“And then?”
“We end this. Permanently.” I look around the table, meeting each man’s eyes in turn. “They came for Josie. They came into a hospital room and tried to kill a woman under our protection. That can’t stand.”
“Damn right it can’t,” Duck mutters.
“We’ll coordinate with Josie’s contacts at the FBI—she’s been building a federal case alongside the local one. When we move, we move with the full weight of the law behind us. No loose ends, no comebacks.” I stand, signaling the end of the meeting. “Until then, we lock down. Nobody goes anywhere alone. Prospects on the perimeter, armed guard on the clubhouse around the clock. And someone’s on Josie at all times.”
“What should I do with our visitor?” Hawk asks. “Not sure how long he’ll want to hang in the box.”
I frown. “Hold him for another few hours, see what else you can get out of him, then hand him over to the Feds. Let them deal with it.”
“What about the mayoral thing?” Duck taps the campaign pin on his chest. “Maggie’s been on me about campaign appearances. Got a thing at the community center next week—meet and greet with voters.”
Right. The election. In the chaos of the past few weeks, I’ve almost forgotten we’re trying to get Duck elected mayor.
“You still want to do it?”
“Hell yes, I want to do it. Best way to fight Summit is to take their puppet out of the running.” Duck’s jaw sets stubbornly. “Vernick’s been their mouthpiece on the council for years. We put him out of office, we cut off their legitimate channels.”
“It makes you a target.”
“Already was a target. Might as well be a target who’s doing something useful.”
I can’t argue with that logic. “Fine. You’ll take backup. Your main focus should be on campaigning. We’ll figure out details once Ridgeline gets here.” I glance around once more, nodding to each of them. “Meeting adjourned. Get to work.”
They file out, Tank still grumbling about Ginger and her brother. I reach for my phone.
Butters picks up on the second ring.
An hour later, I find myself back outside Josie’s door.
I should have gone to bed and grabbed a few hours of sleep while I could. But the hit on Josie is still too raw for me to stay away.
I push the door open quietly, expecting to find her asleep.
She isn’t.
She’s propped up against the pillows, laptop balanced on her knees, frowning at the screen with the kind of intensity she usually reserves for hostile witnesses.
“Oh fuck no.”
She looks up. “Hey you’re back.”
I point at her laptop. “Shut it off.”
She bristles. “Excuse me?”
“No working. Doctor’s orders. Maggie’s orders.Myorders.”
She glares. “Since when do I take orders from you?”
“Since someone tried to kill you. Twice. You need to rest.”
“I am resting.” She gestures at the bed. “See? Bed. Pillows. Very restful.”
“You’re working.”
“I’m reviewing documents. It’s hardly working.”
