"Fucking FBI liaison isn't offering up much," Nik said on a sigh. "There's no trail that leads anywhere away from Sean to the Bullens. No one can understand why it appears he has nothing to give up."
"Who's Sean?" Josh finally asked. If he was going to be part of this team then he needed all the information he could get.
Manny explained. "Sorry. He was this Federal liaison guy who was auditing Sanctuary procedures and reporting back to the Feds. After you and your mom were delivered to Jennifer at the safe house, Adam and Lee baited a trap to track down the FBI mole. The original person who led a hit man to try and kill Morgan. Turns out it was this Fed named Sean Hanson."
"Fuck," Josh said.
"Exactly, though…" Manny's voice trailed off and he was thoughtful. "I liked the guy. I mean he was a pain in Sanctuary's ass, and he fiddled in my system, and he tried to fuck us over, but he was a nice guy. I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm not sure how much I believe about why he gave himself up as the mole."
Nik leaned forward in his chair. "You don't think Sean was the bad guy? That maybe he was covering for someone else?"
Josh waited for Manny's answer. It appeared Manny's opinion mattered to the big bodyguard and when Morgan copied Nik's movement Josh realized he too wanted to hear what Manny had to say.
"All too easy," Manny started. His words seemed carefully chosen. "None of what was allegedly given up by the mole was anything that really hurt us."
"Morgan nearly died," Nik blurted out angrily.
"But there was a warning. Enough time for his handler to get Morgan out of there and to you," Manny defended with a frown.
Josh observed Morgan placing a calming hand on Nik's thigh, and Nik curling his own fingers into those of the smaller man.
"Not only that but the computer hacking that took comms down and compromised Adam and Lee was damn ingenious. I've audited it all and Sean passed on enough information to whomever, without compromising the core of Sanctuary itself." Manny leaned forward and punctuated the words with a shrug.
"You think he was playing a role?" Josh was intrigued.
"Maybe. Like I said. He seemed a nice guy."
"My dad was a nice guy and look how that turned out," Josh said blankly.
Silence. An awkward, pregnant silence.
"So what do you have for us?" Nik finally said.
"The usual," Manny continued. "There're more questions about the missing, presumed dead, girl. Also some photos of a necklace found in a box of items belonging to Gregory's dead wife. There was blood on the necklace but nothing majorly conclusive as evidence. I uploaded it to the files but there is nothing to tie this unknown woman that Beckett's mom saw murdered to Alastair and prove he murdered her."
"There won't be until they find a body," Morgan offered.
"Albany forensics are all over the property," Manny continued. "If we had a body we'd have some decent evidence to back up the dress and the murder of the woman. That isn't my priority though. At the moment my time is being spent on the senator. After what Gareth Headley gave us in the prison we know he was involved in more than we thought, if not this murder itself. He's the last piece in the puzzle. We know he is connected to his brothers, we just need to prove it."
"What did he say? Him. In prison?" Josh couldn't bring himself to use his dad's name.
Manny didn't comment on the lack of actual name.
"I'll mark the file for you," he said instead. "You can read it after."
Morgan laid out papers on the small table and all four men hunched forward. Josh couldn't make much sense of what he was seeing as it was upside down for him. He thought it looked like one of those murder case boards he had seen on television, only written on paper taped together.
"You know we have software for this," Manny commented with a laugh as he picked at a piece of loose tape.
"Paper is better," Morgan countered swiftly. "I can see it all this way."
Manny laughed. "Your guy is weird, Nik."
It was Nik's turn to huff a laugh. He leaned in and pressed against Morgan. "I think my guy is kind of cool."
Josh realized he was staring. Hell, was everyone in Sanctuary gay? He hadn't been told but the sparks flying between Lee and Adam were intense. And now Morgan and Nik?
"No," Manny said with a frown.
Josh looked at him and from Manny's expression it was suddenly very evident Josh had said that out loud.
Fuck.
"Sanctuary has more operatives than you can list in all walks of life. Statistically the chances of every operative being gay is—"
"Sorry. I didn't mean anything by it," Josh interrupted and then focused intently on the upside-down information. Luckily Manny didn't push, although Josh caught Nik's low rumbling chuckle as his comment on the matter.
His dad's photo was to the left and centered. Then the three Bullen brothers in the center and other photos that made Josh feel a little sick. A woman's body lying on the ground and a graduation image next to it with a broad red line from his dad to her made his throat tighten with emotion. This must be the girl who died at the end of his dad's gun. The woman who lost her life so that Josh wouldn't. Emotions flooded him. Pain. Anguish. Fear. He curled in on himself and he didn't even realize what he was doing.
The rest of them were talking, strategizing, throwing scenarios out like there wasn't a dead girl in front of him that should still be alive. Bile rose in his throat and he
