Making a low, frustrated sound, Ian pushed his chair away from the desk and stood up. He wandered over to the mini fridge and took out his wrapped burrito and a bottle of water. While he waited for the kettle to boil, he threw a tea bag into the mug and turned the matter over and over in his head.
Without noticing, Ian found himself back in the holding cells, where Jake was stretched out on his mattress, his fingers clasped over his head. Wordlessly, Ian stepped forward and slid the plastic plate with the burrito in between the metal bars. Slowly, he set the Styrofoam cup of tea down next to it and took a few steps back.
Jake sat up, glanced over at the floor, and a flicker of surprise moved over his face. “Are you some kind of glutton for punishment?”
“You were right about us getting off on the wrong foot.”
Jake rose to his feet and sauntered over to the bars, his movements slow and precise. “It must’ve taken a lot for you to be able to admit that.”
Ian shrugged and leaned against the wall opposite the cell. “I figured we’re a lot more useful to each other if we’re on the same side. Even if it’s just temporary.”
Jake bent down, lifted the plate up to his face, and sniffed. “You douse this with something?”
“Do I need to?”
Jake’s dark eyes moved over Ian’s face, leaving unease in his wake. “No.”
With that, Jake bit into the burrito and carried the cup back with him. He set it down at the foot of the bed and tucked his legs underneath him. “What do you want to know?”
Ian raised an eyebrow. “That’s it? All I needed to do to win you over is get you a burrito and a crappy cup of tea?”
“I’m not sure your fellow officers will appreciate your ringing endorsement of the tea,” Jake said in between mouthfuls of food. “And I know a sincere gesture when I see it.”
Ian snorted. “There’s nothing sincere about this.”
Jake studied Ian openly in between bites of his burrito. “You’re the one who wants us to be on the same side.”
“Wasn’t Eric paying you a fortune to spy on us? Why the change of heart?”
Jake swallowed and used the back of his hand to wipe his mouth. “A man like Eric Taylor is going to cut his losses the second he feels like he’s going to be exposed. He’s already written me off, which means he’s bad-mouthing me to everyone he knows. My career is pretty much done.”
“So, it’s not a change of heart. More like a change of loyalty.”
Jake shrugged and leaned forward to pick up the tea, wisps of steam rising up to warm the bridge of his nose. “I’m the only one I owe my loyalty to. Money won’t buy my loyalty. It buys a service but not my silence. Not if it’s not in my best interest.”
“Honestly, I’m starting to wonder why Eric hired you.”
“You mean, why would he hire someone who would sell him out?” Jake took a few sips of his tea and grimaced. “Because as long as I don’t get caught, I get results. I’m the best in the business.”
“You think really highly of yourself, don’t you?”
Jake crumpled up the paper and tossed it into the bin on the far side of his cell. “When you know you’re good; what’s the point in denying it? You got a cigarette?”
Ian patted his pockets and pulled out an old box he’d stuffed in there earlier. He stepped forward, held the box open, and waited for Jake to come to him. A long moment passed between when Jake shoved the cigarette in between his lips, and Ian searched his pockets for a lighter. The small yellow flame lit up Jake’s face momentarily, revealing harsh lines and dirt smudges before plunging them back into semi-darkness.
Jake blew out a puff of smoke and stood underneath the window. “Eric Taylor isn’t going to stop coming after you. Any of you. He’s obsessed, and the fact you took his daughter and wife away from him is making him even more angry.”
Ian leaned back against the wall and folded his arms over his chest. “We didn’t take them. They left.”
Jake shrugged and blew out another ring of smoke. “The distinction doesn’t seem to matter. Word on the street is his colleagues and peers don’t give him the same amount of respect they used to. The great and powerful Eric isn’t so powerful, after all.”
“What does that have to do with us?”
Jake twisted to face Ian and exhaled. “You and your family are making him look bad. Men like Eric don’t like being questioned, and they don’t like being made fools of.”
“So, he’s just going to keep trying to take us down?”
Jake nodded, his expression turning grim. “I make it a point not to get emotionally involved in my jobs, but I’m going to do you a favor and give you some advice.”
