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“Wait, Zeke.”
Two decades of habit brought him to an immediate halt. Clenching his jaw, he let the door swing closed and turned to face his brother.
“I get it,” Ash said. “I get your conflict. I get your suspicion.” Even your resentment, his eyes said. “But the Bureau needs you. Your community needs you.” He paused, looking down at his clenched hands, visibly struggling for the right words. “If we don’t hand over the antiquity to this asshole CI, he won’t give us valuable information that we need to save lives.”
Zeke caught the note of urgency in his brother’s voice, but also a hint of fear. Nothing ever riled Ash. He was the ultimate cool cucumber. Which meant there would be major fallout if the case failed.
Sonofabitch.
Zeke looked at Lawson. “It’s the team or nothing.”
A muscle twitched in the SRA’s jaw before his gaze flicked to Ash, who nodded. “Okay, but everyone must sign a confidentiality agreement.”
“No problem.”
Ash released an audible breath.
“I’ll e-mail the agreements to you,” Lawson said, rising.
“I have two more conditions.”
Lawson dropped back in his seat. “Name them.”
“If things go wrong, I, and I alone, will take the fall. The rest of my team gets immunity.”
“I’ll do my best to insure they’re protected against any criminal fallout.”
“Not good enough. I want a guarantee or no deal.”
“You have it,” Ash said in a quiet, firm voice.
Zeke looked to the SRA for confirmation.
Lawson nodded, muscle twitching again. “And two?”
“Special Agent Westcott will assist us with the recovery, rather than be my handler.”
Liv’s eyes widened, then narrowed into blowtorches. Aimed at him.
“Out of the question. I told you the Bureau can’t be linked to the recovery. Having her be the case agent is risky enough.”
“My conditions are nonnegotiable.” He grasped the door handle. “I don't need the Bureau’s gidgets and gadgets. Just Westcott. I’ll be in touch with our answer.”
“When?”
“When I have it.”
“By the end of the week, Blackwell.”
As Zeke shut the conference room door behind him, he heard Lawson demand, “What the hell is going on—?”
Zeke didn’t know if Lawson spoke to Ash or Liv—and didn’t really care. He had a lot of his own shit to sort out.
Like how the hell he was going to get his brothers on board with this recovery and how he was going to keep his hands off his new FBI partner.
