“No, it would kill her.”
“I can't see it any other way.”
Russo sat back down hard, his chair groaning and squeaking under the weight. “I'm afraid I have to agree, Jake. This has gotten too far out of hand. Until this is over—”
“Bellows was the mole in the Bureau. You caught him last night. He must have leaked Cassie’s name to the media so that—”
“He wasn’t the leak, Jake,” Russo said, his voice grave.
“He had to be,” Jake insisted. Had to be? Jake wondered, waging war with himself. To think anything else would mean only one thing—Cassie would be gone.
“Bellows requested a transfer up to the New York office a little over a year ago,” Radcowski said. “That's about the time we figured the bond fraud scheme started. He was in the city the night of the shooting.”
Charley continued. “We were about to bust Trumbella’s organization wide open. During our investigation, we were able to plant an agent deep undercover, who then fed us information about the organization and the bond fraud deal. They’d been working with a Colombian company called The Aztec Corporation. The agent was able to tell us that he suspected a mole in the Bureau was working closely with Ritchie to help him stay one step ahead of us.”
Radcowski plucked the file folder Charley had dropped on Russo’s desk. “Since Bellows walked right into Charley's sting with Fagnelio by his side, it pretty much makes him number one suspect. Unfortunately, he’s dead and we can’t ask him. But he never leaked Ms. Alvarez’s name to the media.”
“What makes you so sure?”
Charley cleared her throat and looked at Jake directly. “Because Agent Bellows had an ironclad alibi the night of the shooting at Rory’s. He was with me. The entire night.”
The air in the room was thick, almost enough to choke every bit of breath from Jake's lungs.
Dammit, it was exactly what he'd dreaded. Too neat. There was someone else out there.
Jake’s jaw tightened. “Where are you taking Cassie?”
Charley shook her head. “That information is not being released.”
“And that's it? You're just going to take her away until Fagnelio decides to roll?”
“On the contrary, Detective,” Charley said as she nodded to Agent Radcowski. “The more evidence we can gather against the Trumbella clan and Angel Fagnelio the less pressure will be on Cassie. I've asked John to work with me on special assignment. I'm also asking you.”
Frowning, he asked. “Why me?”
“I need people on my team I can trust.” Charley gave a dry laugh. “These days they've become few and far between. But the way I see it, you have a vested interest in finding out the truth. If you feel the way I think you do about Cassie, then I'm betting you're my best shot at digging up the evidence on Fagnelio. If you do, we can keep Cassie from having to testify, take the heat off her with Trumbella's organization. It's the only chance Cassie has at getting her life back. Are you willing to work on my team?”
“Fagnelio was after me too because of my involvement in his sister’s death five years ago.”
“I know that. I think we can use that to our advantage.”
Jake tossed the idea around in his head a minute. He couldn't do a damned thing to help Cassie if he was locked up with her for the next who-knows-how-many months. If he was out on the street, now that was a different story.
But it could take months if not years to find the kind of information needed to secure a conviction without Cassie's testimony. They didn't have years. Someone else was out there.
“Who shot Bellows, Charley?” he asked.
Kevin ran his hand over his face. “Jeez, Jake does it really matter?”
“Was it you?” he asked his partner.
Kevin turned his eyes toward the floor. Not a good sign.
“Are you willing to be part of this team or not, Jake? I need to know,” Charley pressed.
“Answer the damned question!”
“You're either in or out?”
“Who shot him, Charley?”
“I did!”
Jake stared at Charley for a long moment, saw the tears that welled up in her eyes and the tightness in her stand as she held herself together. She kept her composure and he had to admit he admired that about her.
He once believed there was nothing but ice flowing through Charlotte Tate's veins. She was woman with an agenda who didn't care who she stepped on to get where she was going. Looking at her now…
No one broke the silence.
“I'm in,” Jake finally said.
And he walked out the door.
#
Chapter Fourteen
I'm getting a cat, Maureen, Cassie typed on her brand spankin' new laptop, courtesy of the FBI. Or rather, FBI Agent Charlotte Tate. Cassie had the feeling it was more of a personal gift than one made by the United States government. The new hairstyle too. Charlotte had taken one look at the chunk of hair missing from the back of Cassie’s head and an hour later a hair stylist was being frisked at the hotel room door.
Both gifts were very much appreciated. Especially the laptop. Cassie felt more at home with her fingers clicking on a keyboard while she stared at a computer screen than she did most anywhere else. Especially here in the hotel room with a half dozen chattering agents just outside her bedroom door.
And I'm getting real houseplants, Cassie continued typing. None of those plastic things. I'm going to learn how to take care of something real and live for once in my life. Something that will miss me if I'm gone. If this mess has taught me anything it's that I could leave for six whole months and no one would be the wiser. I'm moving out of the city, too, getting a cat, and maybe a dog. Well, maybe I won't be that ambitious just yet. I'll start with a cat. They can pretty much take care of themselves, right? All I have to do is feed it and snuggle with it once in a while and it will be happy. I can already hear you snickering about that sounding just like a man.
Cassie's fingers paused on the keyboard as she re-read what she'd just written. She had that, too, she thought wickedly, thinking about Jake. But she wouldn't elaborate further on her relationship with Jake until she had a chance to introduce them face to face.
She continued typing. Yeah, I'll stick with the cat and live plants for now. If all goes well tomorrow, you'll be seeing me in a few days. I can't wait. I'll fill you in on the scoop then.
Cassie signed her email and punched the send button. She'd been strictly advised not to make any calls until after tomorrow's trial. But what harm could a simple email from her own on-line account do? Especially since Maureen probably wouldn't get around to reading it until tomorrow anyway. By that time the trial would be over and it wouldn't matter.
Despite the suggestion that she should just lay low, she'd given Maureen the message to call her parents and let them know she was okay. Surely by now they'd know the danger she’d been in and have seen all the news coverage of the shooting at her apartment. They must be worried sick, and rightly so.
As much as Cassie knew she was being a coward by having Maureen make the call, she couldn't help it. With all that had gone on, she couldn't deal with her father's disapproval. He wouldn't have to say anything, but Emilio's death and the subsequent trial would hang between them again. Old memories would invade that quiet security they'd all fought so hard for.
She couldn't think of that now. Once she testified and Fagnelio was put behind bars for good, it would all be over and she could get back to her life. She'd worry about mending fences with her father then.
After folding down the laptop screen, Cassie stretched to pull the stiffness out of her muscles. For the first time in the last few days, she breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but smile. A real honest-to-goodness, feel-it-from-your-toes-to-your-hairline smile. Normalcy. Who'd ever have thought something as simple as sending an email to her editor would make her feel so happy, so grounded.
She'd been holed up in one of the most luxurious hotel rooms just outsi
de the city, been fed wonderful food by the best chef and she didn't give a damn. All she wanted was to go home to her own apartment and curl up on her sofa with Jake.
Jake. She hadn't seen him since the moment they'd returned. One step into the station and all hell broke loose. It was just as Jake had warned. The federal prosecutor, Aaron Savage, immediately whisked her away to seclusion. They'd gone over the case countless times. While she sat in a chair in the middle of the room, she repeated her testimony, giving in detail what she'd seen the night of the shooting at Rory's.
Both the prosecutor and his assistant took turns pitching questions of all kinds at her, to see if she would trip up. Each time her testimony never wavered. They seemed pleased both with that and with their chances of convincing the judge there was enough solid evidence to warrant bringing Angel Fagnelio to trial for the multiple murders.
Everyone was happy.
Except her.
Cassie wanted to see Jake. She wanted to be home. And since she couldn't have that, she wanted Jake. She knew he'd be buried in a mountain of paperwork. She also knew by the brash comments the new agents in charge of guarding her let slip, that neither Captain Russo nor Agent Tate held Jake high on their list of favorite people right now.
When Jake walked through the door some hours later, she launched herself into his arms, relief filling her.
“What took you so long?”
He didn't say a word for a minute. Charley Tate had followed him into the hotel room and gave him a strong look. Although she'd been nice enough on the few times Cassie had to deal with her, it was obvious there was no love lost between her and Jake. Obviously, something had gone on between them to draw such a hard line.
She pulled him into the bedroom of her suite, not caring that the other agents were still in the main suite. The queen-sized bed was made and what few clothes she'd been able to get access to were folded neatly and piled on top of the dresser. She absolutely refused to put them in the drawers. She wasn't staying here any longer than she had to so there was no need to settle in.
As Jake glanced at the bed, a frown crinkled his brow.
“You have something on your mind, Detective?” she teased, snaking her arms beneath his leather jacket. The familiar scent of leather and man welcomed her. Oh, what she wouldn't do to take a tumble on that big bed with Jake after the day she'd had.
He shrugged lazily. “More than you know.”
Smiling up at him, she said, “I can think of a good way to ease a little tension.”
As he enfolded her in his arms, Cassie couldn't help but revel in how good he felt. It had been two long days, too long to do without something she'd all but thought would never exist in her life.
“Tomorrow is a big day,” he said, his voice filled with regret. “It'll be exhausting.”
“I know.”
“If we go anywhere near that bed you know we won't get any sleep tonight.”
“You're probably right. But the good news is tomorrow it will all be over. I suppose I can survive one more night without being in your arms.”
Still smiling, she leaned against the wall of his solid chest, found the comfort she craved there. Jake hesitated just a fraction of a second before tightening his hold. It was just enough for Cassie to notice her smile hadn't had the effect it usually had on him.
Finally, after too long a time, Jake kissed her deeply, then pulled her into a wing chair in the corner of the room so she sat sideways in his lap. He felt so right. Being in his arms made sense out of so many things tangling her sanity.
He'd asked her if she still wanted him in her life when this whole mess was over. And she did. After years of holding her emotions in a box, it felt good to finally free them. And with Jake she could. They just had one more day to get through.
Cassie burrowed her face into the crook of Jake's neck and inhaled deeply. He smelled fresh and clean, his skin smooth, as if he'd just showered and shaved before he'd come over to see her.
“Did you get everything worked out at the station?” she whispered.
“Most everything. I have to meet with Charley and Kevin a little later to go over some things.”
“What things?”
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with now.”
Laughter from the other room broke through the closed door, invading their quiet place. Cassie recognized Agent Tate's voice and wondered if she and Jake planned to leave together. She didn't want to feel insecure about it, but she realized with certainty that she did.
Jake's arms tightened around her and she didn't want to delve into what that meant. He had gone somewhere.
It was amazing. He was holding her close enough for her to hear his heartbeat, smell his skin and drink in his warmth. He was here, but he'd gone someplace else in his mind.
“What's with you and Agent Tate?” she finally asked, cursing herself silently for doing it.
“Me and Charley?”
Her cheeks flamed and she pulled away from his arms. “There's been a lot of talk, not that I want to listen.”
Jake stared directly at her, his gaze so intense she had to look away.
“A lot has happened. There's going to be a lot of talk until the whole truth comes out, Cassie.”
“I don't mean about the case.”
Finally, she lifted her eyes to meet his, saw the crease form in a knot in the center of his forehead. Serious and intense. She’d smile at how utterly adorable he looked if she didn't feel so insecure.
“Charlotte is a very beautiful woman…and I know she was seriously involved with a police officer a few years ago—”
Awareness seemed to take hold of Jake and he suddenly flashed one of those make-your-knees-weak smiles of his. Cassie's cheeks burned so strong it made her want to sink through the floor.
“And you think it was me?”
Cassie lifted herself from his lap, but Jake immediately reeled her back in, crushing her against him. She needed that comfort. She didn't know if this insecurity was because of the trial or idle chatter from agents who had too much time on their hands. Or something more.
She was being ridiculous. Jake was a man of integrity. What had happened in Jake's life before they'd come together didn't matter. It didn't change what was happening between them now.
“I'm sorry I mentioned it. It's none of my business.”
“I'm making it your business,” he said, his face still filled with a tinge of amusement.
Damn, he actually liked that she was jealous!
Jake tilted her chin up so she was forced to look at him. “But it wasn't me. It was Tyler.”
A sudden feeling of giddy relief rushed through her. It had to be insanity.
“I don't understand why you and Charlotte are always at each other’s throats then.”
“Too much bad blood, I guess.”
“I can understand that of Tyler, if they were lovers and it didn't work out.”
“It was more than that. Tyler was…crazy in love with Charley. I'd never seen anything like it before.”
“What happened?”
“Tyler had an informant who had a lot of information on a case the FBI was working on. Their investigation had stalled and since this informant only trusted Ty, they needed him to get the information they wanted. He and Charley hit it off from the word go.”
Jake's face changed, became vacant and haunted. The hard lines around the corners of his mouth deepened. But Cassie didn't press him further. She waited until he was ready to come back from wherever he'd gone.
“There was going to be a major shipment of cocaine. Ty had the information, passed it on to the FBI. A bust this big is what makes careers. It all could have been Tyler's for the asking for his part.”
“But he quit.”
“Yeah, he quit,” Jake said tightly. “After being ambushed in an alley on the opposite side of town, he spent a month in the hospital. Charley, on the other hand, took all the glory of the bust.”
“But I thought they wer
e working together.”
“They were, but at the last minute, she sent him on a wild goose chase. Told him his informant called and needed to see him immediately. I was his partner so we both went.”
“Tyler's informant shot him?”
Jake shook his head, a flash of bitterness shadowing his features. “It was a lie. Tyler's informant had called. But to tell him they'd moved up the shipment two days early and to a new location because they suspected the raid. Charley took the call and never told Tyler.”
“So when you got to the place you thought you were supposed to meet his informant—”
“He never showed, of course. We waited around until…”
Jake's whole body tensed as he spoke, as if he was having a hard time reliving what had happened. Cassie understood that feeling too well.
“She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. We'd been waiting for over a half hour when we figured maybe we got it wrong. It was late. We radioed back to the station that it was a no show. That's when we found out the FBI had raided the cocaine shipment. Tyler was furious.”
“I can't say I blame him.”
Jake's laugh was harsh and he shook his head. “It was a lousy time to be lost in the dark, but there was this woman, Debra Cantelli, who'd pulled up beside us asking for directions as we were ready to leave. Said she got lost trying to find her Lamaze class. I remember thinking at the time she looked just like my sister, Beth, who was also pregnant. Out of nowhere a bunch of punks decided to use the alley as a shooting gallery.”
Cassie gasped. “You were shot?”
“I took a few bullets to the vest. Both Tyler and I were wearing Kevlar. Ty was a stickler for it when we were out on the street. He was a damned good cop. I learned a lot from him.”
“Were you both hurt?”
Jake shrugged. “All things considered, I fared pretty well. The vest took the bullets but the impact broke two ribs, which pierced my lung, causing it to collapse. I couldn't breathe. I remember lying on the ground…”
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