In a place like this, the goodness of God seemed far away. But it was something Jax carried with him everywhere. A small flicker of light in a dark world, chasing away the shadows.
“How should I know?” Rickshire spat out the words. “I’ve been in here since she caught me. If something happened to that child, it’s got nothing to do with me.”
That could be absolutely true, but Jax wasn’t ready to believe it.
“Who are your friends, Longstreet and Jackson?”
“Find them yourself.”
“Ellayna could be dead before that happens.”
Rickshire’s expression flinched for a second.
“I’ve got all day, but I don’t think you have so much time.”
“What are you talking about? I’ve got years here.”
“Are you going to last that long?” Jax asked. “Wouldn’t you rather know Ellayna is somewhere safe and that she could still be there if you ever get out of here?”
He clenched his jaw, nausea in his stomach threatening to come up. As an FBI agent, he’d needed that dividing line between good and evil. Between the law and those that enforced it, and whoever sat on Rickshire’s side of the table.
Lately good and evil had blurred. Lines were crossed, and they’d wound up in a place he’d never expected. Good and bad side by side in their lives.
Rickshire cleared his throat. “What do I care about one child?”
“Say that again, I might believe it.”
“There are a hundred criminals in here. Many of them are far worse than me.”
“So prison gave you perspective. Is that it?” Jax studied him. “You’re just a small fish in a big pond. A cog in the wheel.”
“The world is a big place. There are lots of Ellaynas. Why get hung up on the one that got away?”
“You’ve been going to therapy, or reading self-help books? Do I have that right?” Or the two men with their fake IDs had talked him through it.
“We all have our part to play.”
“What’s the grand scheme?” Jax decided then to take the leap. “An evil organization bent on world domination,controlling governments, and using people as pawns in their game let you know you’re just a foot soldier. So, you sit here, waiting for orders.”
Rickshire’s lips curled enough that Jax caught a glimpse of aging teeth in that aging face. “I already got my orders. It’s why I’m here.”
“This is all some grand plan?”
“You should know that by now, Not-So-Special Agent.” Rickshire seemed amused. “‘We’re all either kings or pawns.’”
“You added Napoleon to your reading list?”
“It passes the time.”
“So, you serve the time you were awarded for your crimes.” Jax didn’t want to write this conversation off as a total loss, but he probably wouldn’t get much more out of Rickshire. The guy’s defeatist attitude wasn’t a surprise. He’d only served a couple of years of his sentence and had many more still to go. The likelihood was that he would die in here and never live life again as a free man.
That was what justice had demanded of him.
“It’s what we’re bred for,” Rickshire said. “To play our role.”
Jax stilled. “You’re one of them.”
“One of who?” Rickshire played innocent, but there was no way Jax was going to swallow that pill. No way.
