Lethal Action

by Rachel Dylan

  “Great timing,” Lee said. “We’re ready to talk about scheduling for trial prep, Hope.”

  “Wonderful.” She smiled and took a seat at the table. “Sam arrives in two days. He’ll meet with you when he gets here. I think he wants two full days of preparation time with you Lee. And Will, you should also be in those meetings. I’ve got responsibility for preparing Carlos. You two are our main affirmative witnesses. Sam and I are also working on cross-examination for the Cyber Future guys. Those are pretty much good to go. And then Sam will adapt on the fly to whatever the direct examination brings.”

  “I want all the preparation time I can get,” Lee said. “I’m willing to sit and prepare all day every day until trial starts. This lawsuit is frivolous. If anything, we’re the wronged party here.”

  “You know that Sam and I will do whatever it takes to make sure you and all of our witnesses are completely comfortable.”

  “Since you’ll be working with Carlos one-on-one, just a warning that he isn’t the most patient man. But he’s brilliant. He understands what this lawsuit means to the company, and he assured me he would take it all very seriously.”

  “Oh, on our telephone calls, he’s been very focused. I think he understands how important this litigation is to the company. And he wants Wakefield to thrive.”

  “Perfect. I think that’s it for now.”

  “I’ll go back to Greg’s office and start getting settled in.” Hope stood up and walked quickly out of the room.

  Now it was just him and the other men.

  “Make sure you keep your eyes open, Gabe,” Lee said. “I just have a feeling that this entire trial could get ugly. And I don’t trust a single one of those people from Cyber Future. Or their lawyers. I need you to be my eyes and ears. Got it?”

  “Yes, sir.” If Lee had a bad feeling now, Gabe hated to think what he’d feel if he knew all the facts. Another reason he needed something concrete on Nola. Sooner rather than later.

  Chapter Four

  “You shouldn’t be here,” Hope said. She tried to organize the files that had been shipped down from New York onto her temporary desk at the Trent Law Firm.

  Gabe took a few steps into her office. “Actually, you heard Lee. He wants me to be very involved.”

  “That doesn’t mean crowding me when I’m actually trying to work. Believe it or not, this trial is happening, and I have to prepare.”

  “You need to be focused on Nola.”

  She looked up into his serious eyes. Was this guy really trying to tell her what to do? And how to do her job? No way. “Look, I told you I would try to help you. But what I will not allow is you bossing me around. You’re not a partner in my law firm. I don’t work for you. I’m still trying to figure out exactly what you are, but right now you seem more like a rogue FBI agent to me.”

  “Keep your voice down.” He stepped closer to her. “My cover has to stay intact, or this operation will never work.”

  “Do you want to try the case for me, too? Maybe you can step in and replace Sam as first chair.” She tried to keep her temper from flaring, but she wasn’t doing a great job.

  “No need to get upset. We need to work as a team, remember?”

  She huffed. “Teammates don’t tell each other what to do. They work together. They listen to each other. Respect each other.”

  “All right. Let me start over then. I’d really like you to focus on the Nola interview tomorrow. What would you like to work on?”

  She couldn’t help but smile when he gave a bit of a goofy grin. She quickly reminded herself that she was mad at him. But in the end, she was a legal professional. “I also plan on preparing for the interview. I was just trying to get my files in order first.”

  “Hello there. Sorry to interrupt.”

  Hope looked toward the door and Patty was standing there.

  “I’m about to leave for the evening. Do you two need anything from me before I do?”

  “No, Patty. We’re good here,” she said.

  Patty nodded. “Greg asked me to apologize to you. He has an event at the country club tonight that he can’t miss. But he said that Gabe had volunteered to make sure you’re well taken care of tonight. We can’t have you all alone out in Maxwell not knowing anyone or where to eat and all of that.”

  Of course he did, she thought. She wasn’t going to say anything to Patty though. “Thank you, Patty. We’re good here.”

  “Gabe knows how to lock up.”

  Patty walked out, leaving them alone.

  “You have keys to the law firm?” she asked.

  “I am a security consultant. These people know me and trust me.” He paused. “And more importantly I’d just done a security consult for the firm. So I know all the ends and outs of their security system.”

  “Still you’re pretending to be something you’re not.” She tried to wrap her head around his ruse. She knew it was required for his job, but she didn’t know he lived like that.

  “I think we just started our relationship on the wrong foot.”

  “We don’t have a relationship, Agent Marino.”

  “Business relationship. Waiting for you inside your apartment in New York and presenting you with the search warrant probably wasn’t the best move.”

  “And?”

  “I’m sorry for that, but I felt it was important to meet you. Here we are now and there are a lot of issues going on. Obviously the first and most pressing being your meeting with Carlos Nola tomorrow.”

  “Why don’t you check to make sure no one else is in the office before we start talking,” she asked quietly.

  He nodded and walked out of her office. She took a deep breath trying to compose herself. There was something about Gabe that threw her off kilter just a tad. Small, but enough to be disconcerting. She’d allowed herself to get spooked today while walking those trails in between the facilities. And then there was the incident in her room at the inn. It was all coming together and starting to make her paranoid. There was no reason for her to be afraid of anything. At this point, all Gabe had was loose speculation. No concrete evidence. Not even close. Nor did she have any particular reason to fear for her own personal safety.

  “We’re all clear. Everyone has gone home for the night. Why don’t we try to get a game plan together and then get you out here? I know you must be hungry after the light lunch at Wakefield.”

  Instead of directly responding, she sat down at the desk and opened up her file. He took a seat across from her.

  “You need to understand, that I have a duty to prepare Nola for his examination on the witness stand. That duty doesn’t change because of your investigation. It’s something I take very seriously. Something that I’ve worked years at to be able to do in court.”

  He leaned back in his chair. “I’m not asking you to shirk you responsibilities with Nola. But if the opportunities arise to get information that could be helpful, then you should take it. Only if it doesn’t seem like you’re prying into something that has no relevance to the lawsuit or your understanding of the how the company works.”

  “I get that you’re worried about it being obvious, but I think I can handle myself. Carlos and I have talked numerous times on the phone plus I’ve met him in person. Each time we had a positive and helpful conversation. He’d have absolutely no reason to think that I was in any way a threat to him.”

  “Let’s keep it that way.”

  “I can’t operate in the dark. I need more specifics on what you actually have on him.”

  Gabe looked down and then back up. “Specifics might be a bit too strong of a characterization.”

  She laughed. “Basically you have no evidence—just theories. Correct?”

  “Correct, counselor.” He leaned forward in his chair. “But as you know, it all starts with a theory.”

  “And what you’ve told me so far is that there’s been an increase in crime here, some new residents that have raised your suspicions.”

  “Right. Plus the
tangible evidence we do have is the existence of shell companies, or what I believe to be shell companies, routed under Wakefield that are really just Nola’s businesses.”

  “Isn’t that easy enough to check out and verify?”

  Gabe shook his head. “It’s not as easy as you would think. On paper everything looks solid.”

  “Which is why there is no evidence.”

  “Exactly. The company’s paperwork may be totally legitimate. But that doesn’t mean the company is operating a legal business. Nola has associates throughout the southeast, working for him. Drug running, money laundering, you name it.”

  “Or, he could be operating totally above board companies.” She walked around the desk and sat on the corner. Her mind raced. “Why here? And why Wakefield?”

  “Nola approached Lee about six years ago about becoming a board member. He has a house in Atlanta, and was looking to expand his local business ties. Nola didn’t jump in immediately. That’s not his MO. He does the work, gains the trust, and then when the time is right he makes the shift.”

  “That’s strategic.”

  “Yeah. And Wakefield is a great target. A large company that also has manufacturing facilities in a small town.”

  “But you feel like Nola is the only dirty one in the bunch at Wakefield?”

  “Yes. I’ve found nothing indicating that anyone else in management or on the board is involved. All the more reason you should want to help put this guy away. He’s harming your client. And exposing them to liability. Just think about the lawsuits that could follow if I’m right.”

  “I never said I didn’t want to help. Just that I wanted to understand the allegations and what the real state of play was here. I have obligations to Wakefield Corporation as their counsel. Those have to be front and center for me. You have obligations to the FBI. From what I’m hearing, I think those interests align.” She paused. “At least for now anyway.”

  “So tomorrow as you’re preparing Nola just use your best judgment. You get what we’re trying to do here.”

  “Yeah.” She felt a shiver go down her arm. Lawyering was one thing, but this whole undercover angle was making her a bit nervous.

  “You ready to get out of here?”

  “One more thing. What do you know about Cyber Future?”

  He cocked his head to the side. “You know, I haven’t done much recon on them at all. Why do you ask?”

  “Their lawyers at the Jennings Law Firm are a dirty bunch. The most ethically questionable lawyers I’ve dealt with in the five years I’ve been practicing law. Wouldn’t surprise me if there wasn’t something illegal going on with them. I’m not saying it has anything to do with Nola, or is anything like you suspect him of. Probably more along the lines of tax evasion or something.” She sighed. “This is rampant speculation on my part, or maybe wishful thinking because their lawyers have been so difficult to deal with.”

  “Just because lawyers are shifty doesn’t mean there’s anything going on with the company. But we can keep our eyes on them, too.”

  “Good.” She smiled. “Now lock up and let’s go to dinner. I’m starving.”

  ***

  Hope Finch was a complicated woman. Gabe felt like he was only beginning to scratch the surface where she was concerned. He had to remind himself when she looked at him with those big innocent brown eyes that she was off limits. For a multitude of reasons. Just because she was smart and attractive, that wouldn’t do it. He’d been told by his family about a million times that he was too picky. And that at thirty years old, he needed to start thinking about settling down. The thing was, every woman he had ever dated had disappointed him.

  His last girlfriend had been pretty and sweet. A strong woman of faith. But she didn’t understand his job. She couldn’t comprehend how much he loved it and how much time it took. A reoccurring theme with his relationships with having to keep up his cover as a security consultant.

  He wasn’t willing to quit the FBI for any woman. That would never happen. His job was his focus and he was driven to move up the chain at the FBI. He would love to be running the Atlanta field office one day. He kept praying that God would send the right woman his way. And he’d be patient and wait until that day came. For now he had a bad guy to put away.

  He also had to make sure that he didn’t put Hope into a situation she couldn’t handle. Like she said, she was a lawyer. Not an FBI agent. She hadn’t been trained like he had. The thought of her being in danger twisted his gut. But she had the best opportunity to get him the information and evidence he needed.

  “What’s for dinner?”

  Her question broke him out of his thoughts as they walked down the sidewalk.

  “It’s time for some Maxwell barbeque. You up for it, city girl?”

  She laughed. “I have had barbeque before, you know.”

  He opened the car door for her. “But you’ve never had our barbeque in Maxwell. Mel’s is famous for the best BBQ in the state. Some say best in the south.”

  “You’re really setting the bar high.”

  As he cranked up the car, he couldn’t help but grin. “I’m telling you, you may be so full, I’ll have to carry you out of there.”

  “I highly doubt that.”

  He watched as she fidgeted with her suit jacket. “What’s wrong?”

  “Can we stop by the inn first so I can change clothes? I’m really tired of wearing this suit.”

  “I thought you big fancy New York lawyers practically slept in your designer suits. Isn’t that a way of life up there?”

  She laughed loudly. “When I’m not at work I’m a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl.”

  “I would’ve never guessed that.”

  “You sure do have a lot of preconceived notions about me just because I’m from New York. It’s not very nice to prejudge, you know.”

  “I bet most of them are accurate.” He glanced over at her and watched as she scowled.

  She huffed. “I highly doubt that.”

  “We’ll just have to see.”

  It only took them a minute to get to the inn.

  “I’ll just run in and change. It will only take me a minute and be back before you know it.”

  “I’ve heard that line before.”

  “Believe it or not, I’m not a high maintenance woman.”

  Looking at how put together she looked, he found that hard to believe.

  She stepped out of the car and walked toward the inn. He rubbed his temples. It had been a long day and the next week was only going to get a lot longer. True to her word about five minutes later, she walked back to the car. She wore a green sweater and jeans. But she was frowning.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  She sat in silence for a moment, and he didn’t move the car. He had to hear what was bothering her.

  “My room,” she finally said. “Something felt off. Like someone had been in there.”

  “Well I’m sure the cleaning staff was in there.”

  “No, not like that. I had one file that I’d carried with me on the plane. I didn’t take it with me today, and it seemed like the papers had been shifted. Nothing obvious. But I think I remember exactly how I had that file and it doesn’t look the same way now.”

  “I don’t want to downplay your concerns, but do you think all I’ve shared is just making you a little paranoid? Was there anything of special note in the file?”

  “No. Or at least it didn’t hold special significance to me. It was information about Wakefield, but Nola would already have access to it.”

  “Wait a minute.” He started the car and pulled out of the hotel on the way to the restaurant. “What if it had nothing to do with Nola? What if it was connected to the litigation?”

  “You think it was Cyber Future?”

  “You said they were unscrupulous.”

  She sighed loudly. “But breaking and entering is taking it a bit further than shady lawyering, don’t you think?”

  “It’s probably
nothing, but it’s something to keep in mind. You need to be careful.” As soon as he turned right onto the street, he saw the headlights come up quickly behind him. Too quickly.

  Hope must have sensed something was wrong because she turned around. “What are they doing? I thought this was a friendly small southern town? Not angry big city road ragers.”

  “Something’s wrong. No one around here would act like that. Hold on tight.” His first mission was to protect Hope. Yes, he had an investigation to carry out, but he was a federal agent with an innocent civilian in his care. He couldn’t allow her to be harmed.

  He pressed the gas hard, keeping a firm grip on the wheel. But the truck kept up the tail.

  “He’s gaining on us, Gabe.”

  He didn’t want to drive out of the city, but there wasn’t much way to lose the guy in the middle of town. What did the guy in the truck want? Whatever it was, it wasn’t good.

  He eyed his rearview mirror. The truck was speeding up as the bright lights sped closer to his car. At any moment, the truck could ram them. Making a split second decision, he took a hard right onto a small side street skidding up onto the sidewalk with a jolt. The truck flew right by them.

  “Whoa,” Hope said. Then silence filled the car. Neither of them said a word for a moment.

  He realized he was holding his breath. Letting out the air, his heart pounded.

  “That wasn’t random was it?” she asked.

  “I don’t think so.” He took a deep breath and looked over at her. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. You think that was Cyber Future, too?”

  “I’m not sure. Hope, is there a reason they would target you beyond you just being a lawyer for Wakefield?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t think so. My mind is swimming right now. But when we were on the trail at Wakefield, I felt like someone was out there. Watching us.”

  “Why didn’t you say something at the time?”

  “I didn’t want you to think I was crazy. I thought maybe I was just a bit on edge after what happened at the inn.”