Page 51 of Instinct & New Identity

I filled them in on what littleI’dgotten fromSandiduring the fast three-minute car ride down the street to my place.Whenwe got to my complex,Axelpulled up into the delivery lane and let us out.

I sprinted inside and sawSandithere hanging up the phone as we walked in.

“Dispatcher said cops will be here soon,” she said, sounding both miffed and also a bit nervous.

I turned back toArcherandJackand told them to grab the security footage fromSandi, and meet the cops.Iheaded upstairs to check onCatandVal.

Not wanting to wait for the elevator,Isprinted up the stairs instead.Assoon asIopened the door to my place,Iyelled outCat’sname, but it wasValwho met me in the hallway first.

“She’s packing,” she said to me pointedly, butIcould hear the fear in her voice. “Iwas trying to pack as slowly as possible to give you enough time to get here, but she told me we leave in twenty minutes.”

“You’re not leaving,”Itold her firmly. “Neitherof you.Copsare on their way, andArcherandJackare downstairs pulling the security footage now to see if we can see what this guy looks like.”

“It won’t matter,”Cat’svoice said from behind me. “Evenif you arrest this one, the gang will just send someone else.YouknowI’mright.”

I turned to walk toward her and gripped her face in my hands, not hard but firmly enough that she was forced to look up at me.

“You are not leaving,”Itold her tightly.

“Vince,Iam not going to risk your safety along with ours,” she responded stubbornly. “I’vealready thought it out.I’llleave you my email and phone so we can still be in touch, but we have to move out now.There’sno telling how quickly things could escalate.I’veprepared a list of cities, andValandIwill pick the next?—.”

“No,”Iinterrupted her.

She stuttered in her train of thought as if she didn’t thinkIwould fight her on this.Itook advantage of that brief pause and kept talking.

“The cops will be here soon and will need your statement.We’llcall your contact at theU.S.MarshalsServiceand anyone else who may be able to help.You’redone running.Atleast until we can get a few more details.Ifyou still want to run, thenI’mrunning with you and will help you find the best spot, but you are not doing this alone, and you aren’t doing it rushed.”

“I likeVince’splan,”Valspoke up from behind me but in a much more subdued voice than usual, indicating her fear as well.

Just then, there was a loud knock, and my door opened.

“Vince, it’s me.Copsare here,”Archeryelled from the door.

“Let’s talk with the cops, and then we can go from there,”ItoldCat, grabbing her hand and guiding her into the living room to sit on the couch.

WhenArcherstepped into the living room,Inoticed he wasn’t alone but hadJackand a police officer with him.

“Axel is better at tech stuff, so he’s helpingSandiand the other officer look through the security cams,”Archerinformed us. “Yougot somewhere we can all sit and talk?”

I nodded, andArcherandJacksat in chairs asItook a seat next toCatandVal.Theofficer stood, notebook in hand, and spoke.

“Ladies,” he said as he looked toCatandVal. “Myname isOfficerHess, and my partner,OfficerGreer, is downstairs, but will be joining us in a bit.Igot the basics from the woman downstairs of how the package came to be delivered, butIneed to hear from you both about the threat itself and the history you may have with the person who sent it.”

NeitherValnorCatspoke, but both nodded at him, giving him permission to ask.

“First, sinceOfficerGreerisn’t here, do you mind ifIrecord this soIcan play it back to him later if he has questions?”OfficerHessasked.

“Yes, that’s fine,”Catanswered.

The officer nodded and took his phone out to record.Heset it on the coffee table in front of us and also pulled out a notebook and pen.

“I also like to be old-school, too,” the officer remarked, nodding to his pen and paper. “Canyou explain why you think there is a threat against you?”

“Seven years ago, my sister andIentered theWitnessSecurityProgramafter our parents were killed during a robbery,”Catinformed the officer.

She detailed the crime and the people who targeted her, as well as any perceived threats.

Then, she told him how they believed the threat was finally over roughly two years ago but had still been careful with any information that could be traced back to their whereabouts.Shealso gave the officer the contact information for theMarshalwho was their point of contact should anything go wrong.

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