Chapter 5
“What do you mean, they won’t relocate her immediately?” I’m close to losing it at Wes, even though I know that’s not his fault. He’s not high enough on the food chain for this to be his choice.
He closes his eyes and hangs his head. “Stella is not great at following the rules for witnesses, and my boss didn’t approve her relocation here in the first place. Jordan, I’m in a real bind here.”
I shake my head in confusion. “Wait, how is she here, if the relocation wasn’t approved?”
His lips tighten and he quietly admits, “I fudged the paperwork to get Stella here.”
I’m shocked. Wes is a by—the—numbers guy. “Why would you do that?”
His eyes dart around while he closes her bedroom door.
“Stella’s case is different than most of my witnesses.
Many of them are not first—hand murder witnesses.
They’re usually criminals themselves, or damn close to it.
Someone who thought it was fine to bribe a mayor, because that’s just how business gets done in Boston’ or something like that.
Stella, on the other hand, is completely innocent.
But the program doesn’t have a special good guy category for witnesses, so it doesn’t grant leeway to those who should have it, and let me be clear, she should have it.
So, I faked my boss’ signature on Stella’s relocation paperwork to get her here, because I knew you’d help out. ”
I’m worried for him. “Are you in some kind of trouble over that?”
“My boss knows what I did, and I’m in her crosshairs as far as furloughs go, but for now, my job is safe. It’ll stay that way, if I can get Stella onto the witness stand.”
It’s my part in it that makes no sense. “Why am I in this diabolical plan of yours?”
“I know you, Jordan. I trust you with my life. I have trusted you with my life, if you recall our days in the service together.”
“Oh, I remember. And you returned the favor a time or two.”
He laughs, “It was eight times, and we both know it.”
I grin and tell him, “I’ll give you seven, but I had that sniper in my sights in Bogota. I woulda got him.”
“Sure,” he rolls his eyes. “The point is, my department budget was slashed. There was talk of booting Stella out of the program entirely, because she plays it fast and loose with the rules, which costs a lot. The more risks a witness takes, the more likely they are to run into trouble. And when they run into trouble, they call me. Every call has a cost to it. My boss needs to cut the most expensive witnesses from the program to make the budget work. You can thank your Senator for cutting our budget, by the way.”
“That’s seriously messed up. They’d let her get murdered over money?”
“Her and others. We’re the federal government and we do not have unlimited funds.
” He sighs hard. “But I’m not letting Riker get his hands on her.
The world needs him behind bars. Or dead.
Dead would be more cost effective. There have been over 1,200 global deaths associated with his weapons smuggling ring.
It’s one of the largest rings like it in the world.
They’re making arrests as fast as they can, but you know how it is. ”
“Slow, I imagine. What rules is Stella breaking?”
“She keeps in contact with her family.”
We had talked about his work a lot, and I know most of the rules. I close my eyes and sigh. “That’s a huge one.”
“Yeah. And I don’t know how to stop her, outside of cutting all lines of communication between her and the rest of the world. But she won’t be any good to anyone, if she loses her mind, which I think that would do. I’ve offered her the skinny bride program, but she won’t take it.”
“The what program?”
“The skinny bride. You know how some women are so determined to get into their wedding dress, they have their jaw wired shut? They have to have an outside force to keep them from doing the wrong thing?”
I chuckle, “Yeah.”
“I offered to put Stella in a white collar prison to keep her safe. The ones that are like Club Med, but with no communication with her family.”
“People actually opt for the skinny bride program?”
He says, “You’d be surprised by how many people in those places are actually in the Witness Protection program. Why do you think those prisons are so nice?”
“Because they’re for wealthy people.”
He chuckles and asks, “That’s adorable. Is that what people really think?”
“I thought it, until you said that.”
“Huh. Well, regardless, this is where we’re at. My solution is to get you involved. I wish I had more time to talk to you about it all—"
“Same here.”
He cringes and says, “Sorry about that. But you’re a big scary guy and she needs one of those close by. And I can’t afford to send her one. I can shoot some cash your way, if you need—"
I shake my head, “I’ll be happy to take care of Stella. She’s…something else.”
Wes nods, “She really is. Stronger than most single people in the program. Three years is a long time to be cut off from everyone you know.”
I realize that was the loneliness she spoke of last night. Not my kind of loneliness. I have a choice. I like being alone, most of the time. But she never had a choice in the matter. No wonder she stays in contact with her family. “Is her family thing the only rule she breaks?”
“Yes, but that’s a big one. We’re all a little surprised her family hasn’t been targeted by the smuggling ring, but it turns out, they’re too busy with their business to worry about vendettas.
They are more businessmen than they are cartel bosses.
They’d rather deal with the direct problem, make their money, and get out.
It’s enterprising, really. None of it’s personal. Just business.” He shrugs.
“So, I just want to make sure I’m following you, Wes—"
He nods, “Go ahead.”
“You forged your boss’ signature to get Stella to Floyd, where she could be guarded by me, because she is a key witness to a murder tied to a worldwide gun smuggling ring, and you need help on the cheap because your budget was slashed.”
“Our budget was burned to the ground, yes.”
I smile and ask, “And the worldwide gun smuggling ring isn’t going to come after me?”
“Oh, come on. Since when are you afraid of a little bullet?”
I laugh. “I’ve missed you, man. Why don’t you come around more often?”
“Jennifer’s pregnant again.”
“Congratulations! What is that, five?”
He smiles proudly, “Six.”
“Damn, man, that’s a lot of kids.”
“What can I say? My kids are awesome and Jennifer loves being a mom, so I’ll do whatever they want. You ever think about settling down with one woman?”
I frown, “Why the emphasis on one?”
He laughs, “Because I know you and your past.”
“Can’t help that I’m popular with the ladies.”
“I know, I know, you’re a player with no remorse, whatever. That’s all bullshit, and you know it. Haven’t you ever wanted to find someone you want to be with? Forever? What about that waitress, Katie?”
I take a deep breath and shudder. “The word ‘forever’ makes me stop breathing, man. I’m not the type. Katie’s fun to flirt with, but I don’t see myself making babies with her.”
“Suit yourself, Jordan. Awfully cold in a one person bed, though. And the temperatures are supposed to drop tonight.”
“Better an empty cold bed than a cold woman in your bed.”
“Touché, but I’d think you’d be a little tired of the bachelor life by now. You’re what, forty—seven?”
“Forty—three, thank you,” I frown at him.
“If I ever pick someone to make a family with, then it would be someone I can’t stop thinking about.
Someone who makes me work, who makes me laugh.
Someone I can’t get out from under my skin.
You find me that girl, and we’ll talk. Until then, I’m a happy bachelor. ”
“I’ll see about finding you that girl. After I get Stella handled.”
“Leave her to me. I’ll keep an eye on her.”
He snaps his fingers in memory of something, “Speaking of which...” Wes passes me a phone. “You can set up your passcode to it or use a fingerprint ID, but this is patched into all of the surveillance equipment here. That way, you have 24/7 access, like we do.”
“Wait,” I narrow my eyes at the phone, then him, “there’s a camera in here, too? You put a camera in her bedroom?”
“Of course, why?”
“Did you see…anything from last night?”
Wes shakes his head, “It’s not like that. At night, the cameras in this room only come on, if the motion sensors on the windows are tripped or if she says the code word, then they automatically kick on. Why? What was there to see?”
“Playing innocent does not suit you, Wes.”
He grins, “I’m more innocent than some, it would seem.”
I slug his deltoid, “Jerk.”
“I swear, we didn’t spy on your private time. We’re not a bunch of perverts.”
“If you say so. In the meantime, what do we do to calm her down about being stuck here in Floyd? She’s a city mouse, if ever there was one.”
Wes sighs, “We’ve moved her six times in three years. At this point, I imagine she’s more comfortable picking up and leaving, than she is staying anywhere. It’s not about Floyd it’s about Stella. And we need her to feel safe for more than her own mental health.”
“How do you mean?”
He frowns and says, “We’ve alerted all the hospitals for a hundred mile radius to keep their eyes peeled for an average height, average weight man with lacerations to his hands, and since Tommy Kowalski’s murder, that is the closest we have gotten to having someone directly involved with Riker himself.
Riker isn’t the big cheese of the smuggling ring, but he wants to be, and if we can get his associates, then we get closer to him, which is one step closer to keeping Stella safe. ” He sighs.
“It sounds like you’re not telling me something.”
“There’s the other reason why keeping her here is the right thing to do.
When she gets comfortable in an area, she contacts her family, which inevitably lead Riker’s men to her.
And now we know that at least one of his men figured out that she’s in Floyd.
Which means others probably know it, too, and—"
“You’re using her as bait?”
Wes put his hand up, “Not exactly. But her playing fast and loose with all the rules has made it easier for them to track her down, and she keeps making it easy for them to find her. And if they keep coming at her, then we can use them to get to Riker.”
“So, she’s bait.”
“No, I don’t mean it like that, I told you—"
I nod. “Yeah, you did.”
He huffs and says, “Listen, Jordan, the sooner we get Riker, the sooner Stella is safe again. The sooner she can be free from all of this.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Well, neither do I. But with my boss breathing down my neck about Stella, our budget cuts, and all the rest of it, I’m out of good options.
Either she stays here, and we risk the worst, or she is kicked out of the program, I get fired, Riker goes free and gets another 1,200 people murdered, and Stella ends up floating in a river somewhere.
There are no more good options for this situation. ”
My stomach twists into a knot. “Maybe less colorful language for the woman I slept with last night.”
“I didn’t mean to make light of it, Jordan, but this is the reality I’m faced with, and I don’t like it any more than you do. That’s why I need your help.”
I sigh and run my fingers through my hair. “You know, before Max ran away yesterday, my life was so much simpler. I got up, worked out, checked my plants, went to work, came home, and hung out with my dog. Now…this.”
Wes smirks, then lustily asks, “Can I trade lives with you for like, a day?”
I laugh. “I thought you were a happy family man.”
“I am, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything, but one day of quiet sounds like heaven.”
“Tell you what, I’ll trade you for a day, but I get to have a go at Jennifer.”
Wes laughs, “You still mad she picked me at the bar that night?”
“Nah, you two are perfect together. Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Alright,” he sighs. “I have to check on the team, and we’ll be heading out. Any other questions?”
I shake my head. “I just hope I’m up to it. Been a while since I did anything like this.”
“You were in the Special Forces, man. I’m sure it’ll all come back to you, like when you threw that asshole.”
I laugh, “I don’t even remember doing it. I saw him lift a gun at her, and everything went red.”
“Yeah, I saw the footage. I know that look on your face, Jordan. Just like the old days.There’s a reason we called you the Hulk, you know.”
“Go home, Captain America. I’ve got it from here.”