Free Material Witness by Lisa Mondello, L. A. Mondello Page B

squeeze as much
information from him as I can about the Trumbella family. Cassie Alvarez is the
key to that, and for some strange reason she wants you to be her bodyguard. I
want to make sure my witness is cooperative and protected from Angel Fagnelio,
as well as herself.”
    Jake folded his arms across his
chest. “What the hell does that mean?”
    “It means I still don't know who
called that tip in to the papers. Cassie has something to gain from this, and
it could potentially compromise this case if she's hell-bent on furthering her
career with the publicity.”
    “Oh, come on, Charley. You saw how
scared she is. She didn't do it.”
    “Can you be that sure?”
    All he had was his gut feeling.
“Yes.”
    “Now whose judgment is a little
cloudy?” She turned to Russo. “He’s off this case.”
    “What?”
    “Wait a minute,” Russo said. “We have
a shooting to investigate. Junior Canfield or rather, Agent Novak, wasn’t the
only person killed at Rory’s last night.”
    “This is my case, Charley. You can’t
just yank me off it,” Jake said.
    “In case you didn’t hear right, Ms.
Alvarez has requested that you be there with her at the safe house.” Turning to
Captain Russo, she added, “Don’t worry. The FBI is prepared to share
information as necessary with your office as long as it doesn’t interfere with
our own investigation. And since Jake is a witness to what happened, even if he
didn’t see the shooter, it’s in our best interest that he remain alive.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?” Russo
asked.
    “It means, Fagnelio called a meeting
with Jake and then sprayed the place with bullets. I don’t know why, but I aim
to find out if he was a target, and if so, why. I don’t have to remind you that
this federal investigation takes precedent over your case.”
    “I’m not going,” Jake said, turning
to Russo.
    Charley started to protest, but Russo
held up his hand to stop her.
    “Yes, you are. If I have to drag your
ass to the car and tie you inside, you’re going.”
    “What? What about Fagnelio? What
about this damned case I’ve been working on for three fucking months!”
    “Kevin will take over it and work
with the FBI. Jake, there isn’t a doubt in my mind that Angel Fagnelio knew you
were undercover. That dirt-bag lied straight to your face and set you up to
die. Wait until we have him in custody. Once Fagnelio goes before a grand jury,
you won’t have anything to worry about and neither will Ms. Alvarez.
Trumbella’s organization is responsible for too many deaths already. I don’t
want to add you to the list.”
    Jake started to protest.
    “Enough!” Russo charged, slamming his
fist on the coffee-stained blotter on his desk. “The decision has been made.”
    Charley picked up a butterscotch
candy from the nearly empty glass jar on the desk and twirled it between her
fingers. “I’ll call the office in Virginia to tell them to expect you along
with Ms. Alvarez. Pack your bags. You’re leaving within the hour.”
    She took one step toward Jake.
    “But I warn you. If anything goes
wrong, if you cross me just one time because of our past association, I'll drag
your ass right out of there and you can kiss your career good-bye.”
    And that was Cyclone Charley, Jake
thought cynically as he watched her strut out of the office, leaving the door
ajar.
    # # #
     
    Chapter Five
     
    The empty road stretched out endlessly
ahead of them like a string of railroad ties on a track with no train. The
four-door federal-issue sedan quietly hummed down the Blue Ridge Parkway toward
the brim of the Smoky Mountains. Their driver, a federal agent whose name
Cassie had already forgotten in the long line of names she’d heard this
morning, was concentrating on the road that was taking them far away from her
home in Providence.
    They'd be safe out of the city. But
even Cassie knew that mobsters didn't recognize city or state limits, much less
view them as an obstacle.
    As soon as Angel