Chasing Shadows (13 page)

"I have no idea," Chase answered after giving Theresa the serial number.  Headlights swept across the front windows and stopped.  He crept to the dining room, glanced outside.

And was able to take his first deep breath since he'd found the house empty.  Jay was sitting in the passenger seat of Neil Gianotti's Firebird, parked right at the front curb.  

Chase restrained his desire to run out and pummel his younger brother for scaring the crap out of him.  Probably a midnight rendezvous with KC, he thought, hating the wave of jealousy the image brought with it.  He re-holstered the HK at the small of his back and tugged his shirt over it once more.

"I'm pulling you out," Rose told him.

"No need.  I'm fine, my cover's solid."

"Not if they have your brother—"

"Jay just pulled up in his friend's car.  Must have been out carousing somewhere.  And Lucky won't give me up."  He heard her sigh and knew she was sorely tempted to move him someplace safe, abort the mission. 

"Just give me a little time, Rose.  Once I make contact with The Crusade, find the rest of their stash, we're golden.  This is too important to walk away from."  Not to mention the six months of his life he'd sacrificed for this job.  And the best way to guarantee Jay's future safety was to end this now.  He sweetened the pot.  "Besides, Deacon is going to be at the buy tomorrow."

Her intake of breath echoed over the phone.  Deacon never got his hands dirty, never.  That was why they hadn't been able to nail him yet.

"Dinkum is there, in Coalton?"

"He will be tomorrow.  Said he'd see to the delivery personally."  Chase dangled the bait, knowing she'd never be able to resist.

"All right," she said.  "Stay, but for godsake, get your brother out of there.  Send him on a cruise, I don't care, I need you focused on this mission, not babysitting."

"Yes, ma'am."

"The phone belongs to the FBI," Theresa broke in once more.  "The case number is assigned to a RICO investigation, the case agent is a Manuelo Ramirez from the White Collar Crime Unit.  The man they're investigating is named Dunlap, Albert Dunlap, he lives in Philadelphia."

"Any of this ringing bells for you, Chase?" Rose asked.

Chase frowned, more confused than ever.  What the hell had Jay gotten himself mixed up in?  Philadelphia?  That was where KC was from—had Jay's good for nothing girlfriend stolen Dunlap's phone?  Probably gave some FBI agents an earful of phone sex.

"Nothing except Jay's new girlfriend comes from Philly.  I'll ask Jay, here he comes now."

"Be discrete, don't risk your cover.  We'll take care of Lucky.  Chase, be careful."  She hung up.

Neil drove off as Jay walked up the front steps.  Damn, Chase was gonna kill the kid.  He turned the phone off and pocketed it.

Jay opened the door, saw Chase standing there waiting for him and let loose with an uppercut that sent Chase sprawling.

"You bastard!  If you ever go near KC again, I'll—"

Chase looked up at his little brother towering over him, sputtering with fury, fists raised.  He rubbed his jaw and decided the better part of valor was to remain where he was.

Otherwise someone might get hurt.

Chase raised his hands in surrender, waited until Jay backed off, then rolled to his feet.  Good God, couldn't he and Jay just once meet in a civilized fashion?  Although, depending on how KC spun the tale to Jay, he could well understand his brother's anger.

Jay looked down at his fist, unclenched it and shook it out as if surprised that a sock to the jaw hurt the socker as much as the sockee.  He stumbled back into the Barcalounger and sat down, hands dangling between his knees.

"Nice punch," Chase told him, taking a seat on the sofa.  "You must think this girl's something special, huh?"  

No surprise there, he did too.  What was it about KC that bewitched and bemused the Westin boys so they couldn't see straight?

"She is special," Jay said, looking up, his jaw jutting out, defying Chase to contradict him.  "You had no right—"

"I was just trying to look out for my brother.  That's the only reason I went there, Jay.  Honest."  

Jay pursed his lips, considering Chase's statement.  "When Neil told me he saw you, I thought," he blushed, "I thought you were trying to take her away or something."  Then he smiled as if that was an impossibility and shook his head.  

Did Jay think the girl so hopelessly in love with him that she would never betray him?  Chase remembered the way she'd thrown herself at him.  He needed to tell Jay, but it would probably end with the two of them not speaking, bitter enemies again.

Maybe there was another way to separate the two lovebirds.  Chase took out Jay's phone.  "Want to tell me why you have a phone that belongs to the FBI?"

Jay jumped out of the chair, grabbed the phone from Chase's hand.  "That's mine."  He retreated across the room, clutching the phone as if it was a lifeline.  Then he frowned.  "FBI?  How do you know it belongs to the FBI?"

"I was stationed at Quantico, remember?" Chase ad-libbed. "Where'd you get the phone, Jay?  You can get in big trouble if they catch you with this."

Jay looked from the phone to his brother.  Chase was surprised to see an expression of deep consideration cross his face, as if Chase were the one caught with stolen government technology, as if Chase were the one who couldn't be trusted.

"If you tell anyone about this," Jay began in a voice that sounded very serious and older than his years, "it could get me killed."

CHAPTER 17

This was crazy
, Jay thought.  KC had warned him not to trust anyone, especially his brother.  But, even as messed up as Chase was, he would never, ever do anything to hurt Jay.  That was the one thing Jay knew.  

He couldn't stand having Chase looking at him like he was screwing up his life, worried that he was following in Chase's footsteps.

"Killed?" Chase said, leaning forward, his eyes darting around the empty room as if searching for hidden danger.  

Chase got that look a lot.  Ever since he came back from Afghanistan.  And it seemed to be getting worse.  Jay didn't know what kind of trouble his brother was in, but he wished he could do something to take that haunted look away from Chase's eyes.  

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I saw something a few months ago."  Jay swallowed hard, the memory of that awful night still made him sick.  "I was supposed to meet Neil.  He was going to sneak out and we were going over to a party some kids from Bishop Guillfoyle were throwing.  I went by his place and I was a little early, he was supposed to meet me behind the garage after he snuck out.  I heard these voices, and I ducked into the bushes.

"Mr. Gianotti and another guy were arguing.  Something about a shipment that wasn't paid for and the guy was crying in tears, saying it wasn't his fault the truck got stopped by the cops, and he'd come there in person to show his good faith."

Jay paused, closed his eyes against the memory.  That did nothing to block the sounds echoing in his mind.  The man weeping, Neil's father saying the reason he was going to die was because he dared to come to the Gianotti house, to violate his sanctuary, threaten his family.  

"It was stupid, I know," he went on, "but I wanted to see what was happening, so I got a little closer, looked through the window.  They had a plastic sheet on the floor of the garage and Mr. Gianotti had a gun.  Two other guys were holding this other man down on his knees, like he was begging or something.  He was crying so hard, he wet his pants."

"Jesus, Jay."  Chase was off the couch in one swift movement.  He crouched beside the recliner, his arm wrapped around Jay's shoulder.

Jay appreciated the support of his big brother.  Chase was trained for stuff like this—stuff that Jay had only seen in movies until that awful October night.  

"Mr. Gianotti shot him.  Right in the face," Jay whispered.  "I always thought guns would make more noise than that.  It was just a sort of a pop, nothing compared to the blood and—"  

His voice trailed off.  He realized he was shaking.  Jay turned away from Chase.  He sucked in a deep breath, tried to pull himself together.  He could do this.  He had to get used to telling it, in a few months he'd be telling it to a jury.

"No one saw you, did they?" Chase asked, his voice filled with concern.  "Mr. Gianotti or Neil don't have any idea that you saw?"

Jay shook his head.  "I came home and called Neil, told him I was sick, we'd get together some other time.  No one even knew I was there.  It was no good going to the local police, Mr. Gianotti is best friends with the Chief, so I took the bus to Philadelphia and went to the FBI office there.  That's where I met KC."

"KC?  She's not really your girlfriend?"

The thought forced a wry smile from Jay.  "I wish.  She's like twenty-seven or twenty-eight or something.  She moved here to keep an eye on me and help get evidence on Mr. Gianotti.  They never found the body of the man I saw him kill, so they didn't have much to go on."

"Why is she pretending to be pregnant?"

"She thought that would give us a reason to run off together without anyone getting suspicious—only I'm on my way to join the witness protection program.  After I testify and Mr. Gianotti is in jail, the government has agreed to help with my tuition to college and medical school.  But," he looked away, "it means I can never see you again."

"You did the right thing," Chase said.  "I'm proud of you, kid."

Jay smiled at the sincerity in his brother's voice.  It was almost as good as hearing the same words from his father.  "Thanks, Chase.  I'm glad you came home for Christmas.  Sorry I couldn't tell you before, but KC said not to trust you."

Chase rocked back on his heels, stunned by what his brother had been through and how well he'd managed everything. 

Poor kid.  He should've been here to protect Jay instead of chasing Bruno and Deacon and a bunch of lousy stolen weapons.  If he'd been here, Jay could have come to him, they would have figured something out.

At least he hoped that was what Jay would have done.  He thought back to Nicky Gianotti and their own wild times in high school.  They knew Nicky's big brother was involved with illegal gambling and loan sharking, had inherited the family business from his father.  

It was kind of a joke—ominous black limos cruising up to the house at strange hours of the night, the tough guys with guns that Bruno Gianotti surrounded himself with, the spending money Nicky was always too happy to share with his buddies.  Like having their own version of the Godfather right here in Coalton.

Chase had never seen the Gianottis actually hurt anyone, but if he'd been in Jay's position, at his age, would he have betrayed Nicky and gone to the authorities?  Or would he have lived the lie, looked the other way, like the rest of Coalton?

He clapped Jay on the shoulder and stood, pacing the room.  His little brother was already a man Chase was proud to know; a man very much like their own father.  

Chase stopped at the mantle, stared at a photo of Jay and their dad with Jay's first buck, an eight-pointer.  He hated that Jay still thought the worst of him, that Jay wouldn't trust Chase with the truth until Chase forced it from him.

In a few hours, up and down the street, giggling children would be racing to open presents, delighting their parents.  While here he and Jay sat, two brothers alone in the darkness, each trying to do the right thing and neither trusting the other enough to share the truth.

Sorry state of affairs.  None of this would have ever happened if their parents were still alive.  Of course, then Chase's leave wouldn't have been extended and he would have returned to join his unit instead of being delayed.  Sally and Hank Westin and five Marines would still be alive if not for the Kleindiest boy and a industrial sized bottle of Everclear.

He looked over at his kid brother—not a kid anymore.  Jay had grown up fast, even more so since Chase had seen him last.  What would Mom and Dad do if they were here now?

They would protect the family.  To hell with Deacon and Bruno and The Crusade and the job.  They'd find a way to keep Jay safe.  With his parents gone, it fell to Chase.

"When do you have to leave?" he asked Jay.

"Later today.  I'm worried about Neil, though."

"He still doesn't have any idea what his father does for a living?"

"No.  He'd die just to have his father pay attention to him for a few minutes.  He's so excited his father is taking him to some big meeting later today.  Said it was the best Christmas present ever."

Chase nodded to the cell phone still clutched in Jay's hand.  "Let me talk to KC."

"Why?"  

Chase grimaced against Jay's eyes narrowed in distrust.  Jay didn't say it, but he knew what his brother was thinking:
what are you going to do now to screw up my life?  Again.

He took a deep breath.  Time to tell Jay everything.  "There's something you need to know," he began.  "You can't say anything about it to anyone, not even KC."

"Why not?"

"Because I once trusted someone, not only with my life but the lives of my men, and they betrayed me.  I'm not risking that ever again."

"You mean that tribal leader in Afghanistan.  The one who led your squad into that ambush?"

There was a lot more to the story than that, but Jay had the gist of it.  "Yeah.  After I got out of the hospital and was sent to Lejeune, I found out some guys on base were smuggling weapons and selling them to Bruno.  That's what he does, he finds weapons and buys them and sells them to drug dealers, gang bangers, you name it.  These guys had a few MP's working with them, so I went to NCIS and offered my connection with Bruno.  I went undercover and we busted the ring, but I purposely kept Bruno's name out of it so we could go after him later.  After I got out of Leavenworth, he contacted me to thank me for my 'professional courtesy'."  

Chase grimaced at the memory—after the meeting he'd spent an hour in the shower washing the dirty feeling from his skin.  And another hour with the heavy bag venting the anger and frustration over letting Bruno go free in order to catch his other customers.  "Bruno told me about a group he was working with, The Crusade."