Which was a nice way of saying the SOA wouldn’t. Patrick wasn’t surprised.
“I said I’d come and speak to the legal department about some of my cases. If there’s nothing else you need to update me on, then I’d like to get started with the lawyers,” Patrick said.
He hadn’t brought Danai because it didn’t seem like something he needed her for. Patrick knew most of the cases he’d handled for the SOA since being transferred to New York weren’t influenced by his standing within his pack. The ones that were, well, those had also been directly or indirectly the focus of Ethan and the Dominion Sect. He would know better than she would what he could and could not talk about regarding his work.
“The conference room on this floor is set up with the case files, and the in-house lawyers are waiting for you. I also have this for you.” Henry opened his desk drawer and pulled out a plain white envelope. “The director convinced the congressional subcommittee to overnight it here so I could deliver it to you. We couldn’t be sure your mail wasn’t being tampered with.”
Patrick wanted to burn the envelope. “It’s not a subpoena.”
If it was, a process server would be the one to hand it to him. Henry nodded slowly. “You aren’t being served.”
That didn’t make it better.
Patrick reached for the envelope, studying all the official markings that said it came from the House of Representatives. He slipped his finger under the flap and ripped it open. Pulling out the thick bond paper with its embossed seal up top, he quickly read its contents.
Really, he should’ve burned it.
“I’m assuming I can’t ignore it?” Patrick asked, thinking about Setsuna’s warning when she’d been in New York the other week.
“If you choose to ignore the requested summons, then that’s your argument to bring up with the director.”
Patrick smiled humorlessly as he folded the letter back up and set it on the desk. “Don’t shoot the messenger, right?”
Before Henry could reply, Patrick’s phone rang. He ignored the irritated look on Henry’s face and pulled it out of his back pocket. Danai’s name came up on the screen, and he answered it.
“Collins. Line and location are not secure,” he said.
“I take it you aren’t home,” Danai said.
“No. I’m at the SOA’s field office downtown. What do you need?”
“If they have a television, I’d advise you to turn it on. Any news channel will do. The US Attorney’s Office is set to make a breaking news announcement on your case in about fifteen minutes. We both received the final report from the forensic investigation firm this morning via courier.”
Patrick froze in his seat, a feeling of déjà vu washing through him. “Did Preston call you?”
“No. I have it set up so I get notified about any breaking news Google hits on you or your case. The announcement is rolling through major news sites right now.”
“Fucking great.”
“Do you want me to stay on the line?”
“Yes.”
Because while he didn’t need her guidance on his past SOA cases, he definitely needed it for this.
He muted his microphone pickup and looked across the desk at Henry. “The US Attorney’s Office is making an announcement about my case in fifteen minutes.”
In response to that, Henry turned on the television in his office, the channel already set to a news station.
“I’ll call the director and inform her of the situation,” Henry said.
Patrick left him to it and unmuted his side of the line on his cell phone. He didn’t want to put it on speakerphone since he wasn’t alone. Two minutes later, while Henry was on the phone with Setsuna, Patrick’s phone started vibrating from a slew of incoming texts in the pack group chat right as it beeped with an incoming call from Sage. He sent her call to voicemail and shot off a single text.
I know. Danai called.
Patrick ignored whatever texts came in after that, keeping the phone on his ear as he stared at the empty stage in the US Attorney’s Office’s press room. He wondered when the reporters had been notified, because there were a lot of them seated in the room already. Maybe there was a press pool always on standby there.
A little less than fifteen minutes later, the door to the right of the low stage opened and a small group of people in suits stepped out. Mostly men, but a couple of women were there as well. Patrick spotted Preston, but he wasn’t the one to stand in front of the podium, bracketed by several flags.
