“You misunderstand me. That wasn’t a request.” There were other men around them, men who didn’t look too happy with her pointing a gun at what she suspected was the man in charge. She didn’t care. They hadn’t saved her just to gun her down in the street. “Where is your car?”
He pointed to a black sedan behind him. Typical. She motioned that she’d follow him. A few seconds later they were in the car and he turned on the engine. “Now, we’ll talk.”
“Drive.” She didn’t want to talk to this man. She didn’t want to talk to anyone. But she had the feeling Finch would get his way one way or another. “Why are you so eager to have a conversation?”
“You’re a very interesting woman. I’m kicking myself for overlooking you previously.”
She didn’t like the sound of that—at all. But she lowered the gun and leaned back against the car door. She could still shoot him, but that had never been the goal. All she wanted was to get to the hospital. “Why did you conveniently show up in time to save the day, but not earlier when you knew I’d been taken?”
“The wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly, my dear.” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “Your new husband is very important to me and my friends. I hope you understand and respect that.”
Shock and exhaustion and just plain old trauma made her slow, because it took her several long minutes to realize what he meant. Oh Teague, why didn’t you tell me? She wasn’t surprised, though. She hadn’t exactly been honest with him. It was only expected that he’d kept some things back as well.
But working with the FBI?
Then again, she didn’t exactly have room to talk. She’d put in a call to them for help. She found herself speaking without having any intention of doing so. “As much as I appreciate the assistance, stay away from my people, John Finch. Whatever arrangement you have with my husband is between the two of you, but if I hear about you sniffing around where you shouldn’t, I doubt either of us will like the results.”
He laughed, startling her. “Got some steel in your spine, don’t you? No wonder he was willing to throw it all away to save you.”
She didn’t ask what he meant. He was trying to bait her, and she wanted no part of it. “Do we have an understanding?”
“Oh, we do, indeed.” He turned muddy brown eyes on her, shifting between one breath and the next from the nonchalant jokester to something infinitely more dangerous. “Keep your people on the right side of the law, Ms. Sheridan, and we won’t have a problem.” He stopped the car. “Now, go see to your husband.”
She looked out the window to find them in front of Massachusetts General Hospital. “Thanks for the ride.” She reached for the door, but his hand on her arm stopped her.
“The gun, please.”
The gun that linked her to the murders of two men. She turned and met his gaze. “And what do you plan on doing with it?”
“Your sins from tonight won’t come back to haunt you, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
As if she would trust this man. Being FBI only made him more suspicious as far as she was concerned. “If it’s all the same to you, I’ll take care of it.”
“If you insist.”
“I do.” She opened the door and paused. “May I borrow your coat, Mr. Finch?”
“By all means.” He shrugged out of it and passed it over.
She slipped it on, instantly dwarfed. Callie didn’t like it. She didn’t like the musky scent of old cigarettes that clung to the fabric, either, but she could hardly shove the gun into the waistband of her jeans. “I’ll see it’s returned to you.” She shut the door, and then gritted her teeth when he rolled down the window.
“Tell Teague that I’m sorry. It wasn’t supposed to be this way.”
If it was as she suspected and Teague was informing to the FBI on his family—and hers?—then they’d failed him spectacularly. “You should have been there.”
“I know.” The exhausted admission struck her to her soul. They’d all screwed up to one degree or another. This situation wouldn’t have gotten so out of control without multiple people failing to put on the brakes.
She sighed. She wanted to blame this man, but there was more than enough blame to pass around. “You have a good night.”