The blond man stepped closer. “Ms. Berry, I’m sorry, ma’am. We should’ve introduced ourselves. I’m Phillip Davies and this is Elena Sanchez. We work with Max and are both deputies with the US Marshals.”
They shook hands with Sydney.
“I’m sorry to rush you,” Elena said. “But we need to address any immediate medical issues, and then you two need to move. It’s not safe here.” As she ushered them down the hall, she said, “Ms. Berry, I’ve got a bag for you in our car. Given these attacks, we have to assume our system has been compromised in some way. An electronic security breach is unlikely, but it’s more possible in my mind than a mole within the US Marshals.”
She led them into the living room with the blown-in window and assessed the surroundings. Then she turned to Sydney. “Ms. Berry, you’re going to be taken to a safe house that wasn’t in the list of those assigned to you. Deputy Preston, this is officially need-to-know right now. Meaning you, Deputy Davies and I are the only three people to know the locations of any future safe houses. Keeping the circle this small will ensure Ms. Berry’s safety.”
Sydney noted Elena’s take-charge attitude. She liked the tall dark-haired marshal with welcoming brown eyes already.
Elena took her arm. “I’ll get you safely to the vehicle while they secure this area. Deputy Preston, we’ll switch cars and you’ll take mine.”
“Roger that,” Max said.
Elena led her out the front door and to the driveway. “Are you sure you’re not hurt?”
“Not badly. Probably just superficial wounds.”
“I’ve got a med kit in the car. I’ll take a look at your arm.”
“Thank you.” She paused and tried to gather her thoughts. “Am I still going to be able to testify in the morning? Because I think that—”
“Wait a second, Ms. Berry.” Holding up her hand, Elena cut her off. “Since you’ve been sworn in as a witness already, you shouldn’t say anything about your testimony. I don’t want you to get in trouble with the court. I understand that you want to testify, and we will do our best to make sure that happens. Deputy Preston will continuously conduct a threat assessment, and it will ultimately be his call as to whether it is safe to bring you into the courtroom tomorrow morning.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.” Elena removed the medical kit from the trunk. “Sit in the car while I see to your arm. Ask away.”
“How long have you known Max?” She tried not to yelp as Elena pushed up her sleeve to reveal a nasty cut that was still oozing blood. Elena opened the kit and started to clean her wound.
“Just about a month.”
“A month? That’s it?”
“He’s recently transferred from the FBI. But don’t worry. He has a stellar reputation. Word is that he took on the toughest assignments in the gang unit, including a stint of deep undercover years ago that proved to be invaluable in a number of convictions.” Elena finished cleaning the cut and then bandaged it. “So you should have no concerns about him.”
“How long have you been with the US Marshals?”
“For quite some time.” Elena gently pulled Sydney’s sleeve down over the bandage. “And I wouldn’t change a thing. Best decision I ever made. I thank God every day for opening up the opportunity for me.”
She received a measure of comfort from Elena’s words. If it weren’t for the Lord, she wouldn’t have made it through the past few years. And now she needed Him more than ever.
“I’m sure Deputy Preston has mentioned that given the attacks, the prosecutor and the FBI will want to talk to you about your safety and your options. One of those options is witness protection. I just didn’t want you to be surprised when those discussions started in case he hadn’t given you all those details.”
“I understand,” she said softly.
“Here, take these.” Elena handed her a package with two pain relievers and a bottle of water.
“Thank you.”
“The perimeter is secure,” Max reported as he approached the vehicle with Davies beside him. Sydney had to admit the two men were quite a formidable presence.
“Great. Then you two should get going,” Elena said. “Here’s the address.” She handed Max a piece of paper.
Sydney shook Elena’s hand. “Thank you for everything.”
“You’re more than welcome. Deputy Preston, she’s in your hands now.”
“Understood.”
Elena gave Max the car keys, and they spoke in hushed tones for a minute. Sydney couldn’t make out what they were saying, but she knew enough to understand that she was in danger. A danger that was coming from multiple fronts.
She pushed down the fear deep inside of her. Every fact indicated that Max Preston was a professional who would do his best to keep her safe. But her insecurities and mistrust ran deep.
Max got in the car and started the engine. Then he looked over at her. “I know you want to testify, but I think that would be a very bad idea until we get more security in place.”
“How would that work?”
“We’d have the prosecutor ask the judge for a short continuance based on the very real threats and actions that have been taken against you.”
“We don’t even know who is behind all of this.”
“You’re right. It could be people working directly for Kevin Diaz. Or it could be the gang. Or both. But all of the signs point to East River. If Diaz had his own hired guns, I don’t think they would’ve gone about it in the same way.” He checked behind him and pulled out of the driveway.
“Wouldn’t it be better for me to testify and get it over with? That would at least neutralize one of the threats. After I testify the sketch I did and my testimony are in front of the jury. Even if Diaz and East River are sending people after me, it won’t matter at that point.”
“Except for revenge.”
She shuddered at the thought. “I think their primary goal would be to stop me from testifying in the first place. Which is why I need to testify in the morning. The sketch I created will help substantiate the testimony from the eyewitness. The prosecution is concerned about how the eyewitness will hold up on the stand. But if my sketch is entered into evidence, that will provide support for the reliability of the witness.”
He smiled. “You’re a very tough woman, Sydney, and I respect your tenacity. But my job is to protect you. I’d feel a lot better if we were authorized to have additional security in and around the courtroom. I think we’ll get it, but we’ll need a short continuance from the judge to get that all set up.”
She prayed that she could trust this man. “So what kind of delay are you thinking?”
“Just
