Eli arched a brow. “Then you should be talking to the sheriff and the DA, not us.”
Wade waved a hand like he was swatting away a fly. “Nah. You’re part of the deal. I want you both to tell them I wasn’t trying to kill you. Just scare you. Put a little heat on, that’s all.”
Eli’s stomach tightened into a rock-hard knot, and his anger boiled up even more. He exchanged a glance with Delaney, saw the fire behind her eyes, and knew his own expression matched it.
Delaney leaned forward, voice low and tight. “You shot me.”
Wade didn’t even blink. “If I’d wanted you dead, you would be.”
Eli’s hand tightened on the chair back. It took everything he had not to lunge across the table. His voice was cold, each word clipped. “That’s your defense? That you were playing a game with live ammo?”
“Call it what you want,” Wade said with a shrug. “But if I’m going to tell you anything, I want a guarantee I’m not going to rot in a cell for the rest of my life.”
Eli’s jaw clenched so hard it ached. He leaned forward, bracing his hands on the table as he stared Wade down.
“You deserve to rot behind bars,” Eli snarled. “So start talking. Who hired you?”
Wade’s lips curled into a smug smile. “Now see, that’s my bargaining chip. I’ll give you a name, but only if you back off the attempted murdercharges.”
Eli looked at Delaney. She didn’t need words. He could see it in her eyes. She was ready. He gave a single nod, stepping back so she could take the lead. As a former FBI agent, she had training and instincts that could get more out of this dirtbag than he could by sheer force of will.
Delaney met his gaze without a hint of emotion. Her voice was calm but sharp.
“How do we know you won’t just feed us a load of bullshit?” she asked, and she had managed some of Wade’s own smugness.
Wade leaned back, fingers tapping on the table like he was drumming to a song only he could hear. “You don’t. That’s the game. But if I were lying, I wouldn’t be sitting here trying to deal. I’d be lawyering up.”
Eli didn’t believe that for a second, but he stayed quiet, watching Wade, watching Delaney. She was in control now.
Delaney didn’t break eye contact with Wade. She folded her arms on the table and leaned in just slightly, her voice low and steady.
“You think you’re clever,” she said. “But if you really were, you wouldn’t have missed. You’d be in Mexico or dead instead of sitting here, boxed in and bluffing like a second-rate con.”
Wade’s tapping fingers paused.
Eli noticed the shift immediately. Delaney had found the bruise to press on.
“You want to cut a deal?” she went on. “Youbetter give us something real. Otherwise, you’re just another armed asshole who couldn’t finish the job and got caught crying for a break.”
Wade’s jaw flexed. “I didn’t cry for anything.”
“No?” Delaney lifted a brow. “Then maybe you’ll be fine sitting in a cage for the rest of your life while whoever hired you walks away clean. Someone like Hale. Or Lawrence Melborne. Or maybe even Maddox. You’re just muscle. A tool. And disposable. They won’t come for you.”
Wade’s smile faltered, and Eli saw the first crack. The man was rattled. If they pushed just right, he might give them something useful.
“The person who hired you already knows you’re in custody,” Delaney went on. “And if they haven’t made a move to protect you, that tells me exactly how much you’re worth to them.”
Delaney didn’t even flinch when Wade slammed his fist down on the table. The sound echoed through the interview room, but she just blinked at him, calm and composed.
Eli tensed, every instinct ready to intervene, but he forced himself to stay still. Wade was unraveling, and Delaney had him right where she wanted.
Wade leaned forward, teeth bared in a snarl. “It was the bitch, all right? Vivian Camden. She’s the one who hired me.”
Eli’s heart slammed once against his ribs. He fought to keep his expression neutral, but the shock rippled through him. Vivian? Of all thesuspects, she hadn’t been high on his list.
Delaney held up a hand, her voice suddenly quiet. “Say that again.”
Wade was breathing hard now, angry and clearly not thinking straight. “Vivian. She wanted a scare put into that place where rich bitches go to deal with their boo-hooing problems. You two just got in the way,” he added with a dismissive wave of his hand.
