“I need you to trust me on this,” Norm continued, his voice quieter now. “I can’t tell you what I’m thinking because I don’t yet have acluewhat Moreno’s going to offer. Whatever they put on the table, I’ll handle it.” He paused, his eyes fixed on Colin. “But there is something youcando for me.”
Colin met his gaze, his expression expectant. “What?”
“Snap out of it!” Clayton barked, leaning forward with his arms resting on the desk. “You’re rattled! That tells me all I need to know about how much you’re affected by all this.”
Colin let out a slow breath, and after a moment, he bowed his head and nodded.
“Good.” Norm stood, straightening his tie. “Because when I get back, you, Esther, and I have some serious thinking to do. I want you sharp and ready, not bouncing off the goddamn walls!” He leaned toward Colin. “OK?”
Colin got to his feet and extended his hand. “Got it, Boss.”
Clayton grasped his hand. “See you later.”
Colin nodded. “Kick ass, Norm!”
“Count on it!”
After Clayton left,Colin returned to his office and settled into his chair. He tried to focus. He wanted to lose himself in the case files littering his desk. But the words wouldn’t stick. His thoughts wouldn’t settle. His eyes kept drifting to the clock.
1:00 p.m.—The meeting had started.
1:15 p.m.—Had they gotten to the real reason they were there? Was the offer on the table?
1:30 p.m.—What thehelldid Elias want? What was he offering? What was Norm hearing right now?
How long would this damn meeting last?
It was nearly 2:30 before Clayton finally returned, and the moment Colin spotted him, he bolted from his office, striding down the hall to meet him. They reached Esther’s door at the same time, and he grabbed Norm’s arm before he could step inside.
“Well?” Colin demanded.
Norm ignored him and tapped on Esther’s door, then pushed it open to find her hunched over her desk, scribbling notes.
“Have you got—” he began.
Esther’s head snapped up. “Oh,hell yes!Get in here.Bothof you.”
Norm exhaled a noisy sigh as he sank into the chair across from Esther’s desk. “It’s— about what we expected.”
Colin’s stomach twisted. “How so?”
“Moreno’s lawyer didn’t waste time. Sat down, laid it all out like a damn business deal. No threats, no posturing—just Elias’s terms.”
Colin scoffed. “Terms?”
Esther folded her arms. “Let’s hear it.”
Norm glanced at Colin. “You’reout.”
Colin blinked. “Out?”
Norm’s gaze sharpened. “Out of danger. You and Joshua both. That part of the deal isnon-negotiable.”
Esther’s brow furrowed. “And in return?”
Norm spoke quietly. “First off, Elias is offering us Hannibal’s killer. He’ll give everything—confession, evidence, the whole story. But there’s a condition: the plea is for second-degree murder. No first, no capital.”
Colin’s jaw clenched. “So the shooter—Lexi’s guy—walks away from the death penalty? Even avoids life?”
