The officer nudged him into the empty motel room. Two full beds, one TV, and, Lawson figured, hundreds of diseases filled the stained and dirt-covered room.
“Have a seat on the bed. Someone will be with you in a minute,” the officer told him.
“Oh, now you want to talk.”
The officer didn’t react as he turned and walked out the door. Lawson did his best not to touch the bedspread he was sitting on. This certainly was no suite at Caesar’s. Lawson’s mind was running. He’d just been released from prison, and the only person there to greet him had been a mob boss’s lackey. Then a few minutes later, he was ambushed by three men from a different crime boss. And they were going to kill him or at least take him somewhere to torture him. As if all that wasn’t enough, he was picked up by a police officer and discreetly escorted to a dump of a motel, smack-dab in the middle of nowhere.
He glanced over at the clock. One o’clock. He had only been out an hour and it was already turning out to be quite the eventful day. As he sat in silence, he couldn’t help but wonder why Cassie hadn’t been there to pick him up from prison. Sure, he’d all but stopped communicating with her, but only because he didn’t want to burden her. She had been going through a divorce, and he wasn’t a whole hell of a lot of fun to visit in prison. Maybe she took it personally. Having no friends was a tough way to go through life.
The hotel door opened and bright yellow light poured into the room.
Lawson rose to his feet and said the first thing that came to mind. “Think of the devil and she shall appear.”
It was Cassie. However, she looked much different than the last time he’d seen her over a year ago. She had really thinned out and let her blonde hair grow below her shoulder blades. Her pale skin was as smooth as ever, seemingly unfazed by the decade that had passed. Cassie stood silent in the doorway.
“Divorce looks good on you, Cass.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Still an asshole, I see? Well, whatever weight I lost, looks like you added in muscle. Good God, Lawson.”
Lawson shrugged his shoulders, and Cassie let the door shut behind her as she rushed over to him, arms stretched out for a hug. Lawson involuntarily recoiled from her reach. It had been a long time since he had been embraced.
Cassie took a step back, and a sympathetic look formed on her face. “Been a while since you’ve had a hug? Come here. It will only hurt for a second.”
She rushed back in, and this time Lawson stood his ground. For a moment, the feel of her arms around him and the smell of her perfume froze him. Cassie took one arm at a time and placed his arms around her.
“There ya go, big guy. Don’t worry, it’ll all come back to you,” she joked.
Lawson gave her a halfhearted squeeze. The feeling almost overwhelmed him, and it was something that he was completely unprepared for. It was almost like the feeling of a first kiss. He had only ever had platonic feelings for Cassie, and still did, but what a sensation it was to have another human show you love. He hadn’t realized just how much had changed for him until that moment. He was an entirely different person now.
Cassie let go and backed away. “Well, that was awkward. Thanks.”
“Sorry, I . . . why all the theatrics to bring me here? Why not just pick me up outside the prison yourself?”
“Well, hello, Lawson. No, no, things are great. But enough about me . . .”
Lawson smiled. “Same old smart-ass Cass.” He pointed to his head. “There’s a lot going on up here right now. Just trying to process.”
Cassie took his hand, but he pulled away. She took it again with force and made him take a seat beside her on the bed. “I get it. Nice work on the bozos back there on the side of the road, by the way. Looks like you made some friends while you were away.”
“Yeah, something like that. You here to take me back?”
“Take you back? To prison? For smashing a couple of mob losers? No, you aren’t going back to prison. Not today anyway.”
“Then what’s with bringing me here?”
“Well, I missed you, first of all.” She patted him on the knee. “And since we’re skipping the small talk, I’ve come to collect on the provision of your pardon.”
“Provision?”
Cassie raised an eyebrow. “Well, yeah. You didn’t think I could get the governor to give you a pardon without there being some sort of consequence, did you?”
Now it was Lawson who raised an eyebrow. “You got the governor to give me a pardon? No offense, but I already paid off the provision of my pardon.”
“What? You mean, making sure Ronnie Freeman got what he deserved in prison? Keeping him from telling the world about the governor’s pregnant mistress? Really?”
Lawson was confused, and it showed. “How did you . . .”
“Come on, Lawson. I’ve been trying to get you out of jail since the day they wrongfully put you away. And I’ve been trying to find out who killed Lauren every single day too. What, you think I just didn’t care? Thought I gave up on my best friends?”
Lawson didn’t respond. Hearing Lauren’s name with the word killed in the same sentence still stung. He would never be able to move past it.
Cassie patted his hand. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring it up. You just need to know that I have been fighting for both of you. But getting you out of prison came with a price.”
Lawson looked up at her. “I didn’t mean to imply that—”
“Don’t. You don’t have to apologize to me. I’m sorry you’ve lost so much of your life, Lawson.” Cassie took her hand from his knee and reached for her back pocket. “Here. I thought you would want to see this.”
Cassie handed him a photo. A photo of a girl who was about twelve years old with long blonde hair, the spitting image of Lauren Raines. Lawson shot a look at Cassie. Cassie nodded, letting him know that it was in fact a picture of his daughter, Lexi.
Cassie said, “She looks so much like her, doesn’t she?”
Lawson didn’t answer. He couldn’t take his eyes off his beautiful daughter. He rubbed his thumb across her face. Across Lauren’s face. The resemblance was uncanny. Emotions that he had long suppressed rose up inside him like a tidal wave. He was overwhelmed.
Cassie continued to talk while Lawson admired the photo. “I had an old private investigator friend of mine catch this shot of her outside her middle school. I’ve tried to contact Lauren’s sister about a million times, Lawson, but she just won’t talk to me.”
Lawson didn’t look away from the photo. It didn’t surprise him at all that Lauren’s sister, Erin, wouldn’t speak to Cassie. Lauren and she had had a falling-out. As long as Lawson had known Lauren, they had never so much as spoken a word. Lauren said it was a lot of reasons, but mostly it happened when Erin started dating her husband, Dan. According to Lauren, Dan was a real pretentious prick. It was ambiguous at best how he made his money, but he had a lot of it. And Lauren said that all she ever heard that he did with it was gamble and play poker. Ironically, Lauren’s sister had met Dan in Vegas. He was always there playing big cash games and rubbing elbows with plenty of well-known lowlifes. That was what hurt the most when Lawson learned that Lexi would be raised by them. He didn’t want his daughter growing up around those terrible influences.
Lawson was still staring at Lexi’s angelic face. “Did the investigator find out anything else about Lexi? Anything at all?”
“Well, she is one of the few twelve-year-olds on the planet without any sort of social media accounts.”
Lawson looked up at her, confused.
Cassie smiled. “Don’t worry about it. It’s a different world out here now on the internet. Anyway, I’m sure it’s by design that she isn’t on social media. Lauren’s sister probably makes sure it’s that way. But he did find a flyer on the fence at the school. Apparently Lexi likes to sing. She performed an Adele song at the school’s talent show. Not sure how that went, but just so you know, if you’re going to sing an Adele song, you gotta be damn good
to pull it off.”
In that moment Lawson felt more lost than he ever had. He knew his little girl was growing up, but to hear even a little bit of news about her real life, what she likes to do, was like getting kicked in the gut by a mule. Lauren had always loved to sing too. Never a day went by that she wasn’t milling about the house humming a tune. The pit in his stomach only widened. And after the initial longing for Lexi that seeing her picture brought on, that familiar sting immediately followed.
The sting of rage that had been burning inside him since that day someone took everything from him.
5
Lawson decided to bring the conversation back to business.
“So you’re trying to tell me that I owe the governor for a debt I already paid?”
Cassie stood and started to pace the motel room.
“No, I’m sure the governor believes you are all square. He’s not the one who mandated the provision.”
“Are we speaking in code here, Cass?”
Lawson grew tired of the long route Cassie was taking to get to the point.
“No. What I’m trying to tell you is that the governor wasn’t responsible for your pardon, it was the FBI that pulled strings.”
“FBI?” Lawson was dumbfounded. “What the hell is going on? Why would the FBI care if I rotted in a cell or not? They certainly didn’t care ten years ago.”
“Because I convinced them that you could be trusted, and that there were far better ways to make use of you than three square meals and a community shower.”
“So you’re a special agent now?” Lawson said.
“A lot can happen in ten years, buddy.”
“I have zero interest in working with the FBI. Zero interest in helping any government agency, for that matter. In case you forgot, the ‘system’ didn’t exactly do me any favors.”
Cassie stopped pacing.
“Look, I get it. I really do. The system failed me too. I lost two best friends that day, in case you forgot. And I know that doesn’t compare to what you’ve been through, Lawson, but it changed my life too. And anyway, what choice do we have? If we don’t work to get rid of problems, aren’t we just a part of them?”
Now it was Lawson who stood. His hulking frame towered over the short and thin Cassie.
“No, Cassie, the system is the problem. At least for me.”
“It’s not. And it wasn’t. Someone set you up, and I’m offering you a chance to find out who.”
“You are? I must have missed that part of your pitch.”
“Lawson, you know how this works. This isn’t a pitch. They will make me put you right back in that jail cell if—”
“If what? If I don’t do what you want? How is being a prisoner out here any better than being a prisoner in jail?”
“Whiskey, for one.”
Lawson wasn’t amused.
“Are you taking me back to the prison, or am I free to go?”
“You always were hardheaded. Lawson, I am offering you a way to live out here, doing what you are good at, while you try to find out what really happened that day on the lake.”
“I hope you’re better at being a special agent than you are at motivational speeches. Stop beating around the bush and give it to me straight. I’ll shut my mouth until you’re completely finished. Then I’ll tell you to shove it up your ass.”
Cassie put both hands on her hips. It had been a long time, but Lawson had seen this move a hundred times. They were falling right back into their old partner routine of getting on each other’s last nerve. What usually came next was a solution to the problem they were trying to solve. Lawson could only hope that would be the case today.
“You want it straight? Fine. No more sugarcoating. You work for the FBI now. We got you out of prison, but if you want, we can put you right back in. But then you wouldn’t have a chance to solve Lauren’s murder, and you wouldn’t have a chance of seeing your daughter. Not ever again. Instead, the first thing the FBI needs is to be able to trust you. Once you show them that, then we can really put you to work, the FBI could really use someone with your skills. Best part is, all we want you to do is use the contacts you’ve made and the reputation you’ve already built in prison with organized crime here in Vegas.”
“How the hell is taking down an organized crime boss of any worth to the FBI? If they haven’t done it in the ten years I’ve been gone, what makes you think I can have any effect?”
“I thought you were going to tell me to shove it up my ass?” Cassie taunted.
Lawson folded his arms across his chest.
“I’m getting there.”
“Well, for one,” Cassie continued, “it will show the FBI you can be trusted, and that you are who I am telling them you are.”
“I’m not that guy—”
“Second of all . . .” Cassie paused for effect.
Lawson could tell this was the point where his old partner had lost patience with him. For a moment, it almost made him miss working with her.
“Second of all, we believe that Sokolov is harboring Russian spies for his government.”
“You believe he is?”
“We know he is. So obviously you can help with that. The CIA is putting pressure on us to make something happen.”
It was Lawson’s turn to put his hands on his hips.
“Did I go to prison in 2008 only to come out and it’s 1984 out here? Isn’t this whole Russian spy thing played out?”
“Like I said, a lot has happened since you went away. Russia is back to its old tricks. Interfering with our latest election, funding programmers and hackers to infiltrate our data systems, even working with one of the candidates for president. But we don’t know how deep this goes. Even one of our generals was involved with them. It’s getting out of hand.”
Lawson was trying to take it all in. He had kept up with the headlines while behind bars, but he also knew you couldn’t trust a damn thing the newspapers and television news media were reporting. And frankly, he didn’t give a damn about any of it. But what Cassie said about him not being able to right the wrongs that happened to him ten years ago if he were to remain behind bars was 100 percent true. He didn’t like when Cassie was right, but she was; he didn’t really have a choice. That didn’t mean he had to be of much help. He could string the FBI along while he worked on what really mattered.
Revenge.
Cassie broke his train of thought.
“That brain actually processing this, or have you gone full meathead on me?”
She looked at him as if she was waiting for a smile. She was going to have to keep waiting.
Lawson finally gave in. “So what’s the play?”
Cassie took her hands from her hips and folded her arms across her chest. A wry smile on her face. At least someone was enjoying this.
“You play it just as though we never had this conversation. The world believes the governor pardoned you, so let them. You go to your suite that Nero De Luca has waiting for you at Caesar’s Palace.”
Lawson raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
Cassie returned it with a knowing raise of her own.
“Go to your suite and let De Luca take you into his fold. Be his enforcer, or whatever he wants you to be. Use the fact that Sokolov already sent men for you, and convince De Luca to let you use your old FBI skills to set Sokolov up and take him down. I’ll be here to help you with that side of things.”
“And with who killed Lauren.” Lawson wasn’t asking.
“And with who killed Lauren,” Cassie agreed. “We have someone in Caesar’s already. A maid. She’ll be leaving correspondence and info in your safe. She’ll also supply you with money and a secure phone that you will only use to talk to me. Understand?”
Lawson nodded.
“I’m sure De Luca will supply you with all the weaponry you’ll need, and probably money too. Use it to buy yourself a nice suit or something, will you? Maybe some extra-strength deodorant?”
Lawson could tell she wa
s trying to lighten the mood. This was a trick she had used many times before while they were partners. When Lawson’s mind was working, he knew he could become a very serious man. This had always made Cassie uncomfortable, and jokes were her way of telling him so. But she wasn’t his partner anymore, and feelings of empathy and compassion hadn’t been around Lawson’s system in a very long time. And he wasn’t sure they would ever make their way back to him again.
“So how am I supposed to get back to Caesar’s?” Lawson said.
He could tell by the look on Cassie’s face that she was disappointed that they weren’t just going to fall right back into the way things used to be. So she took things serious herself.
“You figure that out, Lawson. It’s time you started using that detective brain of yours again. If it’s still in there at all. I hope all the push-ups and fistfights while you were locked up didn’t completely dumb you down. If so, my boss is sure going to be upset with me.”
Lawson gave Cassie a stern look. “I’ll try not to make life hard for you.”
It was a low blow. He could tell by the look on Cassie’s face.
“Right. Good to see you too, Lawson. I’ll be in touch.”
Cassie threw a hundred-dollar bill on the dresser, then turned and left the room. Cab fare, he assumed. The old Lawson Raines, the one with a sense of humor, would have made a joke about feeling like a cheap hooker. But that man was dead. And it seemed he had already managed to push away the only person he knew in the entire free world.
So far, things couldn’t be going worse.
6
Lawson paid the driver, then stepped out of the cab, right into the Las Vegas oven. He shielded his eyes from the afternoon sun and took in the monstrosity that was Caesar’s Palace. He didn’t linger long, though, because he knew the inside of that casino would be pumping the AC. He walked into the lobby and was greeted by marble floors, Roman statues, a fountain, and sixty-eight degrees of pure bliss. Oh, and hundreds of people roaming free, without a care in the world.
When the Man Comes Around: A Gripping Crime Thriller (Lawson Raines, Book 1) Page 3
