CHAPTER 138
JAX'S POV
The transfer to the official federal facility happened so fast it felt like a magic trick. One moment we were in unmarked cells in William's shadow prison, the next we were being processed through the normal booking system with lawyers, paperwork, and actual constitutional rights.
But as I sat in the new holding area waiting for our court-appointed attorney, I couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't a rescue - it was another move in whatever game William and Skylar were playing.
"Something's not right," Lucas said from the bench beside me. "Federal prosecutors don't just discover off-books detention facilities by accident."
"Skylar," Harry said with certainty. "She made this happen somehow."
"Or William did," I countered. "Think about it - we're more useful to him if we're in the system where he can make deals and apply pressure through official channels."
Before anyone could respond, a woman in an expensive suit walked into the holding area, followed by a guard who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else.
"Gentlemen, I'm Rebecca Martinez, your attorney. We need to talk."
She led us to a conference room that was probably bugged by at least three different agencies, but lawyer-client privilege meant they couldn't use anything they overheard in court. Probably.
"First, the good news," Martinez said, spreading files across the table. "The charges against you have been... clarified. Instead of terrorism and conspiracy, you're looking at unlawful weapons possession and interfering with a federal investigation."
"That's good news?" Harry asked.
"Compared to life in prison? Yes. With plea bargains and time served, you could be looking at eighteen months to three years."
"What's the bad news?" Lucas asked, though I was pretty sure we all knew the answer.
"The bad news is that someone wants to make a deal. And that someone is willing to testify against you in exchange for immunity."
She slid a document across the table. At the top, in neat legal formatting, was a cooperation agreement between the United States Attorney's Office and one Skylar Mitchell.
I stared at the paper, reading the same paragraph over and over without processing the words. Skylar was going to testify against us. The woman I loved, the person I'd killed for, was going to put us in prison to save herself.
"This doesn't make sense," Harry said, his voice hollow. "She would never..."
"According to this agreement, Ms. Mitchell has been cooperating with federal law enforcement for several months. The raids on the trafficking facilities, the intelligence about William Kane's operations - it all came from her."
"She's been working undercover," Lucas said slowly. "That's why William thinks he has her. That's why she's been acting so cold and calculating."
I wanted to believe that. God, I wanted to believe that Skylar was playing some deeper game, that she had a plan to save us all while bringing down William's empire. But the evidence in front of me suggested something much simpler and more devastating.
She'd chosen survival over loyalty.
"What exactly is she offering to testify about?" I asked.
Martinez flipped through the agreement. "Your involvement in the warehouse explosion that killed Jack Mitchell. The elimination of several of William Kane's business associates. Weapons trafficking, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit murder."
"All true," Harry said flatly.
"But provable only with her testimony. Without her cooperation, the prosecution's case is entirely circumstantial."
"So we're fucked unless we can convince her not to testify," I said.
"Or unless you have something to offer the prosecution that's more valuable than her testimony."
We all looked at each other, thinking the same thing. The only thing more valuable than Skylar's testimony against us would be our testimony against William. But that would mean betraying the man who'd trained us, who'd saved us from lives on the street, who'd made us into the people we were today.
It would also mean betraying whatever plan Skylar was working on.
"We need to talk to her," Lucas said.
"That's... complicated. Ms. Mitchell is currently in protective custody as a federal witness. Contact with potential co-conspirators is strictly forbidden."
"Then we need to get a message to her somehow."
Martinez studied our faces, probably trying to determine whether we were dangerous criminals or just three guys who'd gotten in over their heads. "There might be a way. If one of you were willing to provide information about William Kane's operations, the prosecution might allow a supervised meeting to discuss a joint cooperation agreement."
"What kind of information?" Harry asked.
"Financial records, operational details, evidence of corruption within federal law enforcement. Anything that could help them build a case against the real targets."
I thought about the years we'd spent working for William, the things we'd seen and done, the evidence we'd gathered as insurance against exactly this kind of situation. We had enough information to destroy him completely - if we were willing to use it.
"And if we cooperate, what happens to Skylar?"
"If her testimony is no longer needed, the immunity agreement becomes void. She'd be subject to prosecution for her own crimes."
"Unless she makes her own deal," Lucas said grimly.
"Unless she makes her own deal," Martinez confirmed.
The door opened and a federal marshal stepped inside. "Time's up. Your arrangement hearing is in thirty minutes."
As we were led back to the holding cells, I tried to process what we'd learned. Skylar was either playing the most complex double-agent game in history, or she'd genuinely turned against us to save herself. Either way, our only chance of survival was to betray William and hope we could convince her to come back to us.
But as I thought about the cold calculation I'd seen in her eyes since her father's death, I couldn't shake the feeling that the Skylar we'd fallen in love with was already gone.
The woman who'd taken her place might be willing to sacrifice anyone - including us - to achieve her goals.
"What do we do?" Harry asked quietly as the cell door clanged shut.
"We play the only card we have left," I said. "We burn William to the ground and hope Skylar remembers who she used to be."
But even as I said it, I wondered if we weren't already too late. Because if Skylar had truly become what her father had tried to make her, then saving us might not be part of her plan at all.
The question was whether we could accept that and still try to save her from herself.
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