Page 147 of Sins of the Father

“Yeah.”

“Definitely. But I want my current assistant to come with me.”

Ethan grins and leans forward. “Tell me what you both need, and let’s see if we can make it happen.”

24

Harper

Claire and Bethtalk for several hours, and when the guys return, they still aren’t finished.

“Do you think we should check on them?” Steven nervously asks Quinn.

She seems just as anxious and frowns. “I’m not sure.”

“Let them be,” Jamison states just as they both walk into the room.

“There you are,” Quinn says.

“Glad everyone is here. Let’s talk about what Beth and I agreed on.”

Steven and I sit on the love seat. Claire, Ethan, and Beth on the couch. Quinn stays on the floor with Hope, and Jamison sits in the armchair behind her.

Beth fidgets with her fingers and focuses on the floor.

Claire smiles. “I’m going to speak with my contacts at the FBI. I had another client in a situation with one of the mobs in New York, so I’ll contact those agents. Beth will go back to work on Monday and keep things as normal as possible. The governor mustn’t suspect anything.”

“How will she stay protected from ramifications from the mob?” Steven asks.

Claire’s face falls. “The FBI will need to come up with a strategy.”

“So, you can’t guarantee her safety?”

“No. But laws have been broken. Based on our discussion, the governor has done a lot of things to cover his tracks and pin it on others. Beth isn’t the only one. There are others in his employment whom she believes may not be involved in his schemes. The longer we wait to make a deal for immunity with the FBI, the bigger the risk we take of her going to prison for things she’s been a part of.”

“Prison!” Quinn cries out.

A tear leaks down Beth’s cheek, and she quickly wipes it but doesn’t look at any of us.

Claire puts her hand on Beth’s back. “I’ll call my contact today and set up a meeting. When it’s time for Beth to meet with them, I’ll contact Harper and give her the location and time in case he’s tapped any of Beth’s devices.

“He’s recording her?” Steven blurts out, and his face reddens.

Claire shakes her head. “It’s just a precaution. Everything we do going forward needs to assume the worst to protect Beth. If she needs to come to New York to meet with the FBI, I’m assuming you can fly her out quickly?”

“That won’t be a problem,” Jamison says.

“We might meet here, but depending on all our schedules, I can’t guarantee where the meeting will be. But I’m assuming it’ll be some point this week.”

“So we just need to wait?” Steven asks.

“Yes. There isn’t anything else you can do. Just keep things how they always are.”

The meeting ends, and Claire, Ethan, Steven, and I say our goodbyes to the others. We make plans to go to dinner later in the evening, and Steven and I head back to his place.

When we get in his condo, he opens a drawer, hands me a key, and tells me the building’s security code.

“Ohh, I get a key,” I tease, but I am excited we’re making this real.

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