Rules of Protection(10)

I jumped up, making my chair fall backward, and my hands gripped the edge of the table until my knuckles turned white. “If you press charges on me, I’m going to…to…”

He glared back at me. “You’re going to do what, exactly?”

I cocked my head and smirked. “I’m going to press charges on you for sexual assault.”

“Okay, I’ve had enough of your antics. Now sit down.”

“I don’t have to listen to—”

“If you don’t sit down and shut up, I’m going to arrest you for obstructing a federal investigation. A few hours in a cell might make you more cooperative. Besides, I already know you didn’t tell Stevens about the kiss.”

I picked up my chair, returned it to its rightful position, and sat in it. “It wasn’t for your benefit, you creep. I didn’t want them to think I was easy.”

“You don’t have to worry about that, sweetheart. Nothing’s easy about you.”

Jake opened the door and asked Stevens to hand him a file. He closed the door again and spread some pictures out before me. It was the three men from the lounge.

“This here’s Frankie Felts. He’s a low-level mobster with ties to drugs and money laundering. The other is Frankie’s cousin, Arnold. Mostly a parasite, but Frankie keeps him around for amusement. The big guy is Curtis Manning, Frankie’s hit man. As far as we can tell, he’s never missed a mark…until now.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’ve been trying to nail Frankie Felts for a long time, but every time we get close, the witness turns up dead or missing.”

“Oh, that’s comforting.”

Jake grinned. “He covers his tracks well.”

“So why are you telling me this?”

“Because you’re a witness, and Felts isn’t going to roll over and play dead. He’s going to try to make sure you are, though.”

Dear God. “Can’t I be an anonymous tip or something?”

“Won’t work. Not since they got a look at you.”

“Then I’ll recant my statement.”

“Won’t matter. To Felts, you’re a loose end, and he doesn’t leave loose ends. He’ll kill you, just like the others. He murdered one of his own men tonight on suspicion alone, but Sergio wasn’t an informant. All the intel we received was from bugs we’d placed throughout Frankie’s organization.”

“So he died for nothing?”

“Sergio wasn’t innocent by any means,” Jake said, shaking his head. “He squirreled away dollars from Frankie’s bank account every chance he got. The drugs he sold helped line his pockets as well. Frankie just hasn’t found out about any of it yet. Sergio had more brains than Felts gave him credit for.”

No kidding. And most of them were on the wall behind his dead body. My stomach rolled at the thought, and I shook my head, wanting the images to dissipate. “What do I need to do?”

“That’s where we come in.”

I was confused, not connecting the dots. “Who’s we?”

“The FBI and U.S. Marshals. We can give you a new identity and put you in a safe house.”

“You mean the Witness Protection Program?”

“That’s the one.”

“Nuh-uh! No freaking way!”

His steely gaze fixed on me, and his jaw tightened. Jake didn’t like being refused. “Three other witnesses have died in the past year. You want to be number four?”

“Should’ve put them in the program.”

“We did.”

“You mean they trusted the government to keep them safe, and they died anyway. Now, I’m supposed to take your word you’ll keep me safe. You’re crazy!”

“You don’t have a choice.”

“Sure I do,” I said, standing to leave. “I’m going home and erasing what happened from my memory.”

“You’re not going anywhere. Sit down, Miss Stubborn-ass.”

“Oh, puhleeeze!” I rolled my eyes as I stepped out the door.

Four uniformed officers stood outside the interrogation room, including Stevens, who looked up and smiled. “Can I get you something, ma’am?”

“A ride home would be great.”

“Don’t bother,” Jake snarled, as he marched up behind me. “She’s not leaving.”

“You can’t keep me here against my will. I want to go home.”

“Tough. Like it or not, you’re a witness in a murder investigation.” He looked over to Stevens. “In fact, if she tries to leave again, shoot her.”

Generating steam, I started yelling and stomping my foot. “You’re violating my rights! I’ve been here for hours and answered all your stupid questions. I want to go home. Now!”

Jake smiled, as if he enjoyed my temper tantrum. “Patience is a virtue.”

“Yeah, well, so is virginity, but I don’t have that anymore, either.”

A few of the men snickered under their breaths. Jake gave them all a stern look. The hallway went silent, filled with stagnant air nobody wanted to breathe. Jake grasped my elbow and tried to lead me back into the interrogation room. “I’m not done with you yet. You’ll leave when I damn well say you can.”