Page 40 of Under Fire in Big Sky

What did she want from him?

She claimed nothing, no expectations, but that was hogwash. Not quite a lie and not full disclosure either. He wanted to growl in frustration.

“How about you?” he asked, flatly. “Any luck with Hahn?”

“I got the green light from Lauren.”

Whatever that meant. She hadn’t bothered to explain her plan to him, and he didn’t bother to ask.

Still, he knew one thing for certain. “Trujillo won’t like it.” Finally, Eli looked at her. “That you went around him.”

“Technically, I went over his head, not around him.”

“The detail won’t make it any easier for Trujillo to accept.”

“Discussing it with him would’ve only delayed things. He’s insistent on doing it his way, but we don’t have time to waste. This is the path of least resistance. If it gives us the leverage needed to make headway, quickly, then it’s a win-win for everyone. But there’s still one more thing I might need. Have you heard back from IPS about the Fish, Wildlife and Parks report?”

“Yeah.” He hadn’t gotten a chance to update her. First, there was the disaster of his proposal. Then during the ride to the rally point for the raid, she didn’t seem like she wanted to talk and neither did he. Silence was his safety zone. “They questioned Purdom and believe the report was falsified. Right before the raid, Tak sent me another update. Bo checked Purdom’s financials. After he was assigned to investigate the claim about the ferrets on the land, he started receiving a special bonus in his paycheck.”

She raised a brow. “How much?”

“A couple grand extra, every two weeks.”

She whistled. “FWP didn’t even try to hide it.”

“When the claim about an endangered species was first made, the director of FWP resigned. The new director, Fred Lloyd, picked Purdom to do the investigation and is the one who authorized the special bonus. I think I can get the team to rattle Purdom enough for him to make a confession. Is that what you want? Because if the guy admits to wrongdoing, we’ll make sure he’s held accountable,” Eli said, making his position clear. “Along with whoever else is involved. How far are you willing to take this?”

“Due to the nondisclosure agreement, I can’t act on Purdom’s confession in any way that might jeopardize the client. But IPS doesn’t have the same restrictions. If you do it right.”

Thinking about it, Eli slowly nodded. “I’ll make sure it won’t track back to you.” In order to pull that off, he’d need the FBI to be the ones taking credit for any exposure of criminal activity. He only hoped that whatever she was planning wouldn’t ruin their already tenuous working relationship with Trujillo. He was their best chance to get it done.

In the interrogation room, the FBI agent shoved back from his chair and stood. “How about I give you a few more hours to stew on the bleak future ahead of you.” Trujillo stalked out and swept into the observation room. “Audrey isn’t going to crack, and the other six have all said the same thing, that they want a lawyer. The sheriff doesn’t want them to take up his holding cells, so they’re going to be transferred to county jail in a couple of hours. Before that happens, I’ll talk to the brother again. He might be the weak link.”

“While you do that,” Olivia said, “I’ll have a go at her.”

Trujillo crossed his arms. “What makes you think you’re going to get anywhere?”

Olivia must have some way to coerce Audrey or something to offer.

“I want to try,” Liv said, nonchalantly. “You’ll get the credit for these arrests and any information given. We’ve got nothing to lose. Right?”

“Suit yourself,” Trujillo said and left.

“Hey.” Eli stopped her. “You’ll only have one shot at Audrey. You better make it count.”

Olivia put on her game face and marched into the interrogation room.

Audrey rolled her eyes at the sight of her.

Steeling herself for a challenge, Olivia sat across from the woman who tried to kill her. Anger would only get in the way. Olivia tamped down emotion and focused on the goal.

The handcuffs around Audrey’s wrists jangled as she folded her hands. “I already told the FBI agent I’m not talking without a lawyer.”

“That’s your right. It’s also a shame. Because I have an offer. But it expires in twenty minutes. I don’t think your lawyer is going to make it in time.”

Audrey slumped back in her chair, gaze lowered. “You can’t offer me anything I want.”

“You’re going to do a lot of time in prison and be labeled a terrorist for the rest of your life.”