Page 153 of Unexpected Redemption

Unable to be this close without touching her, I reach under the table to squeeze her thigh. She cups her hand over mine, holding it there.

Ireallyfucking like her being at Redleg. Probably a little bit more than I should, considering it’s only temporary. I get why Leo loves Sue working here. And Klein and Mia. To some extent, Shep and Kri. There’s something so reassuring about knowing your partner is in the safest place.

When Peggy returns to work, I need to find Lettie another job at Redleg. Unless she doesn’t want to work here. Something tells me she’ll like that idea, though. And if she doesn’t, I can always make her reconsider with a few extra trips to the copy room.

Boss clears his throat, capturing everyone’s attention. “The first order of business will be a quick sitrep on the events from last night. I spoke with the chief on the way in this morning.” He shifts his gaze between Mia and me, raising his brows in question. “After that, I’d like one of you to update us on the information Katia provided.”

I tip my head and lift one finger, silently communicating I’ll be handling it.

He taps his knuckle on the polished mahogany table. “Next, we’ll talk through how to handle Katia and the architect. And finally, we can discuss our theories on what the fuck happened, hopefully figuring out where we go from here.” He looks around the table, making eye contact with us one by one. “Sound good? Anything to add?”

Klein raises his hand. Boss nods at him, encouraging him to speak.

“Got an email from Detective Salgado this morning informing me that Vanessa Eldridge has been arrested. The State Attorney is pressing charges for her role in Lettie’s abduction. She’ll most likely end up with a plea deal to lessen her sentence by providing testimony about the people she was working with. But they assured me she’ll serve time for this.”

Lettie releases a shaky exhale. When I look at her, she’s overcome with emotions—most of them happy. Tears pool in her eyes, but she’s shining like the sun.

Another one taken down.

“Thank you, Klein,” I tell him softly.

“Excellent.” Big Al trains his warm gaze on his daughter before moving on. “Anything else before we dig in?”

Head shakes all around.

Right as he opens his mouth to continue, the door swings open, drawing everyone’s attention. My mouth quirks on one side at Sue’s terrified expression. It’s a mix of mortification andnausea, complete with caved-in shoulders and pinched lips. She fucking hates meetings.

“Come on in, Sue.” Boss waves her over to the table, offering a semblance of a smile.

Eyes downcast, she mutters, “Sorry I’m late.”

“We’re just about to start,” Mia tosses casually. “You’re right on time.”

Lionheart bolts to his feet, grabs a chair from the other end of the room like it weighs nothing, and hauls it to our end of the table for his wife. He squeezes her in between him and Sawyer. Leo should have trained his little buddy better. Sawyer should have shuffled down like Klein did. A wry smile plucks at my cheeks at the thought. Sawyer’s a lot like a big kid, anyhow.

“Here we go. Debrief.” Boss scratches his beard. “The chief confirmed they’ve cleared Tomer in Viktor’s death, thanks to the drone footage proving he was about to shoot Katia. No charges will be filed.”

Lettie pulses her hand over mine, canting her head to flash me a relieved smile. Muscles all over my body relax at once, causing my spine to soften.

He continues, mostly addressing me. “It’s possible they may show up to ask more questions. As of this morning, they felt they had enough to wrap it up.” He pops his lips, making a smacking sound. “But...”

Shit.

The skin between his brows crumples, and he addresses everyone. “They said they would be contacting Nikolai Lenkov this morning. Next of kin notification of Viktor’s death. Which means?—”

Leo finishes his sentence. “Everyoneis on fucking turbo high alert starting now.”

“Correct.” Boss glances at me. “Hope you enjoyed your last free night.I don’t want you leaving HQ for a while.” He shifts his gaze to his daughter. “You either.”

“That’s fine,” she answers, entirely nonplussed in her tone and body language.

Huh. While I’d anticipated he’d ask us to stay here, I didn’t expect Lettie to be so compliant. Wonders never cease.

Lettie follows up her agreement with something more aligned with her patented bratty charm. “Boss Dad, I presume you’ll be staying here as well, right? After all, Lenkov took a hit out on you once before. I’m sure he’s about to be spittin’ mad. I’d hate for you to be at risk out there. And dear, sweet Madeline.”

Big Al’s palm hits his forehead, and his fingers punishingly dig into his hair. A groan vibrates in the back of his throat. “Fine.”

Sue whispers in Leo’s ear. His expression brightens as he processes her words.

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