Agent Dante didn’t move. “We know the way they operate, and we’re trying to stop them and save lives.”
Max could only shake his head. The guy didn’t get it. And Samantha—Sam—he didn’t want to think about her.
“You’re going to stay with him,” Dante said to Samantha, and it seemed like an order. Wait, he was the lead agent, so it was an order.
“No way.” Max could give orders too. “She leaves with you.” Because he was done with whatever game she was playing. The FBI could go screw off.
Dante crossed his arms over his chest. “I understand this is a difficult time for you, Mr. Ridgeway, but you need our help.”
Not from where he was standing. He needed them to get lost.
Dante’s attention shifted back to Samantha. “You’ve already got a cover here, Sam. Use it. Stay close and keep your eyes and ears open. When you learn something, you let us know.” Now his sharp gaze swung back to Max. “Mr. Ridgeway, I assure you that the kidnappers will not know about the SSD’s involvement. You’re in the clear.”
He’d better be.
“But this is the best chance we have to stop these perps. We can’t force your compliance, but…”
But the guy would really like to. Yeah, he could see that.
“But we can put you under a protective detail. And that is something we could force.” A nod toward Samantha. “Either way, Agent Kennedy isn’t leaving your side.”
Not a threat. Not blackmail. Just a fact.
Dammit. “Does it matter to you? If this gets my brother killed, does it matter to you?”
Samantha flinched but Dante didn’t bat an eyelash. “All the victims matter to me. That’s why I’m in this business. You might not like the way we work—”
“I f**king don’t.” Protective detail. Right. He could always just have them both thrown out—he could throw them out. But if someone was watching, that person would see what was happening, and Max didn’t want to risk that exposure.
“Just play it cool,” Dante advised him. “Listen to Sam. She won’t steer you wrong.”
What? He was supposed to trust her? When she’d already lied to him?
“Report when they make contact,” Dante told Sam. “We’ll set up surveillance for the drop.”
Max’s mouth opened to protest.
“They won’t know.” Dante rushed to assure him. “You’ll get your brother back, Mr. Ridgeway, and we’ll get the men who took him.”
Promises, promises.
“Can you handle this?”
Max blinked. “Don’t worry about me, I can—”
“Sam?” The agent cut through his words.
Her chin lifted a notch. “I’ve got it.”
Dante grabbed the files. “Are you in, Ridgeway?”
Samantha touched his arm. “There’s no other option now. I’m here.”
Because she’d tricked him. He wouldn’t forget that.
But now Frank would have to act. They’d get the money, and they’d damn well get Quinlan back.
Get him back in pieces. The bastard’s voice seemed to whisper through Max’s mind as he stepped away from Sam. “If Quinlan dies, I’ll destroy the SSD.”
Samantha flinched. “I want to get him back for you.”
But she wasn’t promising that she would get him back.
“Trust us to do our jobs,” Dante said. “We’ll have eyes on you from now on. When you go to make the exchange, we will be there.”
“And if they see you?” Max demanded. “What then?”
“They won’t.” Certainty from Dante. “We know what we’re doing, and believe me, we have agents who specialize in not being seen.”
“Ramirez,” Samantha murmured.
Dante nodded. “Our agents will follow the kidnappers after the drop. They’ll track them back to their hole, and they will recover your brother.”
The guy was obviously confident, but then, it wasn’t Dante’s brother on the line.
Dante’s gaze searched his face. “Now do we have your cooperation on this?”
Not like Max had any other options. He inclined his head in a grim nod.
Samantha’s hand fell away from his arm. “Thank you,” she whispered.
His jaw locked.
“You made the right decision.” Dante turned toward the door. “Be careful, you two. I’ll be watching.”
“Luke, you need to know, Quinlan was taken from The Core,” Samantha said.
That stopped the other agent, and he glanced back at her. “You sure about that?”
“I’m sure,” Max answered.
“I was at The Core right before he vanished. If we’d stayed just a little longer…” She shook her head. “We need to get agents in that bar. Curtis Weatherly also visited that place shortly before he vanished. The Core is a link.”
Dante nodded. “I’ll get Ramirez and Daniels to talk to the staff again. We interviewed them all before and ran background checks, but everyone turned up clean.” His head inclined. “So we’ll just look deeper, and we’ll make sure we keep our eyes on that place.”
Shouldn’t have left Quinlan. Guilt ate at Max’s gut. If he hadn’t left his brother in The Core…
“I can get some plainclothes cops in there ASAP,” Dante continued. “We’ll keep a surveillance team in The Core from now on.”
A little too late to help Quinlan.
Dante rolled his shoulders and yanked open the door. “S-sorry, boss. Didn’t realize you were… occupied.” His southern drawl was thicker, his posture a bit weaker. “I’ll come back later.”
“You do that,” Max called out, voice tight.
And then the guy was gone.
• • •
Sam slipped upstairs when Max and Frank were on the telephone again with the bank. She moved as quickly and quietly as she could. Her gaze darted into the rooms, scanning, searching—
There.
The closed door. The one at the end of the long hallway. Quinlan Malone still had a room at his father’s house.
She twisted the knob, and the door opened silently. Sam didn’t turn on the lights. No need. The computer sat waiting for her, right in the middle of Quinlan’s gleaming glass desk.
Sam closed the door behind her. The bedroom was huge, more of a suite than just one room, but… there was nothing personal there. No pictures. No ball caps. No books or magazines. No intimate touches.