Page 5 of Deadly Target
If he came through for the prosecution when the time came, Alfie and his daughter would disappear, officially part of the witness protection program. Everyone in WP wanted to go to Hawaii, Florida, or some other warm location. Exactly the places they’d told friends and family they’d like to visit, which immediately crossed them off the potential list of places to hide.
“You keep looking,” she told him, “and I’ll see what I can do.”
Alfie wasn’t the only one who could tell a partial truth.
“I’m serious,” he said. “Whatever this is, it’s going down soon, and it’s going to be widespread. If nothing else, I don’t want you caught in the crossfire.”
His concern seemed genuine and it took her off guard.
In the next breath, he was back to normal. “We still on for tomorrow night?”
God save her, they had a standing dinner date. Alfonso liked to make his mother’s gravy and the smell always brought back fond memories of her own mother and food. It was an absurd thing, but occasionally she got him to talk about the DeStefano mob and Frankie B’s ongoing plans to eliminate certain cartels in an effort to control the drug trade in California. These were times Liv thought she was actually getting significant intelligence. Her boss encouraged her to keep attending the dinners in hopes Alfonso would eventually trust her enough to help her crack open the entire West Coast DeStefano operation.
“I’ll be there,” she said.
Just as she was hanging up, Victor’s phone went off downstairs. He ignored it, crooking a finger to entice her back to bed.
She wanted to tell him the truth. About everything. But until she had concrete evidence that he was indeed the elite director he appeared, there was no point blowing her cover or admitting she purposely crossed paths with him in order to keep a close eye on him, just like she kept on Alfonso.
Victor would blow a gasket if and when he discovered the Justice Department was surveilling him, but that wasn’t her biggest concern. She’d deceived him, and although the seduction had been voluntary, he wouldn’t see it that way.
Once again, she was ready to forget, to lose herself in the game she was playing, but Victor’s cell didn’t stop ringing. A second ringing started up as well. His landline.
She pulled away, the ache inside her growing as she accepted the fact that the two of them were not meant to be together no matter how much she wanted him. “You better get that. It could be an emergency.”
She didn’t need to tell him that, but she couldn’t help herself. Maybe this was God or the universe trying to save her from complete self-destruction.
A moment later, she heard him answer the phone downstairs, the change in his tone making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She threw on her shirt and hustled to join him, only to find the look on his face scaring her even more.
As he hung up, he was already racing for the front door. The dog ran in from the living room on high alert. “There’s been an emergency. I’ll call you as soon as I can.”
She chased after him. “What happened?”
“It’s not good.” He stopped at the door, snagging car keys from the foyer table, his body language tight, controlled.
“Victor?”
His jaw worked and finally glanced at her. “Cooper’s been shot.”
“What?” She couldn’t believe it. “Oh God, is he okay?”
Dumb question. Of course he wasn’t.
Victor kissed her forehead. “He’s in surgery. I’ve got to go.”
“I’m coming with you.”
Victor turned back. “You don’t have to do that.”
She grabbed the leash from its hanger and clipped it on Taz’s collar. “We’ll be right behind you.”
