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“How does it feel to be free, Bailey?” Sterling asked gently as he pulled me closer. “Watch.”
“Authorities are working to uncover what else is being hidden in Burke’s estate,” the woman explained. “We have Amy on scene.”
“Thanks, Shelby. It’s been a long morning for the Burke estate. He was arrested just after seven when he tried to leave the state. He was traveling alone, and in his trunk was packed with documents.”
The background shifted to a video of men in uniform pulling out stacks of file boxes and papers.
I snorted. “Well, that was a dumb move. Desperation, I guess.”
“We have Crystal Burke here with us now,” Amy continued. Crystal dabbed at her eyes and played the victim well. Then again, I was positive she was devastated, just for the wrong reasons. She’d lost her husband and almost everything they owned due to this fiasco.
“It was such a shock. Ineverwould have thought my husband, who I’d given my vows to, could stoop to this,” she said before releasing a long wail that had Amy shifting uncomfortably on screen.
“I’m so sorry. The news must have been devastating,” Amy offered quickly. “Did your husband say anything to you before he ran?”
“He said he was going to the office. He kissed me on the forehead like usual, took his travel mug, and left,” she said tearfully. “I had no idea he was a monster.”
“Back to you, Shelby,” Amy said, and the view switched over to a stunned Shelby.
“Crystal Burke will certainly have a long day as authorities ransack her home to try to get to the bottom of this. For now, we have a running list of leaked information with connections to multiple atrocities, including suspected trafficking, extortion, bribery, adultery, and more.”
“Damn,” I said. “He’s officially fucked.”
“And you’re officially unemployed,” Cyrus joked as he pushed over a mug of coffee and a breakfast sandwich. “Sorry to wake you, but we thought you’d want to see all this.”
“Oh, I did,” I agreed. “It’s so weird. I feel almost… empty now. I had a purpose before.”
“Well, we could always use your newfound skills to get the rest of this ring shut down,” Cyrus said, and the mood sobered. “I have a feeling this is just the tip of the iceberg, though you helped incriminate a few of the men involved. Burke was hardly the leader.”
“I’m guessing we have no clue who that leader is,” I mused. “That just means we already have something new to focus on.”
“Your phone has been going off all morning,” Bentley told me as he refilled my coffee.
“Shit.” How could I have been so stupid? Of course, the Syndicate would have been trying to reach me. I’d set off a bomb then went radio silent. I flew out of my chair and over to my purse, pulling out the Syndicate phone to find a plethora of messages ranging from congratulatory to annoyance.
Syndicate: The takedown was exactly as we hoped. Well done.
Syndicate: We received word the senator just pulled from the race and has submitted a letter of resignation to the senate.
Syndicate: The last thing you have to do is meet with your handler for debrief and final payment.
Syndicate: Please respond.
Syndicate: We are growing impatient.
Bailey: Apologies. When and where are we meeting?
Syndicate: We know of your partners. Come alone, Bailey. We will keep watch in case your attackers are still out there. The address and time will be sent when we have more information.
Bailey: Okay
“So, bad news,” I muttered as I sat down in my chair, fighting back the urge to scream. I’d done my part, but I was still being ordered around.
“What is it?” Sterling growled, already worked up.
“I have to meet for a debrief at some point, but they haven’t said when. They’re sending a time and an address,” I explained. “However, I’m to come alone. They specifically said to leave you behind. Apparently, they can keep me safe, or at least they think they can.”
“Absolutely not,” Cyrus protested. “This is far from over.” He jerked his thumb at the TV behind him, indicating the fallout from the senator. The bond was slammed with their frustration. This wasn’t going to be an easy fight.
