Chapter 29 #2
“We only needed one extra hard drive,” I said, louder. “We can transfer everything to the laptop. We can save the extra drive for later.”
He looked up. “No, copy it to all of them. The more backups, the better.”
Having four copies felt a little paranoid. Then again… maybe it wasn’t paranoid enough. “Yeah. Okay.”
He stood. “I’m gonna take a shower and wash this stuff out of my hair,” he said, grabbing a change of clothes. “Let me know if you need me. I won’t be long.”
“Okay.” I realized I was still wearing my wig, but I left it on and concentrated on the transfer.
About five minutes later, he emerged in jeans and a T-shirt, his phone in his hand. His hair was damp. “I got an update from Carter. He booked tickets for Dani to Hawaii and put her in the Hilton Waikiki.”
“Wow,” I said dryly. “That can’t be cheap.”
He flashed me a grin. “You jealous? You want to go to Hawaii? I wouldn’t mind seein’ you lyin’ on the beach in a bikini.”
I laughed. “Yeah, lying in the sun with a fruity drink sounds good.” But the second the words left my mouth, I realized what I’d just said.
I’d never have an alcoholic drink again.
James being James, he knew exactly where my mind had gone. “There are plenty of fruity non-alcoholic drinks.”
I made a face. “It’s not a big deal.”
He held my gaze. “It is a big deal. Drinkin’s part of society. You and me—and everyone else—are gonna say things that involve alcohol without thinkin’ about it. That doesn’t mean you’re slippin’, and it doesn’t mean you want a drink.”
“I’m still trying to wrap my head around the idea that I’ll never have one again.”
“One day at a time.”
“Yeah.” I felt foolish for even talking about it while I was transferring files that could bring down a trafficking network. Or at least a hub of it.
“Carter also texted about Natalie and her family,” he added. “They’ve boarded a plane to New York. He doesn’t know where she’s headed after that.”
I still wasn’t sure how to feel about that situation, but I could deal with that later.
I kept copying and pasting, grateful the transfer was moving faster on my laptop than it had on Harlan’s ancient computer.
I was about eighty percent done when my phone rang.
James was sitting on the bed, tapping on his phone. He looked up, his expression turning serious.
I pulled it out of my pocket. The number didn’t have a name. “Hello?”
“Harper?” Bobby hadn’t called me before, but I recognized his voice immediately. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end.
“Yeah, Bobby. It’s me. Is everything okay?”
“This may be nothing,” he said, sounding nervous, “but it might be something. I figured I’d tell you and let you decide.”
I put the phone on speaker and lifted my index finger to my lips, warning James with a look. “Yeah, Bobby. Let’s hear it.”
James slid off the bed and crossed the room, perching on the arm of the sofa.
Bobby continued. “I was at my grandma’s house, doin’ some odd jobs for her, and my cousins dropped by.”
“Oh?”
“They said Grandma lets them store things in the shed behind her house, and they were there to pick some of them up.” He paused. “Harper… they were guns. Big guns. Like semi-automatic.”
James went still.
I kept my tone neutral. “I take it that’s unusual for them.”
“I can honestly say I’ve never seen them load a half dozen semi-automatic rifles in the back of their car, but I’m not at my grandma’s house all the time, so I guess it’s possible they move them in and out on a semi-regular basis.”
“But you think there’s something to this,” I said.
“Yeah. I joked that they were preparing for a war, and they said I was close.” He hesitated.
“When I asked them what that meant, they said they’d been hired to help watch over a shipment exchange early tomorrow morning.
I asked if that was common, and they said no, but if it goes well, they might be working for the king of Little Rock. ”
“Did they say who the king of Little Rock was?” I asked.
“No,” he said, “And I figured I was pushing my luck to even ask.” A strained laugh slipped out. “I just laughed it off and said we live in a republic—there are no kings. They laughed again and said that just shows how little I know. That there’s a whole underworld I know nothing about.”
I flicked my gaze to James, but his face was neutral.
“They’ve talked about their illegal activities before,” Bobby said, “but this is the first time I’ve ever heard them talk about a king … or a war.” He drew a breath. “I don’t know if this has anything to do with what you’re lookin’ into, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to let you know.”
“Good call,” I said. “Thanks Bobby. I’ll definitely check it out.”
“Okay.”
“And if you see them again soon, don’t ask too many questions. Don’t make them suspicious. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt.”
“I left my grandma’s, so I doubt I’ll see them again today,” he said. “But I’ll be careful.”
“Good. And thanks again.”
“Sure, Harper. Be careful.”
“You too.” I hung up and looked up at James. “Thoughts?”
“A couple.” He went quiet for a beat. “One, Knox has hired more men to look for us, but he wouldn’t call it a war. There’s just two of us.”
“And all those semi-automatic weapons would be overkill,” I said.
He gave me a dry look. “Not necessarily. I’ve got a reputation, so they might arm themselves to the teeth. And the way you took out his men last week….” He let the comment hang. “But I still don’t think they’d call it a war. They’d call it a hunt. Or an ambush.”
I made a face. “Maybe. What’s your other thought?”
“That Knox’s shipment is still comin’ through sometime early tomorrow,” he said, “and he’s hired extra men to protect it.”
“That’s where my head’s at too,” I said. “But early morning could be any time from one a.m. to six.”
He frowned. “Agreed.”
“Even if you tell your handler within the next hour, we don’t know where it’s happening.
” My stomach tightened. “It could still be in the industrial area as a fuck you—Knox’s way of saying even if you know, you can’t stop it.
And of course he’ll be ready if we show up.
” I turned to face him. “But what if it’s law enforcement who shows up? ”
“Maybe he’s countin’ on his paid stooges in the department to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“True.” Because at this point, I was pretty sure at least four Little Rock detectives were dirty … and I suspected there were more. Natalie had estimated Simmons had five to ten percent in his pocket.
“Makes me wonder what you did that made them so desperate to get you off the force,” he said.
I grimaced. “We’re gonna Scarlett O’Hara that one and worry about it tomorrow.” Because I’d drive myself crazy thinking about it right now.
He grinned, then tipped his chin toward the laptop. “How close are you to having it all transferred?”
I checked the progress bar. “Transferring to both at the same time slowed it down some, but I’d say five minutes.”
“Did you transfer the files from your mother’s folder?”
“Not yet.”
“If you’re still open to it, transfer them too.”
“Okay.”
He gave a small nod and stood. “I’m gonna call my handler.”
“Sounds good.”
He started across the room. “I’ll be right back.”
He was out the door before I could respond, but I couldn’t help wondering how the hallway was more private than our room.
It wasn’t.
He didn’t want me to hear his conversation, and I wasn’t sure what to make of that.
Fear and distrust rose up, twisting together and then burrowing under my skin. James Malcolm used to be a crime boss. He hadn’t gotten where he was by being honest.
Was he tricking me now?
But I thought about the way he held me. The way he’d tried to make me feel better about my mother’s file.
The way he hadn’t brushed off my fruity-drink comment—he’d stopped and made sure I was okay.
The way he’d freaked out when he realized I hadn’t come back to the hotel after taking Emily to her parents.
He’d been scared.
He wouldn’t double-cross someone he cared about that deeply.
Would he?
He came back in about ten minutes later, his expression grim enough that my stomach dropped.
“That bad?” I asked, my heart in my throat.
He crossed the room and pulled me into a hug.
“You’re scaring me, James.”
He kissed my forehead and leaned back to look me in the eyes. “It’s fine. My handler’s an asshole.”
“What’d they say?”
“I’m meetin’ them in a half hour.”
“That quickly?” I stared at them. “Are they based in Little Rock?”
“Yeah.” He pulled me in again, resting his chin on top of my head.
This wasn’t like him. Something was wrong.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I asked.
He gave a low chuckle. “So paranoid.”
“Don’t.” I tipped my face up. “Something’s wrong. Don’t lie to me.”
His chest rose with a deep breath. Then he looked down at me, and the defeat in his eyes made my blood run cold. “I don’t think they’re gonna set me free.”
My heart dropped. “What? What more do they want? This is enough to bring down Knox—and give them leads on other hubs.”
“I know,” he said quietly. “But they have me by the balls.”
“Can Carter do anything about it?”
He slowly shook his head. “No. I arranged this deal on my own. Carter’s not a part of it.”
“Not even after the fact?”
“No.” His jaw tightened. “My handler made it clear from the jump—my attorney stays out of it. The second I bring him in, they send me back to prison, reinstate my old charges. And stack new ones on top.”
Fury burned through me. “That’s not right.”
“And yet,” he said, his voice flat. “It’s how it is.”
“So you’re still meeting with him?”
He held my gaze. “I’m turning the information over and letting the chips fall where they may.”
“I’m sorry.”
He shrugged, but he didn’t look away. “Do you have any idea how much I care about you?”
A soft smile tugged at my mouth. “I’m a little slow, but … I think it’s finally getting through.” I swallowed. “And I hope you know how much I care about you too.”