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Joe shook his head. “I wasn’t lying about that clerical error. Not only did most of the evidence for our assaults get tossed, but now almost all the evidence we’ve been gathering for the last eighteen months has gone out the window. These last few days? The shit literally hit the fucking fan.”
His brows came together. “How’s that possible?”
“Remember that whole shit show I mentioned?”
Quinn nodded, and the hairs on the back of his neck rose at the abject revulsion on Joe’s face.
“My partner and I went under as a husband-wife power couple playing the married-for-the-money roles. She played the role too well. My partner is now aformerSpecial Agent and being detained herself.”
Of all the things he’d expected to hear from Joe, that hadn’t been it. “The fuck...”
“She was fucking Woodsworth, leaking information, and destroying evidence. A complete clusterfuck. The powers that be still want Woodsworth. No, I take that back. They want the higher-ups on the food chain. We know Woodsworth will give them up because he’s a pussy. Any man who beats on a woman, let alone a woman who’s half his size, is a man who’ll rat his friends out to save his own sorry ass.”
“Agreed.” Damn. He didn’t envy his friend’s predicament. At all.
“We need a little more time to build our case back up and then a way to get Woodsworth back into custody. There’s no way in hell he’s serving the full six months. Alex can give him to us on a damn platter with a fucking apple in his mouth.”
Things still didn’t quite add up. Not that they ever fucking did with the feds. “Why didn’t Alex go straight into WITSEC? Why is she atyourplace?”
“When she was in the hospital, we thought we still had Woodsworth, so she wasn’t approved for it. It truly wasn’t even an issue then. I sent her here because I knew she wanted a fresh start. I just wanted to help her get away from all that bullshit.”
Quinn crossed his arms over his chest. “And now?”
“Fuck, Connie. The powers that be. They want what they want, but only when they fucking want it.Nowthey deem her important, but still not vital enough for WITSEC.” Joe let out a weary sigh. “I wasn’t lying earlier. They did approve a modified protective custody.” He shrugged. “And here we fucking are.”
Quinn pictured the bruises on her face, and his molars ground together. They were going to risk Alex’s life by dangling her in front of that piece of shit? After everything she’d already been through?
“You know they’re going to do this with or without me, Connie. I’d rather be in the know. I’m sure you’d agree.”
Fuck.His friend wasn’t wrong. Joe was in the shittiest of positions. But Alex was in the crosshairs. And that was unacceptable.
He scrubbed his hands over his face before planting them on his hips. “‘I am but a humble servant of the government,’” he parroted with equal sarcasm. “Fucking hell, man. What do you need me to do?”
Joe stared at him for a moment, the seriousness of his expression setting off warning bells in his gut. “Keep her safe. She’s going to need it. And if she starts working for Rox like you said she plans to, promise me you’ll keep them both safe.”
“Of course.”
“I’ll tell you what I can, but you know how it is. It’s all need-to-know, and most of the time, I don’t even make the damn cut.” His eyes narrowed as if he were debating something in his mind. “Off the record?”
Quinn nodded.
“Call in Gavin’s crew if you need to.”
The warning bells were now blaring. When an FBI agent suggested enlisting the help of a private security company, shit was beyond fucked. He nodded again.
“Above all, O’Conner, make sure you get her to talk to you, to trust you. Woodsworth is going to come after her, and you need to be by her side when he does. Because I can guarantee you it’s not going to be pretty. He’s a sick son of a bitch. And worse? When he gets out, he’s going to be adesperateson of a bitch.”
Quinn crossed his arms over his chest. That fucker wasnotgoing to get near Alex. Not on his watch.
“I need to get back,” Joe said, pulling his phone from his pocket. “I’ll be back and forth between the Boston and Seattle offices until this is resolved. I’m going to run in and say goodbye to Alex now, but I’ll be in touch.” He stepped toward Quinn’s office, then paused. “Can you tell Roxanne that—” His mouth slammed shut. “Never mind,” he muttered before vanishing through the door.
CHAPTERELEVEN
“Damn, dude. What the hell did that heavy bag do to you?”
On an exhale, Quinn swiped at the sweat dripping into his eyes with his forearm. His muscles shook from exhaustion.
He lifted his chin at his friend Cade, the co-owner of De La Rosa Gym. “Long fucking day, man.”
