were enough to put him away if anyone gave a damn.
“Recovered the laptop,” I said. My voice was ice. “Encrypted. Buried. But not deep enough.”
Lassiter’s expression didn’t flicker. “Who had it?”
I leaned forward. “Does it matter? It came into our possession. That’s the part you should focus on.”
He steepled his fingers. “You said if you found something, you’d hear me out?—”
“And I will because it’s your dime. Your name’son there. Directly tied to money movements. Millions. Offshore routes. Dead ends and closed doors. So go ahead and tell me a story. Just make sure it’s a good one.”
He blinked slowly, calculating. I didn’t break eye contact.
Then, he smiled and sat back in his chair as though we were discussing golf scores instead of federal crimes. “You know how it works, Killian. I invest in opportunities. Sometimes those opportunities have complicated histories. Shell companies. Silent partners. I don’t vet every name on every account. That’s what I pay accountants and lawyers for.”
He shrugged, all faux innocence. “If someone used my name to grease wheels I wasn’t aware of? That’s unfortunate. But not illegal. Not unless you can prove I knew. And we both know you can’t.”
I stepped in, close enough to cast a shadow across the pristine table. “You think I care about legal? This isn’t about a court case, Lassiter. It’s about the fact that every single file in that laptop leads straight to you, and if I cover that up, I’m not just complicit. I’m implicated.” I dropped my voice, low and sharp. “You might be used to politics, but I don’t work for you. If I go down, I’m dragging every last one of you withme. So don’t give me your investor bullshit. Give me the truth. Or give me a reason not to burn this whole empire to the ground.”
Lassiter didn’t flinch. He leaned in, his smile tightening into something more serpentine. “Burn it down if you want. But be sure you’re not standing too close when the flames hit. You think you’re the only one with something to lose? I’ve spent twenty years weaving threads through every corridor of power you can imagine. Politicians. Judges. Bankers. People you shake hands with every day. People who smile for the camera and shake in private. You torch this, and it won’t be me who burns first.”
