by Jet MacLeod
“Oh, don’t think I am done with you yet, Del. There is so much more I want and I know that you can give it to me. Do you want me to continue?” Angie asked when she finally caught her breath.
Del just nodded.
Chapter 56
They landed around seven forty-five. They’d made good time considering and were now making their way through the busy downtown traffic to the condo that Cole had bought. Sanchez and the other unidentified man met with another man and then drove them to the condo. Del didn’t seem surprised, but Angie did. She suspected that there would be more men or Cole himself would have picked them up. But, then she didn’t know how this was going to really work. Right now, she was just along for the ride until she had to testify.
They pulled into a parking garage that was attached to the condominium. Angie was immediately surrounded by Sanchez, Del and the man from the plane. The driver gathered their bags and nodded to Sanchez and Del. They took the first elevator up to their floor and knew that the driver would follow behind. When the elevator doors opened, Angie saw a swanky hallway and two doors. She wondered which condo would be the one that they were using. She didn’t have to wait long. Cole came out to meet them.
“Right this way, ladies,” he told them.
Del ushered Angie towards the door that Cole neared. Sanchez and the other man went into the other door. Cole handed Del a large envelope and opened the door for them. Once Angie and Del entered the room, Cole handed them some keys. He nodded at Del, who looked at the big yellow envelope. She gave him a look which Angie couldn’t read and then shut the door when he turned away from them.
“What’s that?”
“Our information,” Del answered.
“Information?”
“It is our life back. Everything in here is either Angela March or Delia Montgomery. There is a timetable for the courthouse and some routes that we will both have to learn. There is also some pictures of the all the Marshalls that will be assigned to you while we are here,” Del told her.
Angie took the envelope and dumped it on the table. She saw her IDs, keys, and court officer badge fall out. Her old life was nothing more than some plastic cards and bits of medal. That is what her life had been reduced to because of her choices. Then she saw the same for Del. There was an ID, a Marshall’s badge, FBI credentials, and other credit cards. Her life was the same. These were things that identified them, but it didn’t tell anyone who they really were.
She reached over and grabbed the court docket. She wouldn’t be needed until the second day. That meant that she would be staying in the condo with Del until then. She looked across the table to where Del was. She saw the hesitation in her eyes.
“When will the Marshalls come for me?”
“I don’t know. Cole has taken point on things here. He has been in contact with the FBI, too.”
“That doesn’t worry you?” Angie asked knowing how much Del didn’t like not being in control.
“No, I trust Cole. It is everyone else that I don’t trust. Besides, he got me the dossiers of all the Marshalls that will be with us until the case is over. It is the locals that worry me the most.”
“The locals?” Angie inquired.
“Yes, the locals. They are going to want to see you. They are going to want to get close to you. They are the only wild card that I don’t like right now. I can’t stop them from getting close to you because they need to talk to you about the case. They are just as much a part of this case as you are. They may not be doing the prosecution but they will be presenting evidence and testifying, too. I want to know more about them, but I won’t have enough time to dig deeper into their backgrounds. I guess that I will have to ask you about them and use your judgement.”
“Thanks,” Angie replied sarcastically.
“I didn’t mean it like that, Angie. It just looks like that you have had more contact with some of them than the FBI or Marshalls. Also, you can give me insight into who they are and what they are about that Cole couldn’t get. He did what he could, but you are a local, too.”
“I get that.”
“Then, how about this guy?” Del told her, pushing a picture and thin dossier at her.
“Burkholder?”
“Yeah, what do you know about him besides he is NYPD?” Del asked.
“He was the lead detective on the case. He is a friend. He is married with five children and he lives and breathes NYPD. He’s a man’s man. He isn’t anyone to worry about. I’ve worked with him most of my career. He’s good at his job. He makes mine easy for the most part. He even tried to talk me into dropping the case or giving it to the feds, but I pushed anyway,” Angie said.
“Okay, so he gets a pass. How do you think that he is going to react to you being in court? Does he know that you are alive?” Del asked.
“He does. He was the only one that I told. I needed him to know that I wasn’t dead. The sad part about that was that I had to wait until he buried me. I guess you can imagine the shock on his face when the Marshalls let me see him one last time.”
“Why him?”
“Because we took care of each other. He was like a brother and I knew that he could keep his mouth shut. He was a former Marine and I knew that he wouldn’t give up on the case. He would keep working it in his spare time if he had to, because I knew that he would find a way to bring me back. He was my ace in the hole,” Angie explained.
“We all need one of those occasionally.”
“We really do.”
“What about her?” Del questioned handing her another set of information.
“Rebecca Collins, another detective. She moved into the precinct shortly before the case. She’s good. I have no complaints from working with her. She’s very passionate about her job and helping the victims. She has European connections from growing up a diplomats attaché’s daughter, but that only served to help her talk her way out of sticky situations and her extensive knowledge of languages helped when we couldn’t an interpreter to help out fast enough.”
“And what about Paxton?”
“Their captain.”
“Greene?”
“He’s a conspiracy theorist but a helluva detective.”
“Sarfati?”
“Jace? He’s former narcotics and good at undercover operations. He’s a good man and he’s just trying to prove that he can handle major crimes. He can do it. He’s a great detective.”
“They sound like a good group of people to have working for you.”
“I know what you are thinking, and no, don’t. They are all good detectives. They are dedicated to dealing with the most heinous of crimes committed. Sometimes murder is easier to deal with, then your victims can’t tell you and remember all the horrors they’d been subjected to,” Angie told her as her smiled faded.
Del could tell that she was remembering what started this whole fiasco. Angie would never forget that night. She unconsciously reached up to her shoulder and massaged it. Del watched her, but she didn’t say anything. She knew that this would happen when they came back. Angie had never had the proper time to analyze and deal with everything that she’d been through. She had been just thrown into the system. It was why she rebelled so much.
“Do you want to meet with them before you go to testify?” Del asked her.
“I don’t think I should.”
“Why not?”
“Because to them I am dead. They need to proceed with the case like that. I know that it will hurt them, but it was for the best. The cartel did put a hit out on me, and for all intents and purposes, I have been dead for the last few years. It would look bad if they don’t react when I get called into court. If they don’t react, then the cartels might do something to them.”
“We could protect them.”
“If you thought I was bad…”
“I’ll let Cole know, so he can set something up. I am sure that they are going to want to meet with you after you testify. We won’t keep you from your friends, Angie; we wi
ll just keep you safe. So there will some protocols that you will have to follow for us to do that.”
“Meaning?”
“Looking at Burkholder’s jacket, he is going to want to take over. He might even convince the Marshalls to let him. You cannot under any circumstances let him do this. He is under surveillance by the cartels and anything that he does in relation to you, might and will put you in danger. I can’t let that happen. I have sworn to protect you and I will, but you have to help me do that. You cannot let them take over. If they do, my job is done and we will leave. I need to know that you understand that. Do you understand that?”
Angie just looked at her. She couldn’t believe what Del was telling her. She knew that Burkholder and Sarfati would feel responsible for her, but she didn’t know if they would go so far as to want to take over her protection detail. And, she didn’t know if the Marshalls would even allow it considering everything that had happened to Angie over the last few years.
“I understand what you are saying, Del.”
“I just don’t want you in any more jeopardy than you already are. I’m worried about you being here. I don’t need anything that I can’t plan for and that can’t anticipate,” Del told her.
“I understand.”
“I am just worried about you.”
“I love you, too, Del. We’ll get through this. I promise that everything will be okay. There is nothing for you to worry about. I am not going to do anything to compromise the detail. I am just as responsible for this as you are. I don’t want to put anyone in any jeopardy.”
Del nodded. She dropped the dossiers and the rest of the information on the table. She walked over into the kitchen area and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. She downed it quickly.
“I’m going to look around the place. Just don’t leave. I’m sure that Cole will have a briefing with me shortly. I’ll get Sanchez to stay with you. Is that alright?” Del asked her as she crossed back over to the table.
Angie looked up at her. Her blue eyes were on fire and Del couldn’t quiet name what the fire was. She seemed different. She seemed more alive, but there was something else behind it. It wasn’t passion or lust; it was darker. She seemed more resolved and angry. Maybe that was it. She was angry at something that Del had done, but for the life of her, Del didn’t know why.
“Fine,” Angie said walking away from the table and down the hall to one of the bedrooms.
Del watched her go, then she walked over to the bank of windows that faced Broadway. She took in the view. It was nice, but there was too much glass. She knocked on it, but she knew that it was bullet proof. She knew that Cole would have taken care of it first.
Their accommodations were first class. She was sure that this was what Angie was used to while living in New York. This was the world that Angie knew and Del could only look at in wonder. The condo was three bedrooms. The first of the three over looked Broadway. The second looked down at the street but it was on the corner. The third was entirely inside. When she walked the room, she noticed that it was smaller and that the walls were different. She paced twice and then realized that Cole had made it a “safe room.”
They had everything that they needed to live there. The furniture was posh. The kitchen was lavish and stocked. Cole had taken care of everything, but the “Del” factor. He gave them lavish comforts that would fit in to Angie’s world and the posh world of New York’s elite. It was everything that Del was not. She felt out of place, but she knew that this was just a mission and she had a part to play. She only had to make it through the case and then they…she would be heading back to the Pacific Northwest and her peace and quiet retirement.
“I’m going over to the other apartment. I’ll send Sanchez over. We can talk later about everything if you want,” Del called to her from the door, but when she didn’t get an answer, she just left the condo hoping that Angie would up to talking about their situation later.
Chapter 57
When Del got back into their condo, Angie was already asleep. She knew that Cole had a miniature army in the next condo, but that didn’t fully assuage Del’s fears. They were back in Angie’s home turf and it was a place that the cartels knew well. They had bought off enough politicians and other officials to keep their businesses running. Angie had dampened that with her prosecution attempts on some of their members. It was too much to plan for and Del knew it. Cole was doing his best, but the locals were wanting more say in things.
She still hadn’t met with Burkholder but she was afraid that he was going to be a problem. He seemed to be closer to Angie than anyone else on her squad of detectives in the NYPD. He could muck things up faster than anyone. And, he was. Cole had already found out that he was asking the Marshalls about Angie. He would give her away if he wasn’t careful.
Del would have to talk to him personally. She would have to make him see what he was doing was putting Angie in danger. She would have to put him in his place. Del hadn’t sacrificed everything over the last few months to have him undo it all. She wouldn’t fail her mission because of him. She would take him down first. She didn’t want to have to do that, so she hoped that he would see reason once they talked.
She grabbed a cloth covered, heavily padded chair and dragged it towards the windows. She sat down and stared out the window. The sun was long gone and the moon was high. She knew that she should get some sleep, but she couldn’t make herself go to bed. She didn’t know why Angie was upset with her but she knew that she was. She sighed. They would talk in the morning. She knew that they would have tomorrow before Angie was called to court and Del could only hope that she had enough time to figure out what she’d done and apologize for it.
“Are you coming to bed?” Angie asked minutes later.
Del jumped. She hadn’t heard her coming up behind her. She hung her head.
“Are you okay?” Angie questioned when Del still didn’t answer.
“I didn’t hear you coming.”
“I’ve gotten better,” Angie replied with a smile.
Del turned around and faced her but she couldn’t smile. Everything about being in New York felt wrong. It felt like the end of something and Del couldn’t tell what. She knew that their stories started in the City, but it just felt like something big was going to happen. She felt like everything was going to fall apart.
“Del?”
“I’m losing my touch.”
“No, you aren’t.”
“I didn’t hear you coming, Angie.”
“You weren’t listening for me. You were listening for someone to come through the door, the ceiling or the floor. Your brain didn’t care that someone was already in here because you knew who was in here. You aren’t losing your touch,” Angie told her.
Angie came closer and took her hand. She pulled her up out of the chair and into her body. She held Del. She didn’t know what was bothering her so much, but she knew that it was enough for Del to shut down. She’d changed back into the woman that she’d met in that small apartment in the Bronx months ago. Del was reverting and Angie seemed incapable of stopping it.
“Come to bed with me,” Angie urged her.
“I need to be on watch,” Del stated.
“Isn’t that why you have an entire condo full of goons across the hall, upstairs and downstairs?”
Del just looked at her. The fire in Angie’s eyes wasn’t as strong, but Del still didn’t trust herself to sleep. Angie tried to kiss her and Del pulled away. Angie didn’t let go though. She wasn’t going to let Del go, not like this.
“Talk to me, dammit.”
Del just looked at her more deeply. She could see the calm demeanor of the ADA coming through. This was the Angie that she hadn’t gotten to know. The City brought out another side of her. She wasn’t rebellious or small. No, this Angie was larger than life and very commanding.
“Del…”
“Burkholder is already talking with Albrecht about taking over your detail. He thinks that he can do a better
job than the Marshalls. He wants us gone. I think he just wants to see you.”
“Then, I’ll talk to him. I’ll make him understand that I need you with me. You’ve kept me alive longer than anyone else has. You’ve been with me the longest. You know what to look for. Plus, I trust you. I’ll talk to him, Del. Calm down. I’ll take care of it.”
“I don’t think that will matter,” Del stated.
“Why?”
“Albrecht and the DA on the case agreed with them.”
“What!? Why? And, who the hell is the DA prosecuting?”
“It went to Jessica Largos. I think that she was an old friend of yours. And, Albrecht doesn’t want to deal with it. The FBI however still wants me on the case. Albrecht is pulling the Marshalls out. He doesn’t figure that he’s needed with the entirety of the NYPD to guard you. It seems that Burkholder started a small turf war,” Del told her.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. I want you to be with me in that court room. I want you by my side. I want to know that if something goes down, you have my back. I trust Burkholder, I do, but not like I do you, Del. I trust you above my own family. You are the only one who has never betrayed me. You’ve come for me, protected me and loved me. I am not willing to give that up.”
“Not yet anyway…”
“What about Cole and Sanchez?”
“They haven’t disbanded the team. They aren’t going to until I tell them to do so, which I am not. I want more than just me in the court room and I’m going to have it. Sanchez and a team will be in the audience before we ever show up. He’ll let me know if anything goes wrong.”
“You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?” Angie asked her.
“Everything except Burkholder,” Del answered.