his own way, he did care for Kat. Or felt guilty or maybe a little responsible. And in that same moment, Pete also realized the guy didn’t know about the evidence Kat had stored in the pendant. If he did, he’d have convinced her to come out of hiding years ago.
He also sensed Slade didn’t completely understand Minyawi’s connection to Busir. Or know about Ramirez’s involvement with the ELA. And those were two major bargaining chips Pete was willing to cultivate in any way he could.
Pete braced his hand on the desk and knew this was the jumping-off point for him. Once it was out, there was no turning back. “She’ll come in. But on one condition.”
“Are you trying to deal with me, Kauffman? You don’t have a leg to stand o—”
“You bet your ass I’m dealing. And if you’re smart you’ll take what I give you because it’s the best damn offer you’re going to get. Kat will come in on one condition,” he repeated. “She’s cleared of all the charges against her. No questions about Ramirez’s or Driscoll’s deaths or any link back to her. You and I both know she didn’t have a hand in either one.”
“Fuck,” Slade exclaimed. “I know she didn’t, but she’s got no proof. She never had any proof, which was one of the goddamn problems from the very beginning. The Egyptian government isn’t as lenient on murder suspects as we are here in the States. And rogue Egyptologists who hook up with known felons linked to art theft and smuggling operations aren’t people the U.S. is eager to get back in the country. The only thing she’s got going for her right now is the fact she’s on U.S. soil and she’s willing to cooperate.”
“That’s not all she’s got. She’s got me.”
“What the hell does that me—”
“Here’s the deal, Slade. Kat comes in for safety reasons only and is cleared of all the charges. In exchange, I’ll turn myself in. You wanna know how Minyawi’s linked to the smuggling ring? I’m your guy.”
Silence.
Well, that got the man’s fucking attention, didn’t it?
“You’re serious?” Slade asked skeptically.
Yeah, he was serious. Deadly-frickin’-serious. More serious about this than he’d been about anything in his life. “I’ll tell you everything I know. Names, locations, contacts in half a dozen countries that trade on the black market. I know who the weak link was at Kat’s tomb, I know who the man dealt with, and I know how the pieces got out of the country. You keep Kat out of this, make sure she’s safe, and I’ll give you everything I know.”
“And what about you?” Slade asked warily.
Pete leaned back in his chair. He was making a deal with the devil himself, and this time, there was no turning back. “I guess that’s the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question now, isn’t it?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
He was surprisingly steady for a man who’d just cashed in his own go directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars ticket. After signing all the papers his lawyer had faxed over and stuffing them back into the fax machine, Pete picked up the phone one more time and dialed the one person he knew was going to shit bricks when he heard the news.
The line rang three times before Rafe Sullivan answered in Puerto Rico, sounding groggy as hell and the slightest bit pissed at being pulled out of bed at—Pete glanced at the clock—1:30 a.m.
“¿Qué?” Rafe grumbled.
Despite everything else, Pete cracked a wan smile. “I hope that beat-to-shit voice of yours means you were asleep, not that you were about to get it on with your lady.”
A soft chuckle came over the line, then a rasp of cloth, like Rafe was moving around in bed. “Already did the second. Was halfway into the first before you rudely interrupted me. Where are you, my man?”
Pete grinned. Damn, but he was seriously going to miss his best friend when all was said and done.
In the background he could just make out Lisa’s voice ask, “Who the hell is that?”
“ ‘S okay, querida,” Rafe said in a muffled tone. “It’s just Pete. Go back to sleep.”
There was grunting, and more shifting around, then the sound of a door closing somewhere in the distance.
“I can talk now,” Rafe said, his voice stronger. Footsteps echoed across the line, and Pete imagined Rafe walking through that big house he and Lisa had bought in Puerto Rico where they were getting the sister branch of Odyssey up and