Radiant Surrender (CSA Case Files Book 6) (16 page)

“You have no proof—”

“I have all the proof I need, which has already been handed over to the DOJ’s newly assigned Special Prosecutor. You didn’t think your current strategy was your department’s envisioned mission statement as it was understood by the current administration, did you?” Crest chuckled, truly getting delight out of this man’s disbelief that he could be so completely undermined. “By the way, Daniel Signer is about to be identified as your department’s asset inside the Minneapolis/St. Paul FBI field office if you don’t pull him by tomorrow morning. I’d hate to see a good agent lose his freedom over the actions of his superior supervising agent.”

“This goes beyond us and what we can do for our country, Mr. Crest.” Weaver slowly slipped his hands inside the pockets of his dress pants, widening the area where Murphy had his sights lined up. The supervising agent had a smug smile on his face, as if only he were privy to the inside joke. “It is an interesting fact that the information you obtained could only come from one source. Please tell him that he’s been on my mind recently. It would do you well to remember that my reach far surpasses yours, although I will give you credit for having come as far as you have. Seeing as how the game has changed and at least the majority of the cards are on the table, I’ll call off my hounds. Your whore will be cleared of all charges come morning, although I won’t apologize for shining a light on her parents’ past treachery. How you could lower yourself to lay with such filth is beyond me.”

Crest didn’t let on that Weaver’s words stirred up a rage that tickled his more homicidal inclinations. This man didn’t get to have an opinion on his life and he certainly didn’t get to disrespect the woman in his life. He continued to play his part while at the same time trying to figure out the new rules to the game. It had become glaringly apparent that Ryland and Weaver both had more information than either let on.

“I’d be more worried about myself if I were you, Weaver.” Crest stood and placed his glass on the table in front of him. He walked to his right, ensuring that he didn’t get in the way of Murphy’s scope. “From this moment on, leave me out of whatever conspiracy you’ve fabricated against some opposing faction of our government you’re planning to engage with. Next time I might not be so lenient when it comes to terminating what you started.”

Crest could see that his last statement needled the man when he wanted to do so much more. Victories could be taken in steps though and he would definitely be following the route to justice this man was about to take. Crest waited until he was somewhat near Weaver, wanting his last statement to ring through loud and clear.

“And just for the record, you fuck with me again and I won’t be paying you a courtesy visit. I’ll burn down your house and kill everything you ever loved along with it.” Crest made his way to the door, buttoning his suit jacket. He turned the doorknob, but then thought of one more thing. “Your mistress is currently standing in the closet wondering if it’s safe to come out yet. For someone of her professional caliber, it makes me wonder what she sees in a man like you.”

Chapter Fifteen

J
essie had tossed and turned the majority of the night, waiting for Gavin to return to the apartment. Her heart rate had remained elevated and thoughts of what could go wrong kept running through her mind in endless loops. Townes had made her go into the bedroom and lie down after she’d started to ask him too many questions—with the door open as always. She was now staring out into the living room at the dim lamp that was positioned on an end table that had seen better days. When a shadow crossed the threshold, she instantly sat up with a rush of adrenaline.

“What’s happened?”

“It’s over, girl,” Townes replied, not a hint of relief in his voice. As a matter of fact, she would have thought he was talking about the weather. “Get your things and I’ll drive you to Oxford.”

“Oxford?” Jessie brought her legs around on the bed until her feet were resting on the floor. She didn’t want to talk about where they were going. She wanted to know where Gavin was and why he wasn’t here to deliver this news to her himself. “Why? You mean Oxford, Wisconsin? Is that where my parents are? Is it my sister? And where’s Gavin?”

“One question at a time.” Townes flicked the overhead light on, causing Jessie to flinch at the brightness. He was still wearing what she’d dubbed his biker outfit and he didn’t look tired at all. For some reason that irritated her even more. “F.C.I. Oxford is where your parents are being held. Crest wants me to take you to the facility so you can meet with your parents’ lawyer.”

Jessie stood and wiped away the loose strands of hair. She was still wearing the jeans and navy blue blouse that she’d had on earlier. Gavin had told her to be ready for anything and she’d heeded his advice. If she were free to leave here, then why wasn’t Gavin delivering this news himself?

“I want to talk to Gavin.”

“He’s been detained.” Townes must have seen the bag that Taryn had brought her located right outside of the bathroom. He walked across the carpeted floor and retrieved it as if this were an everyday event. She tamped down her anger, specifically since she didn’t want to be the reason their so-called truce was broken. It wasn’t easy. “I spoke with Mr. Moser and he’ll ensure that your sister is there at F.C.I. Oxford as well. Let’s go, girl.”

“If I’m really in the clear to go out in public, then we can stop at my apartment before we head out of town.” Jessie was testing the waters, seeing how far she could actually push Townes. It was like someone snapped their fingers and everything had returned to normal. Yet it hadn’t and she was having trouble believing that. She also wanted access to her cell phone so that she could phone Gavin herself. She didn’t fool herself into thinking she would get anywhere with Townes. “It should only take an additional twenty minutes.”

“Fine. Let’s move, girl.” Townes kept walking over the threshold of the bedroom door and Jessie almost tripped over her stocking feet trying to keep up. She swiped the black slip-on shoes that Taryn had snuck into the bag earlier, liking them a lot more than the running shoes she’d borrowed from Nick. Thinking of her friend made her realize that she needed to call him and thank him for all he’d done for her. “Keep up.”

“Then don’t walk so damn fast,” Jessie snapped, staying close to Townes as he opened the apartment door. She hopped on each foot, finally sliding her shoes on her feet. She wasn’t sure why, but she kept waiting to be tackled to the ground by a federal agent and taken away, never to be seen again. She resisted the urge to hold on to the chain that was dangling at Townes’ side. “Just to clarify, Gavin called you personally and told you that I was no longer wanted by the FBI for espionage?”

“Yes.”

“And he didn’t want to speak with me?”

“No.” Townes continued to walk down the hallway toward the elevator banks. “There wasn’t a need and as I said, he was detained.”

Jessie felt a spike of irritation now that the original fear was fading. Gavin had called Townes but he hadn’t ask to speak with her and what the hell did
detained
mean? Did Townes not understand that communicating with one another is what people did when they were in a relationship? Granted, she and Gavin hadn’t technically spelled it out, but that’s what they had embarked on regardless of the semantics. He didn’t get to delegate their personal life through a man who already had trouble carrying on a normal everyday conversation. As Townes pressed the button and stepped back, she stood side by side with him with her arms crossed in what was now full-blown anger.

“This is why I don’t get involved with women anymore.”

Jessie wasn’t quite sure she’d heard the words right, but she caught Townes’ grimace when she turned her head to look at him. Did he really just go there? She thought of Lauren, Emily, Elle, Phoebe, and Taryn. The man would have been nothing but dust in tattered clothes laying on the floor by the time her friends had gotten through with him for saying such a thing.

“I was about to be sent to prison for the rest of my life on charges that were falsified,” Jessie said as she pointed out the obvious. The elevator doors slid open and Townes indicated with a wave of his hand that she should enter first. She gave him a sideways look as she entered the worn looking metal box. “I would think that qualifies a personal phone call from the man I—”

Jessie snapped her teeth shut, almost nipping her tongue in the process. She wasn’t sure what she and Gavin were at this point but she sure as hell didn’t want to involve someone else in something that was none of his business. She would deal with this one-on-one with the man himself. She was shocked that Gavin prided himself on his refined taste and manners when he couldn’t even initiate a simple personal phone call.

“You know what?” Jessie asked, pressing the button for the lobby a little harder than necessary. She resisted the urge to shake the sharp pain out of her knuckle. She was still having Townes stop at her apartment and he’d wait until she’d changed into something more appropriate. “Men don’t understand a thing about women, so it’s pointless to even have a discussion on the etiquette of relationships with your sex. You just keep your nose buried in those books of yours. One day a woman’s going to slap that sucker right out of your hand and you’ll be lucky if your free time is all you’ll lose.”

*   *   *   *

Jessie felt more like herself after she’d changed into her own dark pair of denims, a cream tank top under a lightweight, form fitting blazer, and her four inch black Michael Kors heels. She’d even taken an extra five minutes to style her hair somewhat, which consisted of pulling the sides back into a small clip and allowing her natural waves to fall down her back. A flick of a powder brush, a couple strokes of mascara, and the glide of her favorite lipstick and she’d been good to go. She was finally in possession of her Louis Vuitton clutch as well as her cell phone, which was currently charging through a USB cable in the vehicle that Townes was driving.

A light chiming sound, along with a small vibration from her phone, indicated an incoming text. Jessie glanced sideways at Townes who was concentrating on the road in front of them. She kept expecting him to yank the device away, just as she kept waiting for red and blue lights to accompany the sound of a siren that belonged to a law enforcement vehicle to pull in behind them. She’d tried her best to hold onto the initial anger she’d felt when Gavin hadn’t had the courtesy to speak to her himself and she’d done a damn good job of it. So when she saw his name appear on the display, the screen might have been a tad bit red through her eyes.

Don’t give Townes a hard time. I’ll see you soon.

What kind of text was that? It was going on seven o’clock in the morning and with each passing second, she was further away from where he was and closer to an emotional train wreck where she would have gladly wanted his emotional support. As it was, she wasn’t quite sure what she was going to say to her parents when she finally got the opportunity. She would also have to deal with her sister, which was no small feat considering she had been handling everything by herself since this whole thing blew up. She brushed her finger over the display and replied without hesitation.

I have things to take care of. Townes will be useful.

Jessie pressed the send button and sat back against the comfortable leather seat, knowing the vague reply would prompt Gavin to actually contact her. It would be then that she would give him a piece of her mind in regards to him being too busy to tell her himself that her life had just been handed back to her.

A ringing phone reverberated through the vehicle and Jessie looked down when she didn’t feel the vibrations. Sure enough, the display showed nothing. It had been Townes’ cell that had been activated, not hers. Her initial response was that even Gavin wasn’t that obtuse as to know how aggravated that would make her. If she was in the all-clear as both of them said she was, there was no reason good enough that Gavin couldn’t call her directly.

“Speak to me.” Townes had answered his phone and then remained silent for a good forty seconds. “I understand. Consider it done.”

Jessie continued to stare at Townes in astonishment as he pulled in front of a brown brick building that had F.C.I. Oxford attached in white lettering. She would have ripped the phone from his grasp had he not already disconnected. She was brimming with anger and she couldn’t wait until she had Gavin in front of her to get a few choice words off of her chest.

“Mr. Moser should already be inside,” Townes said, oblivious to the emotional wreck that was sitting right next to him. Jessie struggled to draw in air and she blinked back her tears, not knowing what was wrong with her. She was not normally so emotional—well, maybe a little—but not to this extreme. She needed to pull herself together if she was going to see her parents. They needed her to be strong. “Stay there while I come around.”