Page 87 of Hart of Redemption
Ted crossed his arms over his chest, grinning like a bastard. “Feds are livid with me that I didn’t clue them in. Like I give a fuck. Anyway, I managed to cut a deal with them on your behalf.”
“To keep me out of prison?” I asked as the sedative seemed to be kicking in.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Ted said. “But for the time being, I vouched for you that you won’t be a flight risk. So until they contact you for questioning, you won’t be held in a jail cell. So don’t fuck me, Duke. But just in case, I’ve put a man outside your door, and one will be with you when you’re released from the hospital.”
“I told you, man,” I said. “I’m not running. I’m done.”
“I suggest you find a good lawyer,” Ted added. “But since you worked with me, that should help your case. They probably can’t pin the guns on you. Actually, only three were found in a crate inside the building. The truck was empty.”
“Mateo sold the guns.”
“Well, Rosario killed Mateo,” Ted said. “And most of his men fled the scene. Not sure we’ll find any guns.”
“You probably won’t.” My eyelids were heavy.
“The Feds are holding Rosario,” Ted continued. “She’ll probably be brought up on murder, among other charges, as will her lieutenant.”
Denim sat up straighter. “Rosario is claiming she shot Mateo to protect you and Fallyn.”
Wrinkles ringed Ted’s dark eyes. “The woman probably will get off on a technicality. But as promised, I told the Feds she was working with me to save her daughter and Grace. In the end, Duke, you still have a big hill to climb with the Feds. Conspiring with the cartel to sell illegal firearms comes with some heat. You’ll need a good lawyer.”
“Dillon hired Kelton Maxwell to represent you,” Denim announced. “Don’t protest or whine about him, Duke. He’s a great lawyer, even though you snarl whenever you hear the Maxwell name.”
Thanks to Dillon. He’d shoved that family at me any chance he got, talking about how the Maxwell brothers were tight and we should be more like them. But the lawyer I’d had on my payroll had moved out of state several months ago, so I didn’t have anyone else ready to go to bat for me.
The pain meds sank in even more.
“Denim is right. Kelton has made a good name in the criminal lawyers’ circles in Boston,” Ted confirmed. “I’m happy you’re okay and that we saved Grace and Rosario’s daughter, although we did lose two in that debacle.”
“Lou and Mateo,” Denim mumbled.
“I need to run,” Ted said. “Get some rest, Duke. I’ll be in touch.” He started for the door. “Oh, and you should thank Agent Williams. If she hadn’t broken up your meeting with Mateo, we probably would’ve had more dead bodies, as in yours and Grace’s.”
I growled—or tried to. All that came out was a strangled sound. Whether he was right about that, I was thankful nothing worse had happened to my sister.
Once Ted was gone, Denim chuckled. “I like Ted at times, and at other times, he can be a narcissistic asshole.”
“He’s got to get his digs in whenever he can,” I said. “He’s probably not wrong, though.”
“Well, you saved Fallyn’s ass. That also has to count for something.”
I wasn’t worried about what would happen to me from here.
He pushed to his feet. “Not that I want to pile more shit on your plate because it looks like you’re about to pass out from the meds, but you should know that Fallyn’s brother died while undercover in McCauley’s camp.”
Bells dinged in my head, or maybe that was the heart monitor. “You mean Jason Williams? Why didn’t I connect that before now?” I asked myself more than Denim. “He overdosed, if I remember correctly.”
“Fallyn doesn’t think so. She thinks her brother was murdered.”
“Was that why she was undercover?”
His head moved back and forth. “Yes and no. She’s working with Maggie now. Mags did a story on Jason right after his death, and she offered to show Fallyn the files she compiled for the news segment. Did Brian have anything to do with Jason’s death?”
“No.” I swallowed the dryness in my throat. “I don’t know the whole story. Brian said it was a dirty agent who was responsible.”
His jaw came unhinged. “No shit?”
Silence dangled for a long moment as the room began to fade.
