Free Never Look Back by Geraldine Solon Page A

desperate pleading from Dana, the U.S. Marshals didn't say a word as she chewed her tofu in the same office. What lay in store for her? She lifted her chin and stared at them. "Why are you keeping me as a prisoner?"
    U.S. Marshall Collins spoke softly. "We are here to protect you."
    “You keep saying that.” Tears prickled her eyes. How she wished she'd hugged and kissed her mother. Bile rose in her throat. It would be a miracle if she saw her mother again. She hated her biological father, and now her step-brother was trying to finish the job. He would not just kill her mother. He would kill her as well.
    Agent Wayne sat across from Dana while Agent Raymond leaned against the wall.
    "We have a few questions to ask you about your friend, Rob Hanson," Agent Wayne said.
    "Rob? Is he in trouble?"
    Agent Wayne exchanged glances with Agent Raymond before facing Dana. "A Russian young lady named Stacy Kestav is missing."
    "We don't have any reason to believe Rob's responsible for Stacy's disappearance, but he is now involved since he came searching for you" Agent Raymond added, handing Dana a business card.
    Dana's heart sank when she read Ginny's Delights.
    "Rob went to your apartment, and they told him about the fruitcake."
    "And the good friend that Rob is, he went to Ginny's cafe to get some answers," Dana finished.
    Circling the table, Agent Raymond nodded. "Stacy visited his studio and he took photos of her."
    Dana shrugged. "Rob's harmless. He's a photographer and agent."
    "Nude photos." Agent Wayne lifted his eyebrows. "I don't know how well you know your friend, but he admitted to having sex with Ms. Kestav."
    “I don’t believe you.” Since when did Rob have casual sex?
    "He hasn't stopped looking for you," Agent Wayne said.
    Tears spilled down Dana's cheeks. "Can't you tell him I'm alive? He's my best friend. Is that too much to ask?"
    Agent Raymond's eyes swept the carpet.
    “Please,” she begged.
    But the U.S. Marshalls escorted Agents Wayne and Raymond to the door and murmured, "Thanks again for rescuing Dana. We will take care of her from now on."
    "I know you need something from me." She glared at both U.S. Marshalls. "Unlike my mother, you're not going to manipulate me. We will do this my way."
    U.S. Marshall Collins grabbed a stack of folders from his desk and returned to the couch. He opened each file. "This is Natalia Akulov. She was thirteen when she was taken away from her family in Russia and smuggled to America." He opened another folder. "This is Valeria Bogdanov and her twin sister Valentina, both fifteen, and this—"
    "I've seen enough."
    "Anton was their leader, but there are others involved in this filthy business and we're trying to track them down. We know they have an underground headquarters in Manhattan and we're this close to busting them, but we have to plan this well."
    "Why can't you just kill them all?" she countered.
    "We're talking about a mob here. They come in packs, and until we track everyone involved, there's no guarantee they will stop," Agent Adams said.
    "What's in it for me? Will I get my life back? Will I get everything that I lost?"
    U.S. Marshall Collins pursed his lips. "We are here to protect you."
    "You keep saying that."
    U.S. Marshall Collins handed Dana a scrapbook.
    "What's this?" She flipped through the pages where she saw photos of her modeling career. As she reached the end of the page, she saw nine words written in bold with a red sharpie: Why didn't you tell me we had a daughter?
    Dana tossed the scrapbook on the floor.
    "After your mother left, she was in the run. The Markovic clan always came close. She must have lived in forty cities before the mob found this scrapbook."
    Pain shattered like a broken glass in the inside.
    "Now that you know the truth, Dana, we’re requesting that you cooperate with us."
    Dana didn't budge. This wasn't a request. More like a command. Dana would just be like her mother, living in fear and looking over her shoulder if someone