by Carmen Faye
“Manny,” Hudson leaned forward as if he were having chit-chat with the person who held his life in their hands. “Sometimes we have situations that change the course of things.”
“Please explain,” Guiterro offered. “But it better be a damn good reason, or those guys eavesdropping in the next room will be cleaning your brains from the carpet.”
Hudson swallowed deeply and decided he would just be honest. Well, at least a form of honesty. He would give Guiterro a reason that would be palpable.
“Manny, if you want the truth,” he leaned back again and took another deep breath. “I became involved with her. It wasn’t something that had been planned. But well, you know how it is with women,” he snickered and winked at Guiterro, who reacted like most men with a smile. “She and I have very, um, compatible private interests. It changed the game just a bit.”
“Maybe on your end Hudson,” Guiterro went back to business. “On my end, it made my life dangerous. I don’t like being in danger. The one thing I won’t do is go to prison. If I do, it will be for something real.” The words hung dangerously in the air.
“I understand,” Hudson replied with confidence. “But Agent Fuller will not be an issue. She is not actively pursuing a case against me or anything else as far as I’m aware.”
“So you say,” Manny spoke. “But how do you really know?”
Hudson couldn’t answer that. The truth was, he’d always known. He just did. There was never any doubt about Melissa’s feelings. Never any question as to whether she could be trusted. It was only a question as to whether or not she posed a danger to them or herself just by affiliation.
“We’re engaged,” he announced in a lie and heard the sighs and questions of the men in the next room. “Once we’re married, she won’t be able to use anything she knows against me.”
“But not I,” Manny pointed out. “Here’s the deal Hudson,” he continued. “I don’t care who you fuck. I don’t care who you marry. I don’t care about your free time. Until that free time becomes a threat to me.” He sat forward and his face went stone cold. “You have two weeks. She either disappears or is no longer an agent.”
Hudson just nodded. He really had no words.
“Let me just clarify,” Manny leaned forward to where he was almost face to face with Hudson. “If you do not take care of this, I will. And if I have to, then our trust is broken and you become a liability. As well as anyone else privy to our dealings. Are we clear, Hudson?”
He nodded and mouth an almost silent yes as Guiterro stood up.
“I will return in two weeks. I hope that at that time I see the same man that worked so hard to earn my trust.”
Hudson showed Guiterro to the door with assurances that he would be satisfied with the results. A promise that he wasn’t entirely certain he could keep.
***
“Whiskey, straight,” Logan ordered at the bartender on duty.
He wasn’t in the tavern for a friendly meeting or to find a quick romp in the nearby hotel. This was business. His actual real world boss had demanded a meeting and Logan had insisted on carrying it out in public and on his own turf. That led them to the tavern he frequented when he wanted to escape the daily grind.
The man was sitting in a corner booth. Logan had seen him the minute he walked in. It wasn’t that he was avoiding the meeting. He simply needed to seem aloof and confident and that would require a drink or two before he approached the table. That was the plan anyway. But there was no way it was going to happen. He had barely taken the glass into his hand when his text went off.
Not a game Logan. I don’t have all day.
Logan ordered another drink and made his way to the table with one in each hand. He hoped the man waiting on him didn’t presume they were for him. Both of these were going to be much needed.
“Director,” Logan stated as he sat down, reminding himself that in present company he was not the guy in charge.
“Agent Logan,” the Director spoke sternly. “I’d like to say pleasure to see you again, but I think we both know that I’m not here on a social call.”
Logan was accustomed to running the show. He was the lead Agent in his local field office. Normally there would be a director, but theirs had left the job and Logan was in line to replace him. That had been his goal and the agency had deemed him capable. That had allowed him to play interim director over the agents though no official job promotion had been handed down so far.
This left him directly answering to his higher up, which would normally be the deputy director, but at that moment was the head honcho.
“Drinking on the job?” the Director nodded towards the glasses in Logan’s hand and then shook his head. “The irony astounds me.”
“I’m off-duty, sir,” Logan offered. “I took the afternoon off to handle some personal business.”
“I see. Well, before you get to that, how about you explain to me what in God’s name is going on in your office?”
Logan took a deep breath and began to try and salvage his job and possibly his ass.
***
The drive home seemed long and monotonous. Probably because he’d chosen a remote location for the meeting. He didn’t need Larsen or any of his jackass deputies to think that he’d lost his credibility. And having someone like the Director of the ATF meeting with you definitely showed signs of problems.
Logan had hoped that his meeting, although very unpleasant, had satisfied the Director’s concerns and potentially led to him gaining access to Agent Fuller. That was something that he needed desperately.
He hadn’t enjoyed the meeting. Logan wasn’t a man that liked to be spoken down to. But sometimes it was a necessary evil. This had been one. He’d had to cower down and take the criticism and offer reasonable answers for what had happened. Fortunately, with Wallaby out of the way it was easy to pin most of the mess on his fuckups. Even though Logan had known all along that Wallaby didn’t fuck up.
He wanted to get home, grab a glass of whiskey and relax from the trying day he’d had. But just as with anything else he’d tried, that plan wasn’t going to work out.
“We’re going to have a serious problem very soon,” Amanda attacked him just as he walked in the door. “Your wife has no right to call me a whore and your son has no right to treat me the way he does.”
Logan had no clue what was going on or what Amanda was talking about. What he did know was that she was pregnant, the situation was already tense and he had bigger things to worry about. The last thing he needed at that moment was to sit and argue with his side chick about what his wife had said in her own home. Hell, they were lucky it’d gone as far as it had. If that bitch tried to divorce him she’d get nearly everything just because he had his mistress living down the hall. Goddamn it all to hell and back.
He tried to explain that to Amanda but she wouldn’t hear of it. And his head hurt too badly to fight. So he agreed to talk with her and to discipline Bryce before going to his recliner to rest. Amanda mumbled something about a girl’s night and that she’d be late and he gave her a quick kiss to satisfy her. Truth was he didn’t care much about where she went or if she came back at all that night. He just needed to de-stress.
Of course his wife wasn’t going to allow that. She came barging into the living room, hand on her hip and looking as though she was going to explode. Bryce and the girls were standing only inches behind her.
“One of us is going to go,” she ordered. “Her or me.”
“I’ve had a long day,” he responded. “Really long. Can we discuss this some other time?”
“No,” she demanded. “She treats my children like they’re beneath her. Here, in my house. Do I have to remind her just whose house this actually belongs to?”
“Of course not. But it’s complicated.”
“It always is, Brent,” she sighed. “It always is with you.”
“She’s pregnant,” he stated without much feeling. “I’m in a bind. And right now work is going r
eally shitty. So I’d like to handle what I can as I can. But first, I’d like to rest.” He closed his eyes and hoped she’d go away.
“You son of a bitch.” She whispered and he hoped that she finally understood where he was at. “We’ll be out by the weekend.” And With that, she took the kids and stormed upstairs.
Logan tried to drift off to sleep, but all he could think about was how fucked up his life had become. Everyone he cared about was in danger. He understood that. But at that moment he was worried about himself. What in the hell was he going to do if everything fell apart?
CHAPTER 32
The driveway was long and dark. Where the hell was he and why? Hudson had never been to this area and he wasn’t a fan of the unknown. What if the detective was having him set up for something? It wasn’t likely, but in his line of work he’d learned that anything could happen. So he was always on the lookout for the unexpected.
Detective Larsen had called him and agreed to meet. He’d given him directions and Hudson had set out right away. He did like the fact that it was discreet. Being seen as an associate of the local police was dangerous for him. Especially right at the moment. It was a risk he’d take, simply because he had to know what was going on with Melissa. It was driving him insane.
But being so far out and at such an odd location was perfect. It’d take some serious digging to find out why he was there. It would be assumed to be more work. Or even a rendezvous with the agent if it were Guiterro watching. No one would expect Larsen to even be out here. Most thought he lived at the station, but those that knew him understood that he resided in a cheap apartment just on the outskirts of the city. He liked to be nearby because he was almost always called in.
Once he found his way to the end of the drive, Hudson saw the tiny cabin nestled into a dense area of trees. He found it funny that Larsen had found probably one of the few woodsy areas around to meet. One of the rare cabins that could be found within driving distance of Vegas. It definitely spoke opposite of all that that took place in their normal days. Hudson chuckled at the thought that there wouldn’t be any drive-by shootings or drug trafficking out this way.
He stopped the car and sat for a moment before he felt safe to get out and approach the door. He decided that if it was a trap, he’d deal with it. But he needed to take the chance so that he could find out what he needed to know.
The door had no bell, so he raised his hand to knock. It opened before he had a chance and the short and stout detective shrugged. “I’m not fond of this idea,” he spoke clearly. “But the decision isn’t mine.”
With that, Larsen moved to allow Hudson inside and that was when he came face to face with Melissa. She was fine. Alive. Not just alive. Well. Healthy. Walking around freely. He’d been worrying for nothing.
“What…I don’t…you were…” He stuttered the words, partially in happiness and partially in anger. He’d been frantic over her and she was out here living it up and perfectly content.
“They ran me off the road,” she started hesitantly. “I don’t know who so don’t ask. But somehow by pure miracle, I am fine. Larsen showed up first and he got me out of there. To here.”
“So the hospital thing is a lie?” Hudson was surprised. He didn’t know what to say or how to say it.
“It had to be,” she walked towards him, hoping he’d forgive her. “Someone is trying to kill me, Asher.”
“I know, but…” He stopped. “I don’t care. I’m just glad you’re alive.” He smiled at her and took her into his arms.
Fuller wanted nothing more than to let herself fall into this. She wanted to kiss him and touch him and get lost in the passion and romance. But she couldn’t. Lives were on the line and she had to make sure that they talked. She had to know that things were okay. Then, and only then, could she worry about their sexual relationship.
“I was worried,” he spoke softly. “Terrified.”
“I wanted to tell you, but…” her words drifted off. The unspoken said it all.
“I see,” he replied stiffly, still upset that she’d never fully trusted him.
“It’s my job,” she replied and he nodded.
“I should spank you for worrying about me,” Hudson got a familiar gleam in his eye and for a brief moment Fuller was lost in it.
Her own grin gave him the okay he needed to continue the current line of conversation.
“Grab you, bend you over my knee, bare that sexy ass and…”
“Ahem,” the detective wanted to remind them that he was still there and possibly even let them know that he wasn’t enjoying the sexual banter.
“Asher, as much as I want that,” she continued. “We can’t. Not today. We need to talk.”
He nodded his agreement and shot the detective a dirty look. He’d wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms and show her how he felt. But he couldn’t.
They walked over to the table that sat in the corner of the combination kitchen, living room and dining room. As he thought about his own place, Hudson couldn’t imagine residing in something so compact. How the hell would he pace the kitchen if it was only three feet in any direction?
“I have some things to share as well.” He sank into the hard wooden chair, knowing that this was their seating choice to avoid what might happen on the midget sized sofa she had bypassed.
For the next two hours they discussed everything that could affect either of them. He shared about his meeting with Guiterro and they argued over whether or not she would leave the ATF or any form of law enforcement. She wasn’t fond of the fake engagement either, especially when Hudson informed her they’d have to make it a public thing. In order to satisfy the cartel, he’d said knowing that he was slightly lying. He might enjoy it himself.
Agreeing to disagree on their personal life and her job, they began to discuss details of what was going on. Melissa shared her thoughts on the information that they had and they discussed how to handle it.
“You have to trust me,” Asher said and she flinched. “Look,” he continued. “I understand the position you are in. The one I am in. But lives are at stake. If you go nosing around, we are all dead. I can get the information without those problems. But you have to trust me. You have to work with me as a partner. Not as a cop to my bad guy informant status.”
“I never said you were a bad guy,” she said.
“I’d disagree with that,” he commented and reminded her of those days in his room. “But that doesn’t matter. If this is going to work, then we have to work together Melissa,” he said her first name which sent butterflies through her stomach. “There has to be trust.”
“I’ve spent my entire life fighting guys in your position,” she began. “Trying to make the world a safer place. For me. For kids. For everyone.”
“I know, but…”
“Let me finish Hudson,” she snapped. “Meeting you…hell, just being here…has turned my world views upside down. I spend most of my days not sure who is good and who is bad. I think I know and then something stupid happens and I realize I was wrong.”
Hudson sat quietly and nodded, waiting on her to be done.
“Everything in me is telling me that there’s no way I should work with a criminal to solve this. And regardless of the reason or the result, you are a criminal.” He nodded again as she continued. “But at the same time, I have to work with the devil I know.” Again he nodded. “And right now that is you. So yes, I will do it. I will trust you.”
Hudson smiled, even though it was not lost on him that she still found him to be a devil. It wasn’t a conversation he intended to have in that moment. He then promised her that he’d find the mole in his own group.
There were several minutes of silence and Hudson tried to work up the courage to say what he was thinking. It wasn’t until Fuller appeared to be ready for him to go that he finally did.
“I love you,” he stated to her surprise. “I love you. I realized that. And I want you to know it,” he spoke as he rose from his ch
air. “Just in case.”
Fuller smiled and leaned up to give him a kiss. “I love you too,” she admitted. “I want this to work.” She shook her head. “But I don’t know about giving up my life.”
“We’ll figure it out.” He kissed her before he got up to leave with a brief thanks to the Detective. Hudson knew Larsen wasn’t happy about this, but he was doing it anyway and that earned him some respect.
***
“Well, I for one am glad they left,” Amanda smiled as she spoke the words.
Logan knew that she would be. The moment his family had left, Amanda became the lady of the house. At least in her mind. But he was less than pleased with how things were going. In fact, he was quite worried. He’d tried to convince her to take the kids to her aunt’s house in Des Moines. But she’d refused and insisted on staying local and not taking time off work. He didn’t have the heart to tell her about the danger, or confess to his own actions.
