Jack turned to El.“That’s true?”
Moore nodded, but Jack deferred again to Nic.“This is your call, Price.”
He could have charged Bowers with any number of crimes—aiding and abetting, conspiracy to commit murder, felony murder.He’d aided in killing his father, for fuck’s sake.Still, it was his crimes against justice, against everything they worked daily to uphold, that rankled most.How many more lives besides his father’s had been lost or jeopardized because Bowers had turned his back on his oaths?Those were the violations, the crimes Nic wanted Bowers charged for.
“Federal witness tampering, theft of evidence, and reckless endangerment,” he said.“Twenty-five years, parole hearing at fifteen.”If he even made it that long.“Minimum security.”
Jack nodded, then turned back to Bowers.“That’s the deal, Lou, take it or leave it.And obviously you’re relieved of your position, effective immediately, and stripped of any commendations and benefits.I’m also reserving the right to review the complaints Moore’s got on you and take additional action if necessary.”
“Fine.Just keep me out of gen pop.”
The click of handcuffs around Bowers’s wrists was only slightly sweeter than Jack making Nic acting US Attorney right in front of Bowers, with a promise to see about making the appointment official.
But neither the cuffs nor the promotion were as sweet as the indictment for Duncan Vaughn the grand jury handed him an hour later, after Bowers’s testimony.
The only thing sweeter was Moore’s order to “Go get him.”
Twenty-Two
There was no great way to raid a mansion full of windows on fifteen acres of seaside property, except maybe at night, and Cam didn’t have that option.He wouldn’t risk Nic’s sister for another six hours.She’d already been gone too long in his book, the odds of return decreasing with each passing hour.
They knew where Lette was.They had a tactical plan, enhanced by Nic and Garrett’s earlier recon and Jamie’s drone.The K&R expert in him and the boyfriend in him demanded action now.
Cam’s plan of attack had four teams simultaneously converging on the property from multiple directions.Beta and Charlie teams from the north and south cypress groves.A SWAT team on its way down the freeway, headed for the drive and front entrance.Alpha team from the beachfront cliff, the closest position to the house.
“Alpha, this is Comm,” Jamie radioed.“Ten heat signatures inside.”
“Outside?”Cam asked.
“Two, guarding the front of the house.”
“On the entry gate?”
“None, only the security cameras.”Keystrokes on the other end.“Which are now on a loop.SWAT team is two minutes out.”
“Lette?”Garrett asked from beside Cam.
“In the kitchen, assuming I’m reading the heat signatures correctly.”
Binoculars in hand, Garrett crept toward the edge of the cliff.
“Careful,” Cam warned.
Garrett side-eyed him.“Marine major, remember?”He peeked over the edge, just enough to peer through the lenses.“It’s her, and she’s awake now.Tied to a stool looks like.”Per his and Nic’s recon, Lette had been passed out earlier; this was good news.“She’ll be helpful.”
“She’s injured.”
“And by now, super pissed.”Garrett grinned.“This is gonna be fun.”
Nic’s voice echoed in Cam’s head.Fucking jarhead.
“One minute,” Jamie radioed.“Beta, Charlie, second position.”
Vaughn’s guards would have to be watching the perimeter with high-powered goggles to spot their movement, if they were looking that direction at all.As much as it chilled them, the sea breeze also helped, disguising the extra sway of the overgrown beach grass.Cam signaled his Alpha team, including Lorton, to line up beside him.
“Thirty seconds,” Jamie counted down.“All teams, strike position.”
The perimeter teams inched closer, and Cam’s team slid their hands over the cliff edge, ready to lever up as soon as they got the signal.
