5. Chapter Five
Chapter Five
Finn
W hen the guard comes to tell me the warden wants to see me, I figure Hagen has him in his pocket too. What’ll he want now? Despite my bravado with the kid in the shower, his boss realizes my weakness. If he threatens Carys or her son, I’ll roll over.
All the way to the warden’s office, I theorize what Hagen might ask me to do. Drugs? Seems the most likely step removed from murder. Would the prison warden be in on that scheme?
The guard knocks on the door, and the warden calls us in. He’s a man in his late fifties with bushy eyebrows and a kind face. I suppose since this is a low-security prison, maybe he doesn’t have to be such a hard-ass.
“Have a seat, Finn. I’m Jeffrey Lim, the warden here.” He motions to the chair across from him. The guard stands beside the door to oversee the two of us. Must not trust me too much. Shouldn’t trust me at all.
I stare at him in silence. Whatever he wants to say, I’m not giving him an easy opening. Working for Hagen is very far down my list of fun things to do in prison.
“I asked you here today because I have someone who’d like a private, secure meeting with you. We could have done it in one of the lawyer rooms, but I didn’t want to take the chance of anyone seeing you together.”
Aww, shit. Hagen’s here ? Harder to refuse him in person when he’s sneering in my face and I can’t retaliate. No matter what, I’m not getting shuffled to maximum security.
“He’s not quite here yet. Are you settling in okay? Has everyone been treating you well?” The two caterpillars above his eyes rise.
“Yeah. It’s been fine.” The guard behind me was on duty the day the kid came after me in the showers. I’m no snitch, and if Hagen’s the one running this place, I might as well look like a team player.
There’s a knock on the door, but I don’t bother turning around. No point in acting surprised when he makes his appearance.
“Ah, here he is. I understand you know each other?” Lim stands and motions to the now-open door.
Reluctantly, I turn in my seat. Well, knock me over with a feather. Not a Volkov after all. I haul myself out of my chair and prop my ass against the warden’s desk. These aren’t the kind of people to watch a guy’s back—more like stab him in it. “That guard.” I point to the prison security by the door. “Needs to be gone.”
“Pete, these men can handle their own security.” The warden shoos him out.
As soon as Hagen’s Payroll Pete is gone, I survey the tall South Asian man in an expensive suit and his two comrades behind him. Will Pete be a problem later? Does he understand who these men are? “F-B-fucking-I.”
Zahir’s lips tip into an almost smile. “That’s right. F-B-fucking-I. We were hoping to have a little discussion with you, Finn.”
“I have a choice?” I smirk. “No, I will not have a discussion with you.” I glance at the warden over my shoulder. “Thanks for inviting me here, Lim. But I’m taking a hard pass.”
“You may want to listen. We have quite a proposition for you.”
“A proposition? Well, then.” I rub my hands together. “Is it a sexual one? I didn’t realize the FBI was in the pimping business, but hey, who am I to judge? Nights get dark and lonely.”
Zahir raises an eyebrow. “A prostitute? How would Carys feel about that?”
Before I can school my face, a scowl mars it. “You don’t talk about her. Her name doesn’t cross your lips, you got me?”
“This is a pretty cushy setup you have in here.” He comes deeper into the spacious office and leans an elbow against a bookcase. The other two men take up watch on the other side. Whether they’re lackeys or security doesn’t matter. We understand who’s got the power in this room, and it’s not me.
“I was a good boy in maximum, so I got rewarded.”
He scoffs. “Your girlfriend is a rich woman, and so you bought yourself a better prison.” He ventures to the window behind the warden’s desk and stares out. “Time outside.” He glances behind him at my hands and feet. “No cuffs. Pretty sweet deal you’ve got here.”
Where are these comments going? Did he come to take me to a higher-security prison? Did they set up the equivalent of a Google alert on me? I’ve only been here a few weeks, and I’ve kept my nose, mostly, clean. Until I figure out where this conversation is headed, I’m not saying another word.
He rotates so we’re facing each other across the desk; the warden is the monkey in the middle. The walkie-talkie on the bookshelf goes off, and the warden crosses the room to turn it down.
“Your girlfriend was in the market for a new man, did you know that?” Zahir asks.
I stiffen, but I’m not taking that bait. Whatever he’s alluding to, he wants me to jump to conclusions or say something incriminating. Not happening. “She’s free. So, I suppose she can do what she wants.”
“Ah, yes. Free. Great word, isn’t it?”
I purse my lips and stare. The warden clears his throat, and we both ignore him.
“Your girlfriend has been meeting with Evander Williams. Are you familiar with him?” Zahir asks.
“No.” Fuck, yes. Shit. A sheen of sweat surfaces on my palms.
“He’s very good at getting people out of sticky situations. We’ve actually used him before in a particularly time-sensitive matter.”
“Couldn’t be seen getting your hands dirty.” I try to stifle the panic rising in my chest. They realize Carys is working on breaking me out.
“You should be grateful for how dirty I’m willing to get them now.” He nods toward the warden. “Carys is trying to break you out.”
“I’m in a federal prison. She doesn’t have the resources for that.”
Zahir chuckles. “Correct. But Evander Williams has them, and Carys has the money. A perfect combination, wouldn’t you say?”
“I signed off on every single charge you laid on me, even shit I didn’t do so you’d stay away from her. We have a deal.” If this conversation goes where I think it’s going, I’ll tackle him and beat the crap out of him in front of these witnesses. I didn’t like the smug prick when we were hashing out the terms of my surrender, and I like him even less now.
“What if I said we’d let you escape?”
I go still. “If I was trying to escape, I might wonder what you’d want in exchange.”
“You’ve heard of the PLA? Irish organization bent on creating havoc?” He slides into the warden’s chair and leans back, the chair creaking as he rocks.
“Wannabes, yeah.” Carys and I thought they robbed her warehouse in Russia. Opportunists, nothing more. Poor employees at Van de Berg Ammunition and a distracted boss gave them an opening.
“The CIA and FBI have been communicating about some developing problems on both sides of the ocean with the PLA. We need an informant deep in the organization, and our time to get someone in there seems to be narrowing. We’ve tried to plant a few people, and while they’re in, they’ve had trouble establishing street cred for various reasons.”
“You think they’re planning something big.”
“From the intel we’ve managed to intercept, yes.”
“What has any of this got to do with me? My little brother is the do-gooder. Ask him. I’m sure you’ve got a beat on where he is.” The last time I saw him, his Irish accent was more pronounced. Have they already shoved him into this shitstorm?
“We’ll let you escape in exchange for you infiltrating the PLA organization.”
I laugh. “What?”
“You heard me.”
“No.” I shake my head. If they’re ramping up like he says they are, Carys will end up in the line of fire. Too many people connected to me know she’s my weak spot. If I fuck up with the FBI or piss off someone from the PLA, I don’t want her suffering the consequences.
“This is your one chance out of here. We’re not letting you escape unless we’ve got a deal in place.”
“I never expected to get out anyway.” I grab the chair across from the desk and plop into it. “It’s a no from me.”
Zahir gives me an assessing look and taps his lips. “Is this about Carys?”
I don’t answer and just stare at him.
“The connections between the PLA and Van de Berg Ammunitions are interesting, don’t you think?”
“I don’t think much about it at all.” Though a few months ago when Carys was being accused of colluding with them, I thought about it far, far too much. Two plus two did not equal four.
“You’re worried about her being in danger if you get involved.” Zahir shrugged. “We believe she’s in danger already.”
“Who’s ‘we?’” I growl.
“Mostly the CIA, but the FBI has a few loose ends from her almost-trial that seem to indicate Van de Berg Ammunition is connected to the PLA or an outright target.”
“Nah.” I pretend indifference. “You’re fishing.”
Zahir scans my face. “Very well. If you’re not interested now, perhaps you’ll take an interest later. If anything changes, ask for a meeting with the warden. He’ll call us, and we can work out the terms of our arrangement.”
“I won’t be calling.” I’ll rot in jail before I put Carys in danger.
He jerks his head toward the exit for the two silent agents by the bookcase. When they’re at the door, I don’t turn around, but instead face the warden who looks as frustrated as I feel. There’s a heavy pause, and I sigh, turning to him. He wants my attention? Fine, he can have it.
“You realize why you’re in here,” Zahir says, “don’t you?”
“Yeah,” I say. “I took a dive.”
“For Carys. Desperate times called for desperate measures. You remember that.”
Did he just threaten her? I shoot out of my chair and storm toward the door, but the two other agents intercept me. “You stay away from her.”
“It’s not me you have to worry about,” Zahir calls over his shoulder. “Contact the warden when you change your mind.”
The prison guard lumbers along the hallway toward us as I seethe.
“You know,” the warden says behind me. “You may not be the only one who’s desperate. Keep that in mind if you end up back in my office.”
“No need to worry about me,” I grit out. “If they’re knocking at my door, they’ve already reached the bottom of the barrel. The stench of desperation coats them. But our interests don’t align.”
“You care about her so much you’re throwing away your chance for freedom?” Disbelief cakes the last word.
Does he think the FBI would set me free? Release me as their trained monkey, maybe. Dangle Carys over a cliff to keep me in line the whole time I’m out. I’ll die a thousand deaths if it means she’s safe. She’s not a risk I’m willing to take. “I’d like to go to my cell.”
“As you wish.” The warden sighs. “Pete, take him back.”