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The image of Lee’s panicked face when I asked about the watches this morning flashed in my mind. “Yes. She begged me to forget all about them. She was terrified. I’m sure she’s being tapped to fence them. Maybe.” I threw up my hands.
“Steel, what do you know about the Delgatto family?” John’s question meant nothing to me.
Steel sat up straighter. “I haven’t heard any link between them and the gala thing from my contacts.”
“Lee Vance is Tony Delgatto’s ex-wife. How’s that for a link?” John said.
“Shit, Sawyer, your girl is connected.”
“The mob?” I looked between John and Michael. Her ex-husband was in the mob. Ray would come back from the dead and castrate me.
“The Delgattos are one of the last old-school crime families left up north,” Steel explained. “The head is a man everyone calls Uncle Jimmy. He rules his empire from somewhere in New Jersey. Standard mob stuff. Drugs, mostly pot and meth. Prostitution and illegal gambling. And of course, stolen goods. Recently, Uncle Jimmy put Tony, his heir apparent, in charge of the South Florida operations. Tony is a scumbag that likes to throw his weight around. His reputation isn’t great.”
“The Delgatto family and your ‘friend’ Lee Vance move millions annually in stolen precious metals and jewels. The local cops can’t get enough on Lee to bring her down. She uses her legitimate store as cover for the illegal deals.” John rattled off the information like it was common knowledge—South Florida crime world 101.
“Now that I’ve caught you up, what exactly do you want us to do?” John looked grim, his eyes flat and arms crossed. Despite all of his shady contacts, John kept The Smith Agency on the right side of the law, turning away clients that didn’t pass background checks. I was asking him to help a known criminal.
What did I want? A thousand replies came to mind, each one more outlandish and ill-advised than the last. I wanted to keep Lee safe. Get her free from the Delgatto family. Grab her and fly to the Virgin Islands and never come back. Maybe something less drastic than the last choice.
“Get our client, Mrs. Mills, her watches back.”
“And?” John prompted, not impressed by my ass-kissing answer.
“Keep Lee alive and out of jail. I can’t do it myself. I don’t know where to start. You two are my best and only resource.”
“Derek, I’m not sure if Steel and I should be offended, surprised, or proud that you think we understand the inner workings of the criminal underworld.”
I looked between the men. An ex-biker and a retired CIA spook. As a SEAL, I could hunt down an insurgent or set up a sniper position. Criminals on American soil weren’t my area of expertise. I hated asking. Lee was mine. I should protect her. But macho bullshit wouldn’t keep her alive. These men could.
Steel gave an ironic shrug and clapped me on the back. “No worries, I get it.”
John’s only reply was a cryptic nod. I’d learned in the Navy that the CIA was one step removed from criminals. Their operatives got down and dirty in places where dirty could be deadly. That was the help I needed.
“Thank you.”
“We’ll treat Vance like any other client,” John said.
That meant The Smith Agency would do everything, including risk our lives, to keep Lee safe. My worry didn’t evaporate at this announcement, but it felt lighter.
“I plan to invoice her when this is over.”
“Maybe we keep her real name off the books,” Steel added with a wince.
“I can live with that.” I reached into my pocket and opened my phone. “I have one thing that might help us. I’ve got a GPS tracker on her car.”
Steel looked horrified at the invasion of privacy, but John was impressed.
“So where is she?” John asked.
I clicked the app to update her position.
“She’s on her way to the dog park near her store.” I double-checked the data. It was the middle of the workday. I expected her either at home or at the store after being up all night. A noon visit to the dog park was out of character. “That’s odd.”
“Odd? Let’s go see what our new client is up to. Steel, get on your bike and head to the park ASAP. Get eyes on Ms. Vance. Derek and Noah will catch up.” John rose, and we all hustled from the office. On the way out to find Noah, I gave Steel the particulars on Lee’s car and her appearance. He then took off for the parking lot and his bike.
In a remarkably short amount of time, Noah and I were pulling into the dog park’s entrance in a Smith Agency surveillance van. Dressed in all white, Lee was easy to spot. I pulled the van into a shady corner of the parking area that afforded a clear view of her and Onyx. She was absentmindedly tossing a ball for the dog.
Steel stood in line at a hot dog cart nearby. He looked out of place without a canine but did his best to blend in, buying food and finding a shady spot close to Lee to eat his lunch.
