Chapter 6
Agent Cora Whitlock returned in the early spring,
showing up unannounced at the heavy iron gates of the estate.
Landon's security detail stopped her immediately,
but Landon authorized her entry,
curious as to why the federal agent had come back into their lives.
Mave sat beside Landon in the grand library,
the same room where they had once shared their deepest secrets by the fire,
and watched as Whitlock walked in with a thick briefcase.
The agent looked older,
more tired,
but her eyes were still sharp and calculating as she took a seat across from them.
"I didn't come here to cause trouble,"
Whitlock said immediately,
holding up a hand to stall Landon's inevitable protests.
"I came to ask for a favor,
and to offer a mutually beneficial arrangement."
Landon leaned back in his leather armchair,
his expression unreadable,
his arm resting casually along the back of Mave's seat.
"I don't do favors for the federal government,"
Landon replied flatly,
his voice lacking any warmth.
Whitlock opened her briefcase,
and pulled out a stack of old,
weathered ledgers,
placing them heavily on the coffee table between them.
"These belonged to Conrad Varga,"
she explained,
tapping the top ledger with a manicured fingernail.
"We recovered them from the compound,
but they are heavily coded,
and our best analysts have spent months getting absolutely nowhere."
Mave leaned forward,
staring at the books that contained the ruined lives of thousands of people,
including her own father.
"What do they contain?"
Mave asked quietly,
feeling a cold chill run down her spine.
"The names of every corrupt politician,
every dirty judge,
and every police officer Varga had in his pocket,"
Whitlock answered grimly.
"If we decode this,
we can rip the corruption out of this city by its roots."
Landon looked at the ledgers,
and his jaw tightened,
because he knew exactly how Varga's mind worked.
"You want me to decode them,"
Landon concluded,
his eyes narrowing dangerously at the agent.
"You ran in the same circles,"
Whitlock pointed out,
unfazed by his intimidating glare.
"You know his ciphers,
you know how he hid his money,
and you know we can't do this without you."
Landon stood up,
and paced over to the window,
looking out at the rain slicked driveway.
"I left that life behind,"
he said bitterly,
turning his back on the agent.
"I promised my family that I was done with the underworld."
Mave stood up,
and walked over to him,
placing a gentle hand on his broad shoulder.
"Landon,"
she said softly,
forcing him to turn and look at her.
"If those books stay locked,
the men who protected Varga stay in power,
and they will eventually find a new monster to back."
He looked into her eyes,
and he saw the fierce,
unyielding justice that drove her every single day.
"You want me to do this,"
he realized,
his voice softening exclusively for her.
"I want you to use the darkness you learned,
to finally bring them into the light,"
Mave told him,
standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
Landon turned back to Whitlock,
his posture rigid and commanding.
"Leave the books,"
he ordered,
his voice echoing with authority.
"And if I do this,
your agency leaves us alone forever,
no more check-ins,
no more favors."
Whitlock smiled,
May you like
a genuine expression of respect,
and agreed to the terms without hesitation.
