Josh leaned in to look closer. The guy standing up was clear in the photo and looked like a very young version of the senator. The face of the girl on her knees was less clear.
"The senator?" Josh said carefully.
"Turned up in a pile of photos on his brother's computer. Looks like the whiter-than-white married senator riding on the platform of family got his rocks off outside of the marital bed."
"So if this happened while he was married then publish the photo and knock him off his pedestal." Surely that was brother three dealt with then.
"We don't have enough information; if we knew who the girl was, and if we could prove it was during the marriage, and if we could definitively prove it was him in the photo, then yeah, we can maybe get him to resign. Or, and this is a more likely scenario, given he talks a lot about the past and how he has learned from it, all he needs to say is that this was a long time ago blah blah blah and he sails the publicity."
"You want me to see if I can find out who this is?"
"And date the photo. That's your main role here.
There's a guy coming over, Morgan, he's worked long and hard on pulling together all the strands of this family. He's bringing it here so we can see where this photo fits."
"Okay. I can do that."
"Of course at any time in-between if you want to use the information we have to work on your dad and his connection—"
"No. I'm not interested in what my dad was involved in, not unless it impacts what we are doing here today. I think it was a long-ago case they held over him, he's a murderer now, that is the end of it." He didn't say anything else. For a second Josh imagined explaining why the man who had been his hero was someone he wanted to cut out of his life. There wasn't going to be a tearful reunion with a murderer. "I do want to check in on Mom though."
"Okaaay," Manny drawled. He wasn't going to push the matter of Josh's murdering father and for that Josh was grateful. "That's simple to do. All we need to do is connect to the safe house. I'll show you how. Let's start with a walk through the systems we have access to."
CHAPTER 6
"Morgan Drake." Morgan extended a hand and Josh shook it. A solid-looking black Labrador stood close to Morgan and unconsciously Josh's hand dropped to ruffle thick fur. "That's Puck," Morgan added.
"Nik Valentinov," Morgan's companion finally introduced himself. His grip was tighter and he held on a little longer, his piercing stare looking deep into Josh. It was unnerving.
Josh pulled his hand free and shook it gently as he placed it back in his pocket. He wasn't really up for male posturing and it seemed as if Nik was making some kind of silent point. Josh had met Nik before, briefly, the night that he had nearly fucked everything up. That was probably what the extra-strength handshake was for. Some kind of silent telling off. Suddenly Josh wasn't able to meet Nik's gaze for fear of seeing censure in his eyes. Jeez, he felt like a little kid.
"It's nice to meet you," Morgan said gently.
Josh frowned. There was a strange buzz between him and Morgan, and damn him, Morgan had that whole pity thing going on. Fuck. Typical. Someone else who knew he had a freaking murderer for a father. Stiffening his spine he waited for more but Morgan said nothing. Instead he took a box from his friend with the grip and Nik moved directly to the kitchen pulling coffee and mugs from the cupboard. Manny shut the door behind them all and drew Morgan into a hug awkwardly around the size of the box.
Morgan Drake wasn't a big guy. He wasn't what Josh called small, not like Manny, but he wasn't tall like Josh or big like Nik Valentinov who towered over everyone.
They ended up sitting on the sofas in an uneasy silence.
"So," Morgan started. "Before we speak about anything there is something I need to get out here. I asked Manny not to explain—I wanted to do this myself. I was the witness to the murder in the alley. The murder of Elisabeth Costain."
Josh blinked and waited for more. This was the witness? The man who caused his dad to be arrested in the first place? He considered briefly what he was feeling.
Nothing. Not anger or distrust or disbelief or anything that a normal son may feel about their father. In its place there was an empty space that he couldn't label as anything other than apathy.
"I'm sorry you had to see that," he instead apologized politely. He sipped his hot coffee but refused to look up at anyone.
"If ever you want to talk—"
"No." Ouch. He didn't mean to sound quite so final or rude. "Thank you."
Morgan continued. "You know where I am—"
"Thank you," he repeated. Now please shut up and leave it. He moved in his seat. His shoulders ached and he put it down to the bed he'd slept in. Twisted in sheets and waking with a headache was not conducive to relaxation.
He looked up just as Manny's lips twisted in a parody of pity and Josh immediately concentrated on sitting upright and wiping every conceivable emotion off of his face that wasn't just concentration.
"How did Adam get on?" Manny asked.
Josh was never happier to have the conversation move on and the focus away from him. He remembered Adam well. Nice guy, actually. He was one of the men who had persuaded Josh and his mom that they could offer enough
