30. Charlotte
CHAPTER THIRTY
Charlotte
Three days later, I found River asleep at his desk. He’d been working all night. Again . And he still hadn’t cracked the file on Jud’s hard drive.
I pressed a kiss to his temple, but he didn’t wake up. So I decided to leave him alone. As far as I could tell, this was the first deep sleep he’d gotten since returning to Hartley.
I had my own things to do, as he knew. He wouldn’t worry if he woke and found me gone.
I showered and dressed as quietly as possible, then tiptoed out of River’s apartment.
The morning was bright, the air cool. The aspens lining the foothills were just starting to turn a burnished gold. I said hello to a few people on Main Street, but otherwise no one bothered me. A few reporters still lingered around town, but most had given up after receiving no comments and gone back to their news desks. Or had moved on to different breaking events altogether. News moved fast these days.
Speaking of.
I walked down about half a block to the storefront marked Hartley Gazette . Genevieve had just stepped outside and was locking the front door .
She smiled when she saw me and opened her arms for a hug. “Perfect timing. Has River…?” Her brows lifted hopefully. She wanted to know about the list.
I shook my head. “No luck yet.”
“Dang.” She shook off her disappointment. “I’m sure he’ll figure it out.”
“He will. How do I look?” I smoothed down my blazer. I didn’t have any of my professional clothes with me, so I’d had to borrow it from her.
“Like a woman who’s ready for her close-up.”
I made a face. “Not so sure about that. But I am ready to get the truth out there.”
“Those are my favorite words in the world.” Genevieve tilted her head, considering. “Except for certain things Owen says when we’re alone.”
I snorted. “I can imagine.”
We started down the sidewalk. “And how about River? Does Rubicon have a way with words?”
I hummed. “No comment.”
“Oof. Already? Not the best start to the interview.” She nudged me with her elbow. “But you’re feeling all right about this? We could put it off if you have any concerns.”
“ No . I’m not one for keeping my mouth shut. Just ask River. He’s known that about me since we were kids.”
“I’ve only known you for a few days, and I’ve figured that out.” Genevieve winked. “I happen to be the same way. So, let’s go make some noise.”
The deadline for the bounty Stillwater had placed on my head had now passed. After those initial days I’d spent ensconced at Last Refuge, still under the protective eye of River’s friends, I’d been eager to stretch my legs and get back out into society, even if it was just on Main Street.
It also helped that Owen’s deputies patrolled regularly. We waved at Deputy Marsh as she cruised by in her black and white SUV.
I’d met so many great people here, and they’d made me feel safe and welcome at every turn. Even if our fight against Stillwater wasn’t done.
According to Cerberus, River’s hacker friend, Stillwater was regrouping. They had no idea if we had the list or not. But Jud was dead. There had been way too much publicity and too much involvement of law enforcement for Stillwater’s lieutenants to keep targeting me. And what would they get out of it anyway? For all Stillwater knew, we had made a thousand copies of that list and distributed it all over the world, just waiting for the go-ahead to hit publish.
Unfortunately, River had learned that the file on Jud’s hard drive was sealed up as tightly as Fort Knox.
He’d spent his first day at Last Refuge trying to break into the encrypted file, but his ToughBook lacked the computing power of his larger set-up at his Main Street apartment. So we’d relocated there. River had been throwing everything possible at it with no luck yet. I knew it was driving him crazy. He’d called in the help of Rubicon’s broader network online, all of them trying to break the encryption. River had said it would take time.
But with every day that passed, I felt the pull to return to work. To use every bit of power and influence I had to fight back against Stillwater. I couldn’t do as much as I wanted from Hartley.
So far, I had refused all but the most cursory interviews with the media. The governor wasn’t happy about that. He wanted me to be out there assuring the public that we had this situation under control. The official story was that an organized crime group had tried to target me because of my initiative against human trafficking. Which was partially true.
But the governor, along with plenty of other officials, preferred to keep Stillwater’s involvement under wraps. They didn’t want to confirm that a group like Stillwater was out there, pulling strings and running circles around our government.
I didn’t care what the governor thought. I wasn’t going to stay quiet about Jud’s corruption or Stillwater’s latest activities. The last thing I wanted to do was cover this up.
That was why I was meeting with Genevieve Blake today. To give my first in-depth interview. She had broken the original story on Stillwater, so who better to tell my version of what had really happened?
Stillwater was probably watching and waiting for the next shoe to drop. Well, Genevieve and I were about to give it to them. She had her heels. And I had my trusty combat boots.
We grinned as we headed into Jessi’s Diner. Jessi and Aiden weren’t working here today, since they’d turned over almost all of the daily operations of the diner to employees. I’d heard a million stories during my brief time here. Not just about the Protectors and their fight against Stillwater, but about how Jessi and Aiden had fallen in love. Trace and Scarlett. Owen and Genevieve. And they’d wanted to know all about me and River, which was a tough subject. There was so much to tell. And also so much I was unsure about.
But one thing was clear. No matter how much River exasperated his friends at times, they loved him. He seemed to have that effect on people.
We sat at a booth and ordered coffees and pancakes. Genevieve pulled up the voice recorder app on her phone. “Ready to go on the record?”
I nodded. “Please.”
“Lieutenant Governor, I’d like to start with your initiative to fight human trafficking. How did that come about?”
We talked for hours in our corner booth. There were some things I couldn’t touch, like River’s hacking. Or his SEAL buddy Griff Hodgson, who didn’t need reporters or police banging on his door. I glossed over my personal connection to River, noting only that we’d been friends for a long time.
I described the attack on the botanic gardens, the brave FBI agents who’d tried to shield me, and how River and I had gone on the run. All because Stillwater had wanted to use me as leverage against Jud Hale.
Genevieve hit pause on the recorder. “How much are you willing to say about the you-know-what? I realize that’s something the guys have been arguing about. How much to make public once River gets access.”
I glanced around the diner. There wasn’t much of a crowd today, as Genevieve had expected, which was why she’d suggested we meet here.
I dropped my voice and leaned in. “My friend in the FBI wants us to work with her agency. Not publish the list in the media. Stillwater won’t go down easily. You’ve seen that too.”
“I have. But the more of us who are talking openly about their shady dealings, the harder it will be for them to hide in the shadows like they’ve been doing.”
“Stillwater is like a weed with deep roots,” I said. “You can cut off what’s visible, but they’re not gone. They’ll come back. Unless we do more.”
“And you think the FBI can help with getting to the root?”
I rubbed my forehead. “Maybe? Brynn has been there when I’ve needed her. Agents Rainey and Torres were injured helping me. They could’ve been killed. It would be great for the Protectors to have allies like that. Don’t you think?”
She nodded. “I do. I know Aiden’s brother works for the DEA in California. But it’s pretty much impossible for rogue operatives to put their faith in the government. That’s something Owen has struggled with. Being the sheriff and a Protector at the same time.”
I knew exactly what she meant. But I wasn’t just in local law enforcement, like Owen. I was part of the government at a fairly high level, within the state at least. Yet another barrier that stood between River and me. I existed on one side of the law, and River operated on the other.
The lieutenant governor couldn’t have a boyfriend who was a vigilante and an illegal hacker.
Genevieve smiled apologetically. “I have more tough questions for you. Like about River. Your relationship with him, whatever that may be.”
I groaned. “You reporters are vicious.”
She laughed. “You can’t blame the public for being curious about him. The police made him look like the bad guy, yet he was truly your savior. And when you throw in your past with his brother? You have to admit, it’s a juicy story. All that drama? The public would be hanging on every word.”
“And yet, I’m not going to comment on my personal life.”
She pouted. “Can’t blame a girl for trying, can you?”
“No, I can’t blame you for doing your job. Honestly? Off the record? I’m not sure what to say about River and me. On the one hand, the list of reasons we can’t be together is so established, it’s practically carved into stone.” Maybe we could overcome a few, but not all.
“But on the other?” she asked.
“He’s… wonderful .” I melted into my seat just thinking about him. “And the way I feel when we’re together, the way I’ve always felt around him… I have never felt like that with anyone else.”
River made me feel alive. Making him happy made me the happiest I’d ever been.
She nodded thoughtfully. “Can I ask you this? How long will you stay in Hartley? And how devastated will River be when you leave?”
Wow. She was going for the jugular, wasn’t she ?
“I can’t speak to how River feels. You’d have to ask him. But I can’t stay much longer. I don’t see any other way.”
Though it had been hectic, I’d loved every day that I’d spent with River in Hartley. This was the part of the state where I’d grown up. Where River had built a new life for himself. He fit perfectly here.
It was too easy to imagine that I could fit here, too.
But my job was calling to me. I didn’t have the most powerful position as lieutenant governor, but I had influence. I could make a difference.
As much as politics drove me nuts, I loved it in equal measure. A little like the way I felt about River.
How was I supposed to choose?
We were finally wrapping up when I got a call. I expected to see River’s name on the screen. But it was a different number from my contacts.
“I should get this,” I said to Genevieve. “It’s one of the FBI agents I was telling you about.” I answered. “Agent Torres?”
“Lieutenant Governor,” Torres said. “It turns out Agent Rainey and I have found ourselves with time off and little to do. Would you mind if we stop off in Hartley to see you?”
“I’d love that. Of course. When are you coming?”
“Uh, it was a spur-of-the-moment road trip. But my partner here was supposed to call ahead and check on your schedule. Apparently, he neglected the one thing he was supposed to do.”
“I was getting the drinks and car snacks!” Agent Rainey protested in the background. “I’m working with one arm here! So sue me!”
I laughed, glancing over at Genevieve. She looked back curiously. She could probably hear snippets of what the agents were saying.
Torres sighed into the phone. “My apologies, Lieutenant Governor. We’re about half an hour from Hartley. If this afternoon doesn’t work for you?—”
“Then make time for us!” Rainey shouted.
I smiled. “It’s fine. I’m visiting with a friend at Jessi’s Diner on Main Street. Join us here. I’m sure she’d love to meet you both.”
Torres said they’d see me soon, and I ended the call.
“Those are the FBI agents who helped protect you during the botanic gardens attack?” Genevieve asked with a wicked glint in her eyes. “Josh Rainey and Rafael Torres?”
“Yep, that’s them.”
“They don’t know I’m a reporter, do they?”
“Nope. They just surprised me with their visit, so I’ll surprise them right back. Make them answer some of your questions.”
She cackled. “And you say I’m vicious.”
Rainey was jovial when they arrived, his broken arm in a sling and his blond hair sticking up in the back. He flirted with Genevieve until she mentioned that her boyfriend was the local sheriff, and then he toned it down.
Torres was more subdued, as usual, and he moved stiffly. I remembered what Brynn had told me. That he’d been shot after helping cover my escape with River at the fundraiser.
“Got me in the side,” Agent Torres explained, lifting his polo shirt slightly to show me the bandage.
“Are you on pain meds?”
“Nah, only at night. It’s not as bad as the time I was chasing down a couple of bank robbers. Took one in the chest that time. Ended up dating my ER doctor though. My mother was thrilled.” He’d said all of this in the same even tone. Then he asked, “How’s your break from men going? ”
I wrinkled my nose. “I may have fallen off the wagon.”
Torres nodded sagely. “Same here.”
His placid expression broke, and we both laughed.
Genevieve finished pestering them with questions for her upcoming article, and the two men finished the iced teas they’d ordered. Rainey told me that they planned to find a room at the hotel on the highway, but I scoffed at that. I was sure Jessi and Aiden could find space for them at Last Refuge.
“You’re my friends,” I said. “You helped save my life. I insist. Besides, the Last Refuge Tavern has the best food in the county.”
Agent Torres looked unsure, but Rainey was grinning ear-to-ear. “Sounds great. My car’s gassed up. You can ride with us.”
“I’m sticking around here. I was going to call ahead for you. Jessi will take care of you when you get there.” I wanted to head back to River’s apartment and see if he’d made any progress. And make sure he ate some real food, not just over-salted takeout.
But Rainey frowned. “No way, you have to let us treat you to lunch. You talked up this tavern, so now you’ve got to join us. Come on. I’m not taking no for an answer.”
I looked over at Torres, and he shrugged. “Hey, I’m on vacation. I’ll do whatever. Just as long as we can sit when we get there, because I’m already tired.”
“All right. I guess I’m on vacation, too. For a couple more days.”
I said goodbye to Genevieve, then followed the agents to their car. On the way, I sent a quick text to River, letting him know I was heading up to Last Refuge.
“Who’re you writing to?” Agent Rainey asked. “Is that Kwon? How’s he doing?”
“He’s well.” I pocketed my phone. “Just busy. ”
“We weren’t sure about him for a while there. He seemed awfully intent on getting near you at the fundraiser. Then Torres said he magically appeared right as the shooting started.” A smile broke over Rainey’s face. “The man must have good instincts.”
“He does. I’m sure you’ll see him later.” I got the sense that Rainey was still undecided, but once he and Torres got to know River, they’d like him. Maybe it was silly, but it was important to me that they like him.
“Is he up at Last Refuge?” Torres asked.
“Not right now. He’s at his apartment. Working on something, but I’ll drag him away to meet up with us. He needs some fresh air.”
Rainey opened the front passenger door for me, and I got in. Torres drove, while Rainey rode in the back.
“It’s this turn.” I pointed. Refuge Mountain was about a twenty-minute drive from here, along a winding road.
“So Kwon is busy working,” Rainey said, picking up the thread of our conversation from earlier. He was lounging, arms resting on the seat backs. “Still hasn’t cracked the encryption on the list?”
“Nope, it’s been tougher than he expected. He—” I cut off abruptly. Looked back at Rainey, who returned my gaze with a good-natured smile.
“List?” Torres asked. “What list is this?”
“You know, the list from Jud Hale. Somerton mentioned it.”
Torres squinted at him in the rearview. “No, she didn’t.”
“Sure she did,” Rainey said. Still perfectly relaxed. “You need to listen better, man.”
Brynn wouldn’t have. There was no way. “How do you know about that?”
“Like I just said . Somerton.”
Foreboding spread like poison through my insides .
“Rafael,” I said to Agent Torres, “would you turn around? I’d like to go back to Main Street.”
Rainey leaned forward. “Hold on, what?”
I forced myself to stay calm. “You haven’t explained yourself, so I’m not going anywhere with you. I want to go back.”
Torres looked bewildered, eyes darting between me in the passenger seat and Rainey in the rearview.
“This is literally nothing,” Rainey scoffed. “You’re getting hysterical over nothing.”
I took out my phone, but I had no service. There were dead spots between Hartley’s downtown and Last Refuge. “Torres, I asked you to turn around. Now .”
“Yes, Lieutenant Governor,” the agent said, scowling at his partner. “I’m doing it right now.”
“Do not turn around,” Rainey barked. “Keep driving.”
“Have you lost your damn mind? She wants to go back!” Torres hit the brakes. Steered the car to the side to make a U-turn.
That was when Rainey pulled his weapon. And aimed it at my head.
“I said, keep fucking driving . Or she dies.”
My heart nearly stopped.
Torres reacted immediately. He swerved back onto the road, accelerating. “What are you doing, Rainey? What the fuck are you doing?”
“He works for Stillwater.” I watched the dark circle of Rainey’s Glock from the corner of my eye.
“No.” Torres shook his head. “No, that is not possible. Rainey, tell her. I don’t know what this is about, but that is not possible .”
Rainey said nothing. He watched the road through the windshield. When a narrow side spur appeared, he pointed with the gun. “Turn there. Now , Torres. Do it.”
Torres turned. The car bumped as it drove over pitted dirt .
My pulse was going crazy. My mind repeating the same words in my head. Rainey works for Stillwater . Torres was armed, but he was driving. Could I reach his gun holster? Not without Rainey shooting me first. Rainey only had one functioning arm, but with a gun, that was all he needed.
“Stop here,” he ordered.
Torres pulled off beneath a cottonwood tree. “Whatever you’re planning, it doesn’t have to go this way. I know you, and this isn’t you.”
“You don’t know me.” Rainey’s voice had dropped an octave. Cold and cruel. “Drop your weapon into the back seat. Slowly.”
“Don’t!” I shouted.
“Do it, or the lieutenant governor is dead.”
With agony written over his face, Torres withdrew his gun slowly and dropped it into the back seat. It thudded onto the floor mat. My eyes sank closed in despair.
“Get out. Both of you. Try to run, and I’ll shoot.”
Torres and I got out of the car. My limbs felt weak. After all I’d been through, all the attackers River and I had faced, this was how it would end? Betrayal by someone I trusted was infinitely worse. Fear and rage tore at my stomach.
River . All I wanted was to see him again. I couldn’t let it end like this.
The dirt path was deserted. Trees loomed on either side. Rainey marched us further along, stopping when we could no longer see the car. He kept the gun pointed at us, his other arm bent toward his torso inside the sling.
“Talk to me,” Torres tried. “Whatever it is you want, we can work this out.”
“Sorry, man. Charlotte is right. I work for Stillwater, and I don’t need you for shit.”
Rainey fired.
Torres cried out as he fell onto the forest floor. Blood welled at his upper chest. I screamed and dove beside him, pressing my hands to the wound. Torres’s eyelids fluttered.
“Get up, Charlotte,” Rainey said. “We only came out here to get rid of him. Now we need to get back on the road. You’re driving. But we’re not going to Last Refuge, obviously.”
“I will not go anywhere with you,” I spat out.
“Don’t make this more difficult. We don’t have a lot of time.”
“ Screw. You .” Hot blood spilled between my fingers. I was wearing Genevieve’s blazer over a tank top, and I took it off, pressing the jacket against the wound. “Hold on, okay?” I murmured to Torres. “You’re strong. You’ve been through this before. Just hold on.”
Rainey pointed the gun at me. “ Move . Or I’ll shoot you too.”
“No, you won’t. You want the bounty Stillwater placed on me, right? The deadline has passed. Or is it the list, and you’re hoping to hold me hostage to get it back from River? That won’t work. We’ve sent copies all over the media. Reporters are just waiting on word from us, and then the stories will break.”
“Come on. I know you’re bluffing. My Stillwater handler told me about Jud Hale’s little ploy. Steal the list to buy his freedom. The dumbass really thought that would work? Then I heard from SAC Stanford that you people had opened Jud’s safe deposit box. You said a few minutes ago that River’s still working on something. Not too hard to put the pieces together. That file is stored with heavy encryption, and unless someone cracks it or has the key, it’s no use to anyone.”
“I never said River hadn’t cracked it yet.”
“But if you’d gotten access already, you’d know my name is on it.”
Pure rage flooded me. “How dare you? ”
“How dare I? Do you have any clue what my salary is like? How could I not? This isn’t about a stupid bounty. This is about me leveling up. I’ve been passing on small pieces of info to Stillwater for years in exchange for enough extra to get by. But I’m going to trade you for a new gig as a Stillwater lieutenant. That’s where the money is. If Jud’s list gets out there, I’m burned anyway. Stillwater can make me a fresh identity, set me up somewhere else with a swanky new life. I’m done with this basic shit.”
“Did you drug Brynn at the botanic gardens? You set us up from the start?”
“She’s the one who called me and Torres to help you out. Lucky break for me. I informed Stillwater about your increased security. I got Brynn out of the way, and then made sure Stillwater’s operatives knew where to find you and Torres.”
I looked down at Torres. His face was clenched with pain, but it was more than that. His eyes held the same fury that I felt at what Rainey was saying.
Then Torres moved his fingers like he was pointing at something. His eyes kept shifting down. He wanted me to see something. But what?
“Should’ve been easy for them to snatch you,” Rainey went on. “Got a guy to break my arm in two places to make it look good. Any clue how much that hurt? But then Kwon showed up. So I whispered in the ears of all my buddies in the Denver police. Told them Kwon was the real kidnapper. SAC Stanford didn’t buy it completely, but the Denver detectives did.”
With effort, Torres reached down and touched his pant leg. I followed the seam of his khakis. A strip of darker fabric peeked out from the cuff.
An ankle holster .
“You’re despicable,” I said, sliding Torres’s spare gun from the nylon.
“You think there’s a point in fighting Stillwater? There’s not. They’ll always come back stronger. They’ll always win, and they never forgive or forget. That’s why I know they’ll still want you. Alive is probably better, because that way they can use you against Kwon. Make him dance like a puppet on strings trying to save you. But if you don’t start cooperating in two more seconds, then I’ll just have to deliver your lifeless?—”
I chambered a round, spun, and pulled the trigger. Rainey’s eyes widened in shock, but he recovered quickly. My shot had missed.
“Oh, now you’re dead for sure.” His teeth clenched in a snarl as he aimed.
I ran at him. Used all my strength and momentum to knock him back in the dirt. He only had use of one arm, so I had a chance. I had to believe it.
Then he hit me hard against the side of my head. Plucked Torres’s gun from my hand and pinned me with his body.
“Just for that, I’m going to make this hurt.”