Page 63 of Deadly Target
The man at the end—underboss Frankie Molina—nodded at one of his bodyguards. They walked to the front door. “Crap. Mary Margaret is in there. I have to do something.”
A strong hand landed on her arm. “You cannot go in there,” her father said. “Whatever happens, happens. Alfie brought this on himself.”
Frankie rang the doorbell.
“Mary Margaret is innocent. I can’t let her witness her own father’s murder or end up dead herself. Besides, I need Alfie. I need to know if he’s behind everything that’s happened to Victor, or if Frankie B is really the culprit. If Alfie dies tonight, the truth will die with him, and everything I’ve been working for will go down the drain.”
The front door opened. From this distance, Olivia couldn’t see Alfie’s face, but she was sure it was surprised. A moment later, Frankie B and three of his goons disappeared inside. The fourth stayed on the front porch, a lookout.
Olivia reached for the door handle and jerked her arm out of her dad’s grip. “Call Victor and tell him what’s going down. Remember, you’re not to leave this car or engage in any manner.”
“You can’t go barging in there!”
“I’m not going in the front door.” She pulled out her gun and took the safety off. “I’m sneaking in through the back and getting the girl out first. I’ll be sending her to you, so you better be in this car and ready to protect her, you got it?”
“Olivia—”
She hopped out and closed the door on her father’s arguments. Ducking behind the car, she stealthily slipped into the nearby bushes, praying she would be in time to save the girl and maybe Alfie too.
* * *
Victor’s phonerang with an unknown caller. As he and Roman sped through the night on their way to the address Barone had given Olivia, he almost ignored it. It was doubtful any of the Kings where there, especially those involved in the shooting of Olivia’s partner and the other two men, but it was a chance they had to take. There was still a possibility Barone had supplied accurate intel and the Kings had no idea they were coming. If they could catch even one of them, he and Roman could break the man—or woman—and get the evidence they needed on the additional shooters and everyone else involved.
The phone rang again, and Victor’s gut told him to answer. He hit his Bluetooth. “Dupé.”
“Yeah, listen up. This is Olivia’s father and she told me to call and let you know something is going down at Alfonso Barone’s house. You know the address, right? Frankie Molina just showed up and it looks like Barone could be in a lot of trouble.”
Victor exchanged a glance with Roman. “Where is Olivia?”
“My daughter is a gutsy gal, and I want you to promise me that regardless of what she admits to about that stupid Justice Department investigation, you will remember she has sacrificed a lot for relationships in her life.”
Confusion clouded his brain. “Mr. Fiorelli, I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I agree, Olivia is an amazing woman.”
“I’m about to help her out, even though she doesn’t want it, and I need you to give her a message if anything happens to me.”
Victor gripped the steering wheel tighter, the siren on the roof of his car suddenly too loud in his ears. “Where are you at? Whatever you’re thinking of doing, do not engage Barone or Molina. Do you understand me, Mr. Fiorelli?”
“She says you’re a good guy, and she deserves someone who will love her no matter what and support her goals, but if I don’t intercede, she’s going to end up with a bullet in her forehead. You tell her that, no matter what, I have always loved her, and I always will. I know I wasn’t who she wanted me to be, but I hope I can prove to her how much being her father means, and what I’m willing to do to make up for all the crap I put her through. Now do me a favor and get to Barone’s house ASAP. Olivia went inside to save the guy’s daughter. I’ll hold off Frankie B as long as possible.”
The line went dead. Instinctively, Victor jammed his foot into the accelerator, taking the speedometer up over 100 mph. “Goddammit. What the hell is she thinking?” He threw a glance at Roman. “Call her.”
Roman was already tapping at his screen. “Already did. She’s not answering.”
“Put out an SOS to everyone in range. Olivia wouldn’t have gone in after the girl if she didn’t think this was a hit. Frankie must have figured out Barone’s about to betray him.” He smacked the steering wheel with his hand. They were on the freeway, headed in the right direction, but still a good twenty minutes from Oceanside. “Call the locals and get an Adam unit over there. Tell them not to go inside, but…”
Roman interrupted him. “We do that, and we end up with a hostage situation. Beat cops can’t handle this. It’s better if we sneak up on them, catch Frankie by surprise, don’t you think?”
He was right. Victor couldn’t think straight, fear cramping his gut. He hit the callback button on the navigation screen, but it went straight to voicemail, an automated female voice telling him the owner of the phone was unavailable. He switched to calling Olivia, as Roman rounded up as many team members as he could, but Victor only got the same response—no one available.
He kept calling anyway, speaking over the ringing phone in the background. “What did Felix mean about a Justice Department investigation?”
Roman shrugged, dialing the next person on his list. “I have no idea. Did he mean in regard to the mafia?”
“That’s the only thing it could be. Because of her background and track record, Liv’s been given loose parameters to investigate the Fifty-seven Gang, and from what she shared, her boss at the marshal service isn’t all that happy about it, but she’s put away enough mid-level mafia guys, that when she wanted to go for the big guns, they agreed.”
“Her father saidregardless of what she admits to. Maybe she’s broken some laws in order to take down Gino and the rest.”
He wove in and out of traffic.Come on, Olivia, pick up.“Probably, but I doubt it’s anything significant. Most agents break a few when undercover, and what she’s done by cultivating a relationship with Barone isn’t much different.”
One of Roman’s agents picked up and he began reeling off instructions. Victor hit redial again and prayed they wouldn’t be too late.
