Lexie uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, resting her crossed arms on the table.
Adam continued, “We still have a ton of work to do on this case. I’m going to need your help. I don’t want tension between us. We have to keep Savannah stable throughout the prosecution stage, and you’re the best person for the job. She trusts you, and you can relate to her. Are you onboard?”
Lexie dropped her head down on her crossed arms, sat a few seconds, and then lifted her head so she was eye to eye with Adam. “Of course I’m onboard. I’m your undercover agent. I’m here to support your operation in whatever way you need.”
Adam looked a little surprised.
“Just because I’m mad at you doesn’t mean that I don’t respect you or your decisions. Adam, you and Kate have taken care of me since day one. This has been an amazing opportunity. I’ll be here for you until the last defendant goes to jail.”
Adam smiled but looked exhausted.
“What’s next?” Lexie asked.
“I’m scheduled to present the arson case to the federal grand jury next week. I’m sure that AUSA Griffin will add the events from last night to the indictment. The intelligence analyst was able to identify the previous arson that Haley was involved in, so we’ll charge her with that one as well.”
“So it’s finally happening,” Lexie said. “The subjects are going to be arrested for the arson and the murder.”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you the good news,” Adam said. “We got word from the Portland Division. They’ve located Gregory Bennett, a.k.a. Badger. They’re waiting for us to send them the arrest warrant, and they’ll pick him up.”
“That’s good. How did they find him?”
“They have a well-placed source.”
“I hope that piece of shit rots in prison,” Lexie declared.
Adam laughed. “There’s my Lexie. Since it’s almost morning, we’re going to keep the subjects here then transport them to the US Marshals Service as soon as they open.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Well, you might as well get transported with them. You never know what they might discuss in lockup over there. We’ll inform the Marshals Service that you’re an undercover and that you won’t be going to jail. We’re waiting to see if either one of them calls Savannah for help.”
“That poor girl,” Lexie said.
“You have to keep her from going off the rails, Lexie.”
“I can do that.” Lexie stifled a yawn.
“I’m going to find you a couch for a nap,” Adam said.
“That would be great. I could use a couple of hours of sleep.”
“It’s six thirty, so you have about ninety minutes to nap.”
“Ugh. No wonder I’m exhausted.”
* * * * *
Lexie, Haley, Nick, and Tim were transported to the federal courthouse and taken to the US Marshals Service lockup. There were four cells in the lockup, so each person had a private cell. They were able to see and talk to one another if they desired.
The four were quiet on the trip over to the courthouse. Once in the holding cell, Lexie could hear Nick and Tim whispering to one another, but she couldn’t hear what they were saying. Haley had dark circles under her bloodshot eyes.
“You look awful,” Lexie said.
“You don’t look like you’re ready for the red carpet yourself.”
“I’m exhausted,” Lexie admitted.
“Me too. This should be over soon.”
“What’s going to happen to us?” Lexie asked.
“We’ll see the judge, who’ll make a determination on bail.”
“Bail? How much bail? I don’t have any money.”
“You’ll have to put up a percentage. Since this is vandalism, it probably won’t be much,” Haley explained. “Just remember to keep your mouth shut. You didn’t tell those fucking feds anything last night, did you?”
“No, of course not. I pretended to be asleep.”
“That’s good. They’ll try to scare you, but don’t listen to them.”
“I won’t.”
Nick yelled from his cell, “Don’t talk to the snitch, Haley.”
“Told you he thinks I’m a snitch,” Lexie said.
“Don’t be so paranoid,” Haley yelled back.
“It had to be her. She’s a fucking snitch.”
“Seems like Tim’s plan got us into this. Maybe he’s the snitch,” Haley yelled.
“It’s your funeral, Haley,” Nick responded.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Savannah
Savannah’s cell phone rang. Unknown number. She was exhausted and wanted to let the call go to voice mail, but she remembered her earlier conversation with Lexie.
“Hello?”
“Savannah, it’s Nick.”
Savannah’s eye twitched. No matter how scared I am, I have to do this, Savannah thought.
“Nick. Hi. I didn’t recognize the number.”
“Listen closely. Haley and I have been arrested.”
“What? Arrested for what?”
“Don’t worry about that right now. I need you to do something for me.”
Breathe. Breathe. Calm down. You can do this.
“Okay. I’m listening.”
“We need you to go to Jeannette’s house. Haley already called her. She’ll have some money waiting for you. Take the money and go to Jeremy’s Bail Bond Service on Temple Street. You can look up the exact address online.”
“Okay, I’m writing this down,” Savannah said. “Jeremy’s Bail Bond Service. Got it.”
“Give the bondsman our names and the money. He’ll post our bonds so we can get out today. We go in front of the judge at ten o’clock, and with any luck, we’ll be out of here by noon. Can you pick us up?”
“Yes. Sure. Where?”
“Downtown at the federal courthouse.”
“Federal! Oh God, Nick, what did they arrest you for?”
“I’ll explain later. Just get that money over to the bail bondsman so we can get out of here.”
“I’ll leave right now. I love you, Nick.”
Nick hung up without saying anything.
Savannah felt like her heart had been ripped out. She followed Nick’s instructions and picked up five thousand dollars from Jeannette and took it to the bondsman. She drove to the federal courthouse and waited for her friends’ release. Her stomach churned, and her eye continued to twitch.
After waiting several hours for paperwork to be processed, Nick and Haley finally emerged from the holding area. Both had dark circles under their eyes, and their clothing was dirty and disheveled. Savannah rushed over and threw her arms around Nick, who did not appear overly excited to see her.
“Are you guys all right?” Savannah asked.
“Fine. Let’s get out of here,” Nick said tersely as he shoved Savannah away.
Savannah’s feelings were hurt, but she wasn’t going to let Nick see how much he hurt her. “Nick, don’t be like that. I’m only trying to help,” she said.
“Let’s get out of this place,” he said as he barreled out the door.
Savannah looked over at Haley, who shrugged her shoulders.
“My car is parked in the side parking lot,” Savannah said.
“Thanks for picking us up,” Haley said.
“No problem. What happened?”
They piled in Savannah’s car, Nick electing to ride in the backseat. “You can drop me at my apartment,” he stated.
“Okay. Are either of you going to tell me what happened?”
“Why don’t you ask your fucking best friend?” Nick said with a snarl.
“What are you talking about, Nick?”
“Lexie is the reason we ended up in jail,” Nick stated.
“You d
on’t know that,” Haley said. “The cops may have been watching Tim. We don’t know anything for sure.”
“Oh come on, Haley! You’re smarter than that. Lexie is a snitch. That’s the only explanation. All our problems started when she showed up. First the tracker and now getting arrested. Don’t be an idiot. She’s either a cop or a snitch.”
“It can’t be Lexie,” Savannah said. “She’s my friend.”
“Oh, I forgot—she’s your friend so she can’t be a snitch!” Nick exploded. “You don’t have a fucking clue, Savannah, so shut up.”
“Screw you, Nick!” Savannah yelled. “I’ve spent the whole day trying to help you post bond, not to mention sitting at that damn courthouse all day, and then you treat me like this.”
“Calm down, both of you,” Haley said.
“You two can do whatever you want, but I don’t intend to have any dealings with Lexie ever again,” Nick said. “I don’t want to be around her or see her. If either one of you choose to remain friends with her, then write me out of your life, because we are done.” He stared out the side window and didn’t utter another word. Savannah pulled up to his apartment. He leaped out and didn’t say goodbye. She thought that he might turn to wave goodbye, but he didn’t.
Savannah felt like she was watching the scene from outside of her body. Who is this person that I’ve become? she asked herself.
“He’ll come around,” Haley said.
“I don’t think so,” Savannah murmured as she pulled out and drove to the dorm.
On the ride home, Haley told Savannah the whole story. She told her about Tim and how he recruited Lexie.
“Do you think Lexie really is a snitch?” Savannah asked.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I think we need to avoid her until we know for sure.”
“How did she get out of jail?” Savannah asked. “She didn’t call me.”
“I don’t know. After our initial appearances, we were all separated.”
“What were you guys charged with?”
“It’s such bullshit. They charged us with a violation of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, but they can’t prove it. It’ll probably get dropped down to vandalism or breaking and entering. The FBI tries to use scare tactics, charging terrorism, but it never holds up in court.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I am. Trust me. This isn’t the first time I’ve tangled with the FBI.”
“Can I ask you something, Haley?”
“Sure. What?”
“Why didn’t you ask me to help?”
Haley took a deep breath and put her hand on Savannah’s shoulder. “Savannah, don’t take this wrong, but you aren’t cut out for the underground stuff. You’re better off sticking to the aboveground protests and such. It takes a different kind of person to do the illegal shit, and you just don’t have it in you.”
“It’s because of the fire, isn’t it? Because I fell apart after the fire?”
“Partly. But mostly you’re just too nice to do illegal stuff. There are roles for everyone to play in our movement, and you need to find yours. The underground stuff isn’t your forte. That doesn’t make you any less important to the movement.”
Savannah thought about it for a few seconds and nodded. “I think you’re absolutely right.”
“Wow, I didn’t expect you to agree with me.”
“Why not? I can accept the fact that I’m not perfect,” she said laughing.
“You’re practically perfect, Savannah.”
“Far from it, my friend. Far from it.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Savannah
Los Angeles, California, 6:00 a.m., one week later
As Savannah and Haley slept soundly in their dorm room, Kate, along with two of her squad mates and two USC campus police officers, approached the dormitory. Simultaneously, a group of agents led by Adam approached the apartment Nick shared with three other guys. The arrests were planned to coincide with Badger’s arrest in Portland to prevent anyone in the Portland flophouse from calling the Los Angeles people and warning them.
It was only a matter of time before Haley and Nick would know Savannah had cooperated and that Lexie was an undercover FBI agent. Based on Savannah’s cooperation, AUSA Griffin had dropped the charges against her and given her immunity with the understanding that she would be required to testify against all the subjects at trial.
Campus security had keys to the dormitory housing, so they quietly opened the front door to allow Kate and the rest of the agents to make entry. Haley and Savannah were asleep in their beds when the arrest team burst through her door.
“FBI! Get your hands up,” Kate yelled.
“What? What’s going on?” a startled Haley cried out. She looked over at Savannah.
Savannah trembled so hard her muscles cramped.
“Haley Crosby, you’re under arrest,” Kate said as she grabbed Haley by the arm and yanked her out of the bed.
Another agent placed his hands on Savannah’s shoulders, forcing her to remain seated on the bed.
Kate patted down Haley and searched the surrounding area for weapons.
“What’s going on?” Haley asked again, still groggy from sleep.
“You’re under arrest. You’ll be transported to the FBI office for processing.”
“Can I get some clothes on first?”
“Yes. Where are your clothes? You stand still; one of the agents will get them for you.”
Haley, still battling sleep and in shock, told the agent where to find her jeans, a shirt, and undergarments.
“All this because we tried to save a few beagles? Doesn’t the FBI have anything better to do?” Haley spat out.
“This has nothing to do with the great beagle caper,” Kate said with a sneer.
Haley froze, one leg in her jeans and one leg out. She looked up at Kate.
“Then what . . . what are the charges?” she stuttered.
“Conspiracy to violate the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, two counts of arson, and felony murder.”
Half dressed, Haley sank down on the bed.
Kate leaned down and whispered in Haley’s ear, “It’s over, Haley. We know about both fires.”
Fighting back tears, Haley gathered her composure, looked Kate in the eye, and with as much confidence as she could muster, said, “Fuck you! You’ve got nothing on me.”
Kate stepped back and chuckled. “That’s how you’re gonna play it?”
* * * * *
Lexie watched through the two-way mirror as Adam interviewed Nick.
“Nicholas Harris, I’m Special Agent Adam Harper with the FBI. Before you say anything, we need to share a few things with you about our investigation. First, you have been charged with conspiracy to violate the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, arson, and felony murder, all relating to an arson at the UCLA laboratory where a security guard was killed. Second, you are not the only person who was arrested this morning. We have several of your coconspirators in custody, both here and in Portland.”
Nick sat completely still, shoulders squared, showing no emotion.
Adam continued, “Gregory Bennett, I believe you know him as Badger, was most cooperative when he found out that you were trying to pin the fire on him. You told Haley Crosby and Savannah Riley that Badger set the fire, when it was you who set the fire. Mr. Bennett tried to stop you, but you wanted to make a statement.”
Nick continued to stare straight ahead.
“You know, it would be a shame for someone who had nothing to do with the planning of this action to go to jail, someone who may have been just a lookout person,” Adam said.
Nick stared at Adam.
“Nick, do you really want Savannah to go to jail for something that you, Haley, and Badger did? You could assume responsibility for what you did and save t
he girl you love the anguish of prison. You know as well as I do, she isn’t strong enough to survive prison.”
Lexie held her breath, waiting to see which direction the interview would go.
Nick went back to staring straight ahead.
Adam pulled out an Advice of Rights Form and read Nick his Miranda rights.
“Nick, think about Savannah before answering this next question. Think about her future and the love you have for her.” Adam put down the form and continued, “Nick Harris, do you understand your rights as they have been read to you, and are you willing to answer questions without an attorney being present?”
Nick chewed his bottom lip for a second, turned to look Adam in the eye, and responded, “Fuck Savannah and fuck you. I want a lawyer.”
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Alexis
Los Angeles, California,
two weeks after the arrests
It was Lexie’s last evening in LA, which had her feeling quite melancholy. She met Kate for their final dinner together.
Lexie picked at her food. “What’s new with the case?” she asked.
“We ironed out the plea deal for Badger,” Kate said. “He’s agreed to testify against Nick in exchange for a ten-year prison sentence.”
“I still can’t believe that Nick set the fire. This whole time we thought Badger was the psycho, and it turned out to be Nick,” Lexie said.
“We didn’t believe him at first, but when we followed the evidence it turned out Badger was telling the truth. Don’t get me wrong, Badger isn’t a boy scout by any means, but Nick’s a complete sociopath.”
“It’s revolting to think how Nick used Savannah,” Lexie stated. “He didn’t care who got hurt in the process.”
“Badger told us that Nick had no remorse for killing that security guard. According to Nick, the guard was collateral damage in the war against animal cruelty.”
Lexie shuddered. “That’s harsh. Does Savannah know it was Nick who set the fire?”
“Not unless her attorney told her.”
“She should hear it from me. I’ll call her tomorrow and tell her.”
“Is she back in South Carolina?” Kate asked.
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