Long Road Home(66)

Jules smiled. Yes, he probably had. Her smile faded. What would happen to her? Would she ever see Manny again? She didn’t trust the government as far as she could throw it. She knew if they wanted, they could make her disappear, make it so she’d never existed.

“I read your file, Ms. Trehan,” Vasquez said quietly. “I know how difficult this must be for you. I promise to do everything in my power to make sure we hold up our end of the bargain.”

“Thank you.” She held up her hands in a gesture of surrender. “I suppose we should go wherever it is you’re stowing me.”

He nodded and helped her to her feet.

As Jules walked from the offices, she realized she didn’t even know how to contact Manny once this was all over with.

Chapter Thirty-Two

“I don’t give a rat’s ass whether I’m supposed to be there or not,” Manuel raged. “Nothing this side of a grenade is going to keep me out of those hearings.”

Tony held up his hands. “Calm down, man. I’m working on it, I swear.”

“Three weeks, Tony. Three goddamn weeks they’ve kept me from her!”

Manuel paced back and forth in front of Tony’s desk, his agitation increasing with each second. He stopped and whirled around to rant some more.

“She was just released from the hospital. She was in no shape to be harangued and threatened into testifying. I have no idea how she is, if she’s hurting, or how they’re treating her, damn it.”

“Manuel, you’re going to blow a gasket or have an aneurysm if you don’t calm down. They’ve provided her excellent medical care.”

Manuel pounded Tony’s desk with his fist. He wanted to kill someone. Preferably the sons of bitches who’d taken Jules and wouldn’t let him see her.

“You get me into that hearing, Tony. I swear if you don’t, you’re going to be reading about me in tomorrow’s paper.”

“Listen to me, Manuel.” Tony leaned forward and pinned Manuel with a determined stare. “Don’t screw up now. Not when you’re this close. I know how tough this has been for you. I’ve watched you prowl around like a caged lion for the last three weeks, but damn it, don’t blow it when you’re nearly there.”

Fury consumed Manuel. Had consumed him since the bastards had taken Jules away. Worse was the fact he had no idea what was going on with her. He had no idea what their plans were. Surely they couldn’t be planning to prosecute her.

He sat down on the other side of the desk from Tony and blew out an irritated breath. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the polished wood. “Listen to me, Tony. I don’t know what they’re planning, but I won’t let them lock her up for something she had no control over.”

An uneasy look flickered across Tony’s face.

“I don’t like the way you just said that, Manuel.”

“I just wanted you to know. If this all goes terribly wrong, I’m prepared to do whatever necessary to free Jules. Then we’re going as far as we can. Someplace those bastards can’t find us.”

Tony swore. “Don’t go flying off the handle, Manuel. You don’t know what their plans are. Chances are they just want her testimony.”

“That’s just it, Tony. We don’t know what their plans are. The bastards could have told us. They left us with our balls twisting in the wind.”

Tony rubbed a tired hand over his face, and Manuel felt a pang of regret. All this had been hard on Tony, too, and his partner had spent a lot of sleepless nights sewing up the case against Denison. Tony had personally combed through each and every computer file, personal document and telephone record of Sanderson and the senator.

“I know you love her, man. Hell, maybe I’d do the same if the woman I loved was facing a damn Senate Investigation Hearing.”

Tony leaned back and stared at the ceiling.

“I tell you what. I’ll call in a favor. Senator Bilkins’s secretary owes me. I’ll see if she can get you into the hearing.”

Manuel raised his brow. “Secretary?”

Tony held out a hand. “Don’t ask.”

“Thanks, man. I owe you, yet again.”

Tony shook his head. “Screw that. You’d do the same for me. I just want things to work out for you and Jules. That girl deserves a break.”

Tony picked up the phone and dialed a number. After several minutes of sweet talking, plus one promise of dinner, he hung up and rolled his eyes.

“Okay, man, you’re in. She’s sending over the badge you’ll need to get into the hearing by courier. Should be here within the hour.”

Manuel reached over the desk and hauled Tony into a hug.

“Ah hell, man, knock that shit off.”

“Thanks, Tony. We’ll name our firstborn after you.”

Tony grinned. “I’ll hold you to that.”

Jules sat stiffly at the small table before a panel of ten senators. They’d asked her questions for three hours. She was exhausted both mentally and physically. They’d left no stone unturned in their investigation.

She’d refused counsel. She was guilty as hell. They knew it, and she knew it. Nothing a lawyer could do for her would change that fact.

Every single detail from the past three years of her life was now entered into record. She’d answered their questions with bloodless lips, her fingers curled tightly into balls.