Chapter 12
After disconnecting the call, Carson looked at his entire staff and Landon. It was one of the rare times when Landon had driven to the compound. He was the only non-employee or contractor allowed inside the inner sanctum. But Carson and Landon had worked together for too long not to have complete trust.
No one spoke, but Carson knew it wasn’t because no one had an opinion or an idea about the situation. But it was as though collective breaths were being held to see what might happen next. Landon faced the others, then dragged a hand over his face before returning his attention to Carson.
“What a fucking mess,” Landon breathed. “Hell, this is the kind of case every young agent who joins the FBI hopes to crack open and hand to the DOJ. But, Jesus… it’s also the kind of case that every experienced agent knows can blow up simply because the person being investigated has more money and influence than God. And Alister Montague will have so many layers of people between him, and whatever the fuck he’s got his hands in that he’ll never see the inside of a jail cell.” He dropped his chin to his chest and let out a heavy sigh.
Carson nodded. “Landon, we have a lot of leeway here. No one says we have to pursue Alistair Montague. For that matter, we know it takes a helluva long time to gather the kind of evidence to bring someone like him down. And I sure as hell aren’t suggesting you put your career on the line for this. If we do nothing more than get Ms. White out and to safety, I’ll consider it a successful mission.”
The entire room of Keepers remained as quiet as a tomb as Landon stared down at the table for a moment. Finally, he lifted and shook his head. “I can’t unsee a crime. I can’t walk away from knowing what some asshole is doing just because he’s rich and connected. If it costs me my career, then so be it. And we might never get enough for a conviction, but if it just slows them down or takes down one of them, it’s worth it.”
A collective sigh of relief resounded in the room as grins and high fives were given all around. Carson held Landon’s gaze, then nodded. “Okay, let’s see what Ms. White has for us.”
“It might not ever hold up in court, but even if we can get the evidence to stop Colonel Spelling, I’ll take whatever we can.”
Carson looked around the room. “Then let’s get to work. I need a secure way for Jeb to get what Ms. White has collected and see what we need to process it. And then we need to get them the hell off the island.”