Safe Guard (The DeLuca Family Book 2)

by Amy Reece

  ***

  Chrissy

  “You’re lucky I was still in Albuquerque, Chris.” Jared Daniels slid into the booth across from her, glancing disdainfully around the small, somewhat grubby diner. “Nice place.”

  She’d chosen the restaurant because of its location—tucked away in the International District of Albuquerque, more commonly known as the War Zone. The city was valiantly attempting to rebrand the area, but long-time residents were a hard sell on the new name. “I didn’t choose it for its ambience. I want this little get-together to be as quiet as possible. The coffee’s not terrible.”

  “So, why all the secrecy? What have you got?” He waved the waitress away as she approached, ignoring the sneer on her face as she shoved her order pad back in her apron pocket.

  “Well,” Chris said, pausing to sip her coffee from the thick, stained mug, “I have recently acquired some rather damning evidence against Adrian and Alexandar Argyros. Rather a lot of evidence, in fact. I thought you might like to see it.”

  He grimaced at her. “And I thought we agreed you would stay out of my investigation. What happened to our deal? I acted in good faith and gave you the name of your murderer.”

  “And I kept my part of the bargain, so calm down. I got a phone call yesterday afternoon from Ariana Argyros. She wanted to meet—alone. She wouldn’t talk to anyone besides me.”

  Jared crossed his arms and leaned back against the cracked vinyl of the booth. “And what did she want?”

  “She’s willing to turn state’s evidence against her husband and father-in-law. She also provided several file folders full of bank statements, both personal and corporate, which I think you’ll find very interesting.”

  “What’s the catch? Why the sudden change of heart from Miz Moneybags?”

  Chris smiled grimly and sipped her coffee again. “She’s pregnant. The catch is she wants out. Full protective custody until after the trial and a witness protection program once hubby and daddy-in-law are in prison.”

  “She’ll never live that long. Once Argyros finds out he’s been betrayed by his own daughter-in-law, he’ll stop at nothing to have her killed. And a child? No way will he ever let that go.”

  “She knows all of that. She’s lived with them for nearly a decade and she knows exactly what will happen to her.” Unbidden, the memory of Ariana’s grim, yet brave face rose in Chris’ mind. “No one else can know about the baby, Jared. It’s crucial to keep it a secret from as many people as possible so word doesn’t leak out. She’s got some plan in place to make sure the baby is safe. She’ll only agree to testify after the birth.”

  Jared blew out a breath. “Well, shit. This is not exactly how I pictured this going down. Don’t get me wrong, it’s huge break, but there’s a whole lot of moving parts. Where is Ariana now?”

  “I’ve got her at a safe house. We need to move on this soon—today—before Alexandar realizes she’s gone. The assistant D.A. is on her way here with arrest and search warrants. I think we should go in with a joint state and federal show of force.”

  “I need to notify my guy on the inside so he’s not taken by surprise.” He reached for his cell phone and sent a brief text.

  “Are you going to pull him out?”

  “Not yet. I’d like to wait and see if this evidence is enough to make charges stick.” He was still looking through the files when Lauren arrived.

  Chris looked up to see the petite, beautiful woman enter the diner. She saw Chris and hurried toward the table, sliding in next to her. Chris performed the introductions, amused to note the flare of interest in Jared’s eyes. She realized she should probably hate the woman for what she’d done to Hugh, but found her emotions more complicated. She was, of course, righteously indignant on his behalf, but she admired Lauren’s professionalism and obvious intellect. Selfishly, she was grateful he was no longer involved with the other woman. “Were you able to get the warrants?”

  Lauren nodded and handed them to Chris, who read them quickly and handed them across the table to Jared. “The extended protective custody has also been arranged for Mrs. Argyros. When will the arrests be made?”

  Chris looked across the table at Jared, eyebrows raised in question.

  “This afternoon. We need to move on this quickly. Detective Hart, gather your officers. I’ll make a few phone calls.” He excused himself and slid out of the booth.

  “How’s Hugh?” Lauren asked quietly.

  “He’s good. We’re, uh, we’re really happy.”

  “Good. I still care about him, you know. I wish him all the best. I just couldn’t be what he wanted.” She looked embarrassed at sharing so much. “Well, good luck with your arrests. Give my office a call later and let me know how everything turned out so I can get to work on the case. God, this is going to be a tough one.” She stood, shook Chris’ hand, and left the diner.

  Jared returned to the booth, signaling for the waitress. She directed a scathing look at the back of his head, but sauntered to the table, pad and pen at the ready to take their lunch order. Once they were alone again, he spoke. “My agents will ready within the hour. Yours?”

  “Of course. They’ll meet us at Argyros’ downtown office.”

  “Where’s your partner in all this?”

  “I’ll call him when we’re done here. I told him I was at an appointment all morning, so there’s no reason to distract him now.” At Jared’s amused look, she hastened to explain. “Ariana doesn’t exactly trust men right now. I suspected the pregnancy when we questioned her a while ago, so I gave her my personal cell number before we left. I’m the only one she’ll talk to at this point. It was her main condition. Finn will understand.”

  An hour and fifteen minutes later, Chris pulled into the parking lot a block away from the Argyros’ building. The three state police units were arriving and she saw Jared standing next to several unmarked, yet obviously Fed vehicles. She pulled her body armor vest out of the trunk and donned it, fervently hoping it would be superfluous in the coming sweep. She had just finished fastening it on when Finn’s car pulled in. She was relieved he’d gotten here in time and jogged over, stopping short when she saw Hugh get out of the passenger side. “Finn! What the hell is he doing here?”

  “Chrissy!” Hugh grabbed her shoulders and stared into her face. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” She threw a furious glance at her partner.

  “Hugh showed up at the precinct. Neither of us could reach you and I had no idea where you were. I guess we both freaked out a bit.” Finn had the grace to look somewhat shame-faced.

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” she muttered and grabbed Hugh’s hand, pulling him away. She walked until she was out of earshot of her units. “Hugh, what is going on?”

  “We couldn’t get in touch with you! Why didn’t you answer your phone?”

  “Because I was putting a witness in protective custody. It was a fairly delicate situation, so I turned my phone off for a little while.” She sighed as she saw him look down at his feet, kicking the gravel at the edge of the asphalt lot. “I’m sorry you were worried. Hey.” She stepped closer and put her arms around him. “Work in progress?”

  He hugged her as tightly as he could with her body armor in place. “Yeah, you could say that. I’m really sorry. I stopped by to bring you some flowers and see if you could go to lunch. I lost it when Finn said you were at an appointment and then we couldn’t get hold of you. I thought Fiore had reneged on his promise.”

  “Hmm. And what did you do?”

  “We went to talk to the little bastard.” At the look of consternation on her face, he rushed to reassure her. “He’s fine. I’m sure Finn’s overreacting. Fiore won’t sue; he knows he’d lose out on the hotel sale if he did.”

  “Oh, my God.” She took his face in her hands. “This has got to stop, Hugh.” He looked so forlorn and apologetic she couldn’t stay mad. “Flowers, huh? What kind?”

  “Roses, of course. I’m so sorry.�
�

  “Yeah, well, we’ll talk about later, okay? Right now I have to go arrest some people. I need you to go sit in my car and stay there until I’m finished. I’ll have a unit take you home after we get done.”

  “I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t I go across the street to that coffee shop and call an Uber? I’ll see you at home later if you’re still speaking to me. Right now, I’ll let you get back to saving the world.”

  He had that vulnerable look again. Her heart melted, though she knew she had every right to be furious. “Of course I’m still speaking to you. Baby steps, hon. I love you.” She kissed him quickly and turned to go.

  The arrests went down without a hitch; Adrian and his son were far too urbane to exhibit any sort of violence. But neither said a single word beyond asking for their lawyer. Chris knew it would be an uphill battle for the district attorney and the U.S. Attorney to make the charges stick and topple the Argyros crime family. But I’ve done my part, small though it may be. I pray Ariana will find a way to be safe, both her and her baby.

  ***

  Finn accepted her need for secrecy with good grace, one of the many reasons they were such good partners. “If you say you couldn’t tell me, I’ll figure out a way to be okay with it. Sorry I couldn’t control my idiot brother better.”

  “He’s not an idiot and he’s not your responsibility. Don’t worry about it.”

  “You’re not going to break up with him again, are you?” He glanced at her quickly as he drove.

  She shook her head and chuckled softly. “No, I’m in love with him and he’s trying. He has a long way to go, but he’s working on his attitude. This is it.” She directed Finn to pull to the curb in front of a double wide trailer in the Far Horizons Mobile Home Park. An elderly woman was cleaning out a small flower bed in the minuscule front yard. The trailer was neat and tidy-looking, much like the other trailers on the street. The woman grabbed a cane lying near her and pushed to her feet.

  “Hello, ma’am,” Finn began, flashing his charming smile that usually worked especially well on elderly women. “I’m Detective DeLuca and this is Detective Hart. We’re looking for Grady Smithson. Does he live here?”

  She narrowed her eyes, taking in the badges hanging from both their necks. “I’m Mrs. Smithson. What do you want with my husband?”

  “We just have a few questions for him. Is he inside?” Chris asked.

  Mrs. Smithson led them up the ramp covered with green indoor/outdoor carpet. Two small Pomeranians set up a constant yapping as she pushed her way past them into a painfully neat living room. “Pel! Mel! Hush up now!” The two balls of fluff paid her no attention and continued to bark furiously as they followed her inside.

  Finn caught her eye as he shook his head in disgust.

  “Grady!” Mrs. Smithson hollered as she walked down the hallway, leaving Finn and Chris to wait. “There’s some detectives here to talk to you.”

  A few minutes later, an equally elderly man hobbled out to the living room, pushing glasses on his face and buttoning a shirt as he walked. “What’s this about?”

  “We’d like to ask you a few questions, Mr. Smithson, about a friend of yours named George Staphros.” Chris had seen the fear on the man’s face as he caught sight of their badges and his wild glance toward his wife.

  “Who’s that?” Mrs. Smithson asked. “Grady, you don’t know anyone named George Staph-whatever, do you?”

  Mr. Smithson wiped a suddenly sweaty brow. “Oh, George. Well, I haven’t seen him for years. Would it be possible to discuss this somewhere else, Detectives?”

  “Of course, Mr. Smithson. Why don’t we have our little discussion at our precinct?” Chris said.

  “There’s no need for that!” Mrs. Smithson barked. “You can say whatever you need to say right here.”

  Smithson ignored her completely. “Yes. That would be fine. I’ll just get my wallet, if you don’t mind.” He turned to walk back to his bedroom.

  “I’ll go with you,” Finn said firmly.

  The old man deflated visibly and shuffled back to his room, Finn on his heels. Chris wondered what the crazy old coot had briefly contemplated: a shootout or a quick suicide? They returned moments later and walked quietly to the car.

  “Thank you for not insisting on the handcuffs in front of my wife. She doesn’t know anything.”

  “That’s all right, Mr. Staphros. Is there anyone we can call to help take care of her? I don’t imagine you’ll be returning home anytime soon.” Chris doubted he would ever see the little trailer again; there was no statute of limitations on murder, after all. It was hard to believe this shriveled little man was responsible for the deaths of at least six people and probably dozens more. You could never tell by looking at a person.

  ***

  It was late when she finally let herself in Hugh’s house. All the questioning and accompanying paperwork had taken forever and it was past midnight when she was finally able to leave. She’d texted over an hour ago and offered to sleep at her own place that night, but he’d texted back two words:

  Hugh: Come home.

  She opened the door as quietly as possible, planning to slip into bed without disturbing him, but the smell of warm food greeted her, causing her empty stomach to rumble.

  “Hey.” Hugh appeared, wiping his hands on a dish towel. “I warmed up some soup for you. You must be starving.” He ushered her back to the kitchen, where a steaming bowl of vegetable soup sat on the table next to a small plate of crackers and a glass of red wine.

  She turned and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. “Thanks. This is perfect.”

  He hugged her back, then kissed her. “You look worn out, hon. Try to eat something and then I’ll tuck you into bed next to me.”

  “You’re spoiling me. Be careful because I could get used to this.”

  He smiled and pulled her chair out. “Fine by me. You deserve to be spoiled occasionally. Did everything work out all right after I left?”

  She told him about the arrests while she ate the soup and sipped the wine. She explained how she had mixed emotions about arresting George Staphros. “I know he was a cold-blooded killer, but it’s hard to see that in a little old man. And his wife didn’t know anything about his life as a mob hitman. She honestly thought she had married Grady Smithson, a retired accountant. I hope she’ll be able to recover from the shock eventually. God, that poor woman.”

  “What about the other wife? The one who’s in protective custody? Do you think there’s any chance she’ll ever find a way to be safe after what she did?”

  “I don’t know. I hope and pray she will, but it’s going to be tough.” She yawned and stood to take her bowl to the dishwasher.

  Hugh took it from her and placed it in the sink. “I’ll get it in the morning. Let’s get you to bed before you fall asleep on the table.”

  “Thanks for letting me come over. This wasn’t much fun for you.”

  “Chrissy, hon.” He took her face gently in his hands. “It’s not always about fun. I need you with me. We belong together. It’s as simple as that.”

  She leaned in to kiss him softly. “I love you, Hugh DeLuca.”

  “And I love you, Chrissy Hart. Always.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Three Months Later

  Hugh

  “Are you ready?” He paused at the door to Bella Marcone and looked at the gorgeous woman by his side.

  “Are you?” she countered, eyes twinkling mischievously. “It’s too late to back out, you know.”

  “Thank God.” He opened the door for her and followed her inside. They paused at the coat check window and he helped her remove the black overcoat, revealing a short dress, somewhere between pink and ivory, with a lacy overlay. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you look tonight?”

  She turned a radiant smile on him. “Why, thank you, sir. You look pretty amazing yourself. That blue tie nearly matches your eyes.”

  “Probably because you picked i
t out.” He took a deep breath. “Let’s do this.” He led her to the back of the restaurant, where their families waited for the arrival of the guests of honor. They had announced their engagement nearly three weeks ago, but had delayed an engagement party until her parents and sister could arrange to be here from El Paso. Uncle Teddy had offered to host the party, free of charge, of course.

  At the door to the banquet room, she stopped and took his hand. “Hugh, the next hour or so is going to be crazy.” She laughed lightly, possibly a bit hysterically. “I guess I just wanted to tell you I love you. Okay. Now I’m ready.”

  He grinned and kissed her before pulling open the door. Applause greeted them and he glanced around to see his entire family, several close friends, her parents and sister whom he’d met a couple times in the past months, and Father Ortega, their parish priest. He wondered if the rest of the guests were confused as to why they had invited their priest to an engagement party. He was glad to see Teddy had ensured the liquor was flowing freely; it would definitely be better if their guests weren’t entirely sober. He kept Chrissy by his side as he greeted people and steadily made his way to the front of the room. “Welcome, everyone.” He spoke loudly and waited for the general buzz to subside. “Thank you all for coming out to help us celebrate tonight. A few weeks ago, I asked this amazing woman to marry me.” He waited for the ‘awws’ to die down before he continued. “And for some strange reason she said yes.” He caught Chrissy’s eye and winked. “Now, I know you’re all under the impression that you’ve come here for an engagement party, but I have to disappoint you.” That got everyone’s attention. The room became deathly silent and Hugh saw Izzy’s mouth fall open comically. “Neither of us cares much for all the fuss and stress that usually goes into a big wedding, but we did want our family and friends to be part of our big day. So, what I’m trying to say is: we’re getting married tonight. Right here. This isn’t an engagement party; it’s our wedding.” He heard a few sudden gasps—from his mother and Chrissy’s, most likely—and he could swear he saw Cara mouth the words ‘you little shit’ to him. He took advantage of the pause to call Father Ortega up to the front of the room with them. The priest asked the guests to sit; they all obeyed, probably too shocked to do anything else, and he began the simple ceremony Hugh and Chrissy had requested.