AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Barrett lifts his fingers to run through his hair as he huffs out a frustrated breath. “I know the man too, remember? I wouldn’t have believed it either unless I was looking him in the eye when I questioned him. I could see it written all over his face, Lawrence. He’s compromised. I just don’t know why or how.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means one plus one does not equal two. Harry was too polished, too sure of himself and his client. The moment I left his office after meeting with him, I came back and started digging.”
Aiden’s gaze sparks with anger. “When was this?”
“Last week. As soon as Marlee told me you were back in town and working a case at Marquis, I caught a flight to Seattle.”
Aiden doesn’t seem surprised by any of that. “I’ve tried to get the client’s name out of him but he wouldn’t tell me. And fuck you for going behind my back instead of asking me what the hell was going on.”
Barrett’s sardonic laugh fills the room. “She did ask you, you said you’d try and find out. She told me, and I made the call to go see Harry.” He’s talking like I’m not even in the room, but I know this isn’t my fight. This is between them. “You can’t expect any of us to trust you? You’re lucky you got away with what you did with your pension intact.”
Aiden takes a step forward and the already tense air turns electric. “You think I don’t know that? That I haven’t fucking tortured myself over what I did? And just as I think I have a chance to move on and get on with my sorry excuse for a life, here I am, thrust back into shit I don’t want anything to do with.”
“Except you still accepted the case from Harry and came back here,” Barrett shoots back, his voice full of disbelief.
“What was I supposed to do? I tried to say no but he assured me it was a favor he had to repay and that I was the only one who could do it.”
“What else did he tell you?” I ask, hoping to diffuse the situation and get this interview of sorts back on track.
“That no one from my past would be involved. Fucking bullshit of a lie that was,” Aiden says with a shake of his head.
“We’re trying to work out what his angle is,” I say gently. “It might help us work out why it was you that had to be here and why.”
Aiden’s gaze jerks to mine. “He’s fucking clean. I’ve known him for years. He may muddy the waters but he’s straight as an arrow. He wouldn’t—”
“He did. The sooner you accept it, the better we’ll all be because then we can finally focus on bringing Decker down,” Barrett announces, his deep voice cutting through the air.
“For all I fucking know, you’re behind all of this,” Aiden stupidly says, and I move between the two men who are now pressing into my shoulders, both spitting tacks and glaring at one another.
I turn to Barrett and shove him back with both hands. “This isn’t helping anybody. Barrett, back off.” Giving him my back, I spin around and wait for Aiden to meet my eyes. He's shattered, it’s written all over his face. I hate it because I’m seeing the same defeated man that was at the hospital facing down Alyssa while we all waited for word on Barrett's surgery. It’s a man who’s sick of being used and manipulated and not being the master of his own story.
“Fuck this. I’m out.” Then he steps past me and storms toward the door.
“We’ll have to get you a burner so I can contact you,” I say just before he leaves.
“Whatever. You know where to find me.” He spears a look through Barrett before locking eyes with me. “But only you, Marls. You want my help, you’ve got it. But I’m only dealing with you.”
Barrett scoffs. “Why? Because you’re trying to get back in her bed. That’s your M.O. right?”
“No,” he says, sounding calmer than I’ve heard tonight. “Because she’s the only damn person I can trust right now.” Then he’s gone.
I fight the urge to go after him. Not that it would achieve anything right now.
My exhaustion doesn't stop me from turning on Barrett and laying into him as soon as we're alone again.
“What the hell were you thinking?” I hiss, crossing my arms over my chest. “You can't just drop that bomb on him like that.”
Barrett raises an eyebrow at me, his expression cool and collected. “Seemed like the perfect time to me.”
“That not only are you involved in this case, but the man who pulled him out of the deep dark hole he'd buried himself in might be dirty too? Yeah, sure. Great! Kick the man while he’s down and put a boot on his head while you’re at it!”
Barrett leans against the wall, eyes pinned to mine. “Listening to you two talk was productive though,” he says and suddenly I feel like a bug under a microscope because Barrett has always been able to see through the bullshit. “And how's that?” I ask, not realizing I've started pacing.
“For all his faults,”—my step falters and I come to a stop, my eyes widening as I stand there staring at Barrett. “—and believe me, I'm just as shocked as you are that I'm defending the asshole. Aiden Lawrence has found himself in the middle of something he had no damn clue about and he's being used as a pawn in some other fucker's game. I happen to know exactly what that feels like.” My breath catches at the realization of the duplicity of the situation. He's involved now just as much as we are, maybe even more so because, if our suspicions are right, he's not here by chance. “There's a reason Harry sent him into that club.”
“I know that,” I snap back at him. “We have to find out why. Doesn’t mean you had to blindside him like that. You could have eased him into it or waited until we had more information. Aiden’s going to think that I've been lying to him this whole time.”
