Safe Guard (The DeLuca Family Book 2)

by Amy Reece

  Hugh sat on the sofa across from his uncle with another sigh, resigned to wait until Teddy was ready to talk about whatever had brought him to DeLuca Construction. While Hugh and his brothers and sisters had always called him “Uncle,” Teddy was a close family friend and not actually a blood relation. He and Hugh’s father had grown up next door to each other in the International District of Albuquerque, where many immigrant families lived. They had both been drawn to the business opportunities that abounded as the population grew in the 1970s, but while Teddy had been attracted by the restaurant industry, Tony had found the booming construction field more to his liking. He’d begun as a day laborer in his father’s construction company and learned the business from the ground up, finally taking over when his dad retired. Teddy had been equally successful; Hugh couldn’t begin to count the number of times his family had celebrated special occasions at Bella Marcone. He definitely needed to take Chrissy there soon.

  “I’m sure you’re wondering why I stopped by.”

  Hugh raised his eyebrows and chuckled. “It crossed my mind. You haven’t come to the office since Dad retired.”

  “True, true. I don’t know how he does it. I’d go crazy if I didn’t go to the restaurant every day. I’m nowhere near ready to retire.” Teddy shook his head as he crossed his legs.

  “Well, Mom keeps him pretty busy around the house and planning for their next trip. So, what can I do for you, Uncle Teddy?” He didn’t like to rush, but his do-to list was beckoning.

  “Hugh, I owe your father more than I can ever begin to repay. You know he saved my life when we were young, right?” Hugh knew he referred to an incident in their youth when Tony had rescued a drunken Teddy from drowning in a swimming pool. At Hugh’s nod, he continued. “He also loaned me a large amount of money a few years ago when the restaurant was going through a hard time. The bank wouldn’t consider it, but your dad didn’t even hesitate.”

  Hugh hadn’t known about it, but wasn’t terribly surprised; his father was generous to a fault.

  “Because I care so much about your family, I came to give you some advice, Hugh.” He paused and leaned forward to look the younger man in the eye. “You need to make this business at the construction site go away.”

  Hugh couldn’t hide his surprise. What in the world? “I’m sorry, Uncle Teddy, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Listen, Hugh. I have business associates who don’t want this case to be investigated too deeply. Some things should be left alone.” He leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers under his chin.

  Business associates? It seemed Uncle Teddy had some rather unsavory acquaintances. Hugh connected the dots quickly. Well, holy shit. His dad’s best friend was apparently involved with the local mob. He had a momentary thought that perhaps his own father also had similar connections but dismissed it almost immediately. His dad was the least likely person to let himself become involved with the mafia. It was ridiculous. Of course it was. But once the thought had occurred, it burrowed its way into Hugh’s subconscious in an insidious way. He shoved it away, at least for now, and concentrated on what Teddy was saying. “Why would you think I have any say in this? Bodies were discovered on my job site and the police are investigating. That’s all I know.” He tried his best to keep his face blank.

  Teddy smiled grimly and sighed. “I know your girlfriend and your brother are investigating the bodies. I’m not the only one who knows, either. And now the FBI is involved.” He stood and walked to the office door. “Hugh, these are not the kind of people you want to get involved with, trust me.”

  “What am I supposed to do, Uncle Teddy? I build houses for a living. Finn is the one who carries a gun.”

  “I don’t know, Hugh, but if you care about that pretty lieutenant and your brother, you’d better think of something.”

  Once his uncle left, he found he was unable to concentrate fully on the tasks he’d set for himself. He finally gave up, shutting his laptop with more force than strictly necessary, and headed out to make the rounds of his active job sites. Maybe he’d make time to stop by for a visit with his father.

  ***

  Chrissy

  “Heads up. Agent Dumbass at ten o’clock,” Finn said as he returned from the restroom.

  Chris choked on her coffee, spilling some on her white blouse as she spun around in her chair. “Goddammit,” she muttered, and reached into her top desk drawer for a Tide-to-Go stick. “Just what I didn’t need today.” It had been brutal dragging herself out of Hugh’s bed that morning; she wasn’t ready to give up the closeness and isolation they’d enjoyed all weekend in exchange for the headaches of the real world. She also hadn’t gotten nearly as much sleep as usual, gladly eschewing extra shut-eye for Hugh’s addictive love-making. She was now paying the price with scratchy, dry eyes and a general lethargy. She would dearly love a nap.

  “Good morning, Lieutenants.” Agent Jared Daniels approached their desks, looking more than ever like a male model rather than a federal agent.

  Chris finished dabbing the detergent ineffectually on her blouse, then dropped the tube in her drawer and slammed it. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t our newest television celebrity. What are my chances of getting an autograph?”

  “Are you jealous, Lieutenant Hart? I’m willing to share the spotlight with you, of course. The camera will love the two of us together.” He grinned and winked at her.

  Chris wanted to shove her fist into his bright white teeth. “No thanks. I prefer to work behind the scenes. I’m a bit curious why I saw it on the evening news before I heard that we were going public with it.”

  The FBI agent pulled a chair close to their desks and straddled it. “My superiors and I decided it was better to release it to the media on our terms rather than try to keep it quiet.”

  “This is your idea of working together?” Finn asked.

  “I never said we were working together. I said you were cooperating with the FBI.”

  Chris entertained a brief fantasy that involved dumping the contents of her coffee mug over his perfect blond waves. The cocky bastard seriously needed to be brought down a few pegs and she’d love to be the one to do it. At that moment, however, she caught sight of Captain Silva coming toward them, so she shoved her desires down for the moment and addressed the FBI agent. “We will certainly do everything we possibly can to assist you, Agent Daniels.” She raised her eyebrows at Finn and tilted her head, hoping he’d pick up on her signal.

  He caught on without having to turn around. “Yeah. Be sure to let us know what we can do to help.”

  “Good to see you all cooperating.” Captain Silva clapped Finn on the shoulder as he joined their group. “It bugs the hell outta me when law enforcement doesn’t help each other out. We’re all on the same mission. It shouldn’t matter who gets the credit.”

  Says the man who’s already made captain, Chris thought. Out loud she said, “Absolutely. We were just telling Special Agent Daniels how much we appreciated the news story last night.” She refused to let Finn’s eye rolling distract her. “And he was about to tell us what the FBI has discovered about the other five bodies. He was saying that with the vast resources the FBI has at their disposal, they were able to run the tests so much faster than the state police with our limited lab. I forget, Special Agent, was it the ballistics or the DNA report you brought?”

  Daniels stood, crossed his arms, and rocked back on his heels, a small smile hovering about his mouth. “It was the DNA report. I can hardly wait to share it with you.”

  “Excellent! I’ll let you three get on with your investigation. Good to see you again, Special Agent Daniels.” Captain Silva shook the FBI agent’s hand, then retreated to his office.

  “Well played, Lieutenant Hart,” Daniels murmured.

  Chris was about to respond when she caught sight of Hugh entering the precinct. Her stomach flipped slightly, the way it always did when she saw him after being apart for a while. The receptionist waved
him back and he smiled as he saw her. All her self-talk about taking it slow and not letting her emotions get the best of her withered away when he looked at her like that. She wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him deeply. Since that would be about the most unprofessional thing she could do, she settled for greeting him with a smile of her own and a soft “hello.”

  Finn made the introductions, simply calling Hugh his brother and not bringing attention to the fact that she and Hugh were a couple. Good. It wasn’t any of Daniels’ damn business.

  “I stopped by to see if you and Chrissy were available for lunch. I was in the area and thought I’d try my luck.” Hugh winked at her as he spoke.

  Daniels inserted himself into the conversation before she had the chance to speak. “Well, Lieutenant Hart and I were going to discuss the DNA report over lunch, but we can reschedule. I’ll have the report sent over later this week.”

  Chris ground her teeth and narrowed her eyes at the FBI agent. Bastard. She knew he’d love to take the opportunity to delay, possibly forever, getting the DNA report to her. “No, no. That’s all right. Sorry, Hugh, but I already have lunch plans.”

  Hugh shifted his eyes back and forth between Chris and Daniels. “No problem. I’ll take a raincheck, Chrissy.”

  “I’ll see you at home tonight, okay?” She purposely overstated their living arrangements for Daniels’ benefit, hoping Hugh would play along. She’d decided she wanted the FBI agent to know she was taken, and was therefore immune to his charm.

  He stared intently at her for a long moment. “Sure, no problem, hon.” He turned to his brother. “You free, Finn?”

  “Sure.” Finn looked like he was trying not to laugh. “I’ll be eager to read the report this afternoon, Chris. I’ll meet you outside, Hugh.”

  “I’ll walk you out.” Chris grabbed Hugh’s hand as she spoke. “Excuse me for a moment, Agent Daniels.”

  Hugh said nothing until they reached his truck. “So, that’s the guy from the news last night, huh?” He gestured to the precinct building behind them.

  She sighed and dropped his hand. “Yeah. That giant pain in my ass is Special Agent Jared Daniels from the FBI. He doesn’t play nice.”

  “Clearly.” He reached for her hand again and tugged her around the side of his truck not facing the building. “Is he here about the bodies found on my site?”

  She nodded. “I can’t tell you much about it, of course, but yeah, that’s why he’s here.”

  He pulled her into his arms and brushed her hair behind her ear. “Chrissy, is there any way you could hand this case off to some other detectives?”

  She looked into his ice blue eyes and frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  He shrugged, but wouldn’t quite meet her eyes. “I was just thinking maybe you and Finn are too close to it, because of, well, you know.”

  He was clearly a terrible liar, something that would no doubt come in handy in the future. “Hey.” She reached up to cup his face in her hand. “What’s going on?”

  He appeared to be thinking deeply, but said nothing. Instead, he angled his head toward hers and took her mouth. Long moments later he raised his head, leaning his forehead against hers. “Nothing. I’m just worried about you and Finn.”

  She smiled slightly and brushed her thumb across his full lips. “We’ll be fine. This is what we do and we’re pretty damn good at it, you know.”

  He took her fingers in his hand, kissing them as chuckled softly. “I know. Be careful, okay?”

  She sensed he wasn’t being entirely truthful yet, but decided to let it go for the moment. “Always. Sorry about what I said in there.” She jerked her head back toward the building.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “When I said I’d see you at home later. I wanted to send a message to Daniels, that I’m taken, but I didn’t mean to—”

  He stopped her words by kissing her again. “Shh,” he said against her lips. “What you said was perfect.”

  She watched him drive away, wondering what he was keeping from her.

  “So, he’s your boyfriend, huh?” Jared Daniels was leaning against the side of a black sedan.

  Chris gritted her teeth and turned to face him. “Are you spying on me now, Agent Daniels?”

  “Special Agent Daniels. And no, I’m not spying. I came out to see if you were ready to go to lunch—you do still want to see the DNA report, don’t you? Anyway, I didn’t want to interrupt your cozy little moment with your partner’s brother. Is it just me, or does that seem like a conflict of interest?”

  “Shut up. Are we going to lunch or not?”

  He took her to Marcello’s, an upscale steakhouse in Uptown Albuquerque. She schooled her features as she read the menu so as not to reflect her shock at the prices. Holy shit! Lunch here is like half my grocery bill for a month! She searched for the cheapest item and had settled on a bowl of over-priced soup when Daniels spoke up.

  “Lunch is on me, of course, Chrissy.”

  “Oh, well in that case, I’ll have the lobster. And you can call me Chris or Detective Hart.” Chrissy was reserved solely for Hugh.

  Jared smirked as he set his menu on the white table cloth. “Have whatever you desire, compliments of the federal government. I’m on an expense account.”

  “Your per diem must be a hell of lot bigger than mine.” When the waiter took their order, she settled for a small steak and refused the glass of wine he offered. “I’m on duty.”

  “So am I,” Jared said as he raised his glass to his lips. “Life is short. Live a little, Detective.”

  “I live plenty. Are you going to tell me about the DNA report?”

  He set his wine glass on the table and smiled crookedly at her. “Tut, tut, Detective. Can’t we enjoy our lunch before talking about such mundane things?”

  She took a sip of her iced tea. “I live for mundane things. DNA?”

  “Right.” He reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope, which he handed to her. “There’s not much. One of the bodies was a close match in CODIS, but the sample was degraded, so it’s impossible to be sure. The match is a small-time criminal by the name of Dante Fiore. He was arrested for money laundering and a few other petty crimes; he served a term in the state pen about ten years ago.”

  “How can he match a dead body? One that’s been in the ground for, what? Several decades?”

  “Thirty years at least. The DNA is obviously not from Dante Fiore, but our records show he had a twin brother. A twin brother who has been missing for thirty-four years.”

  Chapter Ten

  Hugh

  “So, what’s with that FBI agent?” Hugh took a sip of the iced tea the waitress had just delivered.

  “Agent Dickless? I could give you an earful.” Finn set his own tea on the table with a sigh.

  Hugh choked on his tea as he laughed. “I’m listening.”

  Finn narrowed his eyes at his brother. “You’re not jealous, are you?”

  “No.” Hugh shook his head. “Of course not. It’s just—”

  “What? You can trust her, you know.”

  “Yeah, I know I can trust her. It’s him I’m worried about. That shit-eating grin—”

  Finn laughed. “I know, right? Kinda makes you want to shove those perfect white teeth straight down his overly tan throat, huh?”

  “Oh yeah. Do you think it’s a federal offense to punch an FBI agent in the face?”

  “Probably, but if you hit him hard enough he wouldn’t be able to talk about it. You might get away with it.”

  Hugh grinned as he pictured what Finn described. It would be supremely satisfying. “I’m not thrilled with the idea of my girlfriend having lunch with someone like him. I bet he’d get a kick out of causing trouble between me and Chrissy.”

  “I’m sure he would, but Chris isn’t stupid, you know. She’s had his number from the very beginning. The only reason she went with him is to get that lab report on the DNA evidence. He
’s been extremely cagey about sharing anything, but expects total transparency from us. Our captain is breathing down our necks to play nice and cooperate with the FBI, but they have no intention of reciprocating. Bastards,” Finn muttered as their meals were delivered.

  Hugh dug into his enchiladas, wondering how to bring up the thing he really wanted to talk to his brother about. Chrissy hadn’t been at all receptive about it and he knew it would be a tough sell to Finn. He waited until they were both finished, making small talk until the meal was over and they were finishing their tea. “So, why don’t you see if you can hand this case off to someone else? It sounds like it’s going to be a royal pain in the ass.” He tried to appear casual, as if he didn’t care one way or the other. In reality, he had his fist clenched under the table, willing his brother to agree with him.

  Finn’s dark eyebrows drew together, a frown marring his handsome face. “Well, sure, but lots of what we do is a pain in the ass. We’ll be fine. I’m actually going to enjoy showing up that insufferable fed.”

  “I would have thought you might want some easier cases, what with you and Mel being newlyweds and all.” He shrugged, as if it didn’t matter.

  Finn crossed his arms and sat back in his chair. “You’re a rotten liar. You always have been. What the hell is going on, Hugh?”

  Crap. Finn was right: he’d never been able to pull off the lies his brothers and sisters seemed to have no problem telling. “Nothing. Forget it. It was a dumb idea.” He grabbed up the check. “I’ll get lunch today.” He rose swiftly and headed toward the counter to pay the bill, glad he’d suggested they eat at Eloy’s, a Mexican restaurant where patrons paid at the front counter. It served as a convenient disruption to a suddenly awkward conversation. He certainly didn’t want to tell Finn about Uncle Teddy’s warning and put his father’s best friend on the radar of the New Mexico State Police.

  Finn joined him at the counter. “Fine. I agree: it was a dumb idea. You care to tell me what brought it on?”