Page 119 of Jagger

Her laugh allowed some tension to be released. “Maybe so, but I wasn’t going to stand by and watch my family be persecuted for things that they weren’t responsible for.”

“Jagger is lucky to have you. He needs family.”

“I hope maybe one day you’ll think of me as a sister. You’ll need to after Jagger asks you to marry him.”

It was our short time for girl talk and I felt myself blushing. “He’s not that type. You know that.”

Her turn to wag her finger. “Never say never.” I could tell she was itching to discuss whatever she was holding onto.

“I know about my father, other than his name.”

“Jagger knows one too many people. That’s obvious.”

“What does that mean?”

There was something almost ominous about her deep sigh. She tentatively pushed the file across the table. “No, I’m not certain Jagger had anything to do with this, but it happened very quickly.”

As I opened the file, I realized I was looking at copies of police reports. “What am I looking at?”

“Joel Brockford and his father William are being investigated along with six other men from a group created about ten years ago. They are trying to monopolize aspects of the healthcare system by using alternative methods than what William has led everyone to believe. Yes, there are contributions, but the charity that William is fronting was funded by blackmail and extortion. Or so the FBI believes. It seems there is big business in medical care, including scams with insurance companies.”

I shook my head. “That makes sense. I wanted to be a part of the charity, but Joel refused. He said I had way too much on my plate.”

“Maybe that’s because he was fearful you’d learn they were attempting to eliminate their only clear enemy, Michelangelo Ross. Does that name ring a bell?”

“Vaguely. But I wasn’t into medical politics. I met him briefly at a dinner he came to where I was forced to dress up and act like arm candy. He was the special guest.”

My gut told me the man was my father. I glanced at the photograph again, my heart and soul telling me I was right. I wasn’t certain how I felt about it. But I had questions for him if what I was thinking was true. Lots of questions.

“Probably a good idea and I’ll just bet he was. Anyway, from what my buddy tells me, someone tipped off the FBI. Andprovided copies of detailed records indicating their criminal activity.”

“To whom?”

Denise cocked her head. “No one seems to know. Plus, some malfeasance was uncovered as well. Something about botched surgeries performed by Joel, the victims paid handsomely to keep their mouths shut.”

“Why do I feel like there’s another ‘but’ in your story?”

“Maybe because two of the three ended up dead.”

I took a deep breath, holding it for some time. “They were going to talk.”

“Perhaps so. Any other juicy details are on lockdown. But I think your problems are going to go away.”

“From your mouth to God’s ears. Thank you for making some phone calls.”

“It was the least I could do. I just hope Jagger can find it in his heart to forgive himself.”

“Yeah, I do too.” I glanced out the window as a stream of people walked by. They all seemed happy, laughing and talking, so many with shopping bags full of goodies in their arms. “I really do.”

My heart was fluttering as much as the butterflies were doing in my stomach. I knew in my heart Jagger had been the one to call in a favor from some influential person. He’d done that for me.

Maybe for us.

Either way, I couldn’t wait to get home and thank him. He was my rock. He was my friend. He was my lover.

And he was becoming the true love of my life.

“What now?” Denise asked.

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