Page 62 of Deadly Target
She stared at him. He stared back. Two bullheaded people who loved each other but would never be on the same page. Olivia wasn’t even sure they were on the same planet most of the time. “You know, I never doubted your love for me. I know you tried to protect me, and I appreciate that, but I don’t need you standing up for me anymore.”
“You’re my daughter and I’m always going to stand up for you.”
“If you interfere in this investigation, it could go badly for both of us.”
He looked completely disgusted. “I won’t unless I need to, but don’t think for a moment that I’ll sit here and do nothing if that bastard threatens you. He isdan-ger-ous.”
In that moment, something in her shifted. She wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but it felt…better. Lighter. There were so many holes in her heart when it came to her father, and yet, his standing up for her and insisting on protecting her—regardless of her demands for him to stand down—made her want to smile. He was overbearing and pushy, but sometimes a girl needed that in her life, especially from her father.
“I won’t let it get that far, okay?” She needed to make sure he understood her goal with this. “I know Alfie well enough to understand his hot buttons and avoid his triggers. While I want nothing more than to simply slip the cuffs on him and bring him in, this is a fishing expedition only. I’m ninety-nine percent sure he’s guilty, but I don’t have enough to prove it. He’ll point me towards Frankie again and I’m not going to call his bluff yet, but I want to see if I can gain more of his confidence, get him to open up about his plans for Victor.”
“You really care about that guy, huh?”
“Victor is very important to me.” The shadows down the street seemed deeper, the clouds overhead blacking out any light from the moon and stars. “I kind of got myself in a pickle with the Justice Department and I’m afraid it’s going to end badly between the two of us.”
Her dad shifted so he faced her. “What kind of pickle?”
She blew out some air between her lips, wondering why she felt compelled to tell her dad about her faux pas, but there it was. “Someone significant in the JD asked me to do an undercover investigation to see if I could find dirt on Victor. I should’ve said no and dealt with the fallout, but I didn’t, and now? I’m in too deep. I’ve lied to him and there’s no way to tell the truth without ruining things between us.”
“The Justice Department believes he’s dirty?”
“I’ve found absolutely nothing to confirm that. I know Victor. He’s truly a good guy in his career and personal life.”
“Wait a minute, does this have something to do with me? Did they blackmail you into doing this investigation on the director?”
She laughed without humor. “No, Dad. I got into this all by myself. I always had my sights set on a bigger role in taking down syndicated crime and I’ve been overly ambitious. I wanted to get into the Justice Department at some point and bring the hammer down on the mafia throughout the entire United States. The person I talked to offered me a covert operation looking into Victor’s work and personal life in exchange for consideration for a job I would love to have. I agreed to do it, not understanding the full scope of what they were looking for or why. Now I’ve painted myself into a corner and found nothing to indicate Victor’s success is anything but well earned.”
“Then what would make them want to investigate him?”
“I’m not sure, but I have a weird feeling about it.”
Her father tapped a thumb on his leg. “I bet it has to do with his old man and the mafia.”
All that had happened three decades ago. “How would that have anything to do with Victor’s position as head of the West Coast FBI?”
“I don’t know exactly, but they may be digging into his past and wondering if he has his own agenda with the mafia families here.”
“I don’t think he knows or suspects his father stood up to the family back then. Surely, he’d have mentioned to me if he suspected his father was killed because of it.”
“You’re sure he’s not tied into them, so tell this idiot at the Justice Department the man is clean and move on. What’s the problem?”
“The problem is I’ve been lying to Victor all this time. He thinks our initial meeting was coincidence. It wasn’t.”
“Why does he need to know differently?”
This was the fundamental distinction between them. Her father was comfortable with deception. She was not. “Good relationships are built on trust. I have to come clean to him, or I can’t live with myself.”
Her father shook his head in disbelief. “You always did make everything harder than it has to be.”
She was about to argue when a car turned the corner at the end of the block, headlights dipping over the sleepy street. It lit up the curb in front of Alfie’s house and four men in black trench coats slowly emerged.
“I don’t like the looks of this,” Olivia said.
One of the men stood at the end of the sidewalk, surveying the house as the other three scanned the houses up and down the block, all of them with one hand inside their coats.
Her father sat forward, but kept his face hidden by the dashboard. “Looks like Alfie’s getting a visit from Frankie B.”
Her blood ran cold. “An unexpected visit that looks suspiciously like a hit.”
