hide, I can hide your witnesses. Everything happening right now is about protecting them and protecting you.”
“Everything?”
“Everything,” he repeats.
“I guess that’s a topic I can argue with Rafael.”
His expression doesn’t change, but I swear his lips hint at a curve. “You and Rafael do have plenty to discuss. I’m sure you can appreciate the position your relationship places on his duty.”
I could read his statement a few ways and he knows it. I leave it alone for now, and go over the case, focusing on the safety of our witnesses.
“As it should be. Who have you told about us?”
“Just the DA.”
“Good. We’ll handle the US Marshals at the highest level and discreetly. Our plan is to make it seem as if those witnesses are still in place,” he explains. “We’ll place our people in their positions. If Deleon comes for them, we’ll get him.”
“You know about Deleon?”
“We don’t take a case we don’t research first. We believe he’s the one killing your witnesses and we’re looking for him. If we get Deleon, I suspect he’ll sing to save himself.”
“If we get him,” I say, “nothing he can say will convince me to save him. I need Adrian Mack.”
“And I feel certain he’ll show up in time for your trial.”
“And why exactly do you feel certain of such a thing?”
“Because you called Walker Security.” He stands up. “Let us get to work before Deleon beats us to another witness.” I blink and he’s gone.
The way I blinked and Rafael was gone this morning.
I can only hope that means Adrian will soon appear.
For now, I return to my desk and get to work.
With Walker on board, my confidence in the case against Waters is restored. I dig into damage control for lost witnesses and try to find ways to save those portions of the prosecution. That turns into hours and hours with my team, pinning down our options. As the afternoon becomes the evening, Cindy and I end up at the coffee shop again. And yes, I secretly hope Rafael will show up, but he doesn’t, even after Cindy departs.
When finally I gather my work to head home, I decide it’s silly to take an Uber for three blocks. Then I decide it’s stupid not to because I stupidly didn’t talk to Adam about my own safety. I take the Uber. I tip well. I stand outside my door and hesitate. If my witnesses are protected, is killing me the fastest way to end the case, or at least delay it until next year? I unzip my purse and remove my gun before keying in my security code. It buzzes and I open the door, listening a moment to not much of anything before I flip on the light. Still nervous—I’ve clearly psyched myself out—I shut the door, lock it and then lean on the hard surface, listening to nothing again.
It’s moments like this, alone and scared, that I question my career choices, but the fear works two ways. It reminds me that every victim that I’ve ever defended most likely felt fear. It reminds me that I defended some of the people that caused that fear and I owe a debt to society in the aftermath.
Inhaling, I force myself to get this over with, to clear the way to a glass of wine and calmness by finishing my search of the house. I walk to the living room and I see a shadow in the darkness and I feel another person in the room. I flip on the light only to gasp. Rafael is sitting on the oversized chair facing me.
Chapter Fourteen
PRI
I aim my gun at the man who told me his name was Rafael. “You’re Adrian Mack.”
“Yes,” he says. “Rafael is my brother.”
“As in the singer?”
“Yes. He uses our mother’s maiden name. His name felt as close to honest as I dared.”
“Really? Nothing about what you did with me was honest.”
“There’s a price on my head,” he says. “That’s as real as it gets and it has to dictate my actions.”
“Therefore you had to kiss me? And make me look and feel like an idiot?”
He stands up, all kinds of gorgeous, and I shouldn’t be noticing, not now. What is wrong with me with this man?
“Nothing between us besides a meeting was planned, Pri. It just happened and things don’t just happen to me. You want to lower that gun?”
I don’t even think about lowering my weapon. “How do I know you’re not working for Waters? Maybe you’re the