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“You’re not going alone,” Priest says immediately.
“I was just about to say that,” Knox chimes in. “I don’t trust that fucker.”
I give him a look because we both know why he doesn’t trust Carter, but I’m not going to argue about it. “I didn’t tell him I was bringing anyone,” I remind them.
“And you don’t have to,” Gage says. “You’ll meet with him alone, but we’ll be there as back up. We’ll keep our distance, but we’ll be there if you need us.”
I nod because I don’t mind that. I know it’s not because they don’t trust me, but because at this phase of the game, things are close to coming to a head. The only people we can really trust are each other. They’re just having my back, the way I would have theirs if they had to do something like this.
Gage smiles at me, and it’s a mark of how far we’ve all come together that that’s the end of it. There was definitely a time when I would have argued and told Gage to go fuck himself if he thought I couldn’t do this. But now the notion of having him there, having all of them there, makes me feel more secure in what we’re doing.
Carter and I arranged to meet at a local park. At this time of day, it’s not packed with people, so there’s privacy at the little bench we chose to meet up at, but it’s not suspicious for people to be sitting there or milling around nearby.
Carter’s already there when I arrive, leaning back with his sunglasses on and one arm along the back of the bench. Nothing about him screams FBI agent, but I can immediately see that he doesn’t quite blend in.
He looks up, sees me and smiles, pushing his sunglasses up onto his head. I sit down next to him, and he gives me an expectant look.
“The information I have is about Julian Maduro,” I tell him.
“I see.”
“You know him?”
“I know of him, of course. He’s been involved in some of the things going on in the city lately. He was at the church.”
I nod. “Well, he’s not all he seems, I can tell you that.”
“Few people are.” He gives me a long look that I choose to ignore.
I start to lay out some of the information we have on Julian’s business. A little info about where to look for money that Julian has hidden in offshore accounts, the fact that some of his ‘business associates’ have their fingers in shady dealings as well. I don’t give him too much, and I hold back some of the info that me and the guys know. Just enough for him to see my tip as valid and make it something he’ll want to look into.
I can tell I struck the right balance, because Carter looks very interested. He writes down what I told him, asking questions to clarify anything he needs more on.
Some of it I lie about, saying I don’t know, and on some topics, I give him a little more information just to keep it interesting.
When he has all of it down, he looks up at me with assessing eyes. It’s like he’s trying to see through me to the heart of the matter, and it’s a good thing I know how to play this game because my expression doesn’t change.
“What’s your game, River?” he asks me. “Why are you telling me all this?”
It’s a good question, all things considered. No one gives away information for free in this town. But I’m not going to tell him. It’s none of his business for one thing. He’s just a link in this chain. Another piece of the plan that will take Julian down once and for all. Plus, I don’t trust him.
So I just shake my head, keeping my cards close to the vest. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“You might be surprised what I would understand,” he says, and his voice is a little softer. I can’t tell if it’s real or an act, but in the end it doesn’t really matter.
“That’s all I’ve got for you,” I tell him.
His perceptive gaze is still on me, and it feels like there’s something I’m missing. Just as I’m keeping secrets from him, it almost feels like he’s keeping secrets from me too.
My stomach clenches a little with a wave of anxiety. One thing the guys and I haven’t accounted for is the possibility that Mitch Carter could already be in Julian’s pocket. There’s no telling how far his reach stretches across the city, and while we didn’t find any evidence to make us think he’s got feds on his side, that’s the kind of thing a person would keep buried for maximum effect.
If he does have Carter on his side, then this whole thing could blow up before we have a chance to carry out our end game.
“That’s all,” I tell him again, making it clear that the meeting is over.
“Well, thank you for your time,” he says. “And for the information. I’ll be sure it gets to the right channels.” He holds his hand out for me to shake, and I take it, giving him a firm handshake before getting up from the bench and walking away.
I can feel Carter’s gaze on me as I go.
That wave of anxiety doesn’t fade, and all I want in this moment is for the last few steps of this plan to be complete and the whole thing to be done. There’s so many moving parts to this plan, which means there are more chances than I’d like for it to go wrong. In the end, it’ll be worth it. I have to keep reminding myself of that.
For Hannah.
For all the innocent people who suffer in the name of powerful men gaining more power.
It’s worth it.
