Page 87 of Waging War
The mayor clears his throat before loosening the collar of his shirt. “We have to find a way to help her.”
“We will,” Ben says with enough conviction that there’s no room for another option. The way he tenses makes me question whether he and the mayor’s daughter have some sort of history, but it’s hard to tell the extent of it.
Jackie mulls over what Ben’s said as we sit quietly for several miles.
“What is she like?” he asks eventually. For the first time, Jackie sounds vulnerable. Like learning about his daughter has somehow shaken his usual bravado.
Ben grips the steering wheel, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.
Ah.The answer to my earlier question lies in a single uneasy look.
He shifts his hips. “Sam’s a tough girl. She’s thoughtful, and… sweet.”
Sweet?I have no right to be annoyed yet I nearly roll my eyes. My hand twitches with need for a blade.I can be sweet.
“Is it true what he said? That she’s used?”
Ben eyes me once more, and I wish that twinge of jealousy wasn’t there, but it festers in my gut like an incurable itch.
“Yes,” Ben answers after a moment.
Sitting back, Jackie curses under his breath. “I’m going to choke the life from Bruce with my bare hands.”
I snort. “Jump in line, pal.”
Jackie slides wary eyes my way before leaning his head back and closing them. He sighs before turning back to Ben. “I needed you to hold off so Félix could continue taking the guys out a little at time.”
“Félix? What does he have to do with anything?”
Jackie recalls the night my dad was shot. “He came into my office after Jack and Juliana had taken off, and gave me an ultimatum. Told me he was FBI and that he needed my help.” His eyes narrow. “Which is what I was doing before you interfered.”
Confusion tugs at Ben’s brows. “Wait, Félix is FBI, and you’ve been helping him this entire time? Godammit, Jackie. Why didn’t you just tell me that?”
“Had I known Bruce was this bad off, I might have.” He shakes his head. “Naturally, now that I need him, I can’t get ahold of him.”
The gloom of our situation settles like lead in my stomach. “Where are we headed?”
Ben surprises me by placing a hand over my thigh. I grip his still bloody hand, cringing a little. Any trace of jealously I’d be feeling melts away. He wants comfort fromme, and remembering the tender way we made love, it’s hard to imagine Ben chasing someone else’s tail.
“I have half a mind to tell Jack what’s going on. There’s still a chance we could catch them before they leave for the night.”
I nod slowly. “It only seems fair to warn them.”
When Jackie doesn’t offer an objection, Ben guides us off the highway and toward The Pound.
“Fuck,” he says once we hit the main road and the bar comes into view. “We missed them.”
The parking lot is empty, minus a few straggling cars left from the usual drunkards.
“Guess I’ll call him and have him meet us somewhere.”
I grip his hand. “Wait.”
Jackie interjects. “We should reconvene tomorrow. It’s three in the morning, and getting Jack involved isn’t going to do anything but cause more panic. Besides, Bruce will need to regroup after his manic episode, and I need to find Félix.”
Ben swerves through three lanes to loop back around toward the motel. He drums his fingers nervously against the steering wheel. “I don’t like it, but you’re right.”
“Once the precinct catches wind that he’s killed Barron, there’s sure to be some backlash from those who were loyal to him. Bruce will have to rely on Mike and his men to keep them in line, but his numbers are weakening.”
