be worse than if you went with them.”
Jake had trusted Kevin with his life
from day one. Kevin was a good cop and there was no one Jake felt more
comfortable working in the field with than his partner. But right now, Kevin
was being a colossal ass.
“Back off,” Jake warned.
Kevin took in the hard look Jake gave
him, then glanced at Cassie. His expression relaxed.
“I apologize, Ms. Alvarez. You’ll be
fine as long as long as you’re at a safe house until this thing goes to trial,”
Kevin said.
Cassie abruptly stood up. “Until
trial? I don’t want to go to a safe house. I want to go home. I thought this
was only going to be for a few days until Angel Fagnelio was put in jail.”
Jake felt the weight of fatigue
dragging him down. The last thing he wanted to do was face Charlotte Tate
again. Lord knew he had good reason. But if the plan was to take Cassie into
protective custody, then he had to agree it was best.
“I'm afraid you don't have a choice.”
Her shoulders sagged. “What do you
mean?”
“You’re a material witness. Whether
you want to go or not…it’s not up to you.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “But I'm
not the criminal.”
“That’s why you have to be
protected.”
“Yes, but…isn’t a witness banned from
contact with anyone when they’re at a safe house?”
“Yes,” Kevin said. “It’s in your best
interest.”
“My best interest. You mean, to keep
me from my family…my friends? No. Don't treat me like I'm the one who…”
Awareness illuminated her eyes like the bright lights of an interrogation lamp.
Slowly, she unknotted her arms and brought them down stiffly to her side.
“Wait. You think I'm the one who leaked my own name to the press, don't you?”
“No,” Jake said quickly. But the look
on Kevin's face said it all.
No one had uttered the accusation
yet, but Jake was sure it was on the minds of every cop in the precinct. No one
knew who’d leaked Cassie’s name to the press and only one name kept coming up
as a possibility.
Cassie’s book sales were sure to
skyrocket from the publicity now that her name was attached to the gruesome
crime. She was adamant that Maureen couldn't possibly be the one who talked to
the press. Jake had his doubts about Maureen, but he'd swear on his last breath
it wasn't Cassie.
Something deep in his gut told him
Cassie was telling the truth. He could put his faith on instinct. But Kevin was
another story. The dark shadows crossing his partner's features echoed the
thoughts of every single other officer in the department. And Cassie knew it.
“You don't believe him,” she was
saying to Kevin. “You think I did this?”
“It doesn't matter now how it
happened or what I think,” Kevin said, callously brushing her hurt feelings
aside. “The point is the damage is done. Someone wanted this to be front-page
news. Now it is. And now Angel Fagnelio has a nice picture of the FBI’s star
witness.”
“We need to concentrate on finding
Angel Fagnelio and making our case against him.”
Cassie flashed her wide sable eyes at
Jake. She seemed to shrink in fear right before his eyes. “You mean you don’t
even know where he is?”
“He's gone into hiding.”
She stood up straight and drew in a
deep breath as if the room had sucked out all the oxygen. “I don't care what
the FBI wants. I want to go with you.”
Jake shouldn't have been so taken
aback, but he was. “You heard Captain Russo. It's in the hands of the FBI.”
Kevin shook his head. “The FBI is
equipped to protect you in ways we’re not. You’ll be safe with them.”
“I’ll be alone.”
Jake shook his head, but kept his
voice firm. It would do no good to give Cassie false hope when he knew that in
a matter of minutes, Charlotte Tate would be wiping the floor with his face
because of his involvement with Fagnelio.
“I'm in the middle of a case.”
“A case I’m a part of now. All the
more reason why you should be sticking with me.”
Did she know
Jake had trusted Kevin with his life
from day one. Kevin was a good cop and there was no one Jake felt more
comfortable working in the field with than his partner. But right now, Kevin
was being a colossal ass.
“Back off,” Jake warned.
Kevin took in the hard look Jake gave
him, then glanced at Cassie. His expression relaxed.
“I apologize, Ms. Alvarez. You’ll be
fine as long as long as you’re at a safe house until this thing goes to trial,”
Kevin said.
Cassie abruptly stood up. “Until
trial? I don’t want to go to a safe house. I want to go home. I thought this
was only going to be for a few days until Angel Fagnelio was put in jail.”
Jake felt the weight of fatigue
dragging him down. The last thing he wanted to do was face Charlotte Tate
again. Lord knew he had good reason. But if the plan was to take Cassie into
protective custody, then he had to agree it was best.
“I'm afraid you don't have a choice.”
Her shoulders sagged. “What do you
mean?”
“You’re a material witness. Whether
you want to go or not…it’s not up to you.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “But I'm
not the criminal.”
“That’s why you have to be
protected.”
“Yes, but…isn’t a witness banned from
contact with anyone when they’re at a safe house?”
“Yes,” Kevin said. “It’s in your best
interest.”
“My best interest. You mean, to keep
me from my family…my friends? No. Don't treat me like I'm the one who…”
Awareness illuminated her eyes like the bright lights of an interrogation lamp.
Slowly, she unknotted her arms and brought them down stiffly to her side.
“Wait. You think I'm the one who leaked my own name to the press, don't you?”
“No,” Jake said quickly. But the look
on Kevin's face said it all.
No one had uttered the accusation
yet, but Jake was sure it was on the minds of every cop in the precinct. No one
knew who’d leaked Cassie’s name to the press and only one name kept coming up
as a possibility.
Cassie’s book sales were sure to
skyrocket from the publicity now that her name was attached to the gruesome
crime. She was adamant that Maureen couldn't possibly be the one who talked to
the press. Jake had his doubts about Maureen, but he'd swear on his last breath
it wasn't Cassie.
Something deep in his gut told him
Cassie was telling the truth. He could put his faith on instinct. But Kevin was
another story. The dark shadows crossing his partner's features echoed the
thoughts of every single other officer in the department. And Cassie knew it.
“You don't believe him,” she was
saying to Kevin. “You think I did this?”
“It doesn't matter now how it
happened or what I think,” Kevin said, callously brushing her hurt feelings
aside. “The point is the damage is done. Someone wanted this to be front-page
news. Now it is. And now Angel Fagnelio has a nice picture of the FBI’s star
witness.”
“We need to concentrate on finding
Angel Fagnelio and making our case against him.”
Cassie flashed her wide sable eyes at
Jake. She seemed to shrink in fear right before his eyes. “You mean you don’t
even know where he is?”
“He's gone into hiding.”
She stood up straight and drew in a
deep breath as if the room had sucked out all the oxygen. “I don't care what
the FBI wants. I want to go with you.”
Jake shouldn't have been so taken
aback, but he was. “You heard Captain Russo. It's in the hands of the FBI.”
Kevin shook his head. “The FBI is
equipped to protect you in ways we’re not. You’ll be safe with them.”
“I’ll be alone.”
Jake shook his head, but kept his
voice firm. It would do no good to give Cassie false hope when he knew that in
a matter of minutes, Charlotte Tate would be wiping the floor with his face
because of his involvement with Fagnelio.
“I'm in the middle of a case.”
“A case I’m a part of now. All the
more reason why you should be sticking with me.”
Did she know
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