“Already done.” Jake sat on the couch and blew out a long breath. The rest of his life rode on the outcome of his meeting with Luca. He couldn’t screw it up. Then he’d have to convince Gabby to take him back.
If only she’d hear him out. She’d made a deal with her father to save his life, but the terms weren’t acceptable. Never seeing her again wasn’t an option. So he’d negotiate with the devil.
Seemed his strict code of right and wrong, a coping mechanism from his childhood according to the department shrink, wasn’t a crutch he needed anymore. But he needed Gabby.
Farber rushed into the lobby, briefcase in hand. “Let’s go, Morris.”
Jake stood and followed behind the lawyer. He was talking to someone on his phone through an earpiece. Farber continued the conversation as they slid into the back of a black Town Car and headed for the downtown prison where Luca was being held. Jake glanced over his shoulder. Moretti’s men were just behind.
As their driver negotiated the traffic, Jake wrestled with his growing anxiety. Tangling with an armed junkie high on meth might be easier than convincing Gabby’s father to give his daughter permission to be with a cop.
He’d vowed he’d never again beg for affection like he’d done with his parents. But then he’d met Gabby. He’d do anything to get her back. Even beg and cajole a mobster.
Facing Moretti with confidence, showing no weakness or fear, would be what a man like him would respect. And expect of the man he’d allow his daughter to be with.
As they pulled up to the front of the facility, Jake’s heartbeat thudded in his ears. Ignoring his conscience screaming at him for using a fake ID, he followed Farber inside.
Farber said, “I do all the talking. You’re my paralegal.” He slapped his briefcase into Jake’s arms and then went first through the metal detector.
“Got it.”
At the main desk, a bored-looking guard said, “Name?”
Farber tossed his license on the desk and then held out a hand for Ashton’s ID. The guard glanced at Farber, then Jake, then back at both licenses in his hand.
When a badge, along with the license, slid his way across the desk, he nodded in thanks and quickly clipped on his visitor name tag.
It shouldn’t have been that easy, and by the lack of concern on Farber’s part, it probably wasn’t the first time that had happened.
A guard led them into a small interrogation room. “I’ll get the prisoner for you.”
Jake pulled out a chair and sat. “I need to talk to Moretti alone.”
“Not happening.” Farber settled in the plastic chair beside Jake.
Then he’d have to speak in code. That wasn’t going to make things any easier.
The familiar rattle of chains preceded Moretti. The door swung open, and the guard guided Gabby’s father to a chair across the table before he locked him to it. Moretti’s eyes never left Jake’s as he lifted his shackled hands toward the guard. “Can we take care of these?”
The guard shook his head. “Got it direct from upstairs. Shackles the whole time, or you can go back to your cell.”
Farber said, “We’re his legal team. Give us a break, pal.”
“Nope.” The guard shut the door, but then his face appeared in the observation glass. They weren’t letting Moretti out of their sight. Smart.
Gabby’s father was a tall, fit man, in his early sixties, with a white mane of hair. Gabby had his eyes. But not the hardness Moretti’s carried.
Moretti laid his cuffed hands on the table. “What do you want to say to me, cop?”
Jake cleared the trepidation from his throat and leaned forward. Might as well cut to the chase. “Benji plans to disappear.”
Moretti’s eyes shifted to Farber. “Go take a phone call in the hallway.”
“What?” Farber’s forehead crumpled. “We don’t know what this guy—”
“Do it.” After the door closed behind the lawyer, Moretti shifted his focus back to Jake. “If it weren’t for Benji, you’d be dead. I still haven’t made up my mind what to do with you, long term. Don’t piss me off by lying to me.”
Jake held up his palms. “She told me she needs to disappear. For good. She wants a life. I can give her one.”
“She’s not going anywhere. Especially with you.” Moretti’s eyes narrowed. “You told her what she wanted to hear. Used her to get to me. Now leave her alone, Morris. Or I will kill you. Am I clear?”
Being told he’d be killed should have scared the crap out of him. Instead, it made him more determined. “She’s smarter than you give her credit for. She slipped past your goons once. She’ll do it again. Especially if you stay locked up. Next time, she might not be so lucky to meet someone like me. She’s an innocent. Easy to take advantage of.”
“Yeah. You got what you wanted out of her.” Moretti looked away for the first time. “It makes me want to kill you with my bare hands.”
He truly cared for his daughter. It was a weakness Jake would keep poking at. “You’re right. I helped catch a wanted criminal. Doing my job. But I didn’t count on falling in love with her in the process. She’s the most incredible person I’ve ever met. She deserves the life you stole from her.” He laid on the parental guilt.
Moretti’s eyes snapped back to meet Jake’s, glaring with hate. “Garza took that life away. Now his father knows what it’s like to lose a child.”
“You’re going to lose another soon if you don’t listen.” Jake stood and pushed his chair in. “Go ahead and kill me if that’s what you want. If I can’t be with her, what do I care?” Jake took a gamble and started walking for the door. It was an interrogation technique that rarely failed, but Gabby’s father wasn’t a petty criminal.
Jake’s fingers had wrapped around the handle when Moretti barked, “Sit down. I’m not done with you, cop!”
Thank God.
Jake slowly turned and walked back to his chair but didn’t sit. He stood with his arms crossed, waiting for Moretti to speak.
After a full-blown staring match, Moretti finally looked down at his clenched fists. “You don’t love her. You’ve known her less than two weeks.”
Jake smiled. Now they were getting somewhere. “I hear it was love at first sight when you met your wife. A guy knows when a guy knows, right?”
“That was different. Don’t make me kill you and break her heart all over again. Go back to New Mexico. Stay out of her life.”
“What life? You mean the one where she’s a prisoner in her own home? Can’t go shopping by herself? Can’t have friends? Much less find a husband who’d dare to marry her once he found out about you. She’ll never have what she wants, what she deserves, if you don’t let her. Doesn’t her happiness count for anything?”
“Of course it counts!” Moretti slammed his hands on the table. “But her safety has to come first.”
Jake glanced at the observation window. Now the guard had been joined by Farber. Jake pulled out the chair next to Gabby’s father and sat. “I can give her both. Away from here. Where no one knows her. In New Mexico.”
Moretti shook his head. “If Garza realizes who she is, you won’t be able to keep her safe. As it is, she’s going to have to quit her job. Change her name. Move again. It’s all being worked out.”
“She can move with me. Take my last name, if she wants. Garza would never believe you’d let her marry a cop. It’d be good cover.”
“It’s not enough!” Moretti tried to stand, but he was shackled to the table. He defiantly dropped back into his chair. “I can’t risk her life.”
“I get that. But if you’d asked, instead of assuming you know what’s best for her, you’d know she’s unhappy. She’s got to be scared witless to do it, but she’s still going to disappear. Then what kind of risk will she be taking? Isn’t it better to know she’ll be with someone who’ll do everything in his power to keep her safe? Because he loves her. Wants to make her happy. And who wants a family as much as she does?”
Moretti gr
owled as he dropped his head into his hands.
Time to pull out his biggest weapon. “I made a phone call last night. Annalisa Botelli offered to let me build a house for us on her estate. She has better security than the president. And she offered me the job of being in charge of her protection. All I need is your blessing to ask Gabby to marry me.”
That got Moretti’s attention. He sat up and leaned closer. “She’d have the same protection as Annalisa?”
“Yeah. More if necessary.”
Moretti closed his eyes. “Suzy tells me Gabby is madder than hell at what you did. What makes you think she wants anything to do with you?”
Moretti was finally showing signs of cracking. “She asked you not to kill me. That has to count for something. And you and I both know what really happened in that park. If you’ll help me talk to her, I think she’ll be able to forgive me in time. I’m told I can be very charming, when I put my mind to it.”
He slowly opened his eyes. “Charm doesn’t work on me.” He clenched his jaw. “If you pass muster with Suzy, I might consider your request. I’ll tell her to expect you for dinner. Now you can leave.”
He’d take the deal.
He wanted to ask how Moretti was going to communicate with Suzy but resisted. Better to quit while he was ahead. He stood to leave but stopped and held his hand out. “Thank you. You won’t regret it.”
“You hurt her, and you won’t live long enough to regret it. And I’m not shaking a cop’s hand. Get out!”
Jake hightailed it out the door before Moretti changed his mind. Farber stood in the hall next to the guard, red in the face. “What the hell did you do to him in there? He’s clearly agitated. Now I’ve got to go calm him down. Get your own ride back.”
“I’d prefer that. See you around, Farber.” Jake slipped Ashton’s ID into Farber’s suit pocket and then smiled all the way to the guard’s desk. He returned his visitor badge and said, “Have a nice day.”
The guard grunted in return.
Jake pulled his phone out and dialed Dani’s number. When she answered, he said, “So where does Aunt Suzy live? I’m invited for dinner.”
“You did it?” Her squeal nearly busted his eardrum. “I knew you’d pull it off. Nice work.”
He walked down the front steps. “It’s not a done deal. I have to get past Aunt Suzy.”
“And then convince Gabby to take you back.”
“Yeah.” He worried it’d be too little too late. And that he’d messed up the best thing that had ever happened to him. “Not sure how to do the convincing part.”
“By using your words to express how you feel. Gabby needs to hear how much you love her. And why she should forgive you.”
He stopped in his tracks and cringed. “You know I hate talking about that stuff.”
“Time to grow a pair, pal. Let me find the address. I wrote it down by my bed.”
Jake started walking again toward Moretti’s men parked at the curb. The passenger window slowly whirled down, so Jake plastered on a smile and leaned his head inside. “Hey there. Moretti said to give me a lift back to the lawyer’s office so I can get my car.”
The one guy looked at the other, who shrugged. “Fine. Get in, Morris.”
“Thanks.” Jake settled in the back of the mobsters’ car. Just one more thing he’d never dreamed he do only a few weeks ago.
Dani came back on the line and recited the address in Virginia. Then she added, “Just don’t use any of the words you used on me while we were married, and you’ll be fine.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He repeated the address twice in his mind to memorize it.
“It means find new words that actually mean something. She won’t settle for your go-to line of ‘I’m sorry, babe. Won’t happen again.’”
He had other lines. A lot of other lines.
But they probably weren’t the answer. Time to give up lines and go with the scary, sincere thoughts. “Fine. I’ll think of new words. Thanks for the address.”
“Yep. Good luck.” She disconnected.
He was going to need all the luck he could get. After he got past the daunting roadblock of her father and aunt, maybe it’d prove to Gabby that he’d do anything to have her back. Hopefully, she’d hear the truth in his words when he told her he loved her and how badly he needed her in his life.
Chapter Twenty-One
Jake rolled down his car window and pressed the call button on the gated entrance to Suzy and Gabby’s estate. A male voice answered. “Yeah?”
“Jake Morris. Here to see Suzy.” Gabby had told him Suzy had changed her name, too, so he wasn’t sure what her last name was.
The gates slowly parted. “It’s the one on the left.”
“Thanks.” Jake put his car into gear and started up the paved drive. There were large trees on both sides of the road and perfectly landscaped hedges. Foliage so thick the homes weren’t visible from the main road. At the top of the hill, he encountered a fork in the driveway, so he went left, but he’d have rather gone right to see Gabby. It was just after six, so she might be home from work. But Moretti said he had to get past Suzy first, so that’s what he’d do.
Both houses were large two-story brick with white columns in front like much of the architecture in the area. So different from the Pueblo-style stucco home he owned. Sometimes he forgot how wealthy Moretti was. Would it be a huge step down for Gabby to be with him? He’d never considered that aspect. One more potential roadblock to negotiate.
He pulled up under the portico by the front door and then scooped up the plants he’d brought. He’d had a haircut earlier, too. He’d almost bought fancy chocolates for Suzy, but that’d probably cross the line and make him a suck-up.
As he stood before the big front door, he adjusted the tie he hated wearing and then poked the doorbell.
The door swung open, and Sal appeared. “Come in.”
“Thanks. Is Gabby home yet?” he asked as he followed Sal into the two-story foyer. The garlic, sausage, and spices filling the air made his mouth water.
“Gabby’s still off-limits. Lift your hands.” Sal patted him down.
Sal’s hand slid up Jake’s pant leg, right up into the sensitive goods, and made Jake grunt. Sal smirked as he did the same on the other side. When he was satisfied Jake was unarmed and would feel the lingering effects of the search for some time, Sal turned and walked toward the rear of the home. Jake followed behind.
Sal pushed a swinging door open that led to a ginormous kitchen. “Hey, Suzy? The scumbag is here.”
Nice.
An older woman wearing a stained white apron over her green dress turned from the commercial stainless-steel stove. She was short and round, and suspicion clouded her brown eyes. “Come in, scumbag who broke my baby’s heart.”
Great. Could be a long night.
He crossed the kitchen and held out the violets he’d bought for her. Gabby had mentioned two things about her aunt. Her thick Italian accent and love of flowers. “Thanks for having me over for dinner.”
She wiped her hands on her apron. “You don’t know if I poison you tonight or feed you the best lasagna you ever had. Why you bring this instead of cut flowers like normal person?”
Poison? No. She had to be joking. “I brought you a plant because it’ll last longer. Remind you every day of the really nice guy you poisoned tonight. One who loves Gabby, by the way.”
Aunt Suzy laughed as she took the plant from his hands. “Still optional on the poisoning. Luca said it up to me.”
“Then I better be on my best behavior.” Thankfully, the stains on her apron were tomato sauce and not fresh blood, or he’d really worry.
Suzy crossed the kitchen and placed the pot beside the forest of other plants near a window. “Lucky for you, I like violets. Tricky to keep alive, though. Like you maybe?” She smiled as she fussed with the leaves. “This is very pretty one, Jake. What the other weird plant for?”
She’d used his name. Maybe he’d s
cored a point with the plant. The chocolate might have been a good idea after all. “It’s a cactus. It’ll bloom later. We have them everywhere in New Mexico. I thought Gabby might like it. Will I see her tonight?”
Suzy took the cactus from his hand and laid it by the violet. “Don’t know if she want to see you. Come help me finish the dinner.”
He hated to hear that. But he wasn’t giving up.
He followed behind her to the large island filled with veggies, hoping that cooking wasn’t part of the test. He’d fail for sure. “Does Gabby know how to cook like this, too?”
Suzy picked up a huge knife. It took everything in him to tamp back the urge to disarm her. “Gabby come here to eat my cooking most nights. But I make her learn. Just in case she find a man.”
“She found him. What would you like me to do?” He quickly scanned all the food, searching for rat poison or something, just in case.
“You pour us some wine. Glasses there.” She pointed to a glass-front cabinet. “Wine over there. Breathing.”
He headed for the cabinet. “I hope I’m breathing by the time the night’s over.”
Suzy laughed. She had the kind of big laugh that made him smile, too. “I’d really like a chance to talk to Gabby. I have some things I need to tell her.” Mostly apologize for.
Suzy sliced a cucumber with the skills of a professional chef. “You tell her why you arrest her papa? Don’t bother. She know why. But what she don’t know is how you could do such a thing. Knowing it hurt her so bad.”
He’d never meant to hurt her.
He poured out two big glasses of red wine. “Yeah. I have some explaining to do there.”
“Yes, you do. You want bambini one day?”
He handed Suzy her glass. “Yes. I didn’t grow up in a nice family. I’d like the chance to have one of those.”
Aunt Suzy clinked her glass against his. “Saluti.” Then she took a deep drink. “Gabby tell me about you family. She say you were a good big brother. Take care of him. I like that.”
Jake took a drink, then laid his glass down. “I was too strict. Worried he’d be bad like my parents. I wish I’d had a little more faith in him sometimes.”
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