Deadly Promises (Tracers #2.5)(28)

All the bluster dissipated at his easy acceptance. She opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something, but her brother’s patience had expired.

“Let’s go, CeCe.” Vinny walked up and gently took her arm, tossing a brotherly warning glare at Jeremy.

CeCe glanced over her shoulder at Jeremy, telling him with one look how disappointed she was… in him. He couldn’t get a word past the lump in his throat so he said nothing as she moved away with Vinny.

“Ready to go, J?” Blade strolled up.

“Sure.” Jeremy swung around and followed Blade, sorting through all the facts and the unknown as he walked. He wanted to figure out what was going on with the feds before he left town to rejoin BAD. Blade might be able to help. “You know anything about a guy called Dorvan?”

Blade scratched his chin and stopped at the driver’s side of his customized silver-blue Corvette that had started out as a 1972 model. “Not really.”

Jeremy climbed in and waited to continue until Blade had cranked the engine and exited from the parking lot, just ahead of Vinny’s dark sedan.

“You in a jam with this Dorvan, J?”

“I don’t know,” Jeremy admitted. “What about a guy named Starface? Has a birthmark shaped something like a star on the left side of his face.”

“Funny you should mention him. Heard something on that one just yesterday.” Blade leaned back, his long arms easily reaching the steering wheel. “He’s in town for a score of some sort.”

“Drugs?”

“Naw.” Blade merged into Atlanta traffic heading north of Clairmont Road on Interstate 85. “Nobody knows. Just happened to hear about him because of word that Ziggy Gambino has men here ahead of his arriving sometime this week. Speculation is he and Starface got something cooking, but no money moving yet.”

Jeremy turned that around in his mind. Starface had been sent to prison for getting caught in a net that snagged some of Ziggy Gambino’s men. Jeremy hadn’t been involved in that case. He’d ended up in the same cellblock as Starface for another mission, but he’d learned that Ziggy wanted the family that had sold his operation to the feds. His little empire had taken a beating since then.

Ziggy was after payback, but when he hadn’t retaliated in the first two years everyone assumed he wouldn’t.

Was Starface helping Ziggy go after retribution?

How did photos fit into all of this?

Jeremy looked over at his driver. “I need a favor.”

Blade just nodded. “Told you back in the pen when you stopped a guy from shoving a knife in my gut you never had to ask. Just tell me what you need.”

Jeremy had contacts all over the country he could call on but had never expected to tap one so close to home. Blade’s resources were in a limited geographic area, but he could find out anything on anyone in his circle. His body shop was totally legit and making money, but he still had close ties to those working under the radar of law enforcement.

“Starface is looking for a photo card of some sort,” Jeremy explained. “Find out what’s on it.”

“You got it.” Blade parked in Jeremy’s driveway and left the car running.

“One more thing,” Jeremy added before climbing out of the Corvette. “I need you to fix CeCe’s fiberglass base, but I’ll pay for that. I’ll have it ready for you to pick up tonight.”

“You got it. Call you as soon as I have something.”

“Thanks.” Jeremy got out and glanced at CeCe’s empty driveway. Was she already gone?

He unlocked his front door, went through the house and out to his garage. Might as well clean CeCe’s base to get it ready while he killed time waiting to hear from Blade. He pressed the button to open his garage door.

Vinny was pulling a dark sedan into CeCe’s driveway.

Jeremy couldn’t make his feet move to back out of sight. This might be the last time he saw her.

CeCe stepped out of the car and her gaze shot straight to Jeremy as if she, too, wanted a last look. Then she lowered her head and walked to her front door.

Vinny, on the other hand, headed for Jeremy’s garage.

Jeremy snatched up a shop rag and grabbed a can of acetone off a shelf and squatted down to clean her base.

“You’re not going to try to find CeCe once she’s gone, right?” Vinny said more as a statement than a question when he stepped inside the garage. Big brother issuing warnings.

“Get out of my garage.”

“I want to talk to you.” Vinny said that in the most reasonable, let’s-just-talk voice.

“What the f*ck do you want?” Jeremy wasn’t in a reasonable, let’s-just-talk mood. He soaked the rag then rubbed the top of the fiberglass. Acetone fumes burned his throat on each clenched-jaw breath.

“To clear up something. I’m not her keeper. My family loves CeCe and we’re all trying to give her what she wants.”

When Jeremy didn’t comment Vinny went on. “None of us were happy about her moving away from the family where we couldn’t easily protect her, but she’s had her mind set to do this for a long time.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Jeremy paused in his cleaning.

“To let you know we will do whatever it takes to make her happy and keep her safe, even from bad choices.”