Chapter 38
Thirty-Eight
M elanie wasn’t expecting them. Good. That was the point.
Noah offered a casual, unreadable smile. “Hey, Luke.”
Luke shrugged, slipping into his well-practiced easygoing demeanor. “Melanie, let them in.”
The door didn’t move.
Alex stood at Noah’s side, arms crossed, gaze hard. “Sorry to drop in unannounced, but Ruth’s been asking about you. Thought we’d check in. We’re hoping it makes her feel better when we tell her we saw you.”
Melanie’s grip on the door tightened. “Ruth’s been asking about me?”
Noah nodded. “Yeah. She’s worried about you, especially after we told her about Dylan Grant.”
Melanie blinked, her voice barely above a whisper. “Dylan?”
Noah watched her closely, his voice smooth as silk. “Yeah. She was relieved to hear he made it out.”
Melanie paled. “I—I don’t understand.”
Noah tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing just enough to keep her uncomfortable. “Come on, Mel. You were there. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
Luke shifted slightly behind her, arms crossed over his chest. His face remained neutral, but Noah didn’t miss the way his jaw twitched.
Melanie swallowed hard, glancing at Luke. “I?—”
“Maybe we should talk inside,” Noah suggested, stepping forward.
Melanie hesitated, then stepped aside stiffly, her pulse visibly hammering in her throat.
Alex entered first, making a slow sweep of the apartment. “Nice place.”
Noah let the silence stretch before speaking again. “You were in deep with Fairchild, weren’t you, Mel?” His voice was deceptively light, but his eyes bored into hers. “You had a front-row seat to all of it.”
Melanie’s hands trembled slightly as she crossed her arms. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Noah chuckled, shaking his head. “Come on. You were practically glued to Fairchild’s side. You think we don’t know how much dirt you have on him?”
Her lips parted, her face draining of color.
Noah pressed forward. “So, here’s the thing, we’re about to bring Fairchild in. Whole operation crumbles in less than twenty-four hours.” He took a step closer. “If you’ve got anything to say, now’s your chance.”
Luke stayed completely still, his expression unreadable.
Melanie let out a shaky breath. “I—I don’t?—”
Alex suddenly clapped a hand on her shoulder, his grip firm. “Let’s have a chat, Mel. Just you and me.”
Melanie tensed, looking at Luke, but he didn’t intervene. She hesitated for only a moment before nodding stiffly. Alex gestured toward the other room, leading her away.
Once they were out of sight, Noah turned to Luke, dropping the act immediately. “We need to talk.”
Luke exhaled sharply, running a hand down his face. “You played her.”
Noah smirked. “Like a damn violin.”
Luke shook his head, his voice low. “You already know about Dylan, don’t you?”
Noah’s expression turned serious. “Dylan Grant was never alive, Luke. Fairchild made sure of that.”
Luke swore under his breath. “You lied to her.”
Noah leaned in slightly. “And now she’s rattled. Which means she’s going to slip up. And that means we’re about to get exactly what we need.”
Luke sighed, glancing toward the hallway where Alex had taken Melanie. “And what happens when she realizes the truth?”
Noah shrugged. “She’ll be pissed. By then, it won’t matter.”
Luke studied him for a long moment, then exhaled. “Fairchild won’t go down without a fight.”
Noah’s smile was ice-cold. “That’s fine.” He turned toward the hallway, his voice dropping. “I’m not looking for a clean fight.” He stood near the window, his arms crossed as he kept his voice low. “I need you to listen to me, Luke. We don’t have much time.”
Luke’s face remained unreadable, but his jaw ticked slightly. “Go on.”
Noah didn’t hesitate. “Fairchild’s going down at ten a.m. tomorrow. Federal warrants are in place. His security detail is getting hit first—then him. The second that happens, anyone with ties to him will be scrambling. Melanie included.”
Luke’s face darkened, but he nodded.
“You need to go in with her,” Noah continued, his voice sharp. “She has to believe you’re in this with her. Because when Alex gets her to start talking? She’s going to start grasping for lifelines, and she’ll reach for you.”
Luke exhaled, his hands on his hips. “And when she does?”
“You steer her straight into our hands,” Noah said coldly. “We need her alive, and we need her flipping on Fairchild before he realizes he’s already lost.”
Luke let out a short, humorless laugh. “Yeah, because that’s easy.”
Noah’s expression remained hard. “You signed up for this. You knew the risks.”
Luke gave him a long, measured look. “Yeah? What about your risks? You really think Ruth is gonna be okay with this when she finds out how deep you’re playing?”
Noah clenched his fists. “Ruth knows. She helped sort through Hilton’s records.”
“How is she doing?” Luke worried.
Noah swallowed hard. “Her vision hasn’t returned, and she’s really weak.”
Luke nodded. “I’m sorry.” He exhaled. “What about the guns?”
“That’s part of taking you in. Ethan Hayes’ people followed a shipment into town. They will take it down at the same time we take Fairchild. You’ll be in the clear.”
He inhaled. “All I can say is I hope you’re right.”
Noah ignored the comment. He had no time for doubts.
A door clicked open down the hall, and Alex’s voice carried toward them. “You ready to start talking, Mel? Or you want to wait till we slap cuffs on you and your boyfriend?”
Melanie’s voice was quieter, but there was a telltale tremor in it. “I—I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Noah and Luke exchanged a glance.
“She’s cracking,” Luke muttered.
Noah nodded. “Good.”
Melanie’s voice rose again, more desperate this time. “Fairchild won’t let me talk. You don’t understand—if I say the wrong thing, I’m dead.”
Alex chuckled, but he clearly wasn’t amused. “Sweetheart, you’re already dead to him. You’re just the last one to realize it.”
Noah turned back to Luke. “You need to get in there and play your part.”
Luke exhaled sharply, then straightened. “Fine.”
Noah stepped back, his voice dropping to a whisper. “We’ll be listening.”
Luke gave a tight nod and disappeared down the hall.
Noah followed, not saying a word. He just watched and listened. Listened as Melanie’s voice cracked. Listened as she started naming names. And listened as the walls of Fairchild’s empire started to crumble.
Inside, Alex sat across from Melanie, his posture relaxed but his presence suffocating. Luke stood nearby, silent but watchful. They had cornered her, backed her into a place where she could no longer twist the truth into something convenient.
Melanie’s breathing was shaky, her fingers clutching at her sleeves as if she could hold herself together by sheer force of will.
“You want to make it out of this alive?” Alex asked, voice calm, deliberate. “Start talking.”
She swallowed hard. “I—I shot Dylan Grant.”
Luke didn’t flinch, but Noah caught the slight tension in his shoulders.
Alex’s expression remained unreadable. “You’re gonna have to be a little more specific than that.”
Melanie’s lip trembled. “I didn’t mean to kill his secretary,” she said quickly, her voice breaking. “She just—she was there at the worst possible moment.”
Alex leaned forward, his tone pressing. “Walk us through it, Mel. Why’d you pull the trigger?”
Melanie exhaled sharply, shaking her head. “I walked in on them,” she admitted, her voice thick with anger. “He was supposed to be working, supposed to be handling things for Fairchild, finding out who set the bomb, but instead, he was screwing his secretary right there in his office.”
Luke's jaw tightened, but he stayed silent.
Melanie let out a bitter laugh, but there was no humor in it. “I lost it. I wasn’t even thinking. I pulled the trigger, and then…” She swallowed, squeezing her eyes shut as if she could erase the memory. “She screamed. And then I shot her too.”
The room was silent except for the uneven sound of her breathing.
Alex’s voice was sharp when he finally spoke. “Fairchild ordered the hit on Dylan, didn’t he?”
Melanie nodded slowly. “Yeah.”
“Why?”
Melanie hesitated, chewing on her bottom lip before whispering, “Because Matt Brandt told him Dylan was trying to cut a deal.”
Noah straightened, his grip on the doorway tightening.
Alex’s expression didn’t change. “What kind of deal?”
Melanie exhaled slowly. “Dylan had Hilton’s accounting files. The real ones—the ones that proved where Fairchild’s money was going. He was trying to find a buyer, someone who could offer him protection in exchange for the files. Matt found out and panicked. He gave me a copy the day they arrested Noah. I dropped it in my boot when you and Ruth came into her office.” She looked up at Noah.
Noah’s brows creased. “Did you know Ruth saw it?”
“I wasn’t sure.” Melanie chewed her lip.
“Did you tell anyone?” Noah came closer.
“Matt,” she admitted. “I told him I put the thumb drive in my boot, and Ruth may have seen it.
Noah and Alex shared a look.
Luke finally spoke, his voice eerily calm. “So, he ratted out Grant to Fairchild to save his own skin.”
Melanie gave a slow nod. “Yeah. And Fairchild decided Dylan wasn’t worth the risk.”
“Honey, who told you I was working for Fairchild?” Luke asked. Noah had to give Luke props. He played the part well.
Melanie looked at her hands. “Dylan.” She shrugged.
Noah clenched his jaw. It made sense. Fairchild wasn’t the type to let loose ends walk away, especially not with something as valuable as Hilton’s files. Dylan Grant was a big loose end. Matt Brandt was likely on the list.
But there was still one gaping hole in the story.
Alex leaned forward, his voice turning colder. “And the bomb?”
Melanie blinked. “What?”
“The bomb in Ruth’s car,” Alex pressed. “Who planted it?”
Melanie’s face twisted in confusion. “That wasn’t me. It wasn’t Luke. And it wasn’t Maxim.”
Noah’s stomach turned. If Fairchild didn’t plant the bomb, then who the hell did?
Luke met Noah’s gaze, his voice sarcastic. “Then you’ve got another player in this game.”
Noah stepped forward, his voice like steel. “Yeah,” he said darkly. “And we need to find out who the hell they are before they strike again. But we have enough on the two of you, so if you string us along…”
Luke protested, “What do you have on me? I just protect the man.”
Alex got up, opened the front door and waved in four agents who’d flown in from the FBI’s DC office. Melanie began to sob, and Luke grew stoic as they were handcuffed and walked out to waiting vehicles.
Alex and Noah went through the apartment. Finding nothing, they headed out to prepare for the raid on the Fairchild estate.