wife had hired Winters. Emma ordered me to watch him. When he got too close with his investigation, I had no choice but to stop him. The heart condition made the job simple. I replaced his medicine with placebos.”
Hatred whipped through Sadie, mixing with the fury, forming a bitterness that stole her breath. “I guess you did that for me too.”
He shook his head. “No. I did that for me. Pauley was taking my daughter away from me.”
Sadie turned away, grabbed the doorknob.
“You have my word, Sadie; I’ve made right my biggest mistake.”
She didn’t want to hear any more.
“I only asked for one thing, and it wasn’t for me. I suppose perhaps that constitutes a deal, but it was something I needed to do.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” she demanded.
“Just know that I’ve taken care of the mistake I regret the most. The bargain I negotiated before—I allowed them to keep something I shouldn’t have. But I’ve made it right now. You’ll see. I love you, Sadie.”
She yanked the door open and walked out.
Maybe a good daughter would have said she loved him back. But she wasn’t a good daughter, and he damned sure wasn’t a good father.
49
5:40 p.m.
Birmingham Police Department
First Avenue North
Sadie walked across the bullpen. One of the detectives she’d met in the stairwell had told her which cubicle belonged to Devlin and Falco. She spotted Falco as she moved in that direction.
She wasn’t sure what she was doing here. Her first thought after the meeting with her father was to go home and get shit faced—but that was the old her. She was free now. Maybe she didn’t have every single piece of her past intact. Some parts she might never know, she supposed. But today had explained a lot. The past that had haunted her so darkly was out in the light now.
For example, why she was able to escape the cartel. Why she was even alive. Why her father had stopped looking at her the way he had before her mom died. His mounting guilt had put distance between them. His inability to control his daughter had kept him worried.
She couldn’t forgive him for all the terrible things he’d done. He’d killed at least two of the most important people in her life.
Whatever had been left of their relationship was gone now.
No big loss. He’d been preparing her for this complete break for most of her adult life. She understood that now. Maybe he’d known all along he couldn’t do the father thing without his wife to keep him on the straight and narrow.
“Hey,” Falco said when he saw her coming. “How’d your meeting go?”
Devlin was pulling on her jacket. “You okay?”
Sadie still wasn’t sure how down she was with this friendship thing. Barton and Snipes and Heck—they didn’t ask her personal stuff like this. Very possibly they were afraid to do so.
She shrugged. “It went. There was a lot of spilling of guts. Mostly his.”
Devlin said, “The LT told us he confessed to the hits on both Asher and Leland Walsh as well as Kurtz.”
Sadie nodded. “Pauley Winters too.”
Falco made a face. “No shit?”
“No shit. Who knows if there were others. He’s giving a tell-all to the good guys and passing on any bargains.”
“I’m surprised his attorney hasn’t talked him out of that route,” Devlin said.
“Maybe he’s lost it. I don’t know. Whatever happens next, he and I are done.”
“Understandable.” Falco shrugged into his leather jacket. “There are some things that can’t be fixed.”
Enough about her and her bullshit. “How’d the raid on the warehouse go?”
“The DEA is seriously jealous,” Devlin said, a grin tugging at her lips. “This was a big one. Evidently, several huge shipments had just come in. The COO, Elizabeth Grant, is doing some spilling as well.”
“Word is after the deal Warren cut,” Falco said, “Carlos Osorio was taken into custody. The compound has been overrun by locals. A couple of other cartels are running scared. Apparently, our esteemed mayor has the goods on a lot of folks south of the border.”
“Lana Walsh is taking her son’s ashes back to Boston,” Devlin tossed in. “Rumor is she requested her husband’s body be donated to science. And two major cases are closed.”
“And we are going to Devlin’s,” Falco said, “to celebrate with Tori. I’m making dinner.”
“You should join us,” Devlin offered.
Before Sadie could respond, Falco added, “We make a good team. The three of us.” He shrugged. “Just saying.”
“I guess we do,” Sadie admitted. She looked to Devlin. “I