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.”Patrice stood and gaped.“You didn’t.”“Yes, he did.” Robbie nodded from across the kitchen table.“Tess left yesterday morning and hasn’t returned.She didn’t take any clothing, and we can’t get her on her cell.I have to agree with Jack.Something’s not right.”Patrice nodded.“You're right; she is missing.I’m worried about her just as much as you are, but you’re wrong about the Camillos.Maybe she’s just hiding out in a hotel somewhere.You know, just trying to get her ducks in a row.”Jack scowled in her direction.“I’m not only worried about the Camillos.Anything could have happened.What if she had an accident or was attacked again?”Patrice paled, and for the first time since arriving, she looked truly concerned.“I never thought about that.Tess is always so careful.”Patrice may not have thought about the danger Tess could be in, but he’d been thinking about it since the moment she stomped her tight little behind out the door.He’d wanted to follow her then but knew he wouldn’t make it out of the drive before she stopped him and either gave him another what for or just ran him over with her car.I should have chanced it.I should have stopped her.Jack watched as the captain’s police car pulled into the drive.The captain stepped out and so did another man.The two climbed the front steps.“Good to see you again.You remember Officer Flynn?” the captain said as he shook Jack’s hand.Immediately recognizing the officer from the night Tess was nearly kidnapped, Jack nodded, extending his hand.“I do.Come on in.”Leading the officers into the house, Jack watched as they greeted Patrice and Robbie and took a seat at the table.“Where’s your partner?”“Holdings is taking some personal days,” the officer answered lightly.“Short notice, but what the hell.I can handle things on my own.”“You might be able to handle things, but it’d be better were he here.I know he can’t control when a family emergency arises, but he better expect a hell of a lot of work waiting on his desk when he gets back.He left a lot of things unattended,” the captain said, obviously disappointed with the absent officer.Despite his fear, Jack had to admit the absence of the overly handsome officer who’d seemed more than a little interested in Tess tickled him pink.The last thing he needed on his mind was another man throwing himself at Tess when they found her.“So,” the captain began, setting his hat down on the table next to him, “you think something’s happened to Tess? Would you care to explain why?”Frowning, Jack took a seat next to Robbie and pulled out the file they had shown Tess the day before then, as quickly as possible, explained his fears and the reasons for them.Captain Lewis frowned at the evidence for a long moment then pulled out his cell phone.“You need to get over here now.To three-sixty-five Long Acre Drive.” Without waiting for a response, he snapped the phone shut, then turned to the young officer and said, “Put out an APB, missing person, and whatever else you can think of on Tess McCoy.I want her found as soon as possible.”“You think she’s in danger?” Officer Flynn asked.“You bet your ass I do.Now move.”Jack watched with disbelief as Flynn rushed out the front door before looking back to the captain.“You boys don’t know what you’ve gotten yourselves into,” Captain Lewis said.Jack shook his head.“What about Tess? Aren’t you worried about her?”“Damn straight I am,” Captain Lewis replied with force.“You’re poking around in something that should’ve never been dredged back up.Tess has been through so much these last couple of months, then you drop something like this on her? And now she’s missing!”“Captain,” Patrice’s calm voice interrupted, “why do you think Tess is in trouble?”“That’s a good question,” Robbie said calmly.“What aren’t you telling us?”Before the captain had a chance to answer, Officer Flynn re-entered the house, accompanied by another man Jack recognized immediately.Standing, the captain hurried over to the man and shook his hand before leading him back to the table.“What the hell’s going on here?” Jack asked with incredulity as Roman Camillo gazed at him through hard, sea green eyes.“How’d you get here so fast?” the captain asked Roman.“I was on my way to talk to Tess when you called.I was just at the corner.”Patrice rounded the table to be enveloped in the man’s arms.“I’m glad you’re here.”“It’s good to see you too, Patty-girl.”Nodding, Patrice stepped away.“I hate to break up the family reunion, but I need to know what the hell is going on and where the hell Tess is.Am I the only one thinking about Tess here?” Jack bellowed.“Tess is still missing?” Roman asked, his voice filled with concern.“Why the hell do you think we’re all here?” Jack snapped.“Why do you think Patty came by your house asking if you’d seen Tess? Apparently something happened to her after she left your house … or before.”He knew he was acting like an irrational jackass, but he didn’t care.Tess was out there somewhere, and these two men obviously knew something that would lead him to her.“Just take a seat and we’ll explain,” Captain Lewis said calmly.Jack remained standing for a long moment.The urge to burst out of his house in a dead run screaming Tess’s name surged through him.He needed to see her, to feel her skin against his, to know she was safe within the circle of his arms.“Jack.” Robbie’s voice reached his ears.“Let’s listen to what he has to say.They might know where to start looking for Tess.”Glancing in his direction, Jack relented and retook his seat.“All right, explain,” Jack demanded.“Long story short.A little over thirty years ago, Roman here decided he wanted out of the mob.He realized what he was doing was beyond wrong, and that the mob life just wasn’t for him.So, he worked with me and another officer to do just that.I believe you know that officer.” Captain Lewis pointed to Robbie.Robbie looked surprised.“My father?”“That’s right.For a long time he tried to bring Roman down.During that time he was Sylvester.But when Roman gave us the option of bringing down the entire ring instead of just him in exchange for a new life and identity for his newly growing family, we jumped on the opportunity.And it worked.When Roman went into protective custody, your father couldn’t say anything to anyone about Roman or his whereabouts.It would have put Roman and his family at risk.Although he shouldn’t have been discussing the case around you at all,” he said, looking at Robbie, “that’s why he never told you what really happened to Roman.”Robbie nodded.“I understand.”Jack leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table.“You’re telling me that Roman, with help from you and Robbie’s father, faked his own death? That’s how he got out of the mob and why he’s the man in both pictures?”“That’s exactly what I’m telling you [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]