Page 200 of Things We Hide from the Light
“I got hold of an old friend in the Bureau. And no, I’m not sharing his name. But he had some insider knowledge he was willing to share. Says the anonymous intel is coming in through the mail, addressed to Special Agent Idler. It’s handwritten notes on Anthony Hugo’s operations. Nothing huge yet, but so far it’s all checked out. The not-so-anonymous sender has hinted that he’s got more where that came from in exchange for an immunity deal.”
“That lines up with Grim’s intel. Sounds like Duncan Hugo wants to work with the feds if it means getting his father out of the way and taking over the family business,” Nash said.
“Should I be worried about our national security if there are this many leaks at the FBI?” I wondered.
“Nah. It’s probably fine,” Nolan said with a wink.
I opened the WhatsApp chat to fill everyone in on our progress.
“Oh good. Knox and Lucian installed more cameras on the building exterior and added some to the interior. They’ll be adding window and door sensors tomorrow and Lucian left a tracker that looks like a condom for you at the station,” I read.
“I don’t know about you guys, but all this forward momentum is makin’ me hungry,” Nash announced.
“I wouldn’t say no to an open-faced hot turkey sandwich,” Nolan said.
“Hey, Nolan. Tina dropped a pen just to watch Nash pick it up,” I tattled as we got in the car.
FORTY-ONE
WORDS OF WISDOM
Lina
Ninety-six hours. Nash and I had officially survived four whole days of living togetherandthe intense local scrutiny of our budding relationship. I hadn’t even choked on my latte yesterday morning when Justice asked me how my “boyfriend” was doing.
The wedding was four days away—my bridesmaid dress was pretty damn stunning—and Nash’s article was slated to be published the following Monday.
If all went to plan, news of Nash’s recovered memory would draw Duncan Hugo out of hiding, he’d fall into the trap, and then it would all be over.
I just wasn’t sure how much of the “all” I wanted to be over.
The ambiguous “after” was suddenly looming large, which meant decisions would have to be made. If we found the car when we found Duncan, the job would be done and I’d be heading back to Atlanta to wait for my next assignment.
Or…
I slowed my legs to a jog before coming to a stop in Honky Tonk’s parking lot.
Bending at the waist, I tried to catch my breath in the early morning chill. Steam rose from my sweaty face.
Everything was moving so fast. There was a momentum, a sense of urgency we all felt as the days ticked down. It made me feel nervous and just the slightest bit out of control.
“Never understood why people run for fun,” a voice said behind me.
I straightened and found Knox with a gym bag slung over his shoulder.
“What are you doing up so early?” I asked, my breath still coming in pants.
“Dropped Way off at school. Grabbed last night’s deposit and figured I’d hit the gym after the bank.”
“Couldn’t sleep?” I guessed.
“Not a fucking wink.”
“Wedding or Hugo?” I asked, stripping off my headband and using the hem of my shirt to mop my face.
“Fuck Hugo. That asshole’s gonna end up behind bars or in the ground.”
“So wedding then.”
