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“I’m his nephew.Who the hell are you?”
“Huh,” the man in the blue suit grunted.“Interesting.I’m Special Agent Jonathan Rizzo.”
“Special agent for what division?”Tony pressed.
“WITSEC,” the agent replied.“Now, if we can all just sit down, calm down, I’ll explain why we’re here.”
A string of obscenities rolled off Tony’s tongue as he returned to me and pulled me in his arms.“What’s WIT, whatever?”I whispered.
“Witness protection,” he murmured.
“I’m not going into witness protection for you or anyone else,” I snapped at Matt.“I’ve spent the last six years looking over my shoulder.I won’t do it anymore.I finally got a taste of what my life could be like over the past few days when I thought you were dead.”
Tears burned my eyes as I looked at Tony.“They were the best damn days of my entire life.”Pinning Matt with a taunting glare, I sucked in a deep breath.“So, if you’re here to kill me, then just do it now and get it over with.
“Relax, Miss Bennett.No one is here to hurt you.Mr.Price requested this meeting.I’ll let him explain.But first, I’d like to thank you, Judge Landes for allowing us yours and Miss Bennett’s time.I’m sure once Mr.Price has explained everything; all the misunderstandings will be cleared up,"
Reed begrudgingly shook Special Agent Rizzo’s hand as Tony led me to a chair far away from Matt.Once seated, Tony wrapped a protective arm around me.I could feel his heart pounding in his chest, keeping time with mine own.The whole damn thing seemed so surreal I wondered if it were just a bad dream and I’d wake up any second.
“That’s all good and fine, Special Agent Rizzo, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to see your ID.Considering the history of my client in regard to Mr.Price, I’m sure you understand.”Leave it to Reed, suave and sophisticated, even when shoving a condescending knife in a guy’s gut.
A bitter smile played over Special Agent Rizzo’s lips as he pulled out his badge and handed it to Reed.
“Thank you.You may take a seat.”Reed returned the badge and extended his hand at the vacant chairs and flashed me a wary look before he sat behind his big desk.
All eyes turned to Matt, who seemed suddenly nervous, his face ashen white.He opened his mouth only to close it again, swallowing what seemed a basketball lodged in his throat.
“First of all…kill you?I never wantanyharm to come to you, honey.You’re like a daughter to me.Why did you think—Never mind.I know why you thought I’d come after you.I came here to tell you I’m so sorry for what I put you through.”
My panic ebbed, but my temper spiked.I tried to bolt from the chair, but Tony’s sturdy arm held me in my seat.
“You’re sorry?You’re sorry?”I screeched.“You son of a bitch!I’ve been waiting for you to find me since I was twenty years old.My head filled with visions of you stepping out from some dark alley and putting a bullet in my head or breaking in while I was asleep and putting a pillow over my face, suffocating me to death.”
“No.No.No.”Matt adamantly shook his head.“Honey, I could never do that to you.Please, let me explain.”
My body trembled, and I sucked in a deep breath.Tony held me tighter, and I issued a curt nod toward Matt.
“I came here to ask for your forgiveness, so I need to start at the beginning.Some of this you’re not going to want to hear, and I’m sorry, but you need to know.It might make some sense to you when I’m done.”Matt scrubbed a hand over his face, and as he lowered his hand to the table, I noticed he was shaking.
“I can handle it.Go ahead.”
Matt chuckled softly and looked up at me.Funny, he didn’t look like a monster, just a troubled old man whose eyes still reflected love when he gazed at me.“I know you can.You’re a strong young woman.”
I made a noise in the back of my throat.He was the one who had forced me to grow the rigid backbone, but I bit back that snarky retort.
“Twenty-eight years ago, your dad was out of town on a business trip.I dropped by to check in on your mom.This was long before they became so immersed in the church.She was wild and carefree, happy and full of life.”
The woman he described was in no way, shape, or form the woman who had raised me, but I let him go on.
“There’d always been this underlying current between us that we tried to ignore, but that day…” Matt exhaled loudly.“It was a one-time thing, and she was so overwrought with guilt she threw herself into the church hoping that God would forgive what we’d done.I’ve always blamed myself for stealing her zest for life.I tried to apologize to her once, but she told me if I ever mentioned the affair to her again, I wouldn’t be welcome in her home.So, I didn’t.When you were born, she said it was a sign from God that he’d forgiven her sins.Unfortunately, she never was able to forgive herself or me.”
“You had an affair with my mom, and she turned into a pseudo-cult member of the church, dragging my dad along with her?I get that you feel responsible for that, but none of that explains…why are you here with an agent from witness protection, Matt?”My tone was arctic.It was the only defense I could pluck from within that wasn’t suffused in rage, hurt, and betrayal.Just the thought of my mother being a loving, happy woman at one time made tears sting my eyes.
“I couldn’t handle the guilt much better, Leagh.Not long after you were born, I started using cocaine, but I soon realized I could make a hell of a lot of money distributing the stuff rather than using it.That’s when I started building my empire,” Matt snorted sarcastically.“After nearly twenty years, I’d amassed billions of dollars and was among the ranks of the biggest drug lords in the world.Guns, drugs, sex slaves, I had my hands in it all.”
I closed my eyes and swallowed the urge to vomit.
“When I came home and found that you’d left me, the silence drove me insane.I missed your laughter and your vibrant spirit…you were gone and so was my chance at redemption.I knew then what I needed to do, but still I couldn’t find the guts to do it.So, I continued to deal with the devils in hopes that I could fill the void inside me.But it didn’t work, so a year later, I picked up the phone, met with the FBI, and cut a deal.I handed over names, locations, quantities, and a list of murders I’d committed.In return, they granted me immunity and witness protection.With my videotaped testimony from numerous safe houses, they were able to bring down most of the bigger players and corrupted government officials I’d been associated with.”
