Page 49 of Protecting Lainey (Broterhood Alliance #7)
The small conference room at the Haywood Lake Country Club smelled like polished wood and old money, with the lingering odor of cigar smoke drifting in from the open window.
Councilman Daniel Cho sat at the head of the mahogany table, pushing down the panic clawing its way up his throat and wishing he was anywhere but here.
Months ago, this club represented everything he aspired to: membership in the exclusive club, money to throw around on overpriced scotch and Cuban cigars (he knew a guy), and a beautiful woman on his arm who turned heads.
The man sitting across from him didn’t move much. Didn’t have to.
Cho cleared his throat. “I assume you heard about Richard?”
Keller’s eyes didn’t flicker. “I have.”
“Then I guess you can understand the pressure I’m under. They’re talking about public hearings, maybe a task force. I need support—resources, a strategy, anything that covers me.”
“You need to stop talking,” Bryce said, taking another sip of scotch.
Cho blinked. “I—I’m sorry?”
Bryce set the glass down and leaned forward. “You were given simple instructions. Stall the redevelopment project. Create enough red tape to drive Ms. Harper out.”
Cho swallowed. “There were complications.”
“Complications?” Bryce arched a brow. “You mean like Cummings hiring a dumbass enforcer, kidnapping a woman and leaving a trail a drunk raccoon could follow?”
Sweat trickled down Cho’s temples. His palms were clammy. “I had no idea he would kidnap the woman.”
“No,” Bryce said, sitting back. “You didn’t. Which is the only reason you’re still breathing and having this conversation.”
Cho let out a shaky breath. “So … what’s the plan? What are you going to do about damage control?”
Bryce stood, smoothing down his jacket. “The plan, Councilman, is very simple.” He walked to the window, gazing out over the golf course. “You’re on your own.”
Cho shot to his feet. “Wait. You can’t just leave me out to dry. What about Sarah Granger? She’s in this just as deep.”
“She’s also been advised,” Bryce said without turning. “Consider this your formal severance. My employers don’t protect loose ends.”
Cho’s mouth opened, but no words came out.
Bryce finally turned, cold and calm. “If you’re smart, you’ll talk to a lawyer. And forget you ever heard of us.”
He turned and walked toward the door.
“Keller, what happens to me?” Cho called after him, desperation in his voice.
“That depends,” he said over his shoulder, “on how well you remember your lines when the subpoenas come.”
The door clicked shut behind him.
And not for the first time, Councilman Cho wished he’d never picked up the phone.
Cho sat in the corner of a greasy spoon a few miles away from Haywood Lake, nursing a rotgut cup of coffee that had gone cold twenty minutes ago. The chipped mug was a long way from the elegant dining room and crystal glasses at the country club.
He checked his watch again. He hadn’t slept. Barely eaten since his meeting yesterday with Keller. Every time his phone rang, he flinched, expecting the worst.
The bell over the door jingled.
Sarah Granger stepped inside looking way too polished to be stopping in this dive: crisp white blouse, gray pencil skirt, sunglasses on her head and a slim purse tucked under one arm.
She didn’t even look around. Just spotted him immediately, walked over, brushed crumbs off the vinyl seat before sliding into the booth across from him.
Cho leaned in. “You got my message.”
“I did.” She set the purse on the table and waved off the waitress. “No coffee for me, thanks.”
“We need to talk.”
Sarah raised a brow. “So talk.”
Cho glanced around the diner and lowered his voice. “Keller cut me loose. Said his people aren’t covering for us, that we’re loose ends. He said he already spoke with you.”
She didn’t blink. “True.”
“What’re we going to do?”
Sarah exhaled slowly and folded her hands. “ We aren’t going to do anything. I’ve already spoken to the Feds.”
“You what?” If Cho thought yesterday was bad, this was a kick in the teeth.
“I’m protecting myself, Daniel. I have a career and a family. If you think I’m going to prison for some shady backroom deal that got out of control, you’re delusional.”
“You don’t understand …”
“I understand perfectly,” she snapped. “You thought this was political posturing. Red tape and handshake deals. We got greedy. And now someone has to pay.”
He leaned forward, his stomach flip-flopping. “Did you give them my name?”
Sarah signed. “They already have your name, Daniel. It’s in the paper trail. You signed off on half of the delays at the site. You approved the permits. You met Richard on county time. There’s no protecting you from that.”
“You threw me under the bus.”
“No,” she replied quietly. “I’m giving you a heads-up. Get a good lawyer. And you need to decide if you’re going to lie under oath or flip like a smart man would.”
Cho swallowed hard. “And you? You’re going to walk away clean?”
She shook her head. “I never said that. But I’m not going down with you, and I sure as hell am not going down for Cummings.”
Sarah picked up her purse and stood. “Take care of yourself, Daniel.”
Cho slumped back in the booth, pulse pounding, sweat beading on his palms. There was no good way out.
Greed always came at a price. His was past due.