Page 54 of Forbidden Wish

“We should get some food and go through the recordings,” she said. “The more eyes, the better.”

The laptop wasn’t the optimal place to wheedle out details.

“I can drop you back at home. There’s something I want to check out.”

“By yourself?” she asked. “What happened to not hiding anything? Where are you going? Is it case related?”

“Could be. I don’t know.”

“I want to come with you. If you’ve had a thought, share it.”

Silence. One second, two…

He inhaled. “The point we triangulated from the victims’ bodies,” he said, “from the location where they were found—”

“The hotel.”

“It could be nothing.”

“I’ve been.”

“To the hotel? The Carlyle?”

“Yeah.”

“Alone?”

“I wanted to check it out.”

Oh, he didn’t take that well and his face didn’t hide it. “And if they were murdered there? The killers could’ve hurt you.”

Now there was an interesting distinction. “Killers? Zz? You think there’s more than one perpetrator?”

“I think if it’s related to the Manzanis, looking at this like it’s one crazed serial killer would be a mistake. Guys who work for families like the Manzanis don’t take initiative, they don’t make their own decisions.” Or indulge their own obsessions, she’d guess. “They do what they’re told. Someone had to give the order.”

Their lenses on this didn’t match up. While she sought a single murderer, Jagg’s experience steered him toward something more organized.

“Bryan will tell us.”

As a first step anyway. Though that would come after actually nailing down the guy, kind of an important detail.

“You don’t think he’s connected to the Manzanis? You got to Hustle through him. If you know Hustle, you know someone. You owe someone or they owe you.One thing links to another, cause and effect, something Silvio likes to say.”

“I found the hotel. I went in and didn’t see Bryan.”

He shook his head. “You have no sense of self-preservation.”

“You worry too much. Yes, it was a risk—”

“Did anyone know you were there?”

“No,” she said. “It’s my job to—”

“If Ford had any idea the risk you took, if your father knew. Shit.” He swung the car around to head back the way they’d come. “They’ll forgive me for screwing you before they forgive me for this.”

“You’re taking me with you?”

Probably because he’d concluded she’d be safer with him.

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