“I’m sorry, but why do you care as long as it doesn’t get back to you?” Lavender argued.
“Because Francis won’t last two minutes in any prison. Those Aryan fucks think Mickey is a legend. Half of them are Irish and grew up hearing about how he sent money and boatloads of weapons to Ireland. And he took care of the Brotherhood’s leaders—inside and outside of jail. That’s how Mickey stayed strong without any soldiers of his own. Francis is as good as dead if they think he killed Mickey,” he explained.
Lavender nodded in understanding. “Then, I give you my word that I won’t allow that. The plan was for the FBI to get the glory for this so there would be no further vendettas and that’s how it stays.”
That must have caught Speed off-guard. His head canted and he blinked at Lavender for a moment before he pulled in a deep breath. “Fine. If you give me your word,” he said slowly. He nodded as he coped with what must have been an incredibly foreign sensation, trusting Lavender. “I’ll do this your way and cooperate with Agent Beesley.”
“Thank you,” Lavender said sincerely. He reached and gave Speed’s right shoulder a pat. Speed frowned at Lavender’s hand.
“I said I’d cooperate but that doesn’t mean I’m happy about having lunch with a federal agent.”
“I don’t see what the problem is. You’ve befriended Zetas and the world’s seediest oligarchs,” Lavender reminded him. Speed’s nose wrinkled as he looked over his shoulder at the kitchen.
“I’m officially an informant if I do this. Before, I was handing Francis off to Sloan as a favor and because it seemed like a good way to quietly get some overdue justice. This feels more official and like it won’t stay quiet. What about Francis’s guys inside the FBI?”
“The FBI’s watching them closely and they’ll be facing charges as well. Paul’s plan is to have the bureau lean on them for most of their evidence so they won’t need you. He’s put Beesley in charge so no one—including Leary—will be able to accuse Paul of doing all of this to cover for you,” Lavender said, obviously surprising Speed.
“It’s Sloan’s plan?” He looked relieved as Lavender nodded.
“Who can argue that Paul was working by himself or running something shady within the bureau if the head of one of the nation’s largest field offices is in charge of the case?” Lavender said and Speed chuckled.
“No… This would look pretty high-level with Beesley running it,” he agreed, then frowned as he became suspicious again. “I’d like this better if he wasn’t so…” Speed’s lips pulled tight. He glanced over his shoulder at the kitchen again. “Smart. I get the feeling he already knows everything about us and I don’t like it.”
“He does because Paul’s given Beesley very thorough notes on all of us over the years.”
“And you allowed that?” Speed asked, mystified.
“Of course,” Lavender said with a Cheshire grin. “The Devil makes deals on occasion, does he not? That was how I kept the FBI from breathing down my neck and questioning my every move. I’d rather deal with Paul because I know I can trust him than deal with a cadre of incompetent bureaucrats.”
“Wow.” Speed leaned back and eyed Lavender appreciatively. “I see why Blink keeps such a close eye on you.”
“Then pay attention and make nice with Beesley because it never hurts to have friends who are going places, as you well know,” Lavender said, wagging a finger at Speed. “Paul Sloan has no desire to become director but there could come a day when he has just as much power within the bureau. Director’s a purely political position but Paul’s the kind of senior agent who gets results and makes the bureau look good. So is Beesley. He could be your Agent Sloan if you play your cards right,” he said with a suggestive look, making Speed laugh.
“I’ll think about it,” he said hesitantly and Lavender hummed.
“He doesn’t have to be your enemy either. Show him that this is where you intend toliveand be real and he won’t treat you like an informant. He’ll see you as an ally and he’ll want to protect you and Blake.”
“I…think I can do that,” Speed said, then grinned at Lavender. “If you and Sloan trust him, I can trust him.”
“Thank you. I think you’ll find it easier to let go of Leary once you get to know Beesley and see what kind of case he’s building. You play a relatively small part, from what I’ve heard.”
“Really?”
“Really,” Lavender reassured Speed, then excused himself.
Lavender enjoyed how baffled Speed was as he left him. Speed assumed he’d help Paul build the case around Leary and arrange his capture. That would have taken a terrible toll on Speed, Paul and Lavender agreed. Both thought that it was best if Speed had as little to do with the case as possible. And that included choosing someone who didn’t know or care about Speed as head investigator.
Paul was confident that Beesley would handle the case with the utmost professionalism while juggling the unique challenges involved with Speed’s connection to Blink and Lake Cliff. He described Beesley as highly intelligent and an incredibly savvy yet trustworthy agent and friend within the bureau. Paul said he’d trust Beesley with his life and that he was just morally flexible enough to appreciate Lake Cliff as an opportunity instead of a legal gray area.
“Who was that?” Sage asked when Lavender shut the front door behind him.
“Special Agent Beesley,” he said, enjoying Sage’s shock. “He’s a friend of Paul’s. He’s building the FBI’s case against Leary so Paul can stay out of it and spend more time with Reginald.”
“That’s great!” Sage widened his eyes as he gathered Lavender in his arms. “And how do you feel about Agent Beesley being here?”
“We discussed this before Paul left to go into hiding with Reginald and I agreed that it was for the best.”
“And you’re cool with him poking around?”