Blank Slate

Chapter 181 - Ethan Carter

Christopher: We can't keep letting Payton run headfirst into situations where she is expected to turn towards sexuality and manipulation. She is going to lose all of the forward progress she has made with us if we do.

I reread the text message three times and my gut soured further. I knew he was right. For fucks sake, I was the one that had read Payton's court transcripts as she gave testimony about what that sick pedophile did to her as a child. About what she had done to survive under Luca's thumb. About all of the ways that she had been forced to use her body and her mind for other people's malicious power games. I knew better than anyone what Payton had survived.

I knew, yet I still pushed her down a certain path in that office. And now Pax was calling me on it.

"He's not wrong," Liam said in a flat tone, reading the text message over my shoulder. He should be sleeping. He needed to be sharp for his shift tonight. But he had been just as scared as the rest of us when both Payton and Sabrina got pulled from their cells for that meeting with the wardens. And it wasn't long before all the inmates would go to lunch. I understood that he wanted to stay up and support Payton in the only way available to him right now.

"Getting Payton out of that prison tomorrow is the most important thing right now," I defended but couldn't help second-guessing myself. The recording would help us, but I was confident our plan would work before Payton walked into that office. I was glad we had it, but now I was wondering if I had just done more damage than good.

"Has McDonald gotten back to you?" Liam asked, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees.

Yes, agent Joe McDonald of the FBI had been quick to respond to my request for assistance. He was currently on a plane with an entire team and would land in Vegas later today.

"He will be here and is confident that he can muscle his way in and arrest everyone involved with the porn. Prisons are funded by federal tax dollars meaning that they are within the FBIs jurisdiction," I told him even though Liam and I had been through this many times before. We needed a fool proof way to get Payton out of the prison tomorrow and claiming that she was an FBI informant gathering information was our best play. It would explain why she had entered the prison under false documentation.

"I still think we should give Payton a heads up about McDonald coming in on this," Liam said and it wasn't the first time he said such a thing.

I released a breath audibly through my nose and rubbed my temple. I was running on minimal sleep and was trying to think through every contingency. "You were the one that told me that it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission when it comes to this guy," I told Liam and my voice betrayed just how tired I was. "And she took the fact that we met with him and got her case files from him pretty well. Plus, she told me a little bit about what went down between her and McDonald. Payton needs to focus on staying alive and keeping Sabrina safe. She doesn't need to be spending brain power worrying about seeing her ex."

"Then why the fuck did you go to him instead of one of your other many contacts within the FBI. You and Cole know Feds both closer and higher up the chain of command than McDonald," Liam asked harshly but I was fairly sure he already knew the answer to that.

"First, McDonald is plenty high up the chain of command. He got a promotion after what you guys pulled off in New York. He is now a Associate Deputy Director and has a reputation for taking down large criminal organizations. The pornography racket at High Point definitely qualifies so I knew that he would jump at the chance to capitalize on his reputation. Second, you know that we need someone who will consider Payton's safety over the case."

"Are you sure that McDonald will do that? As you just said, this will be good for his career. Just like taking down The Sicilian Mob was good for his career and he did that in spite of being in love with Payton. How can you be sure that he will choose her this time around?" Liam questioned and my uncertainty and fear grew. I hated this. Hated that I was on the outside of this and had to rely on people outside of my team to keep my team safe.