JD let the subject die a quick death since it was clear Keplar had no stomach to pursue it further. “So, we’re headed to Chicago, I take it? You want me to call Agents O’Toole and Douglas and let them know we’re on our way?”
“Hold off on that.” Keplar shook his head. “I don’t want them jumping the gun and going back to that motorcycle shop. Knox Rollins isourFrankenstein’s monster. I want to be the one to bring him in.” Something moved in Keplar’s eyes that made the hair on the back of JD’s neck lift. “Or bring him down.”
8
Black Knights Inc.
Britt watched Eliza escort his brother and Sabrina Greenlee to the stairs leading to the third floor. She promised them private suites to rest and rinse off the dust from the road.
Knox murmured his thanks. Sabrina remained silent and gripped the handrail like a lifeline as she slowly climbed the stairs behind the other two.
Poor woman is dead on her feet,Britt thought and waited until they disappeared before glancing at the people gathered around the conference table. The faces staring back at him showed no malice or resentment that his sole living relative had brought a heaping helping of trouble to their doorstep.
Quite the contrary, all he saw was sympathy and understanding.
Somehow, that was worse.
He’d found a home amongst these good folks. They’d welcomed him with open arms and full hearts, and he’d have sooner stepped on his own dick than do anything to harm them. And yet… he harmed them by making them complicit in his bid to protect his brother.
He reached for his third—or was this his fourth?—cup of coffee and took a long sip of the bitter brew. He needed the extra time to gather his thoughts because the tale Sabrina and Knox had laid on them had a lot of moving parts.
On the one hand, Britt was ecstatic to learn his brother wasn’t responsible for Cooper Greenlee’s death. On the other hand, he hadn’t the first clue how to help Knox clear his name since it’d been made clear that none of the government officials Knox had been working with could be trusted.
Setting his mug on the table with a mutedthump, he made a sudden decision and announced firmly, “They can’t stay here.”
Ozzie ran a hand through his mad scientist hair. Boss spun his favorite K-BAR blade in a circle atop the table. And Becky pulled a Dum-Dum lollipop from the top pocket on her pink bib overalls, unwrapped the candy, and shoved the bright blue sphere into her mouth.
Everyone else remained still, silent, waiting for him to elaborate. He couldn’t because his plan was amorphous and forming. He didn’t want to talk out of his ass until he was sure what his ass wanted to say.
After a handful of seconds, Becky ventured, “You want to chuck them out on the street when every agent in the bureau will be gunning for them? And when you’ve been warned those same agents are itching to make your brother the fall guy for whatever went wrong on their case?”
Britt shook his head, feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place. Between the family he’d found and the family he’d been born to. “I can’t drag y’all into this. I can’t ask you to harbor a fugitive and risk your good names when I have no idea where to start in clearing his.”
“He says there has to be someone on the inside,” Ozzie ventured. “Someone working the case who gave him and his partner up to the cartel.”
“Yeah, but who?” Britt grimaced. “Knox says they were planning to arrest the leaders of the narcotics trafficking organization on charges ranging from drug trafficking and illegal possession of firearms to wire fraud and money laundering. That means we’re not just talking about the rat possibly being someone inside the FBI. It could be someone who works for the ATF or the IRS. That’s a lot of alphabet-soup agencies to sift through to try to find one corrupt asshole.” The coffee had soured in his stomach. He frowned when he added, “Where I’m from, we call that a classic case of too much shit and not enough shovels.”
“Follow the money,” Ozzie said. “And the online chatter. There’s always at leastoneof those things.”
“And how long willthattake?” Britt questioned. He knew the answer was “too long” by the way Ozzie grimaced.
“So what’s the alternative?” This was from Hew. His broad brow was creased in deep furrows.
“The only thing I can think to do is help them get out of the country. Maybe…” Britt shrugged as a plan began to solidify in his head. “I don’t have a lot saved, but I’ve got enough to help them start a new life and?—”
“I don’t want a new life.”
Britt saw Sabrina Greenlee standing at the base of the stairs. She’d removed her raincoat, which highlighted the dejected slump of her shoulders and the nervous way she twisted her hands together.
“I-I…” She swallowed and tried again. “I didn’t mean to spy. I came down to get something to eat before jumping into the tub. The last thing y’all need right now is for me to faint again and drown in my own bathwater.”
Eliza appeared on the step behind her. “I’ll get you something so you don’t have to go all the way down to the first floor. What do you want? A sandwich? Some yogurt? I made fresh blueberry muffins and strawberry scones this morning.”
Sabrina moved aside to allow Eliza to pass. “You don’t have to do that. You’ve all done so much already and?—”
“Nonsense,” Eliza cut her off with a wave of her hand. “We’re happy to help.”
Britt read the indecision on Sabrina’s face. Eventually, exhaustion won out. “Your muffins and scones sound amazing,” she told Eliza earnestly. “But I don’t think I can keep much down, so maybe…maybe the yogurt?”
