Page 55 of Resolution

“Whatever you say, Damon.”

My head was killing me.

Chapter Thirteen

RAVEN

Miguel and I walked into the FBI offices thirty-five minutes after Snow hung up the phone with his SAC flanked by a phalanx of armed agents. I was pissed, because I was here with my injured partner—who still desperately needed to rest and recover—and I knew we were in for more grueling hours of interrogation, when all Miguel needed was rest. Okay, I knew interrogation was probably the wrong word for it. But we’d be expected to go through the last six months of crap we’d encountered ever since Miguel had returned a call from Gregory Aston, our first big case after we’d opened Trackers.

I knew the goddamned DEA would want to know all about the Mulberry diamond recovery, John Sutter, Miguel’s time in the service, and how all that played into this mess we’d gotten ourselves into. But worst of all, Judy would probably find herself in jail for hacking into bank accounts and emails now that every federal law enforcement agency I could think of was involved. Hell, having Max Prince here with his U.S. Marshals Service background, brought those guys into it as well.

My sick grandmother was in hiding with her nurse, an unknown assassin had tried to take me out in a shopping center parking lot, and Miguel had nearly been kicked to death by an FBI agent with his head so far up the Sanchez Cartel’s ass, he couldn’t see.

I had fumed all the way over from the hotel to the office in Westwood, and it wasn’t even noon. Even though Miguel had said he was much better, I kept a close eye on him, had painkillers in my pocket, and I’d clutched his hand the whole car ride over. I was ready for the first asshole who dared to raise their voice to Miguel. We’d heard Lincoln’s boss yelling when he’d called Snow, even though his phone wasn’t on speaker. Let any of them try to do the same tomyman. If they dared, I only hoped they’d be ready to get their faces smashed with my fist.

We walked into the office, and the conference room window blinds were drawn as we walked by it, so I couldn’t see anyone inside. Snow, who was leading us into the office, stopped at the door and turned to us. “Go on inside. I’ll be back shortly.”

Great. So, he was abandoning us too. I glared at his back as he opened the door and peeked in, smiling at the occupants, before waving us in. Expecting the worst, I was surprised to see only Judy sitting and talking with Noah. The man with a kind smile and beaded braids was in a wheelchair. How had I not known that? No one had said. I noticed there was no laptop in the room anywhere. They both looked up when we walked in, and Noah immediately reached for a control on his chair. A whirring sounded as he drove the chair around the big table right up to us.

“Hey there,” he greeted, smiling and holding out a hand. “It’s so nice to meet you, Raven…Miguel.” We both shook his hand and smiled back at the warm greeting. “I’ve ordered some lunch for the four of us. It’ll be here in a minute. Why don’t you have a seat?”

Judy rushed around the table, throwing herself at Miguel so fast, he had to brace himself to catch her. She hugged him hard before holding him out to arm’s length.“Madre de Dios!”she cried. “Look at your poor, bruised face. It looks worse in person.” She had tears in her eyes as she cupped his cheeks, before hugging him again.

Miguel chuckled and patted her on the back. “Come on, Judy, I’m fine. I just took some pills, I’ve been sleeping for days, and I’m all in one piece…really.”

We took seats at the table and Noah returned to where he’d been near Judy. “Where is everyone?” I asked. “I expected thirty people in this room, all bombarding us with bullshit.”

Noah laughed, grinning at Judy.

“I told you, right?” she said.

He high-fived her. “Fierce. So hot.”

Miguel chuckled.

I looked at him. I was lost. “What?”

“My guess?” he asked.

I nodded at him.

“My guess is that Judy probably told Noah you’d come in here all hot under the collar. Then, you’d give everyone shit about dragging your boyfriend out of our cushy hotel room when all I needed was to rest and recuperate from a ‘brutal attack from malicious thugs,’” Miguel said, using air quotes. He grinned at the tech gods. “How close was I?”

Noah let out a belly laugh. “Pretty fucking close.” He laughed again. “She actually said you would put your fist in the face of the first person who raised their voice to Miguel. So our SAC made an executive decision and gathered the others in his office so they could deal with all the particulars and work out a plan while we ate lunch.”

I deflated. She had been spot on. “Oh.”

Miguel looked at me and the minute he got a good look at my face, he joined in the laughter. “It’s exactly what you were going to do! You were building up a head of steam and stewing all the way over here in the scary, black cars, weren’t you?”

“YES!” I said that a little too loud, feeling totally embarrassed and sank lower into my chair.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close, kissing my head before I wiggled free.

I sat forward. “Wait, so you’re not going to jail?”

“For what?” Noah said.

“For, I don’t know, hacking or something?” I waved my hand at the empty table where the laptop should have been.

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