No One to Trust (Hidden Identity Book #1): A Novel Read online

  David said, “The tracker was on your necklace.”

  She gaped. “What? But how—” The memory of Corbin Hayes reaching out and taking her necklace in his hand flashed across her mind. “When he broke into my house, he admired my necklace.”

  Vic nodded. “The tracker is very small. Unless you looked at the back of the cross, you probably wouldn’t even notice it.”

  “I usually don’t even take it off.”

  David’s lips thinned, parted. Summer wondered if he’d say anything about why she didn’t have it around her neck.

  He didn’t.

  “So, what do we do now?” he asked.

  “Get you guys out of here so we can set a trap for Raimondi’s boys.”

  “Does that mean Mike’s back to being my handler?”

  Vic and Bennie exchanged a look. “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “He’s working on something else right now.”

  David stared and Summer could tell he was wondering what the true story was, but these guys weren’t going to share it. David must have decided not to waste his breath trying to get it out of them. He shrugged. “Fine. Now what?”

  Bennie looked at his phone. “Chase is on his way from the hospital. He wasn’t hurt that bad. He and Adam are going to escort the three of you to your new location.”

  Summer rubbed her eyes. “Look, I know this isn’t important to you, but I have a very important trial coming up tomorrow morning. I need to be in court. I will be in court.”

  “We can’t guarantee your protection if you don’t follow our instructions,” Bennie said.

  David looked at her. “Summer, you’re going to have to let one of the other lawyers in the firm take this one. What about Grady?”

  Summer straightened her shoulders and narrowed her eyes. “No. Absolutely not. Olivia is counting on me. Her girls are counting on me. No one else knows this case like I do.” She paused as she glanced back and forth between the marshals and David. “No one cares about this case like I do. I have to do this.”

  “Not if it means you wind up dead.”

  She gave him a hard stare and said in a killer-soft voice, “Then you better make sure your friends don’t let that happen.”

  David looked at Bennie. “Well?”

  Bennie shrugged. “All I can promise is we’ll do our best. We escort judges to and from the courthouse on a regular basis. We can do the same for Summer.”

  “Then will you come up with a plan and let us in on it before nine o’clock in the morning?”

  “I’ll come up with a plan, but my best advice to you—” he looked at Summer—“to both of you …”

  “Is?” David asked.

  “Trust no one.”

  “Have you found him yet?”

  Georgina’s quiet question pulled Raimondi from his computer. She stood in the doorway, tall and regal. And with black circles beneath her dark brown eyes that attested to her sleepless nights. It had been over a year and still she thought of the man who’d betrayed her. Still she grieved her lost love. And now she grieved for Pauli, the cousin she’d adored. A six-year difference between them, he and Georgina had been playmates, with Pauli scrambling after his older cousin and making a nuisance of himself from the time he could walk. Georgina had loved every minute.

  He opened his arms to her. She lifted her chin.

  Raimondi sighed and dropped his arms. “No. Not yet. But we will.”

  “You’re not going to hurt him, are you?”

  “I should.”

  “Don’t. Please. I asked you to find him for me, but not so you could exact some sort of revenge.”

  “Then why do you want me to find him?”

  “Because I want to talk to him.”

  Raimondi shifted, his impatience hard to keep hidden. “Why would you have anything to say to him?”

  Her eyes took on some of the fire that had been missing ever since David Hackett had walked out of her life. “I need him to look me in the eye and tell me he never loved me. I need him to tell me why he just left, walked out and never looked back. I need to hear that from him.”

  Raimondi growled his dissatisfaction. Georgina was such an innocent. But there was no way she could not know what her father did for a living. She’d never mentioned it. From the time she was old enough to read the papers, she’d never brought up his job or the family business. She preferred to keep her head buried and think he was a very successful financial consultant. And Raimondi was happy to let her believe that.

  Until now.

  “He betrayed you. He betrayed this family.”

  “Then he must have had a good reason.” She narrowed her eyes. “I just wonder, what could that reason be, Papi?”

  “Do you really want to get into this?”

  She stared at him, her frailness touching his heart even as his mind devised ways to cause David Hackett immense amounts of pain.

  Tears flooded her eyes and she bit her lip. “It’s been over a year, Papi. And nothing. His partner’s in jail, his company has been sold, and no one knows where he is. It’s like he dropped off the face of the earth.”

  “He left you a note.”

  Her lips twisted. “That’s not good enough. I want to hear him say it. Tell me why he would walk away from me.” Her eyes issued a challenge. She thought he was the reason David had left. And she wasn’t completely wrong.

  But there was no way she was talking to David before Raimondi killed him.

  No way at all.

  “Trust no one,” Bennie had said.

  Good advice and yet he needed Chase and Adam for now. He had no choice but to trust the two men. David’s mind spun. Where was Mike? He’d tried calling and his phone had been cut off. Not a good sign. As the black SUV ate up the miles, he relished the forced proximity to Summer.

  He closed his eyes and thought about the one part of the story he’d yet to tell her. God, I wish I’d known you before I made a mess of everything.

  What was he going to do?

  He was going to tell her. Just not yet.

  Or did he even need to go there?

  No. He needed to come clean. Be honest. No more lies.

  Summer’s head tilted against his arm. He looked down to find her eyes shut, nostrils flaring slightly as she breathed.

  Was she asleep that fast?

  Marlee stared out the other window. Adam drove and Chase rode in silence.

  Now that the tracking device had been discovered, there should be no more trouble with Raimondi’s guys. At least until the trial.

  His tension could ease for the moment, but David knew Raimondi wasn’t finished. He also knew Summer was determined to show up in court tomorrow morning.

  He knew why she was so vehement that she was the only one who could represent her client. Lawyers switched off all the time, covering for one another. But this case was different for Summer. She’d been obsessed with it from the beginning. Olivia and her two girls had come to mean so much to Summer. It was almost as if they represented a test of some kind. A test she was determined to pass.

  David leaned his head against the window and shut off his brain. An old trick he’d mastered in the Army. He knew he needed to rest. To sleep while he could. He needed to be ready to fight back when Raimondi struck again.

  “You guys all right back there?” Chase asked.

  David opened his eyes. “Yeah. You?” Chase had a nasty cut above his right brow that some medical personnel had butterflied shut.

  “I’ll live. I was getting ready to get on the elevator when the bomb went off. A piece of the ceiling slammed into me. Just gotta learn to duck a little faster.”

  Adam said, “I think it’s time to hand over the laptop, don’t you?”

  David let out a snort. “My only piece of insurance? Not a chance.”

  “You still don’t trust us?”

  David didn’t answer for a moment as he thought about the question. He said, “I think I trust you. I don’t necessarily trust th
e program.”

  “We haven’t lost a witness since the inception of WITSEC in the seventies. At least no one who followed the rules.”

  “I’m not very good at following rules.” He paused. “And there’s a first time for everything. Unfortunately.”

  Adam and Chase fell silent. David had trusted Mike and Mike trusted Adam and Chase. They were good men. At least they seemed to be.

  When Adam pulled into the parking lot of the next hotel, David gritted his teeth. They took their security measures and within minutes the five of them were in the presidential suite shedding the bulletproof vests.

  “I’m hungry,” Marlee announced.

  “We’ll get room service.” David glanced at his watch. A little after 1:30.

  “I’ll call.” Marlee picked up the phone. “I know what Summer likes, what about the rest of you guys?”

  Her friendliness made him blink. And wonder what she was up to. But he gave her his order. Adam and Chase did the same.

  David palmed the phone in his pocket as a plan formed.

  32

  Alessandro Raimondi was proud of his family. He was proud of the long line of crime that he came from. And he was proud of the fact that if his hired help couldn’t tie up loose ends, he wasn’t afraid to step in and do the dirty work himself. Something his grandfather had passed on to his father and his father to him. Raimondi had taught his three boys well, but had bowed to his wife’s wishes to keep his daughter out of the business. And to have David—

  “Yes sir? May I help you?”

  “I’m here to see one of your prisoners.” He gave the woman the name. She motioned him through. Raimondi stepped through the metal detector, suffered a wand search, and left all of his belongings behind. Including the fake ID. He pressed the mustache harder onto his upper lip and blinked at the grittiness caused by the colored contacts he’d acquired for this occasion. He didn’t want his face on camera. He sure didn’t want anyone knowing he was meeting with this particular prisoner.

  Knowing the meeting would be videotaped, Raimondi thought carefully how he would word his questions. He just hoped the man he was meeting with would play it cool.

  Raimondi followed the guard into the private meeting area he’d requested and sat at the table to wait. Seconds later, the door clanged open.

  He turned and smiled. “Hello, Sam.”

  Sam squinted. “Do I know you?”

  “Have a seat.”

  Sam sat slowly. The guard stood by the door.

  “You’ve aged,” Raimondi said.

  “Prison does that to a person.”

  “Watching your back, huh?”

  Sam’s eyes widened as recognition finally hit him. Raimondi lifted a finger to his lips. The guard shifted and took a step toward the table. Raimondi leaned back and crossed his arms. The guard relaxed. Sam’s gaze flicked to the door and back to Raimondi. He took a deep breath, then mimicked Raimondi’s position. “What brings you here?”

  Raimondi offered a careless shrug. “Just thought I’d visit an old friend.”

  Sam licked his lips and Raimondi gave a slight smile. He relished Sam’s uneasiness, knew the man was wondering if this was going to be his last day alive.

  Raimondi took great pleasure in knowing he could answer that question with a confident “yes.”

  Summer gripped her notes on Olivia’s case. Not that she needed them. She had the flash drive with several videos. One of which would probably be the most condemning piece of evidence against Silas Todd. She almost felt sorry for him. Almost. Hiring a private investigator had paid off big-time. Silas had an ego the size of his wallet. He thought he was invincible. Fortunately his extreme arrogance would be his downfall.

  The courthouse came into view and David tensed beside her. Adam and Chase were silent. Summer caught sight of a number of police officers. Her heartbeat slowed a fraction as she realized the marshals had arranged for extra security. Of course they would. And of course David had insisted on coming with her. Something everyone had argued against to no avail.

  Uncertainty gripped her. Was she doing the right thing? Refusing to back off the case and let someone else handle it?

  No. None of this was Olivia’s fault. If Summer handed her off to someone else, Olivia and her girls would suffer. Besides, it was too late now. At least Marlee had agreed to stay put with two marshals guarding her.

  The car pulled up to the door at the back of the building. Summer climbed out after David and let them usher her straight into the building. The door slammed shut behind her and she jumped.

  Chase patted her on the back. “It’s all right.”

  She nodded and let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. The Kevlar vest felt heavy and bulky and she wanted it off. David took her hand, and together, they walked toward the conference room. The first room they entered resembled a waiting area. Olivia’s girls sat on a love seat. They held hands and stared at the adults with eyes too old. Too weary. Summer went to them and hugged one, then the other. The girls squeezed her neck and Summer breathed in their sweet clean scent.

  “It’s going to be okay,” she whispered. “I don’t know how, but it will. God does answer prayers. Remember that no matter what happens today. Promise me.”

  Sandy merely nodded against her. Laura said, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

  Summer’s heart ached. She remembered feeling exactly the same way. “I’m praying you see it. Soon.”

  Judge Reed Morton came out of the conference room and greeted them. “No trouble?”

  “Not a bit,” David said.

  “You’ll have to wait out here.” He looked at the marshals and the two police officers already there for the hearing. “Looks like we have the security we need.”

  Chase nodded. “We’ve got more around the building and snipers on the roof of the bank across the street.”

  The judge had been updated as to the risk, but when he realized the level of security surrounding David and Summer, he agreed to continue the hearing. “Then let’s get this done.”

  Summer shot a glance at David. He was making funny faces at the girls. Sandy smiled behind her hand. Laura rolled her eyes. A pang shot through her. He was a good man.

  Wasn’t he?

  She stepped into the room and immediately focused on the occupants, thoughts of her own personal problems tossed to the back burner.

  Olivia Todd sat at one end of the long table. Her husband, Silas, sat at the other. He glared. Olivia stared at her lap.

  “Hey,” Summer said and touched Olivia’s shoulder.

  She looked up and relief flared like a blow torch. Summer gave her a reassuring smile and took her place beside the woman. The judge sat at the end of the table next to Silas’s attorney.

  Introductions were made and Judge Morton started by saying, “We’re here to determine custody arrangements for the minors, Laura Denise and Sandra Rene Todd.”

  David’s heart went out to the little girls who sat across from him. A woman the little one had called Aunt Lily squeezed in between them when she’d come out of the restroom. “They’ve already started?” she asked.

  “Yes, I believe so.”

  She nodded and held out her hand. “I’m Lily St. James.”

  David shook it. “David Hackett.”

  Lily slipped an arm around Sandy’s shoulders. The little girl leaned into her and winced.

  “What’s wrong?” Lily asked.

  “Nothing. My ribs still hurt sometimes when I move wrong.”

  David’s hands curled into fists. He met Laura’s eyes. She looked down at his hands, then back up and gave him a grim smile. “Yeah,” she whispered. “Me too.”

  Her perception shocked him.

  Chase peered out the window that had been covered in anticipation of David and Summer’s arrival. He spoke and his words were carried into the small earpiece he had in his ear to whoever was listening. To Adam he said, “We’re all clear so far.”

  So far. />
  He glanced back at the girls. Laura had gotten up to pace in front of the closed door. Every so often she would shoot an anxious look at it. He wished he had a way to make the child feel better, but figured he might make things worse.

  She pulled out an iPhone and fiddled with it for several minutes.

  “Are you playing a game?”

  She looked up at him. “Something like that.”

  “You want my seat? I don’t mind standing.”

  She eyed the couch. “There’s a seat over there. I don’t need yours.” She must have felt guilty for her abrupt words because she added, “But thanks, though.”

  “Sure.” Maybe he should just shut up. Men were probably not her favorite people.

  She studied him a moment longer, then went back to the phone. More pacing.

  A yell came from behind the closed door and David leapt to his feet. Laura jumped back and then froze, her back against the wall. Sandy buried her face in her aunt’s shoulder, then started coughing.

  Chase placed a hand on his weapon and moved toward the room. David beat him to it. Stepping to the side, he twisted the knob and pushed the door open. Chase stood on the opposite side.

  “Everything all right in there?” David called.

  Summer came to the door, her tense face and haunted eyes reaching right into David’s heart. This case was especially hard for her. “We’re fine. Silas is a little uptight, but I think the two officers in the room with us can handle it.”

  Chase and David nodded. She shut the door.

  Sandy looked up from her aunt’s shoulder. Her hitching breaths worried David. “She okay?”

  The woman nodded and pulled an inhaler from her bag. Sandy took it and used it like a pro. Lily stared at the door with a look of pure hate on her face. David hoped the woman didn’t own any weapons or Silas Todd would be in danger of serious harm.

  She blinked, shuddered, and sighed. Running a hand over Sandy’s hair, she looked at David. “Anxiety-induced asthma.”

  He nodded. “Maybe she won’t need that anymore after today.”

  Lily’s shoulders relaxed a fraction. “That’s the prayer.”

  Laura had been following the conversation. David watched the girl take a deep breath and give a quick nod as though in answer to a question she’d just asked herself. She moved from the wall and walked to the door to rap her knuckles against the wood.