Chapter 46: Entanglement

Self-control.

It was the only thing that stopped George from giving Harry a good black eye. Or Two. Instead, he stood and paced to and fro Chris's living room.

The room was deathly quiet; the only sounds were their tensed breathing.

Harry's face was buried in his palms. Shame, and guilt overwhelming him.

Chris simply stared into the distance, shaking his head every few seconds. Harry's minimized invites for them to hang out at night now made sense. He had never asked, simply assuming Harry had found a new bed buddy. He grimaced. His assumption had been right, but he never could have guessed who the bed buddy was. None of them could have. But there was no use crying over spilled wine.

"George," Chris called, claiming his attention. George looked at him with reddened eyes. "The timeline fits. The attack happened right after our Harry here gave out your location. Two days after, to be exact." He shook his head again. "Can't be a coincidence."

Harry raised his head. "She was so bloody convincing. You needed to hear her talking about Isla's Aunt."

"She was only convincing because you were thinking with your little head, Harry," Chris said wryly. "You have been trained to smell bullshit a mile away," he continued, "and if you had your head on straight, you would have smelled this one."

George finally sat, looking at Chris solely. He still didn't trust himself to look at George without kicking the life out of him. It was a struggle to keep his professionalism here. "You're right, Chris. It is not a coincidence." He massaged the back of his neck, feeling the strain of his recent sleepless nights. "Are we willing to address the possibility that Julia Jackson, step-mother of Isla Jackson, put an elaborate plan in play to snatch and/or harm her step-daughter?"

There was silence for a full minute. "That's a hefty accusation," Chris said quietly.

"I'm willing to address it," Harry said, determined to make up for his mess. "You guys on board?"

"You've got to go back to her." George stayed calm, finally looking at Harry slightly appeased by his eagerness to own up to his mistake.

"What?" Harry looked shocked. Chris looked at George like he had sprouted horns, surprised as well.

"At this point," George explained, "all we have on Julia Jackson are a few coincidences and our gut feelings. Those, my friends, do not hold up in court." he paused as they thought about it. "With the sort of lawyers she is able to afford, it would very possibly never even make it through the doors of a court." He took a swing of his now-room temperature beer, grimacing at the horrid taste. "We need the hard stuff, guys. Solid evidence."

"You've got a point there, George," Chris agreed.

Harry though, looked less enthusiastic. George faced him. "She does not, at this point, know that you know who she really is. She thinks her lies still hold. And from your story, I strongly doubt she's aware you are a Fed," he paused, waiting for Harry to confirm.

Harry shook his head no. "I can't say for certain, considering recent happenings, but there's no reason to believe she knows what I am. I was just a means to an end for her," he spat bitterly.

George smiled briefly, slightly amused at his friend's angst. He sure didn't like being played. "That puts you in an excellent position then. Go. Continue being her lover and get us evidence. Solid evidence."

"I don't like it," Harry said, shaking his head in disapproval. "I don't like it one bit. She bloody played me!" he growled. "Do you have any idea how bloody difficult it would be to go back and act like her lover?" It was his turn to stand and pace. "What I want to do is lock her up in a place where the sun don' shine, I tell you," he ranted.

Nodding gravely, George said. "Well we are on the same page about that. When I think of all my Isla has been put through, and then I think that she just might be responsible..." he stopped, leaving the remaining part unsaid. "You are upset you got played and were made a fool of. You want revenge? This is the way." He walked to him, both tall men face to face, noses inches apart. "Your mess put the woman I love in danger, and I got a pretty good whack on the head as well. You want to make it up to me? This is the way."

Harry nodded reluctantly, resigned he would have to do as George suggested. Deep down, he knew it was a solid plan as well. He just didn't like it. "For what it's worth," he said, looking into George's eyes, hoping this showed his sincerity, "I AM sorry. I'll do whatever it is I have to make this right."

George nodded, feeling his hackles lower at that. Harry was a solid friend and a dependable agent. This was a rare mess-up and though it was an expensive one, he wouldn't hold it against him. "It's worth a lot," he responded, patting him on the shoulder. "Let's get this mess sorted out and put it in the past." The men shook hands, forgiveness given and a truce reached.

"Something you should know," Chris said to Harry as he sat. "Something is going down at Chicago PD. Something interesting that goes all the way to the top and just might involve your billionaire wife lover." Harry's brows went up, his interest piqued.

"How high up are we talking?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"To the very top," George answered, grinning wickedly. "Someone big is gonna go down."