Chapter 4 #2
“I guess you were right about your father being in witness protection.” She glanced at him, then asked, “Are you okay?”
He was far from okay, but there was no point in dwelling on the realization his father had been a criminal. Or at least involved enough in the criminal organization that he’d testified against Gunther Volter. “Yeah. Except for the fact that I don’t trust this Levy guy as far as I can throw him.”
“I think it’s time to call my sister-in-law Raine. I’m sure she can verify Levy is legit.” She grimaced, then added, “Not that he still couldn’t be dirty.”
“I don’t like any of this.” He stared blindly at the passing scenery.
They were outside of the city now, with nothing but wilderness surrounding them.
“It sounds like Gunther Volter, the man my father testified against, is still in prison. I guess this could be about revenge. Like he’s angry that I’m living my life while he’s in jail. ”
“Maybe. But if so, why wait until now? You’ve been living your life for six years since your dad passed away. And I still want to know why Gunther had your father murdered. Just for revenge? Or was there more to the story?”
“Those are good questions.” He fell silent, still absorbing the news.
Kendra turned onto a driveway that hadn’t been plowed since the last snowfall. The SUV bumped along the uneven surface until she brought it to a stop outside a large cabin. There were no lights on inside, and the lack of tire tracks indicated nobody had been there recently. “Well, it’s vacant.”
He nodded, eyeing the accommodations. The place looked nice enough. “How are you planning on getting in?”
“Sit tight, I’ll see if the code works.” She kept the engine idling as she pushed out of the driver’s seat. She trudged through snow that reached the middle of her calves, then pushed buttons on the key lock.
With a triumphant expression, she held up a key ring. Five seconds later, she had the front door open. Flipping on a light switch, she gestured for him to come inside.
He nodded and pushed his door open. Then he went around the back to open the back hatch for Smoky.
It was good to have a place to stay, especially one that was completely off-grid. Nobody knew they were there since they hadn’t gone through a rental agency to secure the property.
If this mountain cabin in the middle of nowhere doesn’t work to keep them safe, he thought darkly, nothing will.
Kendra was relieved the key code hadn’t been changed since she’d last rented the place and made a mental note to make sure she reimbursed the owners once the danger was over. In the meantime, she hoped nobody else showed up in the next day or so.
Smoky bounded toward her, clearly thrilled to be out of the car and in the snow. “Get busy, girl,” she said firmly.
Her K9 whirled and leaped through the snow to do her thing. Kendra wanted to believe they were safe there, but she intended to turn the SUV around so that they could drive straight down to the road if needed.
Dom brought the computer inside, setting it on the kitchen counter. Unfortunately, they’d been forced to leave his overnight case behind at the hotel. She’d snagged the backpack and computer, her concern mostly to make sure she had food and protective gear for Smoky.
“I can’t believe they didn’t change the code.” Dom glanced around the interior of the upscale cabin. “Especially since this is such a nice place.”
“It’s a little pricey, not the sort of place your average elk hunter would use.” She glanced at the fireplace, shivering in the cold. She headed over to build a fire.
“Here, I can do that.” Dom nudged her aside. “You mentioned calling your sister-in-law. I’d like to know what she can dig up about Marshal Andrew Levy.”
“Okay.” Kendra moved back toward the kitchen. Smoky followed, staying close to her side. Their K9s were well trained not to be skittish around gunfire, but she believed her dog sensed they were in danger.
“Good girl,” she murmured, stroking her hand over Smoky’s fluffy coat. “Lie down.” Once her partner stretched out on the floor beside her, she pulled out her phone and punched in Raine’s number.
Her sister-in-law answered on the second ring. “Hello?” Her wary tone was because of the unknown number.
“Raine, it’s Kendra, obviously using a disposable phone.” She figured Chase had already filled in the rest of her siblings on what was going on. “I need to ask about a US Marshal by the name of Andrew Levy. Do you know him? Or is there a way you can find some information out about him?”
“His name doesn’t sound familiar,” Raine said, “but I’m happy to ask around. What role does Levy play in your parents’ plane crash?”
Kendra took a moment to explain about how Dominic had remembered his father using a New Jersey accent, along with the message he’d left for the marshals service.
“An hour after Dom left the message, a gunman showed up at the hotel. We got away; everyone is fine,” she said quickly.
“But now Levy wants to meet with Dominic. He claims Dom’s father testified against a man named Gunther Volter who is still serving a life sentence in federal prison. ”
“Wow, that’s interesting.” Raine was silent for a moment. “As you know, my old boss was dirty, and he’s now dead. I reported to my new boss for barely a month before I resigned. I’m happy to call and ask him about Levy, but I’m not sure how much he’ll tell me.”
“We really need to know if we can trust Levy. Especially since the danger is ramping up big time. Not that Chase needs to hear that,” she hastily added. “He’ll just worry. But we’re operating under the assumption that Gunther Volter must have hired someone to go after Dominic.”
“Why do that after all this time has passed?” Raine asked. “Mob guys can be vicious about revenge, but Dominic didn’t do anything. He was a kid. It’s hard to imagine why they turned on him now.”
“Exactly my point.” The more she thought about it, the less Kendra understood the connection between whatever Dominic’s father had testified to twenty-four years ago and the attempts against Dom now. “I guess we should cooperate with Levy, if he can be trusted.”
“I’ll make a few calls,” Raine said. “Despite what happened with my boss a few months ago, it’s rare to have US Marshals who can’t be trusted.”
“Thanks, Raine.” It was nice to have someone to lean on. “If you could call me back at this number, that would be great.”
“Will do. Are you sure you’re safe?” Raine sounded concerned. “I can head out to stay with you and Dominic.”
“We’re safe. Nobody knows where we are,” Kendra assured her. “But having additional information would be really helpful moving forward.”
“I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.” With that, Raine ended the call.
“It must be nice to have family around to support you.” Dom sighed. “For all I know, I have family back east who think I’m dead.”
“This must be difficult for you.” She couldn’t imagine what it would be like learning her parents were in witness protection and killed out of some misguided revenge. “The good news is that your dad made the right decision to protect you.”
“Yeah. I guess.” Dom didn’t look convinced. “I keep thinking back to my childhood. I can’t help but wonder if everything my father told me was a lie.”
“Don’t think of it that way.” Her heart ached for him. “I’m sure he wouldn’t have lied if he had another option.”
“Maybe he shouldn’t have gotten involved with the cartel in the first place.” Dom’s voice was bitter.
She couldn’t think of a way to make him feel better. “Your father probably didn’t intend to get involved in the cartel. He may not have had a choice.”
“There’s always a choice.” Dom abruptly turned and walked toward the fire. He stood with his back to her, clearly struggling with his emotions.
Rising to her feet, she crossed over to join him.
The warmth of the fire felt wonderful, taking the chill from the room.
She put a hand on his arm. “Dominic, your father walked away from everyone he knew to provide a new life for you. Relocating from New Jersey to Montana of all places. Maybe he could have made better choices, but at the end of the day, he chose to protect you.”
Dom reached over to cover her hand with his, as if grateful for the connection. “Are you always this positive? Determined to look on the bright side all the time?”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Pretty much.”
He nodded, grinning wryly. “I glad you’re here with me, Kendra. It would be much worse learning about my father’s past while being completely alone.”
“We’re going to get through this.” She knew she was sounding all Pollyanna again.
His grin faded. “I’m trying to imagine how my dad got involved with a cartel in the first place. It sounds like something out of a movie.”
“Hopefully, Raine will be able to shed some light on that.” She briefly leaned her temple against his shoulder before reluctantly pulling away. “I should check out the food situation. We may not have much to eat for breakfast.”
“Okay.” He turned from the fire, following her into the kitchen. “We can always head to the store for a few things.”
She shrugged, thinking it would be best if they didn’t go anywhere until they knew more about Andrew Levy.
She opened the fridge. It was empty except for a couple of water bottles.
With a sigh, she moved on to the cupboards.
There were some cans of soup and two large cans of beef stew. They were better than nothing.
When her phone rang, she and Dom jumped and stared at the device as if it were a snake that might bite them. Recognizing Raine’s number, she quickly answered. “Hey, Raine. Did you find something out for us?”
“I did. But you may want to put me on speaker so Dominic can hear this too.”
“Hold on.” She lowered the phone, put the call on speaker, then set the device in the center of the table. “Raine, Dominic is here. Dom, this is my sister-in-law Raine.”
“Nice to meet you, Dom,” Raine said. “Sorry it has to be during a time of trouble.”
“Nice to meet you too. I’m sorry to have to ask for such a big favor,” Dom admitted. “I’m still trying to assimilate what I’ve learned so far.”
“Thankfully, my boss wants me to come back, so he filled me in on your father’s case file. Normally, he wouldn’t have access, but after your father’s death, it wasn’t considered to be as confidential.”
“Okay.” Dom’s gaze seemed to cling to hers. Kendra reached over to take his hand. “What can you tell me?”
“Levy was right in that your father provided key information and testified against Gunther Volter,” Raine said.
“Your father was an accountant. He kept the books for an organization called Randover Royals. They were well known to be involved in illegal mining, primarily diamonds and gold. And there were allegations of other criminal activities as well, specifically expanding into drugs.”
Dom swallowed hard. “My father knew they were criminals?”
“No, according to the file, he discovered they were running money through the company. He wanted to get out, but it was too late. He already knew too much.” Raine paused for a moment. “What do you know about your mother’s death?”
Dom’s fingers tightened around hers. “According to my dad, my mother died in a car crash when I was three years old. Is that the truth? Or another lie?”
“That is the truth,” Raine assured him. “But there’s more.
Your mother’s crash was no accident. You were supposed to be in the car with her, but you had a fever, so your mom left you at home with a babysitter.
The cartel assumed that once you and your mother were eliminated from the picture, your dad would keep quiet.
Thankfully, you survived, and your father went straight to the authorities.
He testified against Gunther Volter, and well, you know the rest.”
Dom looked shell-shocked at the news. Kendra couldn’t contain her surprise either. Bad enough that Dom’s father had been murdered, but to learn his mother had been killed, too, was worse. The young mother and Dom were innocent victims.
And if they weren’t careful, Dominic would end up dead too.