Page 136 of Bound By Fire
“It’s not far off.”
“At least there are no false pretenses,” he says under his breath. “You’re investigating this female for treason somewhere between your marathon-fucks.”
I swallow hard.
“It was you, wasn’t it?” I ask.
Before he can answer, I shove him, and he staggers, only just holding his feet.
“You want to talk to me about right and wrong. Really?” I snarl. “You?”
“Ridge—”
“You were the one investigating Magma. It was you who got him in this mess!” I point at his face.
He doesn’t say anything for a second. Then he gives me a small nod. “I investigated him, but I didn’t get him into anything. I only agreed to do it because I thought he was innocent. I still do. I told both Reed and Vector as much.”
“He’s your friend…ourfriend, and we fucked him over.” I have to work to keep my voice down since there’s a securitycamera at the corner of the building. “He’s your friend, and you took the assignment. How could you?”
“That’s exactly why I took it.” His jaw tightens. “If I hadn’t, someone else would have. I didn’t think I’d find anything on him, but I did. I know it’s bullshit. The whole thing is a setup. Now I have all the information, and I plan on fixing it. I wouldn’t be in this position if I weren’t in the know. I’m right, and you fucking know it.” It’s his turn to point at me.
He is right, and I hate that fact.
I still feel like shit over the whole thing.
“It stinks, and that’s why I’m here,” he says. “We need to find a way to prove Magma’s innocence, but I can see that you’re too busy getting your dick wet to help me.”
“It isn’t about that. I’m attracted to Robyn, but that’s all it is. I’m perfectly objective.”
He laughs at me. “Yeah, right.”
“I swear. I do happen to think she’s innocent.”
“There we go.” He spreads his hands. “Case in point.”
“I think all eight are innocent. Not just Dr. Keller. I’m expecting to find dirt on her very soon. It’ll be at the office, since whoever is doing this no longer has access to her apartment. Someone tried to break in a few nights ago. I think it was whoever is framing her. I’m waiting to hear about a set of footprints we took outside. The evidence, I’m sure I will find, will be at the office in an area that others have access to, but that is predominantly her domain. It’ll be damning and nicely wrapped up in a neat bow.”
“Just like Magma.”
“Yes.”
He drags a hand down his mouth.
“Tell me about this evidence on him,” I ask. “There was something about documents taped under his bed.”
“What kind of an amateur would leave documents almost out in the open like that?” Flint asks. “I asked Reed the same question. Got nothing useful back.”
“Magma would never be so damned stupid. Reed mentioned something about a burner.”
“Yep. It was made to look like he had been in contact with someone from the Mainland. Untraceable, of course.”
“Of course. According to Reed, his fingerprints were on the device.”
“Yeah, but here’s the thing…” He pulls in a breath, his eyes on mine. “There was just one set of neat prints. No one else’s. Not multiple sets from the user; in this case, Magma. There was just the one set.”
“If he used the phone multiple times, there should have been multiple sets of prints. They’d all be his and overlapping, but they’d be there.”
“Exactly. It’s weird as fuck. I don’t like it at all. I argued against picking him up, but the Council ruled.”
