Chapter 2 #3
Ethan didn’t want a repeat performance from two years ago, when he lost almost his entire team.
After briefing Carlsson in Denver yesterday before he left, this summons didn’t bode well.
Even though he’d been instructed not to tell Howard anything, keeping information from a fellow marshal chafed.
But orders were orders, and he needed to get in there.
Pretend he was contrite for an offense he hadn’t committed.
Howard could be the mole, after all. But Ethan had the guy pretty low on his list of potential suspects.
He grabbed a small notebook and pen off the corner of his slightly dusty desk. Aubrey should’ve sent housekeeping in here to dust. But then, in the past, he’d chewed her out for entering his office while he was out. Yeah, probably why no one had set foot in his office while he was “suspended.”
Howard’s office was at the end of the long, narrow hallway, facing the Renegade Mountain range. As the supervisor here in Renegade, Howard had a corner office with the best view in the entire building.
Every step on the polished marble echoed down the third-floor hall. Ethan stopped in front of Howard’s office and knocked on the heavy wooden door.
“Come on in.” Howard waved him inside. “If you don’t mind, close the door, please.”
Oh boy, this couldn’t be good.
Ethan sat in one of the leather guest chairs facing Howard’s desk. Howard continued to stare at his laptop, and Ethan restrained himself from shifting in his seat.
“Reporting, per your request.” His heart thundered in his chest, and he focused on breathing.
Howard tapped a few keys on his laptop, his focus on whatever document was in front of him, before he finally glanced up. “I see you’re back from your suspension.”
“I’m eager to get back to work.” Ethan shrugged off his exhaustion like an old shirt. He simply needed to get through the next few hours, then he could go home and dig through his files again. Sleep in his own bed.
Howard steepled his fingers under his chin. “If I can be honest with you, this suspension doesn’t look good on your record.”
“I agree. I’ll try not to let it happen again.”
“Help me understand what really happened, Butler.” Howard leaned forward—an attempt to intimidate him, no doubt.
Ethan met his gaze. “An unfortunate series of events. A mistake on my part.”
“No, I don’t think that’s it.” Howard reclined again and picked up a pen, twirling it between his fingers. “My gut is telling me this was a setup. What happened to you, Butler? You’ve always been a straight shooter.”
God, I don’t want to lie. Give me the words.
Ethan held up his open palms. “I’m an open book. I follow the rules.”
Howard barked out a laugh. “That’s why it makes no sense. I hear you were out of town for most of your suspension. Taking a vacation?”
Ethan tried not to wince. “With all due respect, sir, I checked with the Marshals office in Denver and they approved my travel. I was able to do some hiking. Clear my head.”
Although, it had been anything but a vacation.
Red herrings, clues leading to dead ends, mysterious messages.
Roger Rousseau was connected to something huge, and Ethan couldn’t put his finger on what it was—or what might be gearing up to happen.
He just knew that whatever illegal activity it was needed to be stopped or prevented.
Howard narrowed his eyes. “Hmm. Yes.”
Ethan pulled a copy of the approval email out of his notebook and handed it to Howard. “If I recall, this approval was forwarded to you. Even though I was suspended, I was given permission to leave town.”
Howard scanned the sheet of paper. “Yes, I remember now. Please make sure that Aubrey puts this in your personnel file.” Howard pushed it back with one finger as if it was contaminated.
For some reason, Howard didn’t like him. Ever since Ethan had transferred here, they’d butted heads. If only this guy knew he was on a list of potential moles, he probably wouldn’t be so smug.
“Sure.” Ethan placed the email in his notebook and stood. “If that’s all?”
“Actually, I need a few more minutes of your time.” Howard pointed to the chair Ethan had just vacated.
Ethan sank back into the seat and swallowed his rising anger.
“I’m a little concerned about you.” Howard pulled a file folder from his drawer and placed it on top of the desk.
He removed a sheet of paper. “About you and your career. First, you were put on standard administrative leave for a shooting you were involved in a few weeks ago. Now you have an infraction on your service record for a so-called mistake. In the two years that you’ve been assigned to this office, you have been a strictly by-the-book type of marshal.
No infractions. That’s why I’m so concerned.
We’ve mapped out some action points for you to follow.
” He blew out a breath and tapped the paper with a finger.
“We’ll need you to sign off on the action plan. ”
“If I can explain…”
Howard held up one hand. “Let me finish. You’re a good marshal—one of the best I’ve had the opportunity to work with in a long time.”
That was a surprise. “Thank you.”
“You might want to hold off thanking me until after you hear this.” Howard pinned him with a stare. “My observation is that I haven’t seen your usual focus. Your peers genuinely respect you, but being a lone wolf can be deadly in this type of work.”
Howard leaned back in his chair. “Is there something I can help you with? A personal issue bothering you? If you don’t want to confide in me, there has to be someone else in our office.
The agency has professional counseling services.
Butler, you’re one of the best, and we all need help at times. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
Howard had no clue the stress Ethan was under working this special assignment. But Ethan didn’t need a thunderbolt from the Lord to verify the truth of his supervisor’s words. Stress was no excuse for rebuffing help from others on his team. A wave of conviction rolled over him.
Ethan nodded. “I can assure you that I’ll do a better job.”
Howard’s mouth opened, as if he didn’t quite know what to make of Ethan’s humility. “I know you will. We’re a team here, and when one of us hurts, we all do.”
Howard wanted to discuss Ethan’s pain? Perhaps he was digging, trying to get Ethan to reveal his assignment.
Did Howard suspect he was investigating the Shadow Syndicate?
There was no way. Carlsson only used a secure phone line when he contacted Ethan.
But if their suspicions were right and someone at the office was connected to the criminal group, that meant Ethan couldn’t trust anyone.
He shook his head. “Thank you, I appreciate the offer, but I’d rather not talk about it right now.” He clenched his jaw, and tension settled across his shoulders.
“You don’t have to talk to me about it. But get some help for that anger of yours.
Losing people is part of the job. It’s never easy, but it happens, and as much as we don’t want to believe it, it does affect our job performance.
” Howard held up his hand and leaned back.
“I know we don’t have a close relationship, but I think you need to find someone to confide in. ”
“Understood.”
Sitting down with someone who understood him and his quirks sounded all well and good, but when he couldn’t trust anyone, what was the point in taking the risk?
“Just don’t carry it alone, Butler. It gets heavy fast in this job.”
Ethan shifted in his seat. “I’ll make the call.”
“Yes, you will.” Howard slid the sheet back into the folder and clicked his mouse. “Otherwise, the next suspension won’t be temporary. We’re talking career-level consequences.”
Ethan’s jaw clenched. He didn’t need a lecture; he needed answers.
The printer kicked on. Howard collected the pages and handed them across the desk. “Approved counselors in the Renegade area.”
Ethan stared at the list, the names reading like accusations. “Fine. I’ll look.”
Stay calm. He wants a reaction.
“Not look. Schedule.” Howard’s tone hardened. “I expect confirmation.”
Ethan lifted a brow. “And if I don’t?”
“Then I will be recommending you be removed from fugitive apprehension. We can’t afford to have distracted team leaders in the field.”
Heat flushed under Ethan’s collar. The silence pressed in, and the weight of the investigation hollowed his lungs.
Lord, help me. He bit the inside of his cheek and forced himself to think through the consequences. Peace edged in and he maintained eye contact. “With respect, this doesn’t warrant removal.”
A muscle twitched in Howard’s jaw. “Don’t think I won’t bench you.” He leaned forward. “You’re usually a rule follower. They’ve got you on something else, don’t they?”
Bile rose in Ethan’s throat. He kept his face neutral. “I have no idea what you mean.”
He fixed his gaze just past Howard’s ear. He hated lying—but why was his supervisor pushing this hard?
Howard leaned back, shoving the file into his drawer. “Very well. Make the call or you’ll be removed from fugitive apprehension, Deputy Marshal Butler.”
Ethan stood, fighting the urge to slam the office door on the way out. Not today. Not with eyes on him.
Now wasn’t the time to lose his cool. He needed to keep building his case. When he and Adam had pulled a listening device from the wall socket last night, he’d considered alerting the rest of the Renegade team, but until he knew who’d planted it, that stayed between him and Adam—and Carlsson.
But what was Howard up to? Was it just his ego? Possibly.
From what Ethan understood, Howard had clawed his way to this position, stepping on other people’s hopes and ambitions to get where he was today. He seemed to know Ethan was on a special assignment, which meant he wanted Ethan to spill so he knew what was going on.
Problem was, that would be too much of a risk. There were other forces at work here in Renegade, and Ethan intended to discover who was behind the crime wave without Howard’s ego messing things up.
No, he couldn’t confide in anyone right now.
He didn’t wait for the elevator but took the stairs instead.
Outside of the courthouse, he called Carlsson. “It’s Butler. We need to talk.”