I threw my hand out, gesturing to the mess on the table. “Then we would’ve gotten a fucking tip long ago. Seattle PD has their pulse on the ring. They knew Red Snake was looking for her.”
Jake looked solemn. “Ash, you were down for over six months. That’s a long time for traffic victims to be shuffled around.” He adjusted his glasses. “What if she was transferred somewhere else, outside of Seattle, and escaped there? Has she told you anything?”
I shook my head. “I don’t—I didn’t want to push her.”
“She’s out of danger.”
“We don’t know that. Her friend was just murdered,” I said through my teeth.
He walked around the table. “Not to sound like a dick, but it’s estimated that globally, over three hundred people are murdered daily. Felix Kolby could just be another statistic.”
Both of our phones chimed again, more texts rolling in.
Hayes: If you’re worried about the law, don’t. We’ll back you up.
Grayson: I can call in a favor with my buddy in the CIA.
“Are you not going to reply?” Murphy asked, picking up some phone call logs.
“Waiting on Edwards to put in his two cents.”
Jake huffed a laugh. “You know what he’ll say.”
“Don’t take any chances,” I muttered, practically visualizing his text popping up on my screen. “I know.” I scrubbed my hand down my face, exhaustion weighing heavy. “I don’t know, man. What if we—what if this puts her in danger?”
His eyes met mine over the paper.
I let my fist fall onto the table, letting out a sigh through my nostrils. “What if she isn’t in any danger? What if this is just my fucking paranoia trying to call the shots?”
Jake said nothing, bringing the logs down, watching me like a hawk.
I leaned forward, my forearms on the edge of the table, and let my head fall. “She’s too precious to me,” I murmured.
He sighed. “Which is why you have to move forward with this.”
My head snapped up. “What?”
“You heard me, Ash,” he replied, taking his seat. He tipped his head to the evidence scattered across the table. “You lost years of your life over this.”
“I didn’t lose anything,” I said. “I did what I had to do for her.”
His eyes narrowed. “You didn’t lose anything?” he repeated slowly. “Are you fucking kidding? You lost your life!”
I fell back in my chair. “I’m right here, Jake.”
“No, the shell of my friend is right here.” He pointed to the door. “But my friend, the Ash I knew? He’s gone. He died when he followed her shadow into Devil’s Den.”
My jaw tightened, a painful lump filled with glass climbing up my throat. “That’s not fair,” I whispered.
“Life isn’t fucking fair, Doss,” he shot back, standing up again. He walked around the table, stopping across from me, and lifted his finger at me. “But Angel is your chance.”
“A chance for what?” I held out my arms. “A chance for me to have happiness? Then yes, I agree with you, but—”
“A chance for you to find yourself again. To fill the void inside yourself. She can’t do that, but maybe, with her in your life, you can find the strength to face what you’ve been too scared to confront.”
“You sound like fucking Dominic.”
“That’s because I fucking listen to him,” he clipped. “And I need you to listen to me right now. The shit I’ve found…it’s nothing like I expected. This is a deep, strong web of transactions, deals, contracts, and sales pathways we’ve never seen.”
