Sydney heard the words undercover operation and her pulse quickened. Before she could ask any questions, Brian was jumping in.
“I don’t like where this is going. You can’t go into the East River gang undercover, Max. They obviously know who you are by now. You’d be asking to get yourself killed.”
“Believe me. I understand that. Not to mention it’s my duty to protect Sydney.”
“Then what are you talking about?” Sydney asked.
“For this to work, Brian would actually be the one going undercover.”
“Whoa.” Brian took a step backward.
Sydney was taken by surprise, too. She never expected that Max would get his friend that far involved.
“I have been thinking it through,” Max said.
“This would be an unsanctioned operation,” Brian said. “The FBI won’t approve this.”
“I know I’m asking a lot of you, and I wouldn’t ask unless I had no other option. But you have to realize that we’re doing the right thing. Once we have hard evidence tying Kevin and Lucas together, then we’ll present that to the FBI. Until we have that, we don’t have enough to get the FBI to investigate the US Marshals.”
Brian let out a breath.
Sydney reached out and touched Brian’s arm. “You don’t have to do this, Brian. We can figure out something else. There’s no need to risk your life and your career.”
He smiled at her. “I know. But Max makes a great point. This is a bigger issue that goes to the core of the US Marshals. I can’t just stand by if there’s something I could do to make sure that innocent people like you are kept safe when they entrust themselves to the government for protection.”
“So here’s what I was thinking,” Max began. Then he stopped. “Let’s sit down at the kitchen table first.”
Sydney followed the men into the kitchen and took a seat at the table beside Max. Brian sat across from him.
“I’m listening,” Brian said.
“So.” Max leaned back and crossed his arms. “I’m going to be upfront with you. This is risky.”
“Just spit it out,” Sydney heard herself say before she could stop it.
Max sent a faint smile in her direction and then looked back at Brian. “You befriend Lucas Jones.”
Brian laughed. “And how exactly do I go about doing that?”
“By posing as a very wealthy investor looking to expand his ties to dirty businesses.”
Brian raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.
Sydney had questions. “Why would Lucas Jones believe that Brian would want in on his businesses?”
“The East River gang is called a gang, but it’s much more than that. It’s a complex organized crime racket that could always use an additional influx of cash. Brian will offer money, but he’ll want things in return.” Max paused. “For one, a hefty return on his investment. A money-making venture. But he’ll also want information on his competition. His competition including the likes of Kevin Diaz.”
Could it work? she asked herself. It might, but was it worth the risk? She turned to Brian. “If Lucas Jones finds out you’re an FBI agent, he’ll kill you.”
Brian nodded. “I won’t let that happen.”
“But you can’t be sure,” she said.
“Brian’s a professional, Sydney. This is what he does for a living,” Max said. “I’ve been undercover with him before. He’s one of the best there is.”
“We don’t have a lot of time to waste.” Brian stood. “If you’re serious about this, I need to start working on my cover. I’m not going in with a wire. They’ll most definitely check me out. I can’t risk it.”
“You know that I’m going to be your backup,” Max said.
“It’s too dangerous. You need to focus on protecting Sydney.”
Max shook his head. “We won’t get too close. But I’m not going to leave you totally vulnerable. Especially for the first meeting.”
“I need to get going. Depending on how much I can get done, we can figure out if I can try to do the meet up with Lucas tomorrow. I know his normal hangouts.”
Max rose from his chair and gave Brian a hefty pat on the back. “Thanks, man.”
Brian nodded toward Sydney and walked out.
“I can see your mind racing,” Max said as he turned to Sydney.
She stood up. “This is far too dangerous, sending him in there like that to face Jones and his East River thugs.”
“He’ll be fine. It’s not his first undercover job.” He walked over to her. “This is our best shot at getting the evidence to tie Diaz to Jones. We have no other choice. We have to start being proactive instead of reactive.”
“I’m assuming you’re not going to say anything to Elena about this?”
“Absolutely not. I think she’s on our side, but I’m not willing to risk Brian’s life on that assumption.”
“What about your own safety?”
He grabbed her hands, sending a shiver down her arms.
“Don’t worry about me,” he said softly. “My job is to worry about you.”
“I can’t help but worry.” She took a deep breath as Max took a step closer to her.
Then Max’s phone buzzed—and the moment ended almost before it began.
* * *
Max was playing with fire.
If his phone hadn’t rung the night before, he had been very close to wrapping his arms around Sydney. Too close. Even though his brain told him it was an absolutely awful idea, his heart was saying otherwise. He couldn’t handle these emotions that were completely foreign to him.
All day he’d tried to put any thought of being more than friends with Sydney out of his mind. Time had passed slowly as he’d done his best to keep his distance from her. The house was large enough for that not to be a big deal.
Now he was on edge as he waited for Brian to return to the house. Brian had been cryptic over the phone, but things sounded as though they were a go for the undercover operation.
“Hey.” Sydney walked into the kitchen with a smile that punched him in the gut. He took a deep breath and focused on the case.
“Brian is on his way. I think we’ll probably be moving on the operation tonight.”
Her brown eyes widened. “What will you need me to do?”
“We’ll figure that out once Brian gets here. But I can guarantee I’m not going to do anything to put you in the line of fire.”
She placed one hand on her hip. “I’m not so fragile, you know.”
“Believe me, you’ve shown yourself to be anything but fragile. But these guys are out for blood. Your blood specifically, and I have to make sure that they don’t get close enough to spill any.”
He heard the door open signaling Brian’s arrival.
“Hey, Sydney.” Brian smiled at her as he walked into the kitchen.
“Where do we stand?” Max asked.
Brian took a seat and motioned for them to do the same. “We have a confidential informant who works at the bank where some of the East River money is being funneled. The CI is going to be meeting with Lucas tonight after hours to discuss some money flow issues. The CI won’t know that I’m FBI, but I’ll still be able to use the CI to get into the meeting.”
“How?” she asked.
“I’m going to track the CI, and before he goes in the meeting I’ll make sure he knows that he has to take me with him. By force if necessary.”
“Why not just tell him who you are?” she asked.
“No need to risk it. It’ll work out better if he thinks I’m on the dark side like Lucas Jones. Don’t worry, I know my cover. It’s one I’ve done numerous times before.”
“What bank?”
“Tenth Street Bank downtown.” Brian paused. “And I can handle this, Max. I don’t want you to get too close. We’ve both done ops like this before. This one will be no different.”
“If the meeting goes too long, you know I’ll come for you.”
Brian nodded. “But you have to give me a lot of time and leeway. I’m not exactly sure what will transpire once I get inside that bank with the CI.”
“Understood. But I’ll still be there, regardless. How long do you want me to give you?”
“Two hours.”
Max let out a breath. “Okay. But I would prefer if it was shorter.”
“I don’t want to work under that type of pressure, knowing you could bust in at any moment. This may be our only chance for me to try to get in with Lucas.”
“And what did you tell your boss?” Max asked. “Are you still working for Tom?”
“Yeah. I told him that I was going to do an off-the-books undercover operation and that he needed to trust me. In the twelve years I’ve worked for him I’ve never made a request like that, so he understood that it had to be something big, and he didn’t ask any questions. Just told me to be careful and that I couldn’t expect FBI backup. Which I told him I fully understood.”
“Once again, I appreciate you sticking your neck out,” Max said.
“You’d do the same for me. We leave in an hour,” Brian said. “But make sure you give me plenty of room to operate.”
“I’ve got your back.” Max only hoped that he wouldn’t need to act.
* * *
“I’m glad you realized that I needed to come along with you,” Sydney said.
“I don’t trust anyone besides Brian, and I wasn’t about to leave you completely by yourself. Given my reservations about Elena, I just feel better having you with me.”
Sydney had been relieved she hadn’t had to fight him on it. She felt so much safer being by his side. And she prayed for Brian’s safety as he got ready to go to the meeting.
They sat in the car parked a block down from the bank in metered parking. She clutched her hands in her lap. It was nighttime, but the bright downtown streetlights illuminated the area.
“There,” Max said. “Rounding the corner is Brian and the confidential informant. They’re about to go in the bank.”
“I wonder where Brian found him.”
“He has his ways. I told you he’s good.”
“Is Lucas already inside?” she asked. Her hands were clammy in anticipation.
“No. Since it’s after hours, the CI will open up the door and let Lucas in.”
She could hear herself breathing in and out as the minutes ticked by in silence. “I wonder what’s taking so long?”
“We have to just wait it out.”
“Is there another entrance that we can’t see from our vantage point?”
“Not one that can be accessed after hours. Brian checked on all of that.”
“All right,” she replied softly.
“No need to worry just yet.” He reached over and gave her hand a squeeze.
She tried to tell herself to get a grip. She was totally safe with Max. They were in his car, and nothing was going to happen to her. She kept her eyes focused on the area surrounding the bank.
A few minutes later her world stopped. Her breath caught as she physically recoiled in her seat.
“That’s Lucas Jones,” Max said as he pointed at two men walking toward the bank. “It’s just like we’ve planned, Sydney. No need to be worried. He can’t even see us.”
“No,” she said softly. “The man beside Jones.”
“What about him? A guy like Jones rarely travels alone. He will always have some type of security with him. That’s just how they operate.”
She pushed down the wave of nausea that threatened to overtake her. “He’s not just anyone, Max. That man is my ex-boyfriend.” She paused as she continued to fight the urge to flee. “That’s Rick Ward.”
Max quickly straightened up in his seat. “Are you sure?”
“P-positive,” she stuttered. “I’d recognize that man anywhere.”
“Well, this complicates things,” Max said.
“I thought you said there was no current information linking Rick to the East River gang.”
Max blew out a breath. “I did tell you that. But the source of that information was Davies.”
“Oh, no,” she said.
He reached over and touched her shoulder. “We can’t jump to any conclusions.”
She started to to shake. The man who had abused her was definitely involved in this. There was no questioning it now. Just as she had no doubt he’d kill her. “I know you have to say that, but it all has to be connected. Rick gets out of prison and takes right back up with East River. He wants his chance at revenge. Against me.”
“I won’t let that happen. Do you hear me?”
She nodded.
“Right now I just need to keep my eyes on that building and the clock. The two hours has started.”
Sydney felt like the hands on her watch stood still. She didn’t know what to say. What could she say? That she was terrified that the man who had taken so much from her was back to take it all? That when the time came would she really be willing to stand her ground and take on the man who’d injured her both physically and emotionally?
She looked over at Max who remained focused and calm amidst the latest developments. After an hour had passed, she was getting restless. “Can I get out and stretch my legs just for a minute?”
“Sure,” he said. “I’ll get out, too, but you can’t go anywhere. Stay right beside the car.”
“That’s fine. I just want to stand for a minute.” She was having a hard time remaining calm sitting so still in the car. What she wouldn’t give for a nice jog right now to expend some of her nervous energy.
People milled about on the streets, but it wasn’t crowded. Taking in a few deep breaths of fresh air settled her a bit.
“Get back in the car now, Sydney!”
Max’s sharp tone broke her out of her thoughts. She did as he said without question, and turned to look. “What’s going on?”
He jumped in the driver seat, started the car and pulled away. “We’ve got company.”
“How do you know?”
“I think it’s law enforcement in an unmarked car. I saw a guy get in his car as soon as you got out. It was like he recognized who you were.”
She wanted nothing more than to flee the scene. But then she remembered. “What about Brian?”
“He’s on his own for now. I’ve got to get you out of here.” He paused. “Hang on because this could get dicey.”
She gripped her seat, but she couldn’t help herself. She had to turn around. “I don’t see anyone.”
“Doesn’t mean they’re not coming. If it is law enforcement, he could’ve called it in and tagged our car and plates. We may have cops on top of us as at any moment.”
“No, we can’t let that happen.”
He punched the gas. “I hope Elena isn’t behind this little stunt.”
“Why would you think it was her?”
“Because she’d be the only one who would focus on Brian’s whereabouts.”
“We don’t even know if it’s anything. It could be unrelated.” She craned her neck to see out the rear window. “I still don’t even see anyone tailing us, Max.”
Max didn’t respond but instead floored it as he weaved through the city streets, then hit the interstate and headed north.
After a few minutes, she looked back again. “Doesn’t look like we were followed.”
Max ran a hand through his hair keeping the other on the wheel. “I’m so sorry, Sydney. Maybe I was just imagining things.”
She smiled. The conscientious marshal wasn’t as unshakeable as he let on. “It’s completely understandable that you’d be overly cautious, and I’m grateful. So where does this leave us?”
“I’m going to circle back and head to Brian’s house. Make a cautious approach there just in case. Then we’ll just have to wait for him.”
“Sounds like a plan.” She only hoped that Brian made it back.
* * *
Max was worried he was losing it. By acting with his emotions, something he normally wouldn’t do, he’d left Brian without backup. The more he replayed the events in his head, the more he was convinced that the person he saw had nothing to do with Sydney or the investigation. He was imagining threats where none existed. He just hoped it wouldn’t cost Brian his life. He would never forgive himself for the misjudgment if it did.
He was sitting in the living room waiting on any word from Brian. It’d been almost three hours since Brian went inside the bank, and Max was worried.
When they had returned to Brian’s, he’d conducted a security sweep and determined all was safe. Sydney had opted to lie down for a few minutes and rest. But Max was far too keyed up for that, replaying the night’s events over and over again in his mind.
He paused for a moment and wondered how Sydney was managing to keep her cool. Yeah, no doubt she’d been getting antsy waiting in the car—and understandably so after she’d seen Ward. But once Max had lost it and driven them away, she’d regained her composure quickly. Was it her faith that made her so strong?
Max knew where his strength came from—it came from within. But with Sydney it was as if she had an extra layer of courage. Her faith was definitely helping her. And by helping her stay calm it was helping him, too.
She’d told him earlier that she was praying for him. A part of him almost welcomed those prayers. But that didn’t mean he could return to his faith, did it?
His mind wandered back to his youth and sitting in church where he’d been so interested in the sermons. What ultimately had turned him off from faith? Had it been the actual ideas...or had it been his parents?
The door slammed, closing off those thoughts, and he jumped, almost knocking over his glass of soda.
He breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw Brian. “What happened?” Max asked.
“I could ask you the same thing. You were nowhere to be found when I walked out of the bank.”
Max stood up. “There was a false alarm. I thought we had been made, so I got Sydney out of there. I’m sorry I left you hanging, but since I wasn’t sure, I didn’t feel it was safe to double back to the bank.”
Brian nodded. “Well, the meeting was a lot more than I bargained for. I can tell you that much.”
“And you don’t even know all of it.”
Brian walked over to him, his eyes wide with concern. “I was hoping you could shed some light on why Jones’s hired muscle came to me at the end of the meeting with a proposal.”
“What kind of proposal?”
“A deadly one.”