Chapter 12 Odd and DB
ODD AND DB
Jake looks nervous.
Odd doesn’t say that aloud. He doesn’t have to. DB’s already watching Jake cross the threshold of the Wimberley briefing room like a man walking into court, spine straight, shoulders tight, incongruous with his goth monk styling.
Jake sets his laptop on the table. Doesn’t sit.
The intensity in the room ratchets up.
“First thing,” he says, gripping the edge of the table, as if bracing for impact. “There’s going to be an article in the Statesman tomorrow linking the recent art-themed murders to a killer they’re calling John the Baptist.”
The groan is immediate and universal. Years and years of discipline, restraint, and keeping the mess off the front page threatened.
Anders rubs his forehead. “So Hopper gets an artistic hair up his ass, and now he’s a headline? Which basically means we’re a headline?”
“The article reads like a leak,” Jake says.
Parker leans forward. “That’s why we have Joni.”
“She’s already working it,” Jake says, scrubbing a hand over his mouth. He looks tired. “But we’ve seen this pattern before. We get close to something that matters, and suddenly, there’s a very public shot across the bow.”
The room stills.
“Whitaker.”
DB says it flat, like a diagnosis.
Jake nods. “Whitaker.”
Whitaker, who’s made no secret that he likes the new police chief.
Odd feels DB’s hand curl around his.
They should’ve let Silas and Rami take Whitaker out when they had the chance. The thought isn’t productive, but it’s persistent.
Jake turns the laptop so everyone can see. “Which brings us to the real leverage Whitaker has over this organization.”
Everyone leans in. This is the information they’ve chased for years. Whitaker was as bad as any of the powerful men they’d killed over the years, and for years, they’ve been told that killing him would burn everything to the ground.
Jake’s gaze lands on Hedy.
She straightens. “Whaddya got?”
“Did you know that your father is married to Whitaker’s sister?”
Hedy’s mouth opens. Closes. “No.”
DB watches his friend. She’s telling the truth. And doesn’t that add a whole new wrinkle to this fucking mess?
Hedy’s father provided the land. Seth Wakefield provided the capital. Whitaker provided the political cover. Three men. One supposedly equitable partnership.
Hm.
“Dad’s wife’s name is Gina,” Hedy says slowly. “But I don’t remember her maiden name being Whitaker.”
“They’re half-siblings,” Jake says. “Seth needed the money. Your father needed a camera-ready family. Whitaker had both.”
Never mind that Hedy’s parents—who’ve been managing the day-to-day operations since the beginning—had been together the entire time.
Her father’s marriage to Gina had always been a separate thing that no one ever discussed.
It was a political arrangement that produced the requisite number of children.
They were friendly and everyone looked good in the campaign ads.
DB liked Hedy’s father, but he could never square the warm, funny man with the calculating politician who was able to compartmentalize his on-screen family from his “real” family.
“So Whitaker traded Gina like cattle,” Hedy says, mirroring DB’s thoughts. “Why would my father agree to that?”
Jake winces. “Because every deal Whitaker makes includes a pound of flesh.”
The room is heavy with silence.
Jake drags a new set of documents onto the screen.
“We’ve all assumed your father owns this property,” he says carefully. “That it passes to you when he dies.”
“It does,” Hedy says. Then, frowning, “Unless it doesn’t.”
Jake shakes his head.
Odd swears under his breath.
Hedy studies the screen, then looks up like she’s solving it backward. “You said Seth needed capital. But he was always the tycoon. More money than God.”
“That’s the story,” Jake agrees. “Here’s the truth: Seth lost everything in a bad venture. Right before he partnered with your father and Whitaker.”
“Interesting timing,” Odd murmurs, and the table nods in agreement. The timing of things is seldom accidental.
“Whitaker swooped in with a loan to rescue the deal, but Seth had to surrender the intellectual property to secure the loan.”
“So my parents and Seth built this from the ground up,” Hedy says slowly, “but Whitaker owns the land and the IP?”
Jake nods. Grim. “That’s not the worst of it.”
“Tell me.”
“This took years of chipping away at his security, and I had to bring in Ryder for some of the trickier bits, but I managed to grab a single screenshot that explains everything.” Jake shares it with the room.
“The IP includes the Guardian files. Every mission. Every murder. All of it held in trust for Whitaker’s sister: Gina. ”
The room goes silent for a single inhale. Then it detonates with expletives, invectives, and outright threats. Anders reaches for his knife.
Jake raises a hand. “If Whitaker dies naturally, the property and files pass to Hedy, with a percentage to his family. If he dies under suspicious circumstances, everything transfers to Gina, along with instructions to hand the archive to the justice department.”
Anders puts away his knife.
Odd feels DB’s grip tighten.
“So if we kill the cancer,” DB says, shaking his head, “a stranger gets the keys to the Cave and everything she needs to put us away for life.”
“Yes.”
Odd pinches the bridge of his nose. “What do we know about the sister?”
“Not enough,” Jake says. “Mostly because Hedy’s father has her digital footprint locked down.”
“Like he’s protecting her?” Hedy asks.
“Maybe.”
Hedy scrubs a hand over her face. “I need to talk to my father.”
Jake’s mouth twists. “Maybe you’ll have better luck than I did.”
“If he won’t answer me, I’ll call my mother,” Hedy says. “He won’t ignore her.”
Jake pulls up another file. “There’s more.”
Parker squints at the screen. “Boone Hitchens. Who’s that?”
“The detective who arrested Brantley Whitaker,” Anders says. “And ruined Rami’s gala.”
Odd’s stomach tightens. “He’s also the camp counselor Hopper sponsored. Joni’s had eyes on him for years.”
“Correct,” Jake says. “And he’s now connected to two things Whitaker cares about: his son’s case and one of our Wildlings.”
The room shifts. Whitaker has always watched the Wildlings. It’s always set off the dads’ hackles, but they never in a million years thought he’d harm them.
“How did Hitchens land the Whitaker case?” Hedy asks. “Isn’t he still green?”
“He wasn’t placed there by Joni,” Jake says, pulling up the photo: Boone in an ill-fitting suit, badge visible, cuffing Brantley Whitaker. “That was the new police chief, and Joni’s furious. High-profile arrests make him harder to protect. Harder to move.”
Something a police chief on Whitaker’s payroll would know. Fuck.
DB watches Odd’s jaw set.
“And after the fountain incident,” Jake adds, “Hopper invited Boone to his studio.”
“Why?” Hedy asks.
“He’s apparently been lonely in that big fucking warehouse. And because Boone protected Maverick from a predator.”
“A dead predator,” DB says, a statement of fact.
Jake hesitates. “I also think Maverick is going to make a play for Boone.”
Mav’s crush on his old counselor has always been a source of amusement. Sweet and harmless.
“There’s your danger,” Hedy says. “Maybe Hopper can keep an eye on Boone and Maverick. See what he knows.”
DB exhales. “Are we sure we want Hopper involved?”
“Any more than he already is?” Jake asks. “It’s not ideal. But Maverick has such a sweet, trusting relationship with Hopper. And he’s the only Wildling Whitaker hasn’t focused on—because he’s not in the business.”
Odd’s fingers lace with DB’s. “What happens if Whitaker figures out Maverick’s attachment? Or remembers that Hopper is more than just an existential threat?”
Jake spreads a hand. “I don’t have answers. I’m just flagging threats. Whitaker had people on Boone once. I can’t confirm if that’s still active, but now that Ryder and I can access his files, we can work on figuring out his next moves.”
“Look, I don’t want to be the bitch in this situation,” Parker says, leaning back. “But I was right about what a shit show it would be if we involved some Wildlings while keeping others in the dark.”
No one dares contradict her on that.
Hedy rises. “You were right.” Then, quieter, “If we’re assessing Boone’s viability, having Hopper nearby isn’t the worst idea.”
Odd arches a brow. “We are not calling Hopper’s involvement a good idea.”
“No,” Hedy agrees. “But if Maverick is orbiting Boone, and Boone is orbiting Hopper, while Whitaker is circling the Wildlings like a fucking raptor…” She looks to Jake. “Do you really think you’ll be able to breach his system enough to know if he calls a hit on one of our kids?”
Hearing Hedy say the threat out loud puts DB’s teeth on edge. Everyone seems to have forgotten how to breathe.
“Ryder and I aren’t working on anything else until we can make it happen.”
The team lets out a collective sigh of relief.
“At least we’ll see the hit coming,” Odd says, rubbing his chest. “Because you’re making it sound like it’s inevitable that he’ll target the Wildlings.”
Everyone looks to Jake.
“I have no proof,” he says. “Just a really bad feeling.”
Honestly, that’s enough. But Jake continues.
“Whitaker’s always been three steps ahead.
The IP leverage is pretty good…until Ryder and I break through his fucking security and destroy it.
” He pulls up the newspaper article about Brantley’s death.
How it was made to look like a suicide. “He no longer needs to threaten us directly. If I’m the kind of guy who would kill my own son, I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to keeping my secret military force in line by going after their kids. ”
Anders thumbs his knife. “Cool. Love that for us.”
Nobody laughs.