Chapter Sixteen
Lawson entered the police station, where Sheriff Willis was waiting for him, arms crossed, a terse expression on his face.
“Finally, you’re here,” he muttered. “Kept me waiting long enough.”
Lawson stopped in his tracks. “You weren’t around when I first came by,” Lawson pointed out, cocking an eyebrow at the sheriff. If there was one thing he had never credited the sheriff with, it was a short temper.
Sheriff Willis rubbed a hand over his face. There were dark rings beneath his eyes, and Lawson couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him. Clearly, it had been a long-ass night, dealing with those two prisoners in lockup, and it looked as though it was taking its toll.
“You good?” Lawson asked him.
The sheriff nodded. “Sorry. Just wish they weren’t in my station, that’s all,” he replied, nodding in the direction of the cells that held the two prisoners.
“They been giving you trouble?”
“They’ve been talking a big game,” Sheriff Willis muttered, sighing. “Giving my officers plenty to think about. Seems like Granger taught them to be as difficult as possible while they were under lock and key. Probably thought it would get them released sooner that way.”
“Sorry you had to be involved in this. Thanks for dealing with them,” Lawson replied grimly.
He could only imagine what kind of trash talk the thugs had been saying to the police officers who worked here.
All the threats and taunts they were probably maliciously spewing to get a reaction, or cause the officers to drop their guards so they could get the upper hand.
“I understand why they’re here. I just hope this can get wrapped up quickly.
They’re both causing such a ruckus, none of my officers are comfortable being around them,” the sheriff remarked as he went to grab the keys from behind the counter.
“When you’re done, we’ll get them transferred over to the FBI and it can become their headache.
Our small town isn’t set up to handle something of this magnitude. ”
Lawson couldn’t help but feel bad for the man, especially with all the danger that had surrounded the lodge over the past couple of years.
Normally, Blue Ridge was a quiet, peaceful town that didn’t see much action in terms of criminal activity.
There had been a lot the sheriff had to step in and deal with concerning the lodge that no one had expected or been prepared for.
None of them at Warrior Peak had any idea of the constant danger they would face.
They were all ready for it to be over and done with, so they could get back to their normal day-to-day without having threats and danger constantly hanging over the heads. They were all due a break.
“Have you already contacted the FBI?” Lawson asked as they made their way to the interrogation rooms. He knew there was a chance the FBI would step in immediately, but he was hoping he’d at least be able to take a quick stab at the suspects before they were taken into FBI custody.
“I did,” Sheriff Willis replied. “I filled them in on everything you told me and sent what information I had over to them. They’ve got some agents on the way, said they’d probably be here tomorrow.”
“So what you’re saying is I’ve got one shot to talk to them both, see what I can find out before they’re gone,” Lawson confirmed, and the sheriff nodded with a grim smile.
“Sorry I couldn’t give you more time. I just want them out of here. All this trafficking stuff is too dangerous for our small-town police station.” Sheriff Willis gestured down the hallway. “Donner’s in the first interrogation room,” he told him. “You ready to get started?”
“Yep, let’s do this,” Lawson replied, steeling himself for what lay ahead.
Lawson had looked over Paul Donner’s rap sheet the previous night while he’d been at the station, and it was pretty impressive, he had to admit.
Impressive in a way that he was surprised Donner had been able to set foot outside a prison at all.
Assault, drug charges, illegal possession of a weapon, attempted murder…
the list went on. Obviously, Granger had the right kind of connections to keep his guys from doing hard time.
Sheriff Willis unlocked the door, and Lawson led the way inside. Donner was cuffed to the table, and he shook his chains demonstratively as soon as Lawson stepped inside.
“Let me out of these,” he snarled, and Lawson ignored him.
The man was going to throw as much nonsense as he could at them to avoid dealing with the real questions at hand, and it was up to Lawson to keep his cool.
He’d handled plenty of people like Donner over the years, and if the man thought he was going to get under his skin, he didn’t stand a chance.
Lawson sat down opposite the perp, while the sheriff stood behind Lawson, hands clasped before him, like a security guard.
“I don’t know what I’m doing here,” Donner snapped. “This is false arrest!”
“Really, Mr. Donner?” Lawson asked. “Because I’ve had a look at your file. And with the stuff they found in your car alone, you’d go down for many years. Not to mention the attempted kidnapping charge.”
“What kidnapping?” the man retorted. “I didn’t kidnap anyone.
” He leaned back in his seat smugly, locking eyes with Lawson.
“I think you should be the one on this side of the table,” he remarked.
“You’re the one who assaulted us. When we hadn’t done anything wrong.
We were just going to use the bathroom.”
Lawson steadily held the other man’s gaze and raised an eyebrow at his comments. Donner could try to spin the arrest any way he wanted, but Lawson wasn’t stupid. He knew exactly what the thug and his buddy were out there to do. And it certainly wasn’t to use the facilities.
Sheriff Willis snorted with amusement, and Donner’s eyes darkened.
Lawson calmly clasped his hands in front of him on the table. “What can you tell us about Victor Granger and his operation?” he began. “If you share what you know, we can see about cutting you a deal, like Mr. Adams.”
For the briefest moment, Lawson could see the doubt in the other man’s eyes, as he wondered if what Lawson had said was true. Lawson stared back at him, poker face in place, keeping up the act, but then Donner’s lip curled into a sneer.
“Yeah, no way has he said anything about anything,” he replied. “Nice try, man. You have any clue what Victor does to snitches? Worse than anything you could think of.”
“So, fill us in. Tell us what we need to know,” Lawson said. “Give us his location. Tell us about his operation. We won’t let on that you gave anything away. It’s your best chance for a lighter sentence. If you show some kind of cooperation.”
Donner barked out a harsh laugh, shaking his head. “You people… This little backwoods town has no clue the nightmare he’ll rain down on you all. You’ll never be able to sleep again, wondering when he’s coming for you, or what he’ll do to you and anyone you care about.”
Lawson felt his muscles tense at Donner’s words, and he saw the sheriff shifting uncomfortably from the corner of his eye.
Sheriff Willis was already unsettled enough about these two men being in his station, and he didn’t need to hear this.
It would only make his apprehension about the whole affair worse.
Watching Donner across the table and seeing the fear flickering in his eyes at what his boss might do to him had Lawson wondering exactly what kind of horrors Granger had drilled into his men’s heads about the consequences of snitching if they were caught. He almost didn’t want to know.
Suddenly, Donner’s eyes went flat and darkened, his gaze locked on Lawson with what looked like madness.
“You go after Victor, it’ll be the last mistake you ever make,” he warned Lawson, his eyes burning. “You and everyone you know. You have no idea how dangerous he is.”
“Why don’t you tell us, then? Help us and yourself.”
“You don’t have a damn clue.” He laughed again, the sound bouncing off the walls around them. “I’m going to enjoy seeing you find out.”
Lawson could see why the sheriff had looked so exhausted when he had arrived today. All the crap Donner was spouting off, and he assumed Jim Adams would be the same.
“You’re going to get yourselves killed and you’re going to deserve it,” he continued, an evil grin spreading over his face. “I wish I could be there when it happens. You’ll find out soon enough who you’re dealing with.”
“We’re not getting anything out of him. Come on, Lawson, let’s go,” Sheriff Willis muttered behind him.
Lawson rose to his feet and tried not to react to the sheriff saying his name in front of this thug.
A thoughtful look crossed Donner’s face, then he grinned. “Lawson, huh?” he remarked. “Not a common name. Especially around these parts. You think he won’t be able to find you? You’re a walking dead man, Lawson.”
Lawson glared back at him, trying not to let the fear that gripped his chest take hold.
Normally, he’d let this kind of threat bounce off, but now?
Now, he had something to lose. All he could think of was Sarah and all she’d been through recently.
Then his thoughts quickly shifted to his sister and the others at the lodge.
The thought of Granger and his men coming after any of them had a chill racing down Lawson’s spine.
He had to admit to himself it spooked the hell out of him and he couldn’t even try to deny it.
They stepped out of the interrogation room, Lawson shutting the door behind them, and the sheriff grimaced and rubbed a hand down his face.
“I’m sorry for dropping your name back there. Rookie mistake,” he apologized. “I’m tired. I wasn’t thinking.”
“It’s okay,” Lawson replied, though his gut was churning. “They would have found out who I was one way or another, anyway.”
Sheriff Willis lowered his voice and looked over his shoulder, like someone might be eavesdropping on their conversation.
“These guys have me rattled,” he admitted.
“I’ve had some rough types in here before, don’t get me wrong, but this…
the way they’re coming at us, it’s just different.
Like they know they’ve got the devil on their side, and they’ll do anything they can to turn him loose on us. ”
“I get it. Don’t let them get to you,” Lawson warned him. “That’s what they want. Until they give us reason to think otherwise, they’re all bark.”
The sheriff nodded, but there was still a wariness to his expression, as though he didn’t entirely believe Lawson’s claim. Lawson had to hope it was just because the older man was exhausted, not because he was actually letting these guys get to him.
“Where’s Adams?” he asked, steeling himself for round two. His rap sheet hadn’t been as impressive as Donner’s, but he still had plenty on it to keep him locked up.
The sheriff nodded to the cells lining the end of the corridor.
“Down there,” he replied. Lawson gritted his teeth.
He silently swore to himself that no matter what this guy threw at him, he would be able to deal with it.
These weren’t the worst of the people they’d have to handle if they were going to take down Granger, and Lawson wasn’t going to let these thugs throw him off his game.
The moment they reached Jim Adams’s cell, the man was on his feet, pressed against the bars.
“Where’s Paul?” he demanded.
“None of your business,” Lawson replied. Adams gripped the bars, his hands holding on so tightly his knuckles looked nearly white.
“Tell me what you’ve done with him,” he continued, practically spitting out the words.
“You don’t trust him?” Lawson asked. “You think he might have spilled something? Or sold you out for a plea deal?”
Unlike his buddy, Adams didn’t even seem to consider that as a possibility for a moment. He snorted with amusement.
“You think that he would sell out Granger like that? For a speck on the map like you?” he demanded, jabbing his finger through the bars at Lawson. Lawson took a step back, not wanting this creep to lay a hand on him.
“You know what he’s going to do with you the moment he finds out about this?
” he continued, his voice rising with each word out of his mouth.
“He’s going to wipe you off the face of the earth.
There’s going to be nothing of you left!
Do you understand that? There’s nothing you can do to stop it! He’s coming for you right now!”
Adams kept babbling, barely pausing to take a breath.
Spittle was flying from his mouth as he spoke, and the cell bars rattled as he shook them.
He was getting more agitated and animated over the words he threw at them.
The churning in Lawson’s gut intensified as he watched the man become more unhinged.
Lawson was starting to get a clearer picture of the hold Granger had on his men.
Apparently, it bordered on the extreme, and Lawson in no way wanted to know what the man had done to his crew to have this Adams go off the rails like this.
If all of the men in Granger’s operation held this kind of loyalty, Lawson and his team were definitely going to be in for the fight of their lives when it came time to face him and his gang of thugs.
“And you’re going to end up dead. You and everyone you care about.” Adams spat at them, then fell back on the bench and started cackling gleefully.
Lawson’s heart dropped. Sarah. Once again, she was the first person he thought of when Adams said that.
He would never forgive himself if something bad happened to her as a result of them going after Granger and his crew.
He could still remember the terror he’d seen in her eyes from the fire and its aftermath, when Bailey and Aaron’s past caught up with them at the lodge all those months ago.
The thought of her being dragged into more danger because of her connection to Lawson made him feel sick.
Adams seemed to realize he’d landed a blow that actually hurt. His eyes drilled in to Lawson’s, total certainty on his face, as though there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he was telling the truth.
“Tick tock. It’s only a matter of time now,” Adams said, tapping a watch that wasn’t there.
Lawson gritted his teeth. He had told the sheriff not to let these guys get to him, but Lawson wasn’t sure he could take his own advice.