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Ethan wanted to interview Officer Baker first since he was the one who had been shot, and he might be willing to talk if he was out of surgery and able to communicate.

He, Renault, and Noah went into Baker s hospital room where he was handcuffed to the bed.

A police officer was sitting beside the bed, another outside of the room.

Ethan read Baker his rights. I m DEA Special Agent Ethan Matheson who has been working the case that you have been involved in.

He d worked with Baker before so the man knew just who Ethan was.

Baker looked awful, his skin pale. Ethan figured he had lost a lot of blood before they had found him lying in the tunnel nearly dead. He wasn t sure Baker was fully aware of his circumstances.

Yeah, Baker said weakly. I know who you are. I ve worked with you before. You were after Kroner, and he wanted your head.

You killed one of his competition, Ethan said.

Baker glanced at Renault, then Noah.

Ethan introduced them both to him, even though Baker would know Renault from joint missions, but not Noah. Who shot you?

Kroner. Bastard, and yeah, I ll testify against him.

Great! Ethan hadn t even had to tell him they would ask if the DA would give him a lighter sentence if he flipped on Kroner. Hopefully, Baker wouldn t change his mind.

I–I didn t think it would go this far, Baker said, wiping away tears that streaked down his face. Once I started to take money from him, he owned me, threatened me that he would reveal I was taking illegal bribes, that he would tell my family.

And the drug dealer that Kroner had you get rid of?

Baker let out his breath. He was a drug dealer, guilty of several murders. And Kroner threatened me. I told you. My job, my life, exposing my extracurricular activities to my family, and knowing Kroner, if he d had to take it that far, he would have gone after my family to get me to comply.

What about you pulling Charlene Cheswick over? You hassled her after she was harassed by Agent Pete Cohen when she witnessed him taking drugs off a man at a convenience store and keeping them.

Baker s lips parted and then he clamped them shut.

That was one of the reasons we knew you and Agent Cohen were in collusion.

Baker wouldn t comment.

Ethan suspected Baker hadn t realized he knew about that business too—that he and Cohen were taking illegal drugs from dealers and not reporting them, but keeping the confiscated drugs for themselves for whatever sordid purpose. What about your partner? Davis?

Davis —Baker cleared his throat— wanted a part of the action. I just wanted to have him at my back if Kroner gave me trouble, but I know now that was a stupid idea.

Davis didn t back you up that time, eh? Ethan said.

No. He knew Kroner would shoot him too. He didn t, did he? Later, I mean?

No. We arrested Davis and the agents who had been in collusion. They were lucky Kroner hadn t turned on them, but truthfully, Kroner probably hoped we would catch the others so he would have a better chance to get away.

Did Kroner get away?

Ethan hated to have to tell him he had. He did, but we ve got a couple of guards on your room.

He hates you with a passion. He wants you dead.

That s why he sent Agent Cohen and others to take me out at the home I had been staying at? Ethan said.

Yeah.

But not you. And Cohen had no problem taking on the job. Ethan just couldn t believe a fellow DEA agent wouldn t have any trouble killing him.

He volunteered for the job. Maybe he planned to save you. I don t know. Or maybe he thought the rest of us being with Kroner and Oakley was riskier, and he took the easy way out. Even Davis, Agent Ryerson, and I wanted on that detail.

To kill me.

Baker sighed. I hadn t planned to kill anyone.

Not you or the woman. I m not a gun for hire.

I just knew the lot of us would be captured and go to prison.

I didn t expect Kroner to shoot me and leave me for dead, or that my good friend Davis wouldn t try to come to my aid.

I have to thank you for that. If you hadn t sent me to the hospital, I would have died.

The doctor came in and said that Baker had to rest from his injuries.

Ethan said to Baker, We ll talk more later.

Baker nodded.

Then Ethan and the others left and headed over to the jailhouse before the other men were transferred to Portland. Ty met them there and showed Ethan and Renault into the interview room where they spoke with Agent Cohen first. Noah and Ty watched the interviews through the two-way mirror.

So exactly why did you, and more of Kroner s stoolies, trespass on my property, showing up at my house carrying guns and knives, sneaking around in the dark?

Technically, the house was in Charlene s name, but she called it their house, and Ethan thought it would have more impact on Cohen if he was told it was Ethan s, which meant Agent Cohen had been after Ethan, or both him and Charlene.

I don t have anything to say to you, Cohen said.

We ll see you at trial. Ethan just hoped they would get some of the others to testify against Cohen and anyone else who wouldn t give them the truth. He guessed Cohen hadn t volunteered to go to the house to save Ethan and Charlene.

After that, Ethan interviewed Agent Ryerson. Your buddy, Cohen, and you were working with Kroner and his men on drug deals. You were afraid you were going to get caught and so you wanted to go with Cohen to kill Charlene and me at our house.

Who told you that bullshit? Ryerson asked.

We ve got witnesses statements. They outline your and Cohen s involvement and also Officers Davis and Baker s part in all this. They didn t. Not yet. But they would get them by playing them against each other.

Hell, I would never have gotten involved in any of this until Cohen convinced me it was easy money, and no one was suspicious of anything he was involved in. He said it was foolproof, Ryerson said.

Committing criminal acts is never foolproof.

Yeah, well, I know that now. I ll…I ll come forward. What about my family?

Finally, he asks about his family? They were taken to a safe house in case Kroner went after them.

Thank God.

No thanks to you, Ethan said, angry with Ryerson for not even considering his family when he became involved in all this.

I ll testify against Kroner and Oakley.

What about Cohen?

Ryerson ran his hand over his head. Yeah, because he talked me into all this shit.

And, Ethan thought, Ryerson would want to do it before Cohen threw him under the bus instead.

Afterward, Ethan talked to Officer Davis. So whose idea was it to start taking graft money? Yours or Baker s?

Davis held his stomach, was pale, and looked like he was feeling sick.

He finally released his breath and said, Baker.

He said he talked to Agent Cohen, and he was convinced this was going to be a moneymaker and we would never get caught.

Baker was really adamant at the last that we were going to get caught and that s when Kroner shot him.

I nearly died. Baker and I went on fishing and hunting trips.

We had been best of friends for years. Our kids are about the same ages.

They played together all the time. He shook his head.

I can t believe I agreed to do this with him. Is he okay?

Yeah, he s coming out of it and he s testifying against Kroner and the others.

Davis nodded. I will too.

Once Ethan talked to several of the other men who worked for Kroner, he had enough testimonies to put Kroner, Oakley, Thor, and Benny away for life. The rest of the men involved would get prison time too. Now Ethan and his team just had to catch Kroner.

***

Charlene was thrilled when Ethan arrived home.

Brad, Josh and his brother, and Quincy and his brother said they would see them later and returned to Leidolf s ranch for the celebration.

Ethan, Charlene, Tori, Adam, Renault, and Noah were seated in the living room in Charlene and Ethan s house.

They had a lot of questions for Renault.

Okay, we want to know exactly what the deal was with you going to Oakley s house and speaking with someone there, Ethan said to Renault. Noah and I were watching the house for any sign of Kroner or Oakley to appear, and lo and behold, here you show up.

You had his place under surveillance? Renault sounded shocked and he was sweating a little now.

I told you I was trying to pretend I wanted a deal like fellow agents Pete Cohen and Manx Ryerson had.

Of course that was if they had really been the moles but I suspected they were.

Kroner s thugs weren t buying it, but they said either he or Oakley would determine if I was really willing to play the game.

I suspected to allow me to join them, they would have had me kill somebody and then they would witness it.

Just like Baker did when he killed Kroner s competition.

Once we saw you go to Oakley s house, we knew Grainger hadn t sent you, Ethan said. He would have told us he was having you help us with the investigation. And he would have told you about us already being on the case.

You did a good job. I never saw you, Renault said.

That was the whole point, Noah said.

And you. Great work on being undercover with Ethan. I never had a clue that you were here with him. I thought you were really in Florida. The sound of the ocean in the background when we spoke had me convinced of it.

I still think the business with the roses you sent me was suspicious, Charlene said.

Renault sighed. I didn t know where Ethan was living, but I easily discovered where you were staying.

The two of you were getting together, and then it was like I said.

I had someone following me. I wasn t sure if Ethan would want to stick his neck out for me when he was retired, but I had to take the chance.

Why did you make up the other story? Charlene asked.

I thought it sounded more reasonable, but in hindsight the truth was better, Renault said.

You can t believe how annoyed I was that you thought someone was following you and could have led him to Charlene s house, Ethan said.

I really believed I had kept him from tailing me to the house.

I had made multiple switchbacks and driven to hell and back.

I didn t see any sign of him when I made it to Charlene s place.

I had to tell you I was in trouble. I figured that one of Kroner s men was going to kill me.

I couldn t do it on my own. In no way did I believe I would have brought any harm to Charlene.

Charlene said, It gave Ethan a good excuse to stay with me.

Renault smiled. See? I did you a favor, Ethan. But I truly would never have come here if I had known anyone would follow me. At least you were prepared with all your additional muscle watching over Charlene when Cohen and Kroner s men arrived at the house.

Yeah, I was lucky. I m glad Ferret came through on the warehouse tip, Ethan said.

I m just glad we could be there to help out too, Adam said. If we hadn t been tracking Baker, we wouldn t have been there in time.

Tori agreed.

Yeah, thanks. Great work, everyone, Ethan said.

Then they said their goodbyes and Renault left to return to Portland. Adam was going to Portland to pick up his mate, Sierra, and head to the ranch. Noah and Tori drove their own vehicles out there.

Once everyone was gone, Ethan gathered Charlene in his arms. I can t believe the rogue agents put their families through all of this.

They didn t think they would ever get caught. Charlene kissed his jaw. Speaking of families…

We have the perfect place for children.

Just my thought. And anytime is good for me.

Ethan smiled. Just what I wanted to hear. He grabbed Charlene s and his bags, and they headed to the pack leaders ranch.

It was time to have a celebration of becoming mated wolves and joining the wolf pack and to celebrate the capture of so many of the bad guys. Then work on having their own family in the most pleasurable way possible.