the screen, Gabi took the cup from Vanessa’s hands and lifted it to her lips. Vanessa smiled as she sat down beside the child. She then turned to stare at Agent Layton.
The woman gave her half a smile as she sat down on the opposite end of the leather sectional. “Vanessa, the man who...” She shifted her eyes toward Gabi as she paused, suddenly mindful of her words as she continued. “Marcus Bennett has been a difficult man for us to find. He’s wealthy and well-connected and right now we don’t have eyes on him.”
Thoughts of Marcus Bennett caused her skin to go cold. She wrapped her arms around her torso to ward off the sudden chill. Just weeks earlier she and her friends had been guests on Marcus Bennett’s luxury yacht. Paolo had introduced them, the two men good friends for even longer than she and Alexandra had been. Paolo and Alexandra had deemed him the perfect rebound relationship for Vanessa since she wasn’t looking for forever with any man at the moment. Her friends had figured Marcus could be someone to take her mind off everything else. And he had.
Marcus had been intriguing, with a hint of street appeal and a whole lot of swag. He reminded her of the singer Akon, dark and brooding. He had an engaging smile, and physically he was built like a brick house, a hard body of solid, well-developed muscle. The man was all kinds of sexy, his appeal overshadowing his obvious illegal business dealings. He had been the perfect bad boy, the too-smooth, silver-tongued devil that mothers warned about and fathers met at the door with a shotgun. Marcus had been perfect, right up until he’d gunned down one of his adversaries and her best friends had been caught in the cross fire.
Tears misted her eyes and she swiped them away with the back of her hand. She turned to look at Gabi, who was watching her curiously. She forced a smile and winked an eye at the little girl. “Do you like that show, Gabi?” she asked, brightening her tone.
Gabrielle giggled and pulled her cup back to her mouth. The little girl was sleepy and her eyes were heavy as they shifted back toward the television.
Vanessa took a deep breath and turned her attention back to the agent. “So what happens now?”
The agent was nodding her head. “Until we have him in custody, and you can testify against him, we’re going to have to keep you in protective custody.”
“Testify? Why do I have to testify? I didn’t actually see him do anything!” Vanessa was suddenly flustered, her eyes skating from side to side. “I can’t testify! I’m not going to do that!”
“It will be okay,” Agent Layton said. “You’ll just need to testify about your relationship with Mr. Bennett. About what you did see when the two of you were together. Vanessa, your testimony is going to be crucial to our getting a federal indictment against this man.”
“You don’t understand,” Vanessa started, “my diplomatic immunity...”
“Your diplomatic immunity has been waived by your father. He has given us his full support and cooperation in this matter.”
“My father wouldn’t do that,” Vanessa said, her eyes wide.
“Your father understands the importance of getting a man like Marcus Bennett off the streets.”
“Well, I want to speak with him.”
“That’s not possible. Once we get you out of Miami and we know you’re safe then we’ll make arrangements for you to speak with your family.”
Vanessa shook her head. “What about Gabi?” she asked. “What’s going to happen to her?”
“Arrangements are being made for her. Mr. Medina’s attorney says that the father’s parents are listed as her next of kin. Apparently they live somewhere in Mexico. Your father is helping us with the search to find them. Until then, we’ll place her with a nice foster family who’ll look out for her.”
“But it’s almost Christmas! Her presents are already wrapped. Alexandra’s been buying and wrapping gifts for her all year. She has to have the presents her mommy bought for her!”
The agent nodded. “We’ll take care of it.”
Beside her Gabi had finally drifted off to sleep, completely unaware that life as she knew it was gone.
* * *
The helicopter hovered above the large Miami estate as Kendrick Boudreaux assessed the situation below. As expected there were two tactical teams in place and no signs of anything out of order. This was a simple package pickup and delivery and by the good grace of God he wouldn’t even have to unholster his weapon. He liked missions like this one—an easy in and out that didn’t require him putting himself or his team in too much danger. Kendrick’s tenure with the Secret Service usually put him in situations that took some maneuvering to get out of. His missions with the FBI had looked like child’s play in comparison. He signaled for the pilot to land.
Minutes later he took off his headphones as the pilot shut down the UH-60 Blackhawk aircraft. Exiting, Kendrick ducked low against the slowing whir and blow of the helicopter’s blades. He crossed an expanse of perfectly manicured lawn, shifting into work mode as a squad leader met him at the entrance to the large home. The man led him through the foyer, into the living space. He was surprised to find Kelly Layton, one of the unit directors, standing in wait. Kendrick bristled, something suddenly not feeling right. He could count on both hands the number of times a unit director had ever shown up for a simple package pickup, and still have ten fingers left.
He nodded his head in greeting. “SSA Layton, what brings you here?”
She tossed him a quick look. “It’s good to see you, too, Boudreaux,” she said as she began to brief him. “Your package is a key witness against a local kingpin named Marcus Bennett. He’s wanted by this agency and a half-dozen others for crimes that run the gamut from financial fraud to human trafficking. Our witness was there when he gunned down his competition and a room full of civilians got in the way. She also has firsthand knowledge of his business dealings with Pedro Fierro, one of the victims.”
Kendrick tensed. “Pedro Fierro of the Umberto Harbor cartel?”
“You know him?” Layton questioned, lifting her eyes to meet his.
He nodded. “Sayed and I took down his predecessor on one of our last assignments.”
“Well, Marcus Bennett took Fierro out. Our witness was personally connected to Bennett. We also think she knows more than she’s willing to say. We need her.”
“So where’s she going?” Kendrick asked.
“The safe house in Baton Rouge. They’re expecting you.”
“Baton Rouge?” Kendrick paused. He took a deep breath. “Why Baton Rouge?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Those are the orders.” Layton gestured for him to follow her.
As he moved into the home’s open family space, Kendrick’s eyes assessed the room, shifting rapidly from one side to the other. There was an adorable little girl jumping up and down on the family room sofa, her eyes wide with curiosity. Behind the child stood an extremely attractive young woman whose own eyes were narrowed suspiciously. Concern blanketed her demeanor and Kendrick instantly sensed that she would have given anything to have been as far away from them all as she could. Layton made the introductions.
“Vanessa
