Page 106 of The Rogue

“Don’t call me that.” I shiver at my given name. The best part about getting a new identity was the fact that I don’t have to be called the name my mother and father called me.

“Just. Listen. This only happens when there is an immediate threat to your life.”

“Did you have me followed? We agreed, it’s better that no one knows—”

“Come on, Tess, wealwaysknow where you are. But this isn’t about us.Theyfound you, Tessa.”

“That’s impossible. How?”

“Check your phone.”

My breathing is erratic and my vision starts to blur. This has to be another dream. Another horrid dream.

I wait for the message and open it with a gasp.

It’s an image ofme. At first, I can’t tell where I am because they’re all zoomed in, until I scroll through each one.

They’re allright herein this bookstore.

“Tessa, are there surveillance cameras where you are?”

I step out from under the stairs and peek at every corner of the ceiling.

My stomach drops.

“Tessa?”

“At least two,” I whisper, my throat clogging.

“That’show they found you.”

“How did this happen? And how do you know about it?”

“The Brunetti family knows you’re not far, Tess. They know you’re testifying. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to hire a geek to hack into every surveillance camera within a forty-mile radius,” he shouts.

“How do you know it’s not someone else?”

“I can’t get into specifics with you—especially over the phone, but our cybercrime division detected illegal intrusion and repeated focus on your face through these cameras. Digital footprint is linked to other organized crime investigations. This is definitely our guy, Tess.”

My heart pounds. Levi is holding two drinks, looking for me. Jackson is in a Phantom mask as he hops over to his dad, holding a black cat mask.

Levi shrugs in response to a question from his son and they both look around for me.

They’re in danger. My new friends. Levi, Jackson. If they track me here…

Frank is right.

I need to get out now.

I duck under the stairs. “What do you need me to do?”

He sighs with relief. “I’m going to make this easy for you. We don’t want a scene as much as you don’t. My team will meet you outside of town and take you to a safe house. I’ll be there and can share more info then.”

“I need an hour.”

“Not a minute more. I’ll text you an address. You'll need to abandon your car there."

I want the floor to swallow me whole. But now’s not the time to cower. I step out and make my way through the crowd.

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