“Thanks.” Nora’s voice cracked.
“Whoa. What’s wrong?”
“Carson left. For the surveillance. Even though I asked him not to. Even though I asked him to choose me just once.”
“Oh, honey. I’m sorry.”
“I don’t think I can do this anymore, Lila. I don’t think I can keep waiting for him to change when he clearly can’t,” she confessed, barely keeping it together.
“Do you want me to come over? You can reschedule the meeting—”
“No.” She shook her head vehemently. “I need to do this. Need to prove to myself I can build something that’s mine, something that doesn’t depend on Carson or anyone else.” Nora wiped her eyes. Took a deep, steadying breath. “I’ll be okay. I have to be.”
“You will be. You’re the strongest person I know.” Lila paused. “But, Nora? If you decide this relationship isn’t working, that’s okay. You deserve someone who shows up for you. Who chooses you.”
“I know.”
After they hung up, Nora finished getting ready and headed to her meeting. She had a business to build. A life to create. With or without Carson Black.
***
Carson arrived at the surveillance position to find Finn and Captain Holloway already there.
“Shaw’s inside,” Finn said, handing Carson binoculars. “He arrived ten minutes ago. Went straight to the back room.”
Carson looked through the binoculars. Shaw sat at a table in the private room, looking older than Carson remembered but still commanding. Still confident.
Still corrupt.
“Maggie brought him coffee,” Holloway said. “They talked for about two minutes. Friendly. Familiar. Then she left him alone.”
“We need to see who else shows up,” Carson said. “If this is just a meeting between Shaw and Maggie, that’s one thing. If other people arrive—criminals paying for services—that’s proof of the network.”
They waited. Watched. Documented everything.
At two-fifteen, a man in his forties entered The Brew & View. Finn ran facial recognition. “John Patterson. Arrested three years ago for assault. Case went nowhere. Evidence mysteriously disappeared.”
“One of Shaw’s clients,” Carson breathed.
Patterson went directly to the back room. Through the windows, they could see him shake Shaw’s hand. Sit down. Pull out an envelope.
“Money,” Finn said, zooming in with the camera. “Cash payment.”
They documented everything. Photos. Video. Time stamps.
At two-thirty, Patterson left. At two-forty-five, another man arrived. Finn identified him as Evan Matthews—no relationto Jade—who’d been investigated for embezzlement five years ago. That case had also gone cold due to missing evidence.
“Shaw’s running a clinic,” Captain said grimly. “Taking appointments. Collecting payments.”
“And Maggie’s facilitating all of it,” Carson added. “Booking the room. Providing cover. Probably vetting the clients before sending them to Shaw.”
They watched for another hour. Four more people came and went. All with criminal histories. All with cases that had mysteriously fallen apart due to missing evidence.
“We’ve got him,” Captain said finally. “This is enough for warrants. We can arrest Shaw and Maggie, search their properties, freeze their accounts.”
“We need to move fast,” Carson said. “Before Shaw leaves town. Before Maggie realizes we’re watching.”
“Agreed. I’m calling the DA now. We’ll have arrest warrants by end of day.”
