“What information are you offering?”
“Enough to make him think I'm compromised. Enough to drive a wedge between me and my partner. Enough to make him think he's winning.” I closed my eyes. “I need Bishop out tonight. Whatever it costs.”
“And your partner? He know you're making this call?”
“No.”
“Does he know you're planning to feed Harrow information?”
“It won't be real information. Just enough truth to seem convincing, enough to buy Bishop's release without actually compromising the investigation.”
“That's a very thin line to walk.”
“I've walked thinner.”
She was quiet for a moment. Then: “I'll reach out to Harrow's people, see what they'll accept. But Mercer? This is going to cost you more than you think. Harrow doesn't forget, and once you start trading, he'll expect you to keep trading.”
“I understand.”
“You're about to destroy the trust your partner has in you. For a broker who knew the risks of this life. That's not strategy. That's martyrdom.”
“Maybe.” I opened my eyes. “But Bishop saved my life three times. I owe him this.”
“Then you're a better person than most people in our profession. Or a stupider one. Hard to tell the difference sometimes.”
She hung up.
I sat there holding the phone, knowing I'd just made a choice Dom would never forgive, knowing I should tell him, knowing I wouldn't—because telling him would mean watching him try to stop me. It would mean arguing about acceptablelosses. It would mean admitting that I still operated under the assumption that I was expendable and everyone else wasn't.
My phone buzzed. A message from the handler:
Handler:
Harrow's people are interested. They want Webb's location in exchange for Bishop.
Callahan:
No. Webb's not on the table.
Handler:
Then what are you offering?
Callahan:
Information about Ravenswood's security protocols. Access points. Timing. Enough to make them think they can get to Webb if they move fast.
Handler:
That's suicide. You're giving them a roadmap to attack Adrian Calloway's home.
Callahan:
Adrian's security can handle it. And it'll force Harrow to move before he's ready. Expose himself.
Handler:
You're either brilliant or insane.
