Love is Always Write Anthology Bonus Volume

hundred percent sure that I'm alive. Right now I'm sure they've got their ears and eyes on the lookout, waiting for me to pop my head up. If I walk into a courtroom, it does not matter if they are all behind bars; the earth will be scoured looking for me."
    "I still want a way of getting in contact with you. It doesn't have to be quick, but I want to know that you are alive. I know you came offering to help get into your family's accounts, but I'm the one who pushed you to find things you probably didn't want to. I might not have known about the leaks, but I am still responsible for you and for what happened to you. You're the same age as my nephew, and if he was in this kind of shit, I'd be on the warpath trying to find who was responsible. I can't let you completely cut all contact. I just can't."
    Daren's smile came nowhere near his eyes. "Actions are far more important than words. Get me what I want and I'll consider it."
    Agent Kim visibly relaxed as he sagged into himself. "Thank you. I should be able to get you ID. I might have to forge some signatures, and I'll probably get myself fired in the process, but I think I can manage it."
    "How quickly?"
    "I won't be able to get it done over the weekend. Tuesday evening at the earliest."
    "We'll call you Tuesday afternoon for an update." Daren stood again and held out his hand, despite the splint. Agent Kim stood and took it. The deal was sealed with a handshake.
    "I'll see you later, Agent Kim."
    Agent Kim nodded. "Have a good night, Gerald." Agent Kim pulled out his tie and wrapped it around his eyes. "Okay, take me home."
    Agent Kim was quiet on the drive back to the Blue Dragon over the Khyber Pass. As the nighttime traffic slid past him, Sebastian let his mind wander. He put names to feelings and shored up random thoughts that had been bouncing around his head. By the time they were in the right neighborhood, he'd come to some decisions. He parked a couple of blocks down from the Blue Dragon and pulled off Agent Kim's tie. "The Blue Dragon is around the corner and few blocks ahead."
    "Giving yourself a head start?"
    "Yes."
    "Still not one hundred percent sure you can trust me."
    "Can you blame me?"
    "No." Agent Kim shoved his tie into his pocket and stared out the window, watching the cars glide past. "The moment I met Gerald, I knew that kid was going to be trouble. He was twitching, told me he hadn't had a smoke in a week. I didn't ask what he had been smoking. Then he started talking. Under those twitches was a brilliant mind. Arrogant and entitled as all fuck, but I could tell he wasn't a lost cause yet. Wasn't fully one of Them. By the second hour of our meeting, I think I wanted to save him more than I wanted the case. I guess he brings that out in people."
    "Assuming this all goes according to plan, and it probably won't because plans don't, but if it does, could you do me a favor?"
    "Sure." Agent Kim didn't even turn to look at him.
    "Gerald's mother. He still loves her. She's a Valium addict and has been out of it for years. I doubt she has anything to do with anything. If there's any way you could try to insulate her at all, when the shit really starts hitting the fan?"
    "I'll see what I can manage."
    Sebastian pulled out the bits of Agent Kim's phone and did his best to wipe them down before handing them back to him. Then he handed back Agent Kim's weapon. Keeping the bullets for himself. "Thank you."
    "Better start walking quickly— looks like it might rain, and it's not a great neighborhood. And you might not want to turn around."
    Agent Kim got out of the car, slipping the bits of his phone into his own pocket. Sebastian gave a little tilt of his head. It was a cue that Agent Kim should start walking. He waited for the Agent to get around the corner, before heading in the opposite direction. He weaved around the well-lit surface streets for a bit to make sure he didn't have a tail before sneaking onto the freeway and heading home. He made a note to get gas in the morning; the tank was running low.
    By the time he gave another complicated knock on his own door, it was well after midnight and he was feeling about as run down as his car. Rachael and Daren were still awake, but in Daren's case only just. Daren had made so much improvement healing that it was easy to forget that he still needed more than eight hours' sleep in a day.
    Sebastian crashed down onto the couch next to Daren. "Thank you," Daren mumbled, pressing his face into Sebastian's