Scarlett and the Feds (18 page)

Victor pulled into the driveway of the cottage and cut the engine. I leaned over to kiss him again.

“I can’t wait to tell Ella.”

Victor smiled. “I’ll see you in a bit at the house. I want to make some calls.” The tension was back in his eyes.

“I thought you’d want to be there when I tell her the amazing gift you gave her.”

He forced a smile. “You got this. Text me and I will come get you.” He leaned over and kissed me. I knew Victor was elsewhere he was determined to figure out who it was that was following us.

My heart lurched as I controlled the urge to blurt out it was the Feds. I wasn’t ready to spill my secret about the deal I had struck with FBI. I was holding everything together by a thin thread and any second it could snap. Scarlett and I both knew this. She put her finger up to her lips, giving me the shush me- don’t tell him. Not yet.

Ella was sitting on the sofa sewing a quilt.

“That is beautiful,” I said picking up the edge.

“It for the daughter of a woman at work. She’s getting married in two months.”

“She’ll love it.”

“Angelina, speaking of work. How much longer will we be here? I love seeing you and Nicole, honey, that’s been wonderful, but I have bills to pay and can’t lose this job. Curran is thriving in school and I don’t want to saddle him with school loans if I don’t have too.”

“I understand, but until all of this settles down, this is the safest place for you and Curran. Also it will be easier for Victor to help find Luke.”

“Any word?” she said fighting off tears.

“Not yet,” I replied, grabbing her trembling hand. “I do have something to tell you.” Tears filled her eyes. “It’s good news. In fact it will take away so much of your worry. Victor paid Curran’ tuition for the rest of this year and set up an account for the remaining three years of college and he paid off your house.”

Ella’s mouth fell open and she started stammering. “But, why would he… and how did he…”she stuttered in shock. “I can’t allow him to do this...it’s too much.”

“I understand. Victor is very generous and can be very assertive. Trust me, I know first-hand,” I said. Scarlett nodded her head in agreement. “This was important to him. It means a lot, Ella, to us both.”

She started sobbing. I hugged her. “I just can’t believe he would do this for me, for us.”

“So you’re officially retired!” I said. “Let’s celebrate.” Scarlett had already popped the cork off the champagne and was pouring herself a glass. I filled two glasses with champagne and went back to Ella who was blowing her nose and dabbing her eyes with a tissue. I handed her a glass.

“I can’t, it’s only 2:30 in the afternoon.”

“It’s five someplace and besides, who cares? You’re retired,” I said clinking my glasses against hers.

‘Somebody’s watching me’
filled the room as my phone went off. Ella raised an eyebrow.

“Hey, Victor.”

“Curran and Luke are fifteen minutes out.”

“Thanks.”

“Is that Mr. Salvatore?” Ella asked holding out her hand.

“Hold on, babe.”

“Yes, ma’am, it is.”

“I would like to speak to him please.”

I handed her the phone.

“Mr. Salvatore, I wanted to thank you for such a gracious gift. I’m very grateful for your generosity, but I insist on reimbursing you.”

The corners of Ella mouth turned down and she raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, I understand and thank you again.” She handed me the phone back.

“I’m back.”

“I’m starting to understand where you got that stubborn side of yours.”

I laughed. “Oh yeah, absolutely. We had to hold our own with all that testosterone running through the house.”

Victor chuckled. “Hey I got to go. I have a call coming in, see you soon.”

Ella was staring out the window lost in her thoughts.

“Curran will be here in a few minutes,” I said.

“Ok, honey.”

I got up to get another glass of bubbly. I still had to confess to Curran about what was really going on and that his brother had vanished without a trace.

“Is he the one, Angelina?” she asked.

Her question caught me off guard. I stopped and turned to face Ella. “Umm.”

“Victor. Is he the one?” Her eyes locked onto mine.

“Yes. He is.”

“Are you sure?”

“Without a doubt.”

The alarm chimed on the front door as Curran rushed through. Hawke followed carrying his bag.

Ella ran to Curran, arms extended.

“Hi, Ma!”

“Hi, sweet boy. I’m so happy to see you,” she said kissing his cheek. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, just exhausted from exams and the long car ride with Mr. unsocial.” Curran scoffed rolling his eyes.

“Hi, bud,” I said hugging him.

“What going on, Ang?” he asked his eye darting between me and Ella.

“Go get settled and relax and then we will chat,” I said, showing him where he was crashing indefinitely.

I peeked in thirty minutes later and Curran was sprawled across my bed out cold. I shut my door. Our conversation could wait. I was in no hurry to tell him that I was the reason why his life was in turmoil and that the list of people that wanted to whack me was growing by the second. Scarlett agreed she was responsible for keeping track and it was starting to make her head spin.

I stayed with Ella until she went to bed and texted Victor to come get me. I was so in the mood to be ravaged by my smoking hot Italian Adonis and so was Scarlett. Sex was on the menu and she was ordering seconds.

I
t was my first day back at work and I was nervous about leaving Ella. She was re-arranging the cupboards in the kitchen when I hugged her goodbye. I spent the night at the cottage with her, Victor was not thrilled, but understood. I didn’t want to add any more stress to her life. She was old school and felt that a couple should be married before they had sex. Scarlett smiled her naughty little grin. If Ella ever knew the hot kinky sex Victor and I had these last six months, she’d probably have a heart attack.

Hawke dropped me off, I’d finally convinced Victor I would be fine without Hawke shadowing me at work. I hated having to give him the slip when I needed to meet with the Feds, like I did this morning. My first stop when the elevator door opened to the third floor was Nelson’s office for my morning drooling and gawking session with a dose of inappropriate touching. Scarlett fished her favorite brass knuckles out of her purse and shined them up with the sleeve of her blouse just in case, Nelson was over the top this morning and she needed them.

Nelson was typing furiously on his computer when I peeked my head in his office.

“Good morning, sunshine. I missed you.”

Scarlett rolled her eyes and adjusted her brass knuckles.

“Morning,” I replied.

“Please, sit. We have a busy morning,” he said rubbing his hands together like he was on the verge of hatching a devious plan to take over the world. But with Nelson, that was every idea he cooked up. He darted around to the edge of his desk and sat in front of me. Leaning in close and looking around to make sure the coast was clear.

“Remember the list of names I gave you before you abandoned me for the powder puff division?

I rolled my eyes and sighed. Scarlett flashed back to the Conga line and the wedding cake and asked me why we came back to this asshole again. Her arms were folded and a frown graced her face.

“Of course,” I said louder than he liked.

“Shhh. Keep your voice down.”

“Nobody can hear us. We’re in your office and the door is closed,” I said annoyed. Scarlett started looking in light fixtures and under Nelson’s desk for bugs. Nelson handed me a thumb drive.

“There are three more names on the list. Set up the meeting. Let me know when it’s done. Remember tell no-one and keep that thumb drive safe.”

Scar snatched out of my hand and put it in her bra. She dared Nelson to retrieve it. She pounded her fist in her palm. I shot her a look to stand down and she sighed mumbling how I was no fun.

I clutched the thumb drive in my left hand and crossed my heart.

“I promise I will guard it with my life.” I was trying to play down my emotions that were boiling over with anticipation. I had more ammunition with the Feds and I needed it to entice them to divert their focus to finding Luke instead of taking me and Victor down.

I stood up, but before I could turn to leave, Nelson grabbed me by the hips. It caught me off guard. Scarlett drew back her right hand ready to strike any second.
Jesus H!
Nelson had no clue and didn’t give a shit about personal boundaries.

Nelson’s eye locked onto mine like a sniper on its target.

“Any progress on setting up my interview with Mr. Salvatore?”

“Not yet,” I said trying to wiggle free. He dropped his hands from my waist and rose from the desk.

“Have you even asked him yet?” he asked clearly annoyed.

“No, it’s hasn’t been the right time. But I’m working on it. Just be patient.”

“Shit, how hard can it be? You’re fuckin’ his son,” he snapped.

“You know what, Nelson?
Screw you.
We’re not talking about some dirty Senator on your secret list! We’re talking about a ruthless, cold hearted man who will do whatever it takes to protect the Mob. You know what? If you want to get shot in the head, your hair shaved off, burned, and then your corpse fed to the hogs, then fine! I will call him right now and set it up,” I said failing miserably at maintaining my cool.

Nelson was silent for a brief second and then blurted out, “Wait, you have Joe Salvatore’s number in your phone?”

“Oh my God! You’re a dick, you know that?” I said, then turned and slammed his door as I left.

I controlled my urge to sprint to my office. I shut my door behind me and locked it. Firing up my laptop, scrolling down the list, I found the two new names highlighted. I typed their names into Google and stopped cold when their information pop up. I copied the documents onto my hard drive and made a duplicate copy on a back-up thumb drive to give to the Feds. I was relieved knowing that for the moment everyone I loved was safe, except for Luke. I grabbed my cell to text Agent Parker.

We need to meet earlier! It’s urgent!!!

Angelina

He replied:

One hour under the Masonic Bridge.

I put the thumb drive in my purse and headed to get a car.

Nelson motioned for me to come into his office when he saw me open my door.

“Shit,” I mumbled under my breath. Scarlett was frantically looking for her new Taser, but couldn’t find it.

I peeked my head in.

“Come in, close the door.”

“Are we good?” he asked looking worried.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re not going to run off and leave me again are you?”

“No, Nelson. I think I’m the only one that can work with you,” I said. For an arrogant prick he was so insecure sometimes. I did have my moments, they were few and far between, that I felt bad for Nelson. But then he opened his mouth and that feeling vanished.

“I gotta go. I’m following up on our secret project. I will be in touch.”

His eyes lit up. “Great. I can’t wait for an update. I have to confess that I’m praying for an armed robbery or something exciting to happen, so that we can be out in the field together in the heat of the action.”

“It’s early yet. Keep your fingers crossed,” I said, heading to the door before Nelson’s bag of crazy busted open and he had me flying to some foreign country to cover a military coup.

“Touch base when you get back!” Nelson yelled as I closed the door behind me.

Glancing at my cell phone, I picked up my pace to the elevator. I had forty minutes until my rendezvous with the agents.

Jeff was under one of the vehicles and slid out on his creeper when he heard me call his name.

“What can I do you for, Miss Ellington?”

“I need a car for an appointment. I will be gone for about an hour and half.”

The corners of his mouth turned down and his eyebrows creased together.

“That’s going to be a problem. All the sedans are out and this one has a blown radiator.”

Scarlett was ripping off piece of duct tape with her teeth and slid under the car.

“What about the van?” I said pointing to the one sitting in the lot.

Jeff was shaking his head. “Sorry. I can’t lend out the vans for only one person unless it’s an emergency.” The creeper slid out from under the car and Scar was applying her false eyelashes and bright red lipstick. Scar admired her ass from the reflection of Jeff tool box, enjoying the benefits of the buns of steel workout she’d been doing.

Using a page out of Nelson’s handbook, I invaded Jeff’s personal space and gently grabbed his arm. I motioned for him to lean in closer. Scarlett unbuttoned the top three button on my silk blouse.

“Jeff, I’m going on a covert meeting for Mr. Stone. We are the only people that know about this. That’s how important it is and if I don’t make it, I shudder to think about the consequences he will dish out to both of us. I promise I will have it back before anyone knows it’s gone,” I said batting my eye lashes. Scarlett was on her knees, hands pressed together pleading. I had less than thirty minutes to meet the Feds.

“Okay. Give me a second,” he said clearing his throat, heading to his office. “Please get back as soon as you can,” Jeff said handing me the keys looking around to make sure the coast was clear.

Scarlett kissed him on the cheek and ran toward the van.

“I promise,” I said giving him a hug. His face turning crimson.

I pulled out of the parking lot of the garage, tires squealing, and Scarlett high fiving me for taking the corner wide open. I really didn’t care if I made the Feds wait. I was ramped up about Luke. I promised Ella I would find him and I was keeping my word. Victor and Hawke were reaching out to their contacts that might have information about Luke. I imagined how that meeting would go down. Hawke grabbing a guy by the throat and Victor inches from his face threatening him. I’d never seen the intense frightening side of Hawke and Victor in raw form. I didn’t deny that it existed. If it got Luke back, then I would release Scarlett full throttle and stand right beside them and unleash my own brand of intimidation. I could feel my innocence slipping away and it scared me. Survival and protecting those that I loved was my only focus. The end game was to emerge on the other side of all of this in one piece and free from Joe Salvatore.