A man like me, second-guessing something so simple. I’d held classified documents in my hands without batting an eye. I’d destroyed evidence, signed off on deals that could bury men my size, and walked away without a scratch.
But a file on a woman who wasn’t even my responsibility?
That had me hesitating.
Opening it felt like admitting something I didn’t want to name.
And I didn’t do well with things I couldn’t name.
It didn’t matter how I sat in this damn plastic chair—it wasn’t comfortable. It creaked under my weight as I settled into it.
Diego, one of Max’s lower-tier guys, was slouched with his arms crossed, face bruised and swollen. Max stood by the door. He wasn’t pacing or glaring. He didn’t need to. His presence alone was enough to make Diego squirm.
“I’m going to ask once,” I said, my voice breaking the silence. “How did they get the information?”
Diego glanced at Max, then at me. I noticed the tick in his jaw. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know,” I repeated, leaning forward slightly. “That’s funny, because the Feds do. They know everything—dates, times, locations. They have your phone records, Diego. Your calls, your texts, your browser history.”
His eyes widened just enough to give him away.
“You think this is a game?” Max’s voice cut through mine.
Diego swallowed hard, shrinking under Max’s scrutiny.
“Someone tapped your phone,” I continued. “The question is, was it you?”
“What? No!” Diego snapped, sitting up straighter, like he had a pole on his back. “I didn’t ... I didn’t say anything.”
“Then how do they know?” I asked.
His forehead started to sweat as if we were on the opposite end of this deal. As if we were the ones interrogating him. Diego shook his head. His hands clenched into fists on the table with a bang.
“I don’t know. Maybe it wasn’t my phone. Maybe it was someone else.”
“You think I’m stupid?” Max intervened, his anger bordering on fury. “You think I don’t know who I hire? You’re sloppy, Diego. Always have been. So tell me, what the fuck were you thinking?”
I saved him the effort. “You called your girlfriend last week. Told her you were in over your head. Ring a bell?”
Diego froze, his face paling.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” I said, leaning back in my chair. “She’s working with the Feds, Diego. Whether you know it or not, you’ve been compromised.”
“I didn’t know. I swear, Max, I didn’t know?—”
Max turned away. Diego shrank back into his chair. It was funny, seeing a grown man look like nothing but a child. Maybe he was.
“Swearing doesn’t fix this,” Max complained. “What itdoesdo is piss me off. You let your personal life bleed into business. Now we’ve got a goddamn problem.”
Diego opened his mouth, but no words came out. Again.
“This isn’t just a ‘problem.’ It’s an entry point,” I added.
Max turned to me with his eyes narrowed.
I continued. “The Feds don’t need much to start building a case. Just one thread. One text. One phone call. You know what happens next? They pull on it. They follow it to everything connected to you, and by the time you realize how far they’ve gone, they’re already wrapping it around your neck.”
Max’s jaw tightened, his eyes darting to Diego, who was the problem. “Do they have anything concrete?”
