Page 16 of Fighting for Mallory

Mallory pressed Tex’s contact number. He picked up after the third ring, and she put him on speaker. “Keegan. Mallory, are you and Luca okay?”

“Yes. I remembered something important. The man who took Andre Lapeno’s place on Friday said he was his cousin and spoke with a foreign accent. I couldn’t recognize it.”

“I’ll start working the lead.”

“Tex, what have you heard about this organization that uses a fanged copperhead tattoo?” Luca interjected.

“Nothing. And so far I haven’t had any luck tracing it. Honestly, Mallory, it was a miracle you caught Alonso Mercado and Gill Tino. Now these guys have gone deeper into the shadows. What are they after anyway?”

“No one really knows. We were never able to get Mercado and Tino to talk. We still don’t know why they targeted LAPD Captain Yeniel Valentin.”

Mallory spoke with confidence. Luca glanced at her and remarked, “Your memory is coming back to you.”

“About the case, yes. We burrowed as deep as we could into Captain Valentin’s past and came up emptyhanded.”

“Your way,” Tex reminded Mallory with a chuckle. “Listen, when you get to Justice and Brielle’s cabin, you’ll find a laptop and other technology waiting for you. You don’t have to worry about anyone tracking you with me at the helm.”

“How did you know??” Luca blurted, then cut himself off. “Never mind.”

“I wouldn’t tarry there. These guys will figure out your location soon enough.”

“Copy that,” Luca replied, and Mallory ended the call.

“Luca, they, whoever they are, could have tortured and killed me while I was drugged and helpless. Why did they kill Bentley? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Maybe they get off on creating fear and havoc.”

“Yet we haven’t connected this group to any other crimes. No mass shootings, kidnappings, robberies, or homicides.”

“Which makes them even scarier.”

They discussed the situation until Mallory grew sleepy, and Luca encouraged her to take a nap.

On the outskirts of Marysville, they stopped at a grocery store and bought food and supplies. As she drank a bottle of water and snacked on a bag of trail mix, Mallory commented, “I’ve visited Marysville a few times with my sister, and I’ve always loved it. The people are so friendly.”

“Are you tired of LA?”

She let out a soft sigh. “Yes. When this nightmare is over, I might go into private practice. Family law.”

“That was your first love.”

“No. You were my first love.”

Luca’s heart flipflopped. Questions whirled in his mind. Questions he’d asked when Mallory had gravitated toward Bentley and his ilk and away from him while they were in college. He’d remained steadfast in his love for her, carrying the curse of the Martinelli men only loving one woman for life. Though he’d slept with other women, Luca had never lost his heart to any of them. And Mallory had promised to love and cherish another man the way he loved and cherished her.

Of course, he forgave her for her infidelity. There was no love without forgiveness. He knew she regretted her rashness in choosing Bentley over him. They needed to have an honest conversation about the past, but only after they cleared Mallory’s name and caught the men responsible for her husband’s death.

His silence made her nervous. “Luca? You don’t believe me?”

He lifted her hand and kissed the palm. “I believe you.” Luca placed her hand on her lap. “We will discuss the past, Mal, when there aren’t any distractions.”

They arrived at the McQuaids’ cabin on a lake within twenty minutes. Luca parked the Taurus out of sight. He reached for one of the Glocks. “Wait here. I want to scope out the place first. Keep your gun handy.”

Luca skirted the perimeter and made his way toward the shed where Justice kept a snowmobile. Not long ago he bought an ATV, which Luca thought might come in handy. In the bottom of a toolbox, he found a spare key and let himself into the cabin. He swept the interior, checking every room, every closet, and space to ensure that no one lay in wait for them. Confident they were safe for the present, Luca exited the cabin through the kitchen door and joined Mallory.

“All good. If you’ll carry the groceries, I’ll grab the duffel bags.”

Mallory followed Luca into the kitchen and set the grocery bags on the granite counter. She sorted the items and stored them.

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