The Heist

and got out, walking gingerly in his stocking feet across the dirt as if it was covered with thorns.
    Kate unlocked the cabin door, reached inside to flip on the light switch, and beckoned him in. “Make yourself at home.”

The air inside the cabin smelled stale, and there was a fine layer of dust on everything. The small kitchen had chipped Formica countertops, a stove-and-oven combo that was older than Kate, and a refrigerator with a brick under one corner to keep it level. The furnishings consisted of a table and four mismatched chairs, a cracked vinyl couch, a rocking chair, and a couple dusty rugs on the hardwood floor. There were a few framed prints on the wall that Nick had bought at Walmart for five dollars apiece. The bedroom was just about big enough to hold a full-size mattress on a creaky bed frame and a nightstand. The bathroom was barely larger than a Porta-Potty, with slightly better ambience. There were some yellowed, dog-eared paperbacks on a three-shelf bookcase against one wall.
    Burnside went to the kitchen sink, opened the faucet, and stuck his face into the stream of water, sucking in a mouthful of water.He gargled with the water, spit it out, and repeated the action, before shutting the faucet off and facing Kate.
    “We weren’t expecting guests, so there isn’t much in the way of food,” she said. “But we’ve got enough for the first few days.”
    Burnside held up his hand. “You’re getting way ahead of yourself. I’m not sure I’ll be staying in this shack for five more minutes.”
    “Go ahead, walk out the door. I already regret saving your life. My entire weekend is shot now.”
    “What were you doing at my house in the first place?”
    “We picked up some chatter that Derek Griffin had helped the Viboras launder millions of dollars in profits from the drug trade.”
    “That’s not true,” Burnside said. “He’s never engaged in any illegal activity.”
    “Word was they were furious that he’d run off with it, along with all the cash he stole from his other clients. Since you’re the only one who knows where he is, my boss thought they might come looking for you.”
    “Mr. Griffin hasn’t stolen money from anyone.”
    “Does this look like a courtroom to you? I know he stole the money, you know he stole it, and so do the Viboras.”
    “What did you hope to gain from watching me?”
    “To save you from getting killed.”
    “I didn’t know the FBI was so concerned about my safety.”
    “We don’t like Mexican cartels killing American citizens, even the ones we loathe.”
    Burnside took a seat at the table. “You have no reason to dislike me. Everyone is entitled to legal counsel and a strong defense. It’s the bedrock of our legal system.”
    “You set criminals free.”
    “It’s the fault of law enforcement, not me, when an accused individual is found innocent. If your case is solid, it should be able to withstand even the strongest defense, or the charges shouldn’t be brought in the first place.” He did a fast scan of the room. “Now what?”
    “You’re in protective custody until my boss says otherwise.”
    “That should be my decision, not his.”
    “The Viboras are ruthless and relentless. They aren’t going to stop until they get you. They won’t think twice about walking into your office with automatic weapons, spraying the place with bullets, and dragging you out over the dead bodies of all of your co-workers. Do you really think you can protect yourself, and everyone around you, from these guys?”
    He thought about what had happened to Willie and shuddered. He’d never seen anyone killed before and was just thankful it wasn’t someone he’d known better and deeply cared about. Not to mention, when he saw her slide down the wall he realized she was much older than he’d originally thought. He was going to have to be more careful who he picked up online.
    “I am not going to stay in hiding for an indefinite period of time,” Burnside said.
    “You don’t have to. It’s not you they really want, it’s Griffin. Give him up to us and your troubles are over.”
    “And so is my career as a defense attorney, and that’s assuming that I know where he is, which I don’t.”
    “What kind of career are you going to have in a coffin? The only thing that’s going to get the Viboras to give up on you is if Griffin comes out of hiding.”
    “There has to be another way,” Burnside said.
    “If you think of one, let me know. I’ll