unapologetic about it.
Dawg and Natches had worked with Cranston for several years. As far as Zeke knew, Rowdy had just been dragged into it lately.
“The Walker boys,” Natches drawled. “You have anything yet?”
Zeke leaned back in his chair. “They involved with DHS?” He stared back at the agent. Of course they had been, he knew it and Cranston knew it, but he wasn’t so sure the Mackays knew it.
Timothy grinned. A flash of teeth, like a shark, and a sparkle of brown eyes. “Not to my knowledge. They weren’t one of my contacts.”
Timothy was a consummate liar. Zeke knew the Walkers fed information to DHS because they’d brought the information to him first.
Zeke looked at the Mackays.
“They helped us pull in information on that mission last year,” Natches revealed. At least Natches wasn’t lying to him. Yet. “Joe and Jaime were always reliable sources of information.”
“You think their deaths had something to do with that operation?” Zeke asked. He knew it did, in part. Their murders had been too similar to others over the past twenty years.
He hoped for the Mackays’ sakes that it didn’t. Zeke was approaching his limit where their complete disregard for the chain of information was concerned. Running ops in his county, without his knowledge, not just once but twice, had pushed his level of endurance to its limit. And Cranston just took the damned cake. That son of a bitch had recruited Zeke ten years before when he had been with the FBI and Zeke had gone looking for an agent he could trust. When he’d chosen Cranston, he’d fucked up. Cranston had begun the investigation without Zeke’s knowledge and then had the gall to draw in three other citizens of the county instead of coming to him. Ex-marines known for their wild ways.
The Mackay cousins had spent the past two years on an investigation into stolen missiles and homegrown terrorists that Zeke had been waiting on Cranston to begin taking down. And before that, Rowdy had been too damned quiet about a stalker that had targeted his wife. They hadn’t told him shit about their activities; now here they were, wanting to know about his.
They were wild and arrogant, and they made his life hell when they got involved in trouble. He’d hoped marriage would have settled them down.
“We don’t believe it should have,” Cranston answered as Dawg’s lips parted to answer. Dawg flashed the little man a brooding glare. Evidently, Dawg was aware he was lying, too.
“You don’t believe?” Zeke kept his gaze on Dawg. “Dawg, you boys are newly married. The three of you have babies on the way. Do you really want to spend a few nights in jail for withholding information on me again?”
Three Mackays glared back at him. “Your jail wouldn’t survive it, Zeke,” Rowdy stated. “Don’t threaten us. Joe and Jaime were friends and their families are close to us. Grandma Walker and their sister, Lisa, and her two boys are pretty much alone now. The twins took care of them. We need to know what happened.”
He stared back at Rowdy. Normally, Zeke would have believed him, but several years back, Rowdy had pulled his own bullshit over on Zeke. He hadn’t forgotten it. There were times he wasn’t sure he had forgiven it. He used to believe he was friends with these men, until he learned how easily they would hide the threats to the county he was duly sworn to protect.
They were here, and they didn’t know shit about what he was doing; only Cranston was aware of it, and only because the other man was well aware of who and what Zeke was looking for. While they were here, he may as well get what information he could.
“I don’t know what happened yet. Not fully,” he lied as he leaned forward and stared back at the cousins. “Did those boys do hard drugs that you knew of?”
They looked at each other in confusion before Rowdy shook his head firmly. “Joe and Jaime were hell-raisers, but they didn’t do the hard stuff.”
Well,
Dawg and Natches had worked with Cranston for several years. As far as Zeke knew, Rowdy had just been dragged into it lately.
“The Walker boys,” Natches drawled. “You have anything yet?”
Zeke leaned back in his chair. “They involved with DHS?” He stared back at the agent. Of course they had been, he knew it and Cranston knew it, but he wasn’t so sure the Mackays knew it.
Timothy grinned. A flash of teeth, like a shark, and a sparkle of brown eyes. “Not to my knowledge. They weren’t one of my contacts.”
Timothy was a consummate liar. Zeke knew the Walkers fed information to DHS because they’d brought the information to him first.
Zeke looked at the Mackays.
“They helped us pull in information on that mission last year,” Natches revealed. At least Natches wasn’t lying to him. Yet. “Joe and Jaime were always reliable sources of information.”
“You think their deaths had something to do with that operation?” Zeke asked. He knew it did, in part. Their murders had been too similar to others over the past twenty years.
He hoped for the Mackays’ sakes that it didn’t. Zeke was approaching his limit where their complete disregard for the chain of information was concerned. Running ops in his county, without his knowledge, not just once but twice, had pushed his level of endurance to its limit. And Cranston just took the damned cake. That son of a bitch had recruited Zeke ten years before when he had been with the FBI and Zeke had gone looking for an agent he could trust. When he’d chosen Cranston, he’d fucked up. Cranston had begun the investigation without Zeke’s knowledge and then had the gall to draw in three other citizens of the county instead of coming to him. Ex-marines known for their wild ways.
The Mackay cousins had spent the past two years on an investigation into stolen missiles and homegrown terrorists that Zeke had been waiting on Cranston to begin taking down. And before that, Rowdy had been too damned quiet about a stalker that had targeted his wife. They hadn’t told him shit about their activities; now here they were, wanting to know about his.
They were wild and arrogant, and they made his life hell when they got involved in trouble. He’d hoped marriage would have settled them down.
“We don’t believe it should have,” Cranston answered as Dawg’s lips parted to answer. Dawg flashed the little man a brooding glare. Evidently, Dawg was aware he was lying, too.
“You don’t believe?” Zeke kept his gaze on Dawg. “Dawg, you boys are newly married. The three of you have babies on the way. Do you really want to spend a few nights in jail for withholding information on me again?”
Three Mackays glared back at him. “Your jail wouldn’t survive it, Zeke,” Rowdy stated. “Don’t threaten us. Joe and Jaime were friends and their families are close to us. Grandma Walker and their sister, Lisa, and her two boys are pretty much alone now. The twins took care of them. We need to know what happened.”
He stared back at Rowdy. Normally, Zeke would have believed him, but several years back, Rowdy had pulled his own bullshit over on Zeke. He hadn’t forgotten it. There were times he wasn’t sure he had forgiven it. He used to believe he was friends with these men, until he learned how easily they would hide the threats to the county he was duly sworn to protect.
They were here, and they didn’t know shit about what he was doing; only Cranston was aware of it, and only because the other man was well aware of who and what Zeke was looking for. While they were here, he may as well get what information he could.
“I don’t know what happened yet. Not fully,” he lied as he leaned forward and stared back at the cousins. “Did those boys do hard drugs that you knew of?”
They looked at each other in confusion before Rowdy shook his head firmly. “Joe and Jaime were hell-raisers, but they didn’t do the hard stuff.”
Well,
Similar Books
