Rules of Protection(101)

Lightly touching my hand to his, I smiled. “Jake’s your family, blood or not. Like you said to Felts, nobody messes with your family. And Jake’s the son you and Floss never had.”

“Emily, when I said that, I wasn’t talking about Jake. That boy can take care of himself. I was talking about you. You’re as much our family now as he is.”

Sweet of him to say, even if it wasn’t true. This wasn’t my family. It was Jake’s. I didn’t doubt their concern for my well-being, but I didn’t want their sympathy any more than I wanted their pity. I wanted to be loved and have a family to call my own, but it wasn’t something Jake had offered me.

Riddled with guilt, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Jake had said. If anybody gets hurt, it’s going to be all on you. He was right. This was my fault, and they should all hate me. Probably would after they thought about it long enough. I’d been unfairly thrust into all of their lives because of the situation.

I was a temporary fixture and had already overstayed my welcome. I didn’t want to say good-bye to any of them, especially Jake, but I didn’t see any other option. Maybe there is such a thing as becoming too enmeshed in someone else’s life.

I blinked, keeping my emotions in check and forcing the sadness back down as three U.S. Marshals entered the lobby.

“Emily Foster?” one of them asked.

I nodded in response.

“Can you come with us? We need to speak with you privately.” One of the nurses buzzed us in and led us to one of the conference rooms at the end of the hallway. “Please sit,” he said as he shut the door, leaving the other two marshals outside to guard the door. “I’m Carter Sullivan with the US Federal Marshals Service,” he said, offering his hand.

“Is that necessary?” I asked, motioning to the men on the other side of the glass door. “Frankie Felts is dead.”

“Until his organization is broken up, you’ll need to be protected. There’s still a contract on your head…at least until the news of his death is made public. Money talks, you know. That’s why we think Director Brockway gave information to Felts, to pay off some gambling debts he had accumulated.”

I cut right to the chase. “Is Agent Ward in trouble?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he answered. “An investigation is already under way as to his conduct. Kidnapping a federal witness is a serious crime.”

“Kidnapping? He saved me…and more than once, I might add.”

“Yes, but Agent Ward’s methods are questionable. He’s going to have to have some higher connections to get out of this one with his career still intact.”

I think he was referring to God, but my mind instantly went to Hank. Maybe he still had some connections in the department who could help Jake, especially now that the informant had been caught. That would certainly help Jake’s case.

But what about me? I hadn’t even considered where that would leave me after this was all over. Jake would no longer feel responsible for my well-being and probably end up resenting me for weighing him down. Then I’d be abandoned. Again. And that was something I couldn’t bear to think about. I’d have to get used to the idea of returning to my old life…a life without Jake.

“We need to take you to a safe house,” Sullivan said. “I can understand if you’re reluctant to cooperate with the U.S. Marshals Service, but—”

“Okay.”

He looked confused and almost put out. “Excuse my surprise, ma’am, but from everything I’ve been told about you, I thought you would put up more of a fight.”

“What’d you think…you’d have to drag me out of here kicking and screaming?”

“It seemed to be the general consensus.”

“Well, I do have a few stipulations.”

The agent grinned, but shook his head. “This isn’t a negotiation.”

“It is now,” I said. “Unless you’d rather I talk to the press.”

His smiled faded. “Ma’am, I could arrest you and keep you in a cell for the duration, if I have to. The government doesn’t take kindly to threats.”

“Neither do I.” I cocked an eyebrow at him. “If you want my full cooperation, then I want two things. One being an update on Agent Ward’s medical condition after we leave here. So I know he’s okay. And two, I want you to keep my whereabouts a secret.”

The Marshal laughed heartily. “Miss Foster, isn’t that the point of witness protection?”

“You don’t understand,” I told him. “I don’t want Agent Ward or anybody in connection with him, including the FBI, to know where I am.”

“It won’t be a problem.” The agent grinned at the thought of hiding me from the FBI. “Would you like to say good-bye to Agent Ward? I understand you and he became…close,” he said, politely trying to find an appropriate word.

Thinking of saying good-bye to Jake made me feel vulnerable. My throat tightened, and my bottom lip quivered. I wouldn’t be able to do it. And I didn’t want Jake or the others to see me like this.

I had foolishly fallen in love with a man who didn’t love me back. Jake was like a really good book, where you want to savor the whole thing, but then you’re disappointed when it ends. That was my problem. I wasn’t going to get my happily ever after. It was the end.