Chapter Twenty #6
Jerry's head snapped up, and he stared at me with wide eyes. Even Sal turned to look at me.
Yeah, yeah, what I knew about computers wouldn't fit in a thimble.
So not the point.
“My friend Lyn knows a lot about computers, but he didn't have time to take on this job, so I was doing it for him and he was talking me through it.” I seriously hoped Sal and Jerry could read between the lines of what I was saying. “I didn't even realize it was a drug house until SWAT busted in.”
Okay, that part was a lie, and I'd need to explain that to Sal later. Just not right now. I needed to get this detective off my tail so I could get out of here, and then I'd explain everything to Sal.
“The computer found on the premises wasn't working.”
“I know,” I replied to the detective. “I told you I was there to repair and upgrade it.”
“For a week?”
I dramatically rolled my eyes. “I kept telling that moron who hired me that I needed more fans for the hard drive. It was overheating. He wouldn't listen to me, and the computer overheated.”
The detective took a step closer. “What moron?”
Oops.
“I don't remember his name.” I gingerly touched the bruises on my cheek. “I tend to not care about people who smack me around.”
Sal's eyes darkened. “He hit you?”
I loved Sal's protective instincts, but now was not the time. Me getting hit was so low on my list of issues right now. “He was pissed the computer wasn't working.”
I wasn't about to mention the fact that I had rerouted the guy's money. I'm sure Detective Sparks would be salivating over that. He was also likely to toss me in a jail cell and throw away the keys.
“Look, Lany—”
I turned to face the detective once again and held out my hand. “Lany Delvecchio.”
“Shit.” The detective paled. “You are Lany Delvecchio?”
I think he'd heard of me.
“I believe my husband introduced himself.”
Detective Sparks groaned. “I didn't make the connection until now.”
I actually felt kind of bad for the guy. “I know you are just trying to do your job, but I can't talk about anything that happened inside that house except to tell you that I never saw any drugs. I never saw anyone else coming or going either. I really was just there to work on the computer.”
Detective Sparks reached up to rub the back of his neck before letting out a heavy sigh. “Look, I believe you, but I also believe you can give me a name. The guy that smacked you around maybe. I just need one name, and then you can go.”
“I…I c-can't,” I stuttered. Spending any time behind bars was a version of hell I didn't want to visit, but I suspected if I said anything, I'd end up there anyway. But, maybe...” I turned to look at Marcus. “Can you call that number I gave you in case of emergency?”
I think this qualified.
“I did,” Marcus stated. “It was disconnected.”
My soul shivered. “Disconnected?”
How could that be?
I turned toward Sal and gripped his tactical vest with my hands. “Call Dan Crenshaw.”
Sal's eyes narrowed. “You didn't…?”
I winced at the anger in his copper-colored eyes. “I might have?”
“Lany!”
“Sorry.”
“Why would you do something like this without discussing it with me first?” Sal almost snarled his question.
Yeah, I had no good response for that.
“You were busy and…” I shrugged. “I thought you might tell me no.”
Sal's arm instantly looped around me, and I was pulled to his wide muscular chest. “I am never too busy for you, caro. Tu sei tutta la mia vita.”
Sal always knew the right thing to say to make me feel better.
“You are my whole world, too.”
Sal gripped my jaw with his large hand, but gently. “Then don't make decisions like this without talking to me first. Do you know how worried I was? How worried everyone was?”
“I really am sorry, Sal. I was just trying to help.”
For the first time since Sal stormed into the room, I saw a smile spread across his lips. “You have a tremendous heart and an intellect that I envy, but you have no self-awareness when it comes to your own safety.”
Okay, that part might be true.
“I need you to sit down and explain everything to me.”
My eyes darted to Detective Sparks.
“I'm sure,” Sal continued, “if the detective really wants to get a name, he would be willing to accompany the police commissioner and us to our house where you will feel more comfortable explaining this all to us in great detail.”
“I'm not supposed to talk about the case.”
“I'll have Supervisory Special Agent Crenshaw meet us at the house. I'm sure if he is there, you won't get into any trouble.”
“Wait.” The detective took a step forward. “Who is Supervisory Special Agent Crenshaw?”
Jerry let out a loud snort. “Boy, you just stepped into the world of Lany Delvecchio. If you think learning about a DEA agent is going to be interesting, the rest of the people Junior knows will flip your wig.”
My frown was immediate. “I'm not that bad.”
“Who was the first person you called after getting arrested?”
“Vinnie.” Made sense in my mind. Vinnie would know I was in trouble and get word to the right people or Jerry and Sal wouldn't be here.
“Vinnie?” Detective Sparks asked.
“Vincenzo Castellano, former head of the Castellano Crime Syndicate.”
The detective's mouth hung almost to his chest. “You know the head of the Castellano Crime Syndicate?”
“I feel like that is a trick question,” Lany replied. “I know Vinnie, who used to be the head of the syndicate, but I also know Carlos Gambino, who is the current head of that syndicate. So, the answer to your question would be yes on both counts.”
Detective Sparks stared at Jerry and Sal with outrage. “You are officers of the law. How can you allow this?”
“Hey!” I snapped, feeling curiously insulted.
“Internal Affairs is quite aware of our association with Vinnie and Carlos,” Sal said. “You are welcome to speak with them if you wish.”
“Associating with Vinnie or Carlos is not against the law,” Jerry added, much to my surprise, “and the last time I looked, neither of them have ever been convicted of a crime. So, what exactly are we doing wrong?”
I smirked when the detective's jaw dropped again.
Sal drew in a deep breath. I felt it ruffle the hairs on the back of my neck when he blew out. “Do you want your answers or not?” he asked. “If you do, then come with us to our house. If not, I'm taking my husband home. Me and my kids have not seen him in almost two weeks.”
“Kids?” Detective Sparks glanced at me again almost panic stricken. “He has kids?”
Yeah, I was done.
I darted around Sal and head for the door. “I'm going home.”
“You are still under arrest, Lany,” Detective Sparks shouted out. “You can't leave.”
“That's Mr. Delvecchio to you.” I glanced back, holding up my middle finger. “And watch me.”
“Mr. Delvecchio!”
“I'm already going to be suing that officer and your precinct for assault. I can easily add you to the mix for false arrest and holding me without just cause.”
“Assault?” Sal's shout was louder than anyone.
I raised my shirt so he could see the bruises I could feel forming. “That asshat at the drug house didn't do this. The officer that brought me in did.”
The rage around Sal was like a living, breathing thing. “You were assaulted by a police officer?”
“Oh, he reported that I resisted arrest and tripped or some shit like that, but I'd like to know how I resisted arrest when I was already sitting in the back of his squad car in Sam's handcuffs.”
I had no doubt the guy thought I was just some druggie or something, no one worth mentioning and certainly no one with an army of overprotective people at my back.
I grinned evilly as I gave Sal my full attention. “I'd really like you to meet him.”
“Junior!”
I rolled my eyes as Uncle Jerry's rebuke, yanked the door open, and stormed out.
I was going home.
Chapter Six
Salvador
“You'd better go after him, Sal,” Jerry said as he stood. “I'll bring Detective Sparks and meet you at the house.”
I nodded before hurrying out the door after Lany. I could hear footsteps pounding on the tile floor behind me and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was Marcus. The man knew he had messed up. I trusted that he wouldn't do it again.
I knew Lany couldn't get out of the interrogation area without an escort so I was in no way surprised to catch up to him close to the security door. I was, however, pissed to see him being bullied by an officer of the law.
If that guy planted one more finger in Lany's chest, I was going to cut it off.
“You want to get your hands off my husband.”
It was not a question.
I noticed Lany's jaw clench out of the corner of my eye, but I couldn't take my eyes off the officer. He was the unknown in this situation. I had no idea how he would react if he was cornered, which was pretty much what I was doing.
“Is this the one?” I asked. Lany snorted, so I knew I was right in assuming this was the officer that had knocked him around. I narrowed my eyes. “You hit my husband?”
Lany's eyes rounded, and he quickly moved in front of me, his hand pressing flat against my tactical vest. “You can't kill him, Sal.”
“Oh, yes, I can.”
“Nope, nope, nope. They'll remove you as commander of the SWAT team if you do, and then Uncle Jerry will be pissed.”
“He hit you, Lany.”
“He did, and I imagine he's really sorry right about now, but you still can't kill him.”
“I can make it look like an accident.”
I was positive of it.
“I'd prefer not to have to do all that paperwork, Sal,” Jerry said from behind me. “I believe we have bigger things to deal with right now.”
“He beat up my husband,” I snapped through gritted teeth. “Why should I allow him to live?”
“Because you are an officer of the law.”
“So is he,” I insisted. I'd dealt with enough crooked police officers and people in power to know not everyone believed in following the letter of the law, but I was still pissed every time I ran into someone that should have upheld the law and instead pissed all over it.
“Not for much longer.”