“Hunter Page is just the tip of the iceberg. We dug into his financials, and he has a shockingly large number of small businesses.”
“Which isn’t necessarily shocking if he invests in places,” Stone says.
“True, but this is an obscene amount. Like he’s running money through them or they’re just fronts to move artifacts.” Woodcroft looks at each one of us.
“So … a tech genius is selling slash stealing artifacts? And somehow Hunter Page is connected because he buys them?” I think out loud. “Are they connected? Like, direct payments? I never saw either of them hanging around Oscar.”
“We think they both started with Cano to get the lay of the land, so to speak, and then took it direct. Money isn’t an issue if Page is funding, but this means they are big guns. Cano was just getting leftovers.”
“Holy shit,” Juliette murmurs.
“What?” I ask.
“They have their own setup.”
“Well, yeah, that’s what we’re figuring out.” Sin rolls his eyes.
“No, I’m saying they have their own setup to the extent Cano did. They have people delivering artifacts, stealing them, and buying them. They learned from him and created their own system. Cano was just a steppingstone, which means these guys are bigger and badder than Cano because they have more power and money. Like, exponentially more.”
“So, we’re moving on from Oscar?” I ask with a shit-ton of hope.
“Hold your horses there, Loverboy.” Woodcroft holds his hand up. “We still have to tie up loose ends and get everyone we possibly can connected to him. Now, we just have more we can interrogate people with. Cano’s people are the key to getting information on Page and Lorentz’s setup.” Woodcroft dashes my hopes in a minute.
“So, we’re back at square one,” Lex says.
“Not exactly. I’d consider it more of a shift. We need to see how far this goes,” Juliette adds.
“And what happens if we find connections that aren’t private entities? Government, for example. It would be huge and problematic,” Juliette muses, looking at her notes.
“That’s why we’re keeping it within this office. We see how far this goes. We talk to no one who could cause major issues until we have a compiled list or irrefutable proof.” Woodcroft is careful to look at each one of us.
“And what about Claire?” I ask. It’s stupid to bring her up. Lex is technically in charge of her, not me. I’m not privileged to information, but dammit, I need it like a drink in the middle of the desert.
“She stays where she is until we’re sure she’s cleared. If—and that’s a big if—she’s able to not worry about any Cano backlash, she’ll still need to be somewhere we can call on her. Her memoryis incredible, and if we can connect this new branch to Cano in any way, it helps both cases,” Woodcroft hedges. “Juliette, can you get Loverboy set up with a mobile office? I know he has his laptop, but anything else he might need, get him good to go remote. He’ll be keeping an eye on our star witness since she’s carrying his spawn. There are too many big players in this to not make sure she’s safe.” Woodcroft winks at me, and I damn near jump up and shout.
He’s letting me stay with her.
“Adam, my office,” he says as the rest of the team cracks smiles.
I plop into a visitor’s chair once I’m in there and immediately feel like I’m in the principal’s office.
“For now, you’ll stay at the house with Claire. If we need her here—or you, for that matter—you’ll bring her to a safe place in the city.”
“I’ll take her to my place,” I interrupt.
“If things go south with you two, I expect to be immediately informed, and I’ll have someone come replace you.”
I want to tell him that it won’t happen but, hell, who knows. What I do know is this is the chance for us. We will be finally getting time together to explore things between us, and I’m taking full advantage of it.
“Understood, but whatever happens between Claire and I won’t change the fact that I have a child with her. When am I able to head back?” I ask.
“As soon as Juliette has you set up. The rules still apply. No news, no information about the case, unless I clear you.”
“Loud and clear.”
“And I do hope it works out. I have a feeling you’re not too keen on resuming undercover work regardless of what happens with Miss Daniels. I’ll have to come up with some other ideas for you.”
I haven’t spoken to him about my plans to retire from UC work, but he apparently read my intentions. “That’s correct, sir. I’m getting too old for this shit, and with the baby on the way, I just can’t leave her alone to parent by herself. I can’t be under for long stints and, as you know, there’s no way for us to dictate how long a mission lasts.”
