I’d gotten away with that, but I was more than happy to give up the manifest so the ‘almost got shot’ thing didn’t happen again.
We weren’t telling them about the owl. I didn’t know why, but the men seemed firm and sure, and I was used to not telling the police certain things without explanation. I just had to trust Keltan.
I did.
With anything.
Including my life.
He’d proved that today. And the days before that.
Max looked up, eyes alight with an excitement mirroring Roger’s at the prospect of a story. “Where did you get this?” he demanded.
I couldn’t exactly tell him that my outlaw motorcycle club friend hacked into a federal site and illegally obtained it.
But seriously, these guys could have conceivably gotten it themselves. It was from the government they worked for, after all.
But I didn’t say that.
“Google,” I replied confidently.
Max’s eyes hardened. “Google?” he repeated.
I nodded. “Yes, it’s a very helpful search engine.”
The corner of Keltan’s mouth turned up again, and Duke’s turned into a complete smile.
Max was not even close to smiling. One could say he was glowering. “You expect me to believe you got a fucking classified shipping manifest from Google?” he hissed.
I drummed my fingers on the tabletop. “I don’t expect you to believe anything, Max. You’re a cop, after all, so disbelieving people is kind of your job. But whether or not you believe it, that’s my answer. And you’d be hard-pressed to get another one, or find any information to the contrary. So, I guess you’ll just have to use Google more often.” I winked.
Max’s ears turned red with rage as he leaned forward, clutching the paper so the edges crumpled. He opened his mouth to say something, but Keltan beat him to it.
“She answered your question, mate,” he said smoothly, but I sensed the anger underneath, saw it in his eyes. Shit, it all but filled the room. “So how about you move on.” He eyed Max. “And you swear at my woman again, we’ll be having problems.”
Max turned his red-eared head in Keltan’s direction. “You threatening a cop?” he clipped.
Keltan didn’t even flinch. But that was because Max’s attempt at fury was rather like a kitten trying to swipe at a lion.
Adorable.
But not at all successful.
Or attractive.
The lion on the other hand?
Yum.
“No,” my lion said. “I’m informing the man who just cussed at my woman, and raised his voice to her, that if he does it again, we’ll have fucking problems,” he said, leaning forward slightly, his hand squeezing my thigh, where it had been firmly grasping this entire time.
Max blinked at him. Then the kitten retracted its claws. “This manifest, in addition to the taps and other evidence you and your men have been able to acquire, are enough to bring charges against Rafael and at least three of his top associates,” he said finally, waving the crumpled paper.
Keltan had filled me in that he was handing over “some” of the stuff they’d gotten from their investigation. I didn’t ask why not “all,” guessing there was a long game at play.
I trusted him.
“Yep,” Keltan agreed.
Max’s eyes narrowed, then focused on me. “That means you’ll have to testify, in court, under oath, as to when and how you obtained this.” He shook the paper. “You sticking with Google.”
I didn’t hesitate. “I am.”
He stared at me.
“No way is she fuckin’ testifying,” Keltan interjected, squeezing my thigh once more.
Everyone looked at him.
I got to him before Max did. “And why is that?” I asked in a warning tone. I may not have loved to help out the law, but this Rafael guy seemed to deserve to go away. And not just because he tried to kidnap me.
His eyes met mine. “Because, Snow. The last three people who’ve tried to testify against him have died. Brutally,” he said flatly. “You’re not testifying. No way.”
“We’ll provide her with protection,” Max said.
Keltan scoffed. “You provided the past three witnesses with ‘protection’ too.”
Max’s lips were a hard line. “You know this case is a lot stronger with her testimony. In addition to being an eyewitness, she obtained key evidence.”
“Don’t care if her testimony will bring down the entire drug trade single-handedly,” Keltan replied stiffly. “If it risks her in any way, shape or form more than she already is, she’s not doin’ it.”
“She is sitting right here. And she walks and talks and makes decisions, you know, just like a real girl and not some pretty little doll you get to fight over,” I snapped at Keltan.
“Snow,” he warned.
“Nope.” I held up my hand. “You do not get to make this decision for me.” I looked to Max. “I’ll testify.”
Max didn’t outright grin, but the kitten puffed up its back slightly at the lion.
“Lucy,” Keltan warned again, his hands curling around mine tightly.
I met his eyes, saw the tumbling emotions in them, fear and worry trumping anger. “You’re not changing my mind,” I whispered.