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I tapped my nails on the desk. “Keep tabs on the travel of Caruso’s men. Jonah is a sitting duck on Fox Island if they find out he’s there. As much as he pisses me off, he’s still my brother. I have no choice but to protect him.”
“Suppose you didn’t?”
“If Caruso found out Jonah didn’t have any worth to me, he would kill him and continue to pursue Ryleigh. He wants what Jonah owes him, dead or alive.”
“We should have more information on his movements in a few days.”
“I want to take her to the island but only if it’s safe. When will you know? I’d like to make arrangements to visit before the Christmas holiday.”
“Caruso is heading to Brazil in the next week with his family. The IT staff hacked his system and found the information,” Vlad said.
“That doesn’t mean he isn’t having us watched. I need to be sure.”
“I’ll see to it.”
“Thank you. You have forty-eight hours.”
“Will do, sir.”
I hung up the phone and sighed loudly. I just hoped Jonah didn’t alert Caruso as to his whereabouts. It could set a whole nightmare into motion if it did. Walking around with this knowledge was torture for me and it was even worse because of the picture Ryleigh had of her father.
She didn’t know that Robert Stewart was dirty and the things he did behind the scenes in his business. When and if she found out, it would devastate her. I hoped that would never happen.
How coincidental that Ryleigh’s former boyfriend ran up gambling debts with one of Caruso’s bookie operations. Maybe if they hadn’t dated, she wouldn’t be in danger. The stupid kid mentioned her as a possible source for funds to pay his debts.
He tipped them off when he joked about her nightmares and her very name piqued their interest, setting the wheels in motion. My brother didn’t help, ripping off thousands of dollars from Caruso’s high end goods vending machines. He wanted Jonah to pump Ryleigh for information unless he could pay the money back with three hundred percent interest. I would have gladly paid the debt if I believed Caruso would leave Ryleigh alone, but I knew the contrary.
I dealt with Antonio Caruso before, a mean, ruthless fucker. Robert Stewart had gotten into bed with the man and when the deal went bad, he paid the ultimate price. I knew what Caruso was capable of when his way of life was threatened.
Maybe if that stupid newspaper article hadn’t run about cold case files, it would have stayed buried. Tyler Barnes and a few of his fellow officers gave an interview. They each revealed what they were working on, and I guess Caruso was listening even after all these years. Little did Barnes know he put Ryleigh in danger.
Until that time, Caruso thought he got away with the murder of Robert Stewart. A drowning man will always look to take you down to save himself. It was the reason why I needed to keep Ryleigh surrounded by security. I refused to lose her.
I let Oliver alone to take his call. I finished up the day by making some final notes on the project in Queens. I might be a novice, but I noticed a few things that might be questioned. I hoped I was making Oliver proud with the work I was doing. Though I wouldn’t admit it out loud, I looked up to him and my heart would swell each time I thought about him. He showed up at my door a few minutes before five.
“Ready to go?”
“It’s before five. I don’t think my boss would like me leaving early.”
Oliver smirked. “Your boss can shove it. I want to take my fiancée home.”
I grinned at him as he came into my office and lifted my black wool coat from the closet by the bathroom. I stood and he helped me into it, giving me a hard kiss on the mouth.
“Did you get everything finished today?” he asked.
“Yes. I made notes on the plans. Just a few ideas you should consider.”
“I’ll look them over tomorrow.”
“I’m starving,” I admitted, my stomach growling in agreement.
“You didn’t eat much at lunch. Are you feeling all right?” Oliver's concern was evident.
“I just wasn’t hungry,” I replied, reaching up to smooth his sandy hair off his forehead. It was getting long, and he definitely needed a haircut. “You need a cut.”
“I know. I’ve been meaning to call the salon.”
“I could cut it for you,” I offered.
