He nodded.
“So what’s wrong? Is the FBI after you now because you turned on them?”
“I didn’t turn on them.” The look in his eyes was wild now. He’d become more and more zealous as he talked.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to imply anything bad. They obviously weren’t giving you the help you’d been promised.”
“Exactly, so I had to do something. My family had to be eliminated. There weren’t any other options. You have to see that.”
“Yeah, it sounds like you did the right thing.” I was starting to question his sanity. I decided the best thing I could do was just go along with him.
“I did, and once I was settled here, I made contact with my FBI handler again.”
“He wasn’t angry with you?”
“He was a lot angrier with his superiors who hadn’t let him do what needed to be done.”
“So is he helping you now?”
Evan shook his head. “He’s dead.”
“Oh my God.” I did my best to act surprised, but I felt sick to my stomach. Evan really was the one. He’d betrayed Grant and everyone else at the ranch. I gripped my coffee so tightly it’s a wonder I didn’t break the mug.
Evan wasn’t even looking at me, though. He was staring down at his hands, twisting them in his lap. “They killed him. These monsters here killed him.”
I wanted to grab him and shake him until he accepted that his handler was a fucking monster for shooting at innocent men and that Grant was trying to protect him when he was busy leading the authorities here. “So you told him where you were, and he came to get you?”
Evan frowned. “He came to take this place down. When his agency rejected him, he started working undercover with my family’s successors.”
“Who are they?”
Before he could answer, the door burst open, and Grant and TJ stepped in.
“What the hell?” Evan jumped up. His mug hit the floor and shattered. He turned to me, his face going from confused to enraged. “You… you’re working with them? You’re part of this evil.”
I took a step back. “They aren’t evil. You betrayed them after they took you in.”
He lunged at me. Before I could react, Grant was in front of me. He grabbed Evan by the front of his shirt and yanked him in. “I could kill you right now you lying little bastard.”
“I never lied. I don’t lie. I’m good. I’m the good one.” He struggled against Grant’s hold, trying to hit him. Grant easily pinned his arms behind him and held him so his kicks couldn’t make contact.
“Stop or you’re going to hurt yourself.” Grant looked over his shoulder at me. “Is he as crazy as he sounds?”
I nodded. “He’s been through a hell of a lot.”
“You’re just like my family,” he yelled at Grant. “You’re a killer. You’re evil.”
“No, I’m not. If I was, you’d already be dead, and TJ would be making sure no one ever found you.”
The color drained from Evan’s face, and he swayed.
“Cuff him,” Grant demanded.
TJ did as he was asked. Evan continued to struggle uselessly. “Should I take him downstairs?”
“Yeah, lock him up.” Grant turned to me. “Did Evan get breakfast?”
I shook my head. “Just coffee.”