“And so he killed him?”
“Yes.”
“What about the video?”
“Carl walked in during Sam’s recording. After Sam killed him, he had to get him cleaned up. I guess by the time he finished all that, he’d forgotten what he was in the middle of. He simply closed his computer and went home.”
“But you got the video?”
“Yes. Later. I couldn’t just walk in his office and take it. He carried that laptop with him pretty much everywhere. He left it locked up in his office occasionally, but I was pushed for time. I had to get the laptop before he found the video file with the murder on it. I had one plan. Get the laptop with the flash drive and disappear. And do it fast.” He rubbed his eyes. “I knew I was a dead man. Seconds after I walked in and found Carl dead, Sam was already plotting how to get rid of me. I knew I was going to have to take what I had to the Feds, but I wasn’t leaving until I had that evidence. When I came back to work Monday morning, Sam had everything cleaned up and three guys in the office with him.”
“Who were they?”
He smirked. “Men who were in Raimondi’s pocket. They were also very well-known citizens with a lot of pull in the city. Sam told me that if I said anything about the murder, he had enough evidence to get me tried and convicted. I knew I had to get into his laptop and get that video before he realized what he’d done and erased the evidence. Finally Sam just flat-out asked me what I planned to do. I told him I’d thought about it and wasn’t going to do anything, that his business was his business and as long as he kept the illegal part of what he was doing out of the legal side, I’d turn a blind eye.”
“But you really wouldn’t, would you?”
David shook his head. “No, of course not. I was just buying time to get that laptop. I was hoping to throw him off. I think it worked, because he didn’t say anything more and for the rest of the morning acted like everything was normal.”
“I can’t believe this,” she whispered. “Were you going to tell the cops about Carl?”
“Yes. As soon as I could turn over the video.”
“This is just crazy. It’s like I’m in some messed-up, twisted action movie.” He heard the tears in her voice. “This is not what I signed up for when I married you.” The last word squeaked out and he moved to hold her.
Only to have her push him away.
The physical pain of her rejection didn’t sting nearly as bad as the emotional.
She twisted away, then back. Sucking in a deep breath, he watched her gather her composure. She put her lawyer face on and clasped her hands in front of her. “Okay. So. You told Sam you weren’t going to do anything.”
He nodded. “But Sam didn’t trust me. Like I said, I could tell it was only a matter of time before he had me killed.”
“So you played along with Sam, acting like you weren’t happy with him but weren’t going to do anything like turn him over to the cops.”
He shifted. “Yes. In the meantime, I was planning how I was going to get that laptop.”
Summer sat still, watching him. At least she was listening.
“I got lucky—Sam hadn’t planned for one of our clients to show up that day, but he did, right before lunch. There was just no way for Sam to get out of inviting this client to lunch. I pretended to be on a call when they stopped by and asked me to join them, and I told them I’d catch up with them at the restaurant. Instead I got into Sam’s office and started looking for the video on his computer. I had a hard time finding it. Apparently he realized what he’d done and deleted it. Or thought he did.”
“But you found it.”
“Just because you delete something from your hard drive doesn’t mean it’s gone.”
“Right.”
“At first I just wanted the video, but in my search, I found all kinds of information that would be helpful to the FBI. I tried copying it, but it wouldn’t. I realized that the flash drive was one of those special ones that can be programmed to work only with a certain computer. I’d used them myself in the Army.” He leaned forward, desperate to make her understand why he’d done what he’d done. “You can’t copy anything to another device. So I just grabbed the laptop with the flash drive still in the port and walked out of the building. I haven’t been back since.”
“So why haven’t you turned the laptop over to the FBI? If they have the evidence, Raimondi would have no reason to kill you.”
“Oh, he has a reason. I betrayed them. Stole information and am cooperating with the authorities.”
“But you still haven’t given them the laptop.”
“No way. I’ve told the Feds a lot of what was on it and that I’ll give it to them a few days before the trial so the prosecuting attorney can properly prepare. They’ll have a forensics accountant ready to go, subpoenas issued for the bank account holders and all that. The trial is three weeks away and I’m ready to hand it over. In fact, I was planning to go get it on Monday. But now this—” He shook his head.
“Then let’s go get it. Or better yet, tell them where to find it and let them go get it.”
David pinched the bridge of his nose. “I would if I knew who I could trust,” he said softly. “That laptop—or really, the flash drive—is for my—our—protection. In case Raimondi and his cohorts manage to get their hands on me. See, they don’t want to kill me yet. They want me alive so I can tell them where the laptop is. If I fall into their hands, the laptop is simply a way I can buy time to escape. It’s my only bargaining tool. I gave the FBI a sampling of what was on that laptop and they’re ready to get their hands on the rest. And that’s why Raimondi is desperate. He’s pretty sure I haven’t given the laptop to the FBI yet. But Raimondi knows his time as a free man is short lived.”
“So you can’t copy anything off the laptop. The flash drive and the laptop go together.”
“Right. I was able to get the video off the hard drive where he recorded it. But all of his organized crime dealings were saved on that special flash drive. He used an Imation Enterprise s250 flash drive. It’s the kind of flash drive that top secret government officials use. The drives have strong hardware encryption, password protection, retry limits, and all that. You can even remotely disable and destroy the thing, but I managed to get that turned off before I had to hide it. The other thing is, you can control where the drives may be used based on IP addresses or range. I tried to get into the drive after I took it and couldn’t access it.” He shot her a look. “And I’m good. I’m very good with that kind of thing. But I just didn’t have enough time to work with it. I had to hide it before I could crack it.”
“So it’s hidden now.”
“Yes. And I’m the only one who knows where.”
“But you said you saw all that stuff on his computer. Names, dates, bank accounts …”
“The day I went to copy the video, Sam had some files open from the flash drive. He was careless and didn’t shut it down when he left for lunch.”
“So if something happens to you …”
He shifted. “I’ve made provisions that if something happens to me, the location of the laptop will be disclosed to the proper authorities. Only Raimondi doesn’t know that and neither do the authorities.”
“So Raimondi thinks the only way to recover this evidence is to kidnap you.”
“Yes. He thinks he can get the information out of me one way or another.”
She swallowed. “You mean torture you?”
He nodded and his eyes went dark. “Or you.”
15
Summer nibbled on the scrambled eggs Adam had cooked. They were good, but she wasn’t in the mood for food. She felt nauseous and tired and scared and—
“You okay?”
She looked up to see Chase enter the kitchen. “I’ve been better.”
“I’m sure.”
The sympathy in his gaze made her sigh. “I’m his weakness, aren’t I?” she blurted.
Adam glanced up from the paper he was reading. He and Cha
se exchanged a look, then Chase said, “Yes.”
The fact that Chase didn’t have to ask for clarification on her question said a lot. “They’ll use me to get to him.” She wasn’t sure why she needed to say the words out loud or even have the fact acknowledged by someone else. David had told her as much last night. It was silly to need it confirmed.
Chase took the seat to her right. A purple bruise shadowed his jawline. He clasped his hands in front of him and leaned forward. “That looks like what their plan is right now. They probably thought you knew where the laptop was when they paid you that surprise visit. They were watching your house, watching you. Having Mike show up wasn’t part of their plan.”
David walked in and sat at the table across from her. He looked at Chase and gave a small wince when he spotted Chase’s face. “Sorry about slugging you.”
Chase shrugged. “If it had been my wife, I would have done the same thing.”
The admission seemed to surprise David. Summer thought she saw his shoulders loosen up a bit.
She asked the men, “Mike probably saved my life, didn’t he? Forcing me to leave my house?”
“Yes.” Adam looked at David, then back to her. “Once they realized you really didn’t know where the laptop was, you were expendable.” He paused. “Although, they probably wouldn’t have killed you right away.”
She nodded, grimacing at the thought. They would have kept her to use against David. Just like they would do if they got their hands on her now. She shot a glance at her husband. Lips tight, jaw tense, he stared at the wall across from him.
“I know you may not want to hear this,” Adam said, “but if something like this has to happen, it’s good you and David can be together while it’s going on. A lot of times families are separated and never know what’s happened to their loved one. It can really tear a family apart.”
Summer almost gave him a sarcastic answer, but bit her tongue. He was trying to help.
Chase pointed his half-eaten donut at her. “Raimondi’s cohorts obviously followed you and Mike to the hospital and tried to grab you at the first opportunity.”
She looked at David. “So the only way we’ll truly be safe is if we simply disappear.”
David’s eyes darkened.
“I honestly don’t know that you’ll ever be safe again,” Chase said.
Summer stared at him. “What about after the trial? When they’re all in jail?”
David slapped a hand on the table. “We’ll worry about that later.”
“No,” Summer said, the one word sharp and cutting, “we’ll worry about that now. I’ve spent the last year in the dark. Fill me in with the truth.”
Adam shifted and shot David a look. “Raimondi’s connections reach far and wide. In all likelihood, even if he’s in prison, he’ll have revenge on his mind.”
“So I’m never going to be safe again?” she whispered.
“You will,” David declared. “I’m going to see to it. One way or another you’ll be safe.”
“What about my family?” she asked. “Are they safe?”
David and Chase exchanged a look.
“We have surveillance on them for now,” Chase finally said.
“For now? How long is ‘for now’?”
Another tense look. “We’re taking it one day at a time.”
“I want to talk to my sister.”
“No.” Adam stood. “You can’t do that. You can’t have any communication with your family until after the trial.”
Summer stood, panic flaring. “I have to! You don’t understand my family. They depend on me.” David leaned forward and she cut him off before he could speak. “Yes, I know they take advantage of me. But they’ve got to know I’m all right. I can’t just leave them hanging like this.” She jabbed a finger at David. “You know how she’ll react. I need to talk to her, tell her I’m fine and that she won’t hear from me for a while. And what about my mother? I’m supposed to go over tomorrow and fix lunch for her.” She paced from one end of the kitchen to the other. “I can’t believe this.” She froze as she thought about Olivia Todd. “And what about my clients? I have to be at work on Monday. How long is this going to drag out?”
Adam rubbed his head and sighed. “We can give your sister a call. We’ll have to get a burn phone.”
“We don’t have one with us. Mike can get one.”
“You don’t understand. I don’t have time to wait. This is my client’s life we’re talking about. Her girls and their future. If her husband gets wind of this …” She swallowed hard. “And my family. Just two calls, guys. Please …”
“Then we’ll just have to go somewhere to do it,” Adam said. “A pay phone.”
Summer noted he ignored her question about how long this ordeal would last. She didn’t demand an answer. She knew as well as Chase did, this could last for the next three weeks. Her mind started clicking as she mentally delegated her work schedule. Her paralegal, Celeste, would handle most everything for her.
But Olivia was a different matter.
“Don’t you have a secure phone?” David asked.
“Yes, but it would be best to make the call from another location. Raimondi has seriously good computer guys on his team.” He looked at Summer. “They’ve probably got a tracker on all your family’s numbers. Even encrypted cell phones can be traced by the right people with the right equipment.”
Summer felt sick, the nausea she’d felt earlier returning full force. She glared at David, who sighed and dropped his head. She bolted from the room to the bathroom and lost her breakfast.
David helped Summer into the car. She looked pale and wan, worn out from the constant emotional roller coaster he’d strapped her into. With each beat of his heart, his guilt intensified. He had to find a way to get Summer someplace safe until the trial was over. Chase spoke. David knew his words were aimed at the person on the other end of the device Chase had shoved in his ear, so David kept his attention on Summer.
“Marlee doesn’t deserve you.” As soon as the words were out, he wanted to recall them.
She turned cold eyes on him. “And I didn’t deserve you. Sometimes we get what we don’t deserve.”
He winced as the barb hit home. The pain of his betrayal stood clear in her eyes. He curled his fingers into a fist against his thigh, the desire to smash something overwhelming. But he couldn’t. She was right. She didn’t deserve what he’d done.
“Why did you marry me?” she asked.
He kept his gaze on the passing scenery as he pondered how to answer her.
“Stop thinking up a lie and tell me the truth.”
“I wasn’t trying to think of a lie—”
“The truth.”
“There’s a lot about me you don’t know, Summer.”
She gave a soft snort. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
He clenched his jaw, then slowly forced himself to relax it. “I wasn’t a Christian when we met, for one thing.”
She lifted a brow. “And you are now?”
“Summer.”
She turned away, but not before he saw the sheen of tears in her eyes. “I told you what my father did to us.”
“I know.” Summer’s father had betrayed her too. He’d divorced her mother and taken her and her siblings away from the woman. Summer had never forgiven him.
“He lied to me. Joshua lied to me. And now you.” A tear slipped down her cheek. The sight nearly ripped his heart in two.
“Summer—”
She swiped the wetness away and looked at him. “So why did you marry me?”
“I love you.”
Longing swept over her face, her eyes softened. Hope surged. She shook her head. “You said, love. Not loved.”
He sighed and closed his eyes. “I needed a good cover. The people after me weren’t looking for a married man with a mortgage. There. You feel better you know the truth now?” His bitter words hung between them.
A low moan came from deep within her, a sound
so agonizing he froze for a moment. Then grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her.
Her head fell to his shoulder and he could feel her shaking. “I’m sorry, Summer, I’m so sorry,” he whispered against her hair. Mike and Chase sat silent in the front and David ground his teeth at the lack of privacy.
The two men said nothing, but he knew they could probably hear quite a bit of the whispered discussion. It galled him to have this aired in front of them, but he had no choice. Not right now. He had to convince her while she was willing to listen. “I’ll make it right, I promise.”
A shuddering sigh boiled out of her and she pushed him away. “You used me.”
David said nothing. He had no argument. She was right. And yet … “Yes. In the beginning. But not really.”
“What?” Confusion pulled her brows together.
He swallowed hard and whispered, “From the moment we met, I knew you were different. You looked at me with such … innocence, such sweetness. I was drawn to you in a way I’ve never experienced before.”
“Of all the banks you could have chosen, you had to walk into mine.”
David swallowed hard. Summer had been at the front of the line to cash a check when her purse had fallen over, littering the bank floor with spare change, a brush, her makeup, all of the things a woman carried. He’d helped her clean up the mess, then asked her for her phone number, then out on a date for that night.
She’d said yes.
And his plan had been born. Make Summer fall in love with him and marry him in a whirlwind courtship.
She let out a breathy laugh. “It only took you two months to get me to marry you. I was a gullible fool, wasn’t I?”
16
Raimondi gripped his cell phone and held his volatile temper in check. Barely. “Where are they?” He reached out to run a finger down the back of the red-tailed boa. He’d gotten the one-year-old snake two weeks ago. Six feet long, it curled around the base of the lamp on his desk. Just touching the reptile brought his blood pressure down.
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