“Why does your guard know her real name?” Maverick pushed.
The warden shrugged. “That I don’t know.”
Maverick sighed. “You’re lying to me and I don’t like it. Now, I don’t want to do this, Abbott, but I will call the governor if necessary. Alexia came to me with one request that I promised I’d help fulfill. I think the system owes her that much after refusing to acknowledge Samuel Wells was a danger to society.”
Maverick was pulling out the stops in baiting anyone who tried to stand in our way and in doing so was gathering information.
Every clue was a further indication there were secrets surrounding the case.
Abbott huffed. “That’s not fair, Maverick, and you know it. This case is dead. The man is about to face his maker. Why are you interfering? You wanted that guy dead. You almost killed him thirteen years ago. Hell, I watched your own men pull you off him.”
“No one ever claimed that I was fair, Warden. Not one person. In this case, Ms. Martino is determined to continue calling me a hero and I plan on giving her cause. I didn’t kill him because I believed in the system of law.”
“Does that mean you’ve changed your mind?”
Maverick glanced into my eyes and I could sense he was hoping I still trusted him. With my life. “Yeah, I have. It’s your choice, Abbott, but I can make your life messy and let the press know how you handle prisoners. Entirely up to you.”
He took his sweet time deciding. “Fine, but fifteen minutes. That’s it. You said so yourself, Samuel is unwell. I can’t be held liable for your safety.”
“Don’t worry, Warden. I’m highly skilled in dealing with master manipulators and safety concerns.” Maverick laughed, so carefree. So remorseless.
Abbott was clearly under stress, beads of sweat already forming across his upper lip. I wondered if the armpits of his Egyptian cotton shirt were already stained. What was he hiding or perhaps the better question was who was he assisting?
That he was none too happy doing either was obvious.
I was learning skills I hadn’t been aware I needed. In truth, Maverick was the master manipulator.
“Alright. I won’t stop you, but you will follow the prison rules. I don’t think I need to explain them to either one of you. I’ll have the guards take you to him.” The warden headed for the door, stopping with his hand on the knob. “Keep something in mind, Maverick. Things have changed significantly since you were an agent.”
“How so, Abbott?”
“Let’s just say nothing is as it seems and loyalties can be bought for a song and a promise. It was good you got out when you did. You wouldn’t have survived the blowback.” Abbott walked out, his Ferragamo moccasins tapping distinctly against the cheap tile floor.
“Pretty much as I knew it to be,” Maverick answered then placed his finger across his lips. Maybe we weren’t on a security camera, but we’d been brought into this room for a reason.
For blackmail material or simply to keep an eye on what we were doing? One thing I could easily tell. The warden was hiding something and had been for a very long time.
We were quickly led down a hall to a corridor leading to another building. From there, we were taken to the second floor, passing several guards and every one of them paid very close attention to the moment we passed. Was everyone in the prison system on the take?
The room we were led to was sparse, exactly like the interview rooms you’d see in cop dramas. We’d been taken past a typicalvisitation area, which had several prisoners seeing family and friends inside. Perhaps because Wells was on death row, he wasn’t allowed anywhere close to the general population.
Whatever the case, I was concentrating more on my breathing than anything else. My nerves were already starting to get the better of me. By the time the door was closed behind us, I was lightheaded. Maverick’s expression was one of concern, but he knew better than to ask.
We were playing our own version of cat and mouse or perhaps a game of poker. Maybe I could learn even more from his expertise.
I placed the briefcase on the floor as required, rubbing my hands together and glaring at the camera positioned on the table.
We were forced to wait for almost fifteen minutes before we heard a jangle of keys outside the door. My nerves were now completely frayed, but I did my best to keep any sense of emotions off my face.
When the guard walked in, I backed against the wall, using it for support.
The experts said that time changed everything. Heartache. Memories. Perceptions.
What it didn’t change for me were the stark feelings that I’d had since Max had licked my face. It wasn’t quite fear or even relief, but a strange combination of anger, remorse, embarrassment, and hatred.
The loathing was the strongest today. And why? Not only because of what the bastard had done to my life thirteen years before, but the control he’d had over me since that day.
Samuel had his head down, shuffling as he was being led toward the table.
