My throat felt like sandpaper and I couldn’t swallow.True panic pounded inside me, a firing gun that sent my heart into a deadsprint. “Why are you telling me this?”
He stepped forward—the cat cornering the poor,helpless mouse. “We want you to encourage him to talk to us. We’ll give him adeal, Caro. We’ll give him a really good deal. But he needs to trust us andthat isn’t going to happen unless he has your support.”
I rolled my eyes and sniffled. “Sayer knows a gooddeal. If what you’re offering is so great, shouldn’t that be enough?”
“Sayer Wesley doesn’t care about deals, offers oranything. He only cares about you. We both know that’s true. He’ll listen toyou. He’s not going to listen to us. We’re on the wrong side of the law.”
Tilting my head, I sized him up. “Maybe you shouldrethink your life plan.”
His lips twitched, hiding a smile. “Maybe you shouldrethink your life plan, Caroline. We both know you want out. Here’s youropportunity.” His shrug was casual, coaxing. “Talk to Sayer. Work your magic.We’ll get a chance to clean up the worst crime syndicate in this city’s historyand you’ll get a chance at a new life, away from all this. We can help, youknow. You should let us.”
Damn it all. It was the lure of a fresh start thattugged the hardest. God, what would it be like to live away from this? To nothave thebratvafollowing us around everywhere we went? To not have the threat of an arrest orthe bosses’ displeasure hovering over us at all times? What would it be like tolive free of crime and thieving?
But I couldn’t ponder that out with Mason. “When?” Iasked instead. “How long do I have?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
Which meant soon. “I need time to talk to Sayer. Hewon’t be easily convinced.”
“Then be more convincing,” Mason countered.
I threw him the middle finger and turned around, donewith this conversation and the FBI. I was done with this whole fucking day. “Igot to go,” I told him over my shoulder.
“Hey, Caro,” Mason called after me. “This is not youropportunity to run. We have eyes everywhere. You will not make it to the citylimits before we have you in the back of a van. And if you make me chase youdown, I will publicize the hell out of it. Your arrest will be on everytelevision across the nation. Everyone will know you’ve been corroborating withthe FBI. I will go on fucking CNN and shout your name. I’m a very motivatedman. If you make me chase you, the generous deals are off the table. All ofthem. I’ll make sure you don’t even get your mandatory phone call. And then Iwill prosecute you to the full extent of the law. For everything. I will findit all, to the last unpaid parking ticket. Your options are this: work with usand get our help, or don’t work with us and experience the full Biblical-likewrath of the federal government.” His voice trembled with his conviction,promising every last threat.
I believed him. He would turn thebratvaagainst me and then takeaway the government and I would be left to fend for myself. In other words, heplanned to feed me to the wolves. He was basically signing my death warrant.
He held my gaze. “If I were you, I would choosewisely.”
Anger and resentment burned on my tongue andthreatened to spew from my mouth. I had so many nasty things to yell at him. Butthis was the FBI. And he was giving me a chance to persuade Sayer. He wasoffering a way out. So, instead, I pushed them down and nodded. “Noted.”
I left the warehouse and headed back to town. I had towalk for twenty minutes before I could find a taxi, but it gave me time tothink, to sort through my feelings.
When I talked to Sayer, I would have to pin thisentirely on the feds. Sayer didn’t know I occasionally talked to Mason. Itwasn’t like I ever gave Mason anything, but Sayer would feel betrayed if heknew the agent sought me out every once inawhile.
There was a chance that Sayer wasn’t the only one thatwould feel betrayed. The entirebratvawould getin on that action. I knew how that scenario ended and I wasn’t in a hurry tobleed out upside down.
So I’d have to be tactful. Careful. I’d have to lie.
Good thing I was so good at it.
I gave the cabbie the address of one of the bars thebosses owned. Sayer and the guys hung out there during the day to talk businessand have meetings and drink vodka.All the vodka.
Vinnie opened the back door for me and I made my wayto the front room. I always felt jarred by the sight of a bar with its lights on,all her rough edges exposed, the bright light glaring on the secrets she preferredto keep hidden during the night. After meeting with Mason, I could relate.
I found Sayer at a table with Atticus and Gus. Theywere playing cards and drinking. Typical Tuesday.
Sayer looked up and noticed me, smiling wide, his eyesdarkening with secrets only we knew. The good kind. The kind that made my heartache for the life Mason offered. The kind that made meconsiderthat new life, away from all of this, away from these people and the ugly,terrible things we were responsible for.
“There she is,” he said with that half smile thatstill made my belly flutter. With a jerk of his chin, he said, “Come here,Six.”
I moved to him, pressing a kiss to his lips when helifted his face to mine. His tongue caressed my bottom lip until I kissed himback, lured by the sweet temptation of his mouth. He didn’t care that we weresurrounded by his crew and his bosses, this moment was ours.
I gave into him. I always did. Our tongues tangledtogether while he tasted me slowly, intimately, too familiarly for public orthis place. His hands moved to my waist, bringing me in between his legs,holding me close to him. I dropped my hands on his shoulders and tried to keepmy wits.
It was impossible. This man was too much. Tooirresistible. Too tempting. Too distracting.
Pulling back, I smiled down at him, lost in sharpdesire and his blue, blue eyes and all the hope I had for us. “Can I talk toyou?” I asked him in a low voice.
