Shane didn’t show one sign of nerves. “I probably can, but just in case give me your log-in information.”
“I...just...” Frank’s mouth dropped open, and then he turned to her. “This is a dangerous game.”
She got that now. Maybe at the beginning this had been an adventure. Never a game, because she took the work seriously, but she’d been excited about the research and uncovering information. The whole thing had given her a thrill. Now she knew how far some men would go to hold on to the lie they’d built, and it scared her.
“I’m the one people tried to kill. I’m well aware how dangerous this all is.” She doubted she’d ever forget. She wondered if she could continue doing the work or take pride in any of it from now on.
Frank played with his hat, then scratched his neck. “Fine.”
“Why are you so nervous?” Shane’s eyes narrowed as he asked.
The question pulled her attention from the numerous little things and made her focus on the bigger picture. Frank looked ready to crawl out of his skin.
“You’re not exactly the friendliest guy,” Frank said.
No, it was more than that. Something bigger. She’d seen this guy at his worst, right after being found out. Over time, he’d changed. He got sober. He told people the truth. He delivered information, maybe even some of it from that private loop.
“He’s actually being pretty civilized.” And she wasn’t kidding. Shane led with his fists. He’d been trained to ferret out the truth and punish liars.
She knew fury brewed and built inside Shane. The fact that he held it back and stayed coherent amounted to a pretty positive step forward.
“I’m not killing you for lying about being a big-time war hero, so you should consider this a good day.” Shane spun the phone around and pointed to the blank notes section. “You’re lucky, but I can’t guarantee that will last if you don’t cooperate and do it right now before I really get ticked off.”
Well said. “Listen to him.”
Frank coughed up the information. He typed it into the notes section, grumbling under his breath the entire time. He shoved the phone at Shane. “Here. Are you happy?”
Shane scoffed. “No.”
“It’s a start,” she said at the same time.
“You should know there is a guy...” Frank wiped a hand over his mouth as he blew out a long breath.
“Get to it,” Shane said as his voice sharpened around the edges.
She knew pushing too hard would stop the flow of information, so she trod a bit more carefully. After rubbing her fingers over the back of Shane’s hand, she let go. Put her hand on the table in what she hoped came off as a supportive gesture. “Tell me.”
“The owner of the group is a guy named Jeff Horvath.” Frank gave one final look around before dropping his voice to a near whisper. “Be careful of him.”
She talked over whatever Shane was going to say. “Why?”
“There’s a core group of really angry guys, and he’s their leader.” Frank stared at his hands for a few seconds before looking up again. “He doesn’t try to hide his dislike of you.”
Not a surprise. He never had done so to her face, either. Still, hearing Jeff’s name sent a shiver of fear racing through her. “Okay.”
“What else do we need to know?” Shane asked.
Frank started talking before Shane finished. “Nothing.”
“That better be accurate.” Shane put both elbows on the table and eyed up Frank. “You know why?”
“I don’t—”
“Because I know where you live.” Shane didn’t even blink. “So, if anything happens to her, if someone comes near her, I’m going to assume you knew and didn’t warn her. That for some reason you made the decision not to choke up the intel for me.”
Frank shook his head. “That’s not—”
“Then I’m going to choke you.” Shane made it sound like a promise.
That was probably enough. She rushed in to get the conversation back on track. “Shane—”
Frank stood up. “I don’t have to listen to this.”
Shane rose, slow and deliberate, with each inch seeming to take a year. “Yeah, you do. That’s the price you pay for what you did.”
The nervous tics drained away, leaving behind only anger. A wall of it, from the angry red blush on Frank’s face to his ramrod-straight back and stiffness in every muscle. “And just how long do you think I should pay for my mistake?”
Mistake? Makena couldn’t believe the lack of self-awareness in that word.
“Forever.”