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“Would he?” I give a bitter laugh. “I’m not so sure about that. Do you know what it’s like to go into witness protection? To lose everything you have in life, everything you’ve worked for, in an instant? I woke up one morning to find out that I was being ripped away from everything I knew. And for what?” I ask. “To lock up one man?”
“We are fighting against violent criminals here,” Greggs says, and I can tell his patience is wearing thin. “Your father became our informant because he knew that Roman was a dangerous man doing terrible things. The Barretti organization has its reach in the worst this city has to offer: drugs, gambling, weapons,” Greggs ticks them off. “And Nero is the one in charge now. It’s on his head, every last crime.”
I don’t reply.
One of the other agents hands over a brown folder. Greggs tosses it onto the table in front of me.
I don’t want to look at what’s inside. I’m sure about that. It’s not going to be good.
But I have to. I need to know everything I can so that I can decide what to do.
I finally flip open the folder, only to let out a sharp gasp at the picture I see. I recoil back, so Greggs reaches across the table and spreads out all five pictures on the table so I have no choice but to look at them.
At the mangled body of a man, laying dead on a garbage heap.
I feel bile rise up in my throat, and I have to look away.
“W-what is this?” I croak. My hands are shaking.
“Some poor bastard that got on the wrong side of the Barrettis.” Greggs replies. “We found him by the river. This is what he looked like before they got a hold of him.”
He pulls another picture out of the folder. This time it’s a head shot, and as I take in his face, my blood runs cold.
Oh my God.
It’s the man, the one I saw Nero beating half to death at his office.
“Finish the job.”Nero’s calm instruction echoes in my head.
I think I’m going to be sick.
“Look at these pictures. This is who you’re protecting.”
“You think Nero did this?” I ask, trying not to show emotion. “Why don’t you arrest him?”
Greggs pauses. “We don’t have any evidence it was him, directly. But just because it wasn’t his finger on the trigger, it doesn’t mean he didn’t order the hit. An innocent man is dead. Is that who you want to protect?”
The question lingers. But Greggs doesn’t know that it’s not Nero I’m protecting with my silence, it’s my brother and myself.
I get to my feet. “I want to leave.”
“We’re not finished yet.”
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t clear.” I move to the door. “I am leaving, right now.”
The two male FBI agents are standing in front of me, blocking my way. My heart beats faster with fear, but I refuse to show any weakness. “Is this how you plan to convince me to help you? By holding me hostage until I agree?”
After another moments, the agents move aside.
But Greggs goes after me, following into the hallway. “Think about it, Lily,” he says, as I stride to the elevator. “Do you want the next body to be yours? Or Teddy?”
His question follows me, as I board the elevator on shaky legs. I get down to the lobby, and hurry from the hotel, blindly walking block after block, trying to put distance between me and what just happened. Those terrible photos. But I already know, no matter how far I get, I won’t be able to erase the awful pictures burned into my brain.
If Greggs wanted to shock me, it worked.
But that doesn’t mean I trust him. If anything, it’s a grim reminder just how high the stakes for my family really are.
I see a convenience store and go inside. There are prepaid cell phones on the shelf, and I pick one at random. It’s risky to use Nero’s credit card to buy it, but I don’t have any money of my own right now. All I can hope is that he won’t pay too much attention to single convenience store charge when I’ve spent thousands on clothes and designer accessories already.
