Then—
A door slammed open somewhere behind them.
Footsteps. Fast.
“Federal agent! Let him go!”
Keller’s voice.
The weight lifted from Wyatt’s chest. He rolled onto his side, gasping, sucking air into burning lungs. Through watering eyes, he saw Keller advancing, weapon drawn, his face hard.
The syndicate man backed away, hands raised. “Easy, easy?—“
“On your knees. Now.”
The man complied, lowering himself to the concrete, and Wyatt felt a surge of relief.
Keller had come. The plan had worked.
Shaw hit the ground hard,Jo’s weight driving her into the leaf litter. Shadow barked—sharp, alarmed—but Lucy was there, blocking him, the two dogs facing off in a tense standoff that stopped just short of violence.
“What the hell—“ Shaw twisted beneath Jo, trying to break free. She was strong, trained, but Jo had position and leverage.
Sam was there a second later, his weapon drawn, pointed at Shaw’s head. “Don’t move.”
“Are you insane?” Shaw’s voice was furious, breathless. “We’re on the same side!”
“No.” Sam’s voice was granite. “You work for the syndicate. We know about the Motel 8 searches. We know you’re onpersonal leave. We know you’ve been lying to us since the moment you arrived.”
Shaw went still beneath Jo. For a moment, the only sounds were heavy breathing and the soft growls of the dogs.
Then Shaw laughed.
It wasn’t a happy sound.
“You think I’m the mole?” She turned her head, meeting Sam’s eyes even with Jo’s knee in her back. “You’ve got it backwards, Chief. I’m not working with these people. I’m hunting them.”
“Bullshit.”
“It’s the truth.” Shaw’s voice dropped, urgent now. “I’m here because of Keller. He killed my partner. Fed his identity to the Binding Chain two years ago and watched them murder him. The Bureau investigated, couldn’t prove anything, and Keller walked.” Her jaw tightened. “So I took leave. Built my own case. Followed him here.”
Jo felt something cold settle in her stomach. “You’re saying Keller?—”
“Is dirty. Has been for years. Cooper figured it out, same as Marcus did. That’s why Cooper’s dead.” Shaw’s eyes burned with fury and grief and something that looked like desperation. “I’ve been tracking Keller for months, waiting for him to slip up. When he got assigned to the Cooper case, I knew this was my chance.”
Sam’s weapon didn’t waver. “Why should we believe you?”
“Because I have proof. Files, recordings, financial trails—all of it pointing to Keller.” Shaw’s voice cracked. “Why do you think I’ve been running searches from my motel room? I’ve been building a case. Mapping every dirty thing he’s ever touched.”
Jo looked at Sam. His face was pale in the moonlight, his jaw tight.
“The meet tonight,” Sam said slowly. “Keller is supposed to be Wyatt’s backup.”
Shaw’s eyes widened. “Keller isinside?”
Through the earpiece, Jo heard Wyatt’s voice—strained, tense:
“I said open it.”