Page 14 of To Claim A King
I remembered that day more clearly than any other day in my life. Trish hadn’t just changed my path; her offer had obliterated my father’s trajectory for me.
I stared into the eyes of the unfamiliar woman, the kindness in her gaze something I had never really seen. Why would this stranger give two shits about a kid like me? I’d held a gun to her head moments before she got the drop on me, yet she hadn’t begged for her life or tried to goad me like a lesser man would. Instead, she held me captive with the tiny gun held two feet from my crotch, with a lightness in her expression that confused me.
“‘The greatest good can be born of the greatest evil,’” she whispered calmly, her hands steady on the pistol as she held me captive with her words. “I can get you out of here, Kellan. And I can keep you safe.”
King Lear.Of all the things I’d expect from someone about to lose their life, a mediocre Shakespeare quote wasn’t it. My hand sweat against the cool metal of Old Faithful, and the surety in my stance waned the longer she stared at me.
“No one can keep me safe,” I countered, “especially not some agent spouting bullshit poetry as her last words.”
“I can.” Her soft voice didn’t waver, her stare now the color of steel. “I can, Kellan. Trust me.”
The FBI didn’t fully trust me—but Trish did. My “arrangement” was the only one of its kind, but the bureau wasn’t willing to turn down the opportunity of an inside man in a position of power in the largest cartel operation on this side of the country. Since I was a child when they’d found me, there was little they could do to threaten me to work for them; so, they had a young woman coerce me instead, under the promise of protection.
I arrived at the diner with three minutes to spare and sent off a quick, cryptic text to Hillary. She was sourcing clothes and more supplies for us at the warehouse, while Lauchlan and Rodriguez worked on a plan for Alvarez. I left them to it. Today, I had enough to worry about.
Scanning the parking lot for anything suspicious and finding nothing, I stepped out of the truck and strode inside, Trish already waiting for me in the corner booth at the rear.
She wasn’t perfect, but she’d taken care of me this long. She didn’t have the manpower to pursue Antonio legally, which was why she had brought me in, but she had resources. I’d have to protect myself, but I trusted she would do what she could to take care of me today too.
“You look like shit,” she greeted me as I slid onto the bench across from her.
Grunting in response, I reached for the full coffee pot and poured myself a mug of tar-like liquid that was a poor substitute for Hillary’s latte, and looked up at my mentor, who was staring through my large frame like it was nothing but plastic wrap.
“Antonio has decided I’m a liability.” I didn’t mince words. Taking a sip of the coffee, I grimaced at the bitterness, but took another sip anyway. “My brothers have been assigned to kill me. I’m effectively cut out of all operations.”
A general numbness accompanied that statement. My brothers killing me wasn’t my greatest fear. It had been more of an inevitability. Who would kill whom first depended on who fell out of Antonio’s good graces first. As fate would have it, I was the lucky fucker who’d won.
Truthfully, I was more concerned about Trish’s response. We’d planned for this probability, though I’d thought I’d have at least ten years to dance along the fine line we’d created. When Antonio demanded I take over the sex trade, I should have connected the dots he was leading me to this end. He’d known all along how much I detested that branch of the business, and I’d failed his test of loyalty before I’d saved Aaron’s life.
“Do you have any men loyal to you?” Her hawk eyes didn’t blink as she assessed me, missing nothing as usual.
“Possibly,” I admitted, reaching for the sugar container to pour a heaping stream into the cup of dirt. “But that will take time, and time’s not on my side at the moment. You’ll want to get any double agents out, if you can. He’s going to be cleaning house.”
Trish had a handful of agents infiltrate Antonio’s operations at various levels, but I had no idea who they were—for their safety, and for my own. We all played a dangerous game when we sat on both sides of the fence, but I didn’t need more dead men on my conscience.
“I’m still working my cases. I’ll just be underground for a little while, with your help.” I stopped fiddling with the sugar container and held her stare. “I have some information on The Six, and I need more information on the Mutilation Mistress case. Why wasn’t I informed of this?”
Her steel-gray eyes widened before settling back into a carefully crafted neutral expression.
Uh oh. I knew that expression all too well. She reserved it for delivering the most sensitive information that could make or break a case. Which meant they knew about Hillary.
“The Mutilation Mistress case is too close to you, Kellan. You’re known to associate with the primary suspect, who already has enough power and influence without your help. That’s all I’m going to say about that one. And The Six is no longer your concern.”
Fuck. No doubt in my mind now she was referring to Hillary. Animalistic fear pierced my chest, and the icy tendrils of adrenaline burst through my veins in warning my life was about to be compromised.
When it came to Hillary, Iwascompromised—hell, I’d spent the last two years covering her tracks to ensure she never got caught with her little vendetta. Now, I knew I’d failed to protect her.
Somehow, someone had discovered what she’d done, and everything she’d built was at risk because of it. A stone sat in the base of my stomach, its weight dragging down every ounce of hope I’d been foolish enough to have, dissolving in the sea of my raging acid.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“Are you implying my judgment is compromised?” I tamped down the anger swirling in my gut, swallowing it before it breached the surface.
“I’m implying your career is compromised,” she said carefully, breaking eye contact to browse the menu. “We’re going to have to move you out of operations.”
I choked on the next sip of coffee, the burning liquid scouring my throat on its way down. “Excuse me?”
Antonio had put a price on my head, and now Trish was putting me out to pasture. I clenched my jaw, registering this meeting for what it was. Brutus was about to stab me in the back, and call it a kindness.
