“Do you know what this means?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve never felt so… betrayed. This whole thing, it’s, it’s—”

“Dirty.”

Neither of them spoke for several seconds, each running the events of the past week through their minds.

“We risked our lives for Frank Ortega at Freedom’s Echo compound. We could’ve been killed, almost were killed. Nathan, I’m sorry.”

“Harv, this isn’t your fault.”

“How could—” Harv cut himself off and pointed to the door interconnecting the rooms.

Nathan nodded.

Without saying another word, they both left the room. In the elevator, Harv said, “How could the Ortegas have done this to me, to us?”

“Blood is thicker than water,” Nathan said quietly. “A lot thicker, it would seem.”

“Greg and I go back fifteen years. Fifteen years. We spent night after night together looking at satellite imagery when you were missing. I knew Frank’s daughter had been killed, but Greg never talked about it. I never knew the circumstances.”

“How deep does this go, Harv?”

“You mean Lansing? Ortega must have cashed in that IOU earlier than we imagined. Getting his grandson assigned to the Bridgestone operation…” Harv gave Nathan a double take. “You mean your dad? I can’t fathom him betraying you like this.”

“I can,” Nathan said. The elevator dumped them into the lobby. Nathan kept his voice low. “We’ll take a cab over to Sutter Hospital. Holly needs to know about this right away.”

“Nate, she could be involved.”

He shook his head. “She’s not. I can’t explain it, but I’m sure she’s not.”

After the bellman called the cab, it took several minutes for it to arrive. Their moods identical, neither of them spoke during the late-afternoon ride through rush-hour traffic.

Nathan sensed Harv’s anger mounting. Anger and pain at being used like a pawn and betrayed by a trusted friend.

Nathan grasped Harv’s arm. “We’ll get through this, okay?”

Harv shook his head and closed his eyes. “I’m so damned angry, Nate. I can’t…”

Nathan squeezed his arm. “We’re going to turn this around on them, Harv. You hear me? We own their asses now.”

* * *

Nathan knocked on Holly’s door.

“Come in.” Her cheery tone ended the moment she saw the expressions on their faces. “What happened? Did they hit us again?”

“No,” Nathan said. He pulled a chair over from the corner. Harv did the same.

“You two look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“We have.”

“What’s happened?”

“Ernie Bridgestone killed Frank Ortega’s daughter.”

“Oh, no. When?”

“Eighteen years ago.”

“Eighteen years ago?”

“Drunk-driving accident. It’s why he went to prison. This whole thing’s about revenge. Frank Ortega set Ernie Bridgestone up for a fall.”

“No, I don’t believe that, I won’t believe that.”

“It’s true, Holly. Everything makes sense now.”

“Director Lansing?” she asked.

“Right in the middle of it.”