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Scrapper grunts skeptically. “Think he was set up? This was obviously filmed as a threat. If that footage goes out, Danny's gonna be put away for life, if they don't give him the death penalty.”
“I can't let that happen.”
“Damn right we won't,” agrees Reaper. “We're gonna find every one of those fuckers and?—”
But I stop him. “No.”
Mack's brows narrow in confusion. “No?”
“It's just going to hurt more people. What can we do that will make sure they don't hurt Danny more? What if they kill him? What if they kill us?”
Scrapper straightens angrily. “You think we're gonna let anyone harm a fucking hair on your head?”
“You can't protect me all the time. What was I thinking? I’m nobody and I thought I could take on something like this? Like I was going to be the one to blow the whole lid off it. Danny was right. I bet I'm not even the first to try, it's just that no one's heard of the others, because they're either dead or silenced.” It all feels so hopeless. “I can't keep going.”
Reaper sighs, but he doesn't say anything while I burrow my face into his chest and just let him hold me.
“No,” says Mack, his voice deep and deadly. Measured. He's thinking, not reacting. “No, we're not going to let this lie, but we're not gonna do anything unless we're damn sure we've got the upper hand. We have to move real careful.”
“Don't you get it?” I explode, pushing myself angrily up to sit so I can glare at him. “If we do anything; They. Are. Going. To. Kill. Him. That can't be so hard to understand.”
His jaw twitches, but he keeps his voice calm. “You think they're done with you? This threat, it's because they can't get to you. You wanna know why Mullerby was there? You were the one that said there are no coincidences, so think it through. Even if they didn’t find out that he squealed, they know he panicked and tipped you off that something was happening when he could’ve just kept his mouth shut and let you go home thinking you hit a dead end. They decided he was a liability, removed him from the equation and then sacrificed him like a pawn when it bought them something useful. And you’re a liability. We are too. What do you think that means?”
His hard words have my chest tightening. “You don't think they're going to leave it? They've got Danny as leverage for me, and me as leverage for him.”
“They don't wanna maintain that,” Scrapper says, as serious as I've ever heard him. “It's unstable and relies on trusting both of you to behave. They're gonna come for you, and as soon as you're gone, Danny's gonna have an accident in prison.”
I shake my head. I don't want to believe it. “I didn't mean to make all this happen,” is all I get out, through sobs.
“You were doing the right thing,” says Reaper. “This is real. This is something that needs to be exposed. If this is allowed to continue, more and more people will get shafted, just like Danny did. That coulda been me. And they're fucking scared of you. Scared of what you're digging up.”
I look up at him. He's blurry through my tears. “Scared of me?”
Mack reaches over to put a hand on my thigh. “If they weren't scared of you, scared of the things you're bringing to light, they wouldn't fucking bother with any of this. They'd just let you yell yourself hoarse about corruption in the justice system, and laugh at you while you did. That they're reacting like this means you've got them running scared. And like an animal backed up in a corner, they're lashing out.”
“But… what if it all goes wrong?” I keep wanting to think that if I just behave, then Danny will be fine, but he's not fine. He's trapped in prison for more than thirty more years. And if the guys are right, then even after all this, we're not safe.
Scrapper leans in to kiss the top of my head. “With the four of us together, how wrong can it go?”
I let out a short bark of a laugh that surprises me as much as anyone else. “You want a list? I got a lot of ideas from talking to the other old ladies.”
“Here's the deal,” Reaper says. “Until this is resolved, it's gonna be hanging over us. Maybe nothing happens right away, but we won't know and as long as that's true, we're not gonna be able to do anything again without making sure we're protected, making sure we're not exposed. At some point, we're gonna let down our guard. We’ve gotta succeed every time, they only gotta succeed once.”
That gives me chills. “So what do we do?”
“For starters, we’re getting eyes on Danny in prison. The plan is to get him put in solitary where we have contacts who can make sure he doesn’t fall into someone’s knife while we figure this out. Snark has started decrypting some of the files on that flash drive you gave him, and we’ve called in some help in figuring out who they’re using for muscle.” He locks eyes with me, his stormy dark blue orbs roiling with fury. “We can't force you. We can't tell you not to give up. But it’s not all in your hands anymore. They slipped up when they attacked us the other day and ran you and Reaper off the bridge. It’s not just about your brother anymore. That shit can’t go unanswered.”
“You’re fucking stuck with us,” Reaper says. “And we don't want to see you hurt. Let us protect you the best way we know how. Life is always a risk, but you deserve to live one without all this bullshit hanging over your head.”
“I'm scared.” I hate to admit it, but right now, it's the only thing I'm feeling. The only thing that I can process. “I'm so scared.”
“Baby, it's fucking terrifying.” Scrapper brushes my hair out of my face. “That's why you got us here. Because we're even fucking scarier, and we're on your side. So when you're scared, we're gonna be there. And we're gonna make this all right.”
Oh, wow. I don't… I really don't know how to respond. He’s talking about a type of justice that’s much more basic than what I’m used to. It’s scary, but at the same time, it’s comforting to know that I’m not in this by myself anymore, and behind Mack, Scrapper and Reaper, are the Screaming Eagles.
“Are we going to make it?” I ask as they pull me into their embrace.
“Make it or die trying,” Reaper replies. And somehow, it makes me feel better.
