Thirty-Five

Church.

The name formed a rock in his gut. Church was in San Francisco. It suddenly became a very real possibility that none of them would survive the next forty-eight hours.

“Church? Here?” Ben gave a low whistle, slouching back in his seat. “And you’re just deciding to tell us this now? Did your mom drop you on your fuckin’ head or something?”

From the look on his face, Lark had reached his limit. He stood, the force of the move sending his chair skittering across the hardwood floor. “Look, I got Lady Cop tryin’ to beat my brains out, him”—he jabbed a finger in Michael’s direction—“throwing ricin down my throat and threatening to shoot me every time I blink, and you running your goddamn mouth nonstop. Sorry I’ve been a little too preoccupied to sweat the small stuff.”

“Church is hardly small stuff,” Ben said.

What Church was, was a game changer.

Lark had the good sense to look a bit worried. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I wasn’t tryin’ to keep it from you guys, I just … ” He ended it on a shrug, his excuses running out of steam.

“What is a church?” Sabrina said out of nowhere.

“Church isn’t a what. It’s a who,” Ben said.

“Another FSS operative?” she said, bouncing a look around the table.

Ben shrugged. “We’re not really sure. All we know is the name.”

“So no one’s ever actually seen this Church?” Sabrina sounded dubious, like Ben had just told her he’d had a Bigfoot encounter.

Ben caught the tone and smiled. “I’m sure plenty of people have seen Church. I’m also fairly certain that the vast majority of those people are dead.”

“And how do you know that?” From the look on her face, Sabrina still wasn’t buying it.

“Because my Daddy told me so,” Ben said, his smile growing wider. “He’s a lying jerkwad, but not about shit like this. I’ve seen firsthand what this asshole can do.”

Sabrina shook her head, about to speak, but Michael was done listening to them. “Enough,” he said, cutting a look at Ben that matched his tone. “Church is just one in a long line of problems. Right now, figuring out a way to buy Leo Maddox some time is our first priority.”

They all looked at him, counting on him to know what to do. To do the right thing when he didn’t have a fucking clue what the right thing was.

Finally he spoke. “You’re gonna call Shaw and tell him that the Maddox boy is dead,” he said to Lark. “You’re gonna tell him that Ben is in the process of falsifying the DNA report to make it look like he’s still alive to buy me some time in the States.”

“What good is that gonna do?” Lark said, sounding nervous at the prospect at telling Livingston Shaw anything but the absolute truth. He lifted his cup to his lips. The frail china looked ridiculous in his massive hand.

“A lot, actually,” Michael said, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. “It might cause a rift between him and Reyes. Play them against each other. Shaw might’ve had a hand in Leo’s kidnapping, but I have a feeling that keeping him alive is essential to whatever plan he’s working. If he thinks Reyes killed his golden goose, he’ll demand proof of life. We might have a shot at intercepting the information. It’s our best bet on figuring out where Reyes is keeping Leo. He’s running out of time. As soon as Reyes gets what he wants from Shaw, the Maddox kid is as good as dead.” Or worse.

“That’s all well and good, but if Shaw thinks you’re lying to him in order to keep yourself here, the first thing he’ll do is call you back to Spain,” Lark said.

“Exactly.”

“You want to go, but Shaw can’t know that,” Sabrina said, understanding instantly.

“Despite appearances, San Francisco is not where the action is at for this. If I want to figure out what Shaw’s up to and how Cordova fits into all this, I have to go back,” he said.

“What are we gonna do with him?” Lark said, aiming his coffee cup at Alex.

“He can stay here with Miss Ettie,” Ben said. “She won’t mind.”

Michael looked doubtful. “She won’t be able to protect him if shit goes south. Not with Church running around.”

“She won’t have to,” Sabrina said. “The lab is running Elm’s DNA against what was found on Alex and the trace Mandy found on Johnny Doe. Based on the financial records that Strick found, we’ll have a warrant to search Elm’s residence by morning. My case is as good as wrapped. I’ve got some vacation time. I’ll take it.”

He had that feeling again. The one he’d had at the hospital, looking at that deep, ugly furrow dug into her scalp. That feeling that told him he was going to lose her.

“None of this matters without proof—documented proof—that the dead kid is Leo Maddox,” Lark said, his words cutting through Michael’s thoughts. “Cause you know Shaw’s not taking my word for it.”

Sabrina flashed them a tight smile and stood. “Leave that to me.”