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I give him the abbreviated version of what happened to Brad and Claire, as well as what Faye witnessed and her subsequent years in hiding.
“She saw nothing that could identify anyone, and she has no knowledge of any dealings between my uncle and your father.”
I don’t actually know if this is true, but it’s best if the Cerellis don’t know the details anyway. It’s best if they think Faye is no threat to them.
He murmurs a sound of agreement. “Sounds as if we are in a position to help each other.”
“I believe that we are, Mr. Cerelli,” I tell him, holding back my excitement that this is going so well. I had not expected to make contact so soon, and I definitely had not expected him to reach out to me first.
He is trying to get on the straight and narrow.
“Call me Xavier. Mr. Cerelli was my father and he was a total bastard. I will email over a file about my Analise. I haven’t been able to discover much since she left.” He pauses for a moment. “I would like to meet with Faye before I end any search for her.”
I know he means to find out what she knows about his family. This is not the time to argue this point. There will be time for that once his wife is returned to him.
“I think that can be arranged. I will start looking for Analise as soon as I get the file on her.”
“Sending it now.”
I can hear the click of a keyboard as he continues, “What makes you think that you can find her when my team hasn’t had any luck in five months?”
“Keller and Stone has a very good track record when it comes to locating missing persons, Xavier. I’m certain that you did your homework on our company after hearing from Blake, so you should know this.”
“I have looked into your business. Your reputation is solid, and that’s why I’m willing to work with you.”
“Xavier, I want to level with you on this. Sometimes we locate people who have good reasons to not want to be found. When this happens, we often help them relocate in a way that makes them less likely to be found again.” I want to warn him in advance that if we find his wife and she refuses to return to him, I won’t be able to force her.
“That will not be the case with our deal, Travis. If you locate my Analise, I will be notified. No matter what she tells you. It is the only way our deal will be agreeable to me.”
I don’t like it, but I agree to his terms. Keeping Faye safe is more important to me than returning one reluctant bride to her husband, and if she has good reasons for running away I will help her escape again and disappear for good if that is what she wants. “I will write up the agreement and ge
t it to both of our lawyers for approval. You will hear from me soon, Xavier,” I tell him, and after polite goodbyes I hang up the phone and go back inside.
Faye sits at the bar, sipping iced tea and waiting for me to return. “Everything okay?” she asks, worry creasing her brow.
“Yeah. Hopefully better than okay,” I tell her as I sit down and resume eating.
Her amber eyes are sharp and focused on me. “I could hear a bit of what you were saying. Are you working for the people who killed my mom and Brad?” Her voice betrays the confusion behind her question.
“Kind of,” I tell her, knowing that I need to explain. “The Cerelli’s are a mob family from New York. The man behind killing Brad and your mom died several months ago, and his son moved west to make a fresh start for himself. His wife is missing, and I agreed to help find her in trade for him making sure that no one from his organization ever comes looking for you.”
“Oh.” I can hear the hesitation in her voice, the unspoken ‘but,’ and I wait for her to complete her thought. “Do you know why she is missing?” she finally asks, and I respond with a negative shake of my head.
“He didn’t give my any details. I am going to provide my services and he will make sure that you are safe from his family. I can’t let myself care why she ran off, not when working with him can help me keep you safe.”
I can see her absorbing the weight of my words, and I know they seem harsh, but I will choose Faye’s safety over a stranger a thousand times over. I will have her with me and free of fear, even at the expense of Analise Cirelli.
If that makes me a bad guy… so be it.
“I care,” she whispers, bowing her head and picking at the crust of her sandwich.
“I know you do, Sweetpea, and I’m sorry if this arrangement makes you feel bad, but it’s the only way I can keep you safe. Blake says Xavier can be trusted to honor his deals.”
“Will you make him swear that his wife will be safe if you return her to him?” There are tears in her eyes when she glances up at me, and I know she is thinking about Brad and how he treated her and her mom.
I will promise her anything to remove that look from her face for the rest of eternity.
“Yes, baby, I will.”
