“You’re…” He sighed and stepped back, obviously frustrated. “You’re one of the only people that knows what happened to me and believed me without needing proof. And when this falls apart, when all this shit falls down around me, I’d like to know that there’s someone out there that knows what’s really happened to me. I’d like to know that I didn’t drag you down with me so that I could clear my name.”
“What does this have to do with clearing your name?” He turned to go, but I stopped him, grabbing onto his arm. “No, either you tell me or this all stops now.”
He glanced back at the building again and then grabbed my arm, dragging me to the SUV. Once we were inside, he turned to me and laid it out. “Knight is working to get my name cleared. If this is as big as we think, if we can stop it, that might put me in the position to get my case reviewed. But I have to figure out what this is.”
My jaw dropped. “Are you serious? Parker, do you realize how unrealistic that is? You don’t even know what we’re looking for. I mean, it could be exactly what Hunter was saying. This could all be about a cure for cancer or something. There’s no way to know for sure that whatever is going on could help you in any way.”
“Don’t you think I fucking know that?” he shouted. He ran his hand through his hair and swore, turning away from me. I wasn’t sure what he thought would happen. Did he really think that we were going to find some massive conspiracy and bring down all the players, and then he would get pardoned? That just wasn’t realistic.
“Parker, I’m telling you this as someone that has seen investigations first hand. Nothing ever turns out like you hope. Believe me, I’ve seen some investigations that look rock solid, and then it goes through bureau channels and you never hear a fucking thing about it again. It’s swept under the rug to protect someone or the charges are dropped because there’s a big payday involved. Even if what you and Knight suspect is true, the likelihood that you’ll not only uncover the truth, but also make those in the wrong pay is highly unlikely. You’re going to get yourself sent to prison if you chase this on a dream. And frankly, with your dishonorable discharge, you’re going to sink with the ship. This will hit the media and all they’ll look at is your past. They’re not going to care if it’s true or not. They’re not going to investigate any of this. They’re going to take one look at you and assume that anything that’s written about you is true. Trust me on this.”
“I have to take that chance. If I don’t, they win. I may go to prison, but at least I’ll go down fighting.”
“But this isn’t even related to you!”
“It’s my one chance, Blake. Look at what we’ve already uncovered. You can’t tell me that you think anything that’s going on in that lab is right. If I can just get in there and get any notes available, maybe we can find what we need.”
“And then what?”
“Then we find someone that’s not a total douchebag and we make sure that this gets out there.”
“Parker, you’re not listening to me. There aren’t many good people left out there. This will only go so far before it’s snuffed out.”
“I can’t believe that,” he said fiercely. “I can’t believe that our government has been overrun by those that would take what they stand to profit over doing what’s right. There have to be people out there still willing to fight back against corruption. Otherwise what the fuck was I fighting for when I served?”
I could see I wasn’t going to change his mind. I took his hand in mine and gave it a squeeze. “Alright, then we do this together. I’m already in this too deep to walk away. Trust me, whether or not I get caught sneaking into this facility, I’m fucked when they catch me. I might as well try and do some good before then.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Parker
We were dressed differently this time. We weren’t going in as a suburban family trying to have a baby. This time, our only mission was getting into that lab. We dressed like everyone else in the facility that worked there, and quickly found the research lab that we needed to sneak into. Down the hall was a lounge where I was hoping that we could snatch a badge from one of the employees. It was around lunch time, so I was betting that people were going on their lunch break and we could slip in and get what we needed without being noticed.
“Up ahead,” Blake whispered.
I glanced up ahead and saw a group of three people going into the lounge. I would have to be quick, and it would look suspicious if both Blake and I entered and then left just as quickly.
“You go to the restroom. I’ll grab what we need and meet you back out here in three minutes.”
“Are you sure you can get it?”
“It’ll be fine,” I said with more assurance than I felt. She veered off to the right, down a second hallway, and headed for the women’s restroom. I continued on to the lounge and walked in like the new employee. I was banking on the awkwardness of the first day to sell my part.
I quickly spotted a man sitting in a chair, his jacket draped over the back of his chair. His badge hung off his jacket. I walked over there, trying my best not to do anything to draw attention, but also not to seem suspicious. I needed to be noticed, but not memorable in any way.
The man stood and
