Chapter 29
Peter had never been in such a hurry to get off work in his life.
Something had changed with Hailey, but he had no idea what.
Her frightened expression and the way she reacted to the janitor’s presence had set off his internal alarms, but when he’d followed up with a text after she left, she’d continued to insist that everything was okay.
He knew that wasn’t true. She’d been through a lot over the past several days, but even while being shot at, she’d managed to keep her cool. The only time he’d seen her truly rattled was when she thought Jenna was in immediate danger. Whatever had incited her paranoia this evening had to be bad.
Now, as he drove toward her parents’ house at one in the morning, he felt his trepidation building.
He’d only known the woman for a week, but there was a flicker of something between them.
He could already tell that he wanted to get to know her better, see where a relationship might lead.
Even if it ultimately led nowhere, he cared about what happened to her.
Cared so much it almost scared him. But the danger she was in frightened him more.
His only consolation was that he knew she was protected.
As soon as he’d left work, he’d called Miguel, who had assured him everything was still quiet at the farmhouse.
If anyone could be trusted with Hailey’s safety, it was Miguel.
And, of course, Hailey’s father was on alert too.
Peter doubted the man would be sleeping much until this situation was resolved.
When he arrived at the Jessup farm, he parked at the end of the long gravel driveway. No one but Miguel was expecting him back tonight, and he didn’t want to spook Hailey or her parents. But he also couldn’t stand the thought of going home and trying to sleep when she might be in immediate danger.
He got out of the car and headed up the driveway on foot. It hit him that he hadn’t really planned out what he’d do once he got here, he’d just known he had to come. Oh well. If he had to, he’d spend the night on the porch or keep Miguel company.
As he walked, he surveyed the area. He spotted Miguel’s car parked under a tree about halfway up the drive. Although he couldn’t see his friend, he lifted a hand in greeting. A quick flash from the sedan’s headlights let him know Miguel was watching and had seen the gesture.
The pressure in his chest eased somewhat, and he turned his attention to the house.
Most of the lights were off, but a soft glow shone from the living room window.
Did that mean someone inside was still awake?
He was pretty sure they hadn’t left a light on in that room the night he’d stayed with them.
Pulling out his phone, he found Hailey’s number and sent her a text.
Are you still awake?
Yes
I’m here. Is it all right if I come in?
She didn’t immediately reply, and for a moment, he wondered if she would. Finally, his phone buzzed.
No. Go home.
But before he had a chance to send a follow-up text or decide what to do, the front door eased open. Dim light illuminated Hailey’s silhouette. She stepped outside, holding a finger to her lips. Silently, she pulled the door shut behind her and beckoned him to join her on the porch swing.
He complied, but his alarm bells were ringing louder now.
What was going on? As he sat beside her, she drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
He gave her a quick once-over, at least, as best he could in the dark.
She was barefoot and wore an oversized hooded sweatshirt.
The combination made her look much younger and more vulnerable than usual.
“What’s going on?”
She stared straight ahead, not looking at him. “I need help.”
“I’m here.” He let his words hang between them.
“My meeting today didn’t go as planned.”
“Okay.”
“The CFO seemed genuinely disturbed when I showed him evidence that someone was embezzling from his firm. He said he’d take care of it.”
“That’s good.” But there was obviously more to her story.
“It is. But when I brought up the other issues, he . . .” She bit her lip.
He waited, sensing that what she was about to say would have far-reaching implications.
“He basically admitted the firm was laundering money,” she blurted. “He offered to pay me to look the other way and smooth things over when necessary. I can’t do that.”
“No, of course you can’t.”
She finally turned her head to look at him. “But he said if I don’t, he’ll hurt my family. He specifically threatened Jenna. He had a picture of her. He also said he’d know if I went to the police. That’s why I texted you to leave. I was afraid he might have hacked my phone somehow.”
Peter’s mind raced. “Is he behind the attacks on you?”
“I don’t think so. I mean, I guess it’s possible, but he sure didn’t act like it. He even offered to protect me—if I agree to his demands, of course.” She said the last words with disgust.
“Who is this guy?”
“I’m not supposed to share client information.”
“I understand, and normally I wouldn’t ask. But if he’s threatening you, I think you could make a pretty convincing argument that he’s given up his right to privacy.”
She hesitated a moment longer, then released a sigh. “His name is Alessandro Luque. He’s the chief financial officer at a large investment firm based out of Maryland.”
Peter hadn’t heard of the man, but he filed away the information for later. “What are you going to do?”
She was quiet a long moment. “I don’t know what to do,” she said finally. “I refuse to become a criminal. But how can I risk my family’s lives?”
“You and Jenna could disappear.” His chest ached at the words. If they fled, he’d probably never see them again. And he knew how close she was with her family. It would break all of their hearts if she moved away and cut contact.
“It’s more than just us. He was careful about how he worded his threats, but I’m pretty sure he meant he’d go after as many of my loved ones as necessary to get his point across. Transplanting my entire family tree would be next to impossible.”
“You need to get the FBI involved.” She could go to the local police too.
Perhaps they could provide some advice or protection—especially with her connection to Detective Thornton—but this was money laundering involving an out-of-state company.
Local police wouldn’t touch this investigation outside of the immediate crimes against Hailey.
They’d pass the investigation right to the feds.
“He specifically told me not to go to law enforcement. He said, and I quote, ‘there will be grave consequences’ if I do.”
“But if you can’t run and you can’t comply, you’re going to have to expose him. You’ve got the evidence to prove what you’re saying is true.”
She started shaking her head before he even finished speaking.
“It’s not that simple. The evidence I have is .
. .” She paused, seeming to search for the right words.
“Anyone trained to investigate financial crime would be able to see the red flags, but there’s no smoking gun.
If I went to the FBI, they’d have to launch an investigation.
Investigations take time—time I don’t have.
Depending on how well he’s covered his tracks, the evidence trail might not lead back to him at all.
I sure didn’t suspect him until today. The feds could take down a pawn and assume that’s as high as it went.
And if that happened, or if anyone involved tipped the wrong person off and it got back to him that I was the one who turned him in—” She sucked in a breath.
She didn’t have to finish her sentence. He understood. “You’ve thought this through.”
“I’ve hardly thought of anything else tonight. But I still don’t know what to do.”
They sat in silence for several minutes, the swing swaying gently beneath them. A cool breeze blew over them, and Hailey shivered despite her hoodie.
“You don’t have to make a decision tonight,” he finally said. “How about you sleep on it? Things might make more sense in the morning.”
“I don’t think I’m going to be able to sleep.”
He stood and offered her his hand. “Then let’s watch a movie. You’ve been through a significant amount of stress these past several days. You need to give your brain a break.”
She stared at his outstretched hand for a moment. Then she sighed and allowed him to pull her up. They reentered the house quietly, and Hailey directed him to choose something from her parents’ extensive DVD collection while she made hot cocoa.
He scanned a shelf of classic TV series and smiled when he spotted Zorro, one of his childhood favorites.
Growing up, he’d spent many evenings watching reruns of the 1950s show with his grandparents, but it had been ages since he’d seen it.
He pulled the case off the shelf and inserted the first disc in the DVD player.
Hailey returned with two mugs of hot cocoa, and the two of them settled next to each other on the couch.
He wasn’t sure either of them would be able to enjoy the show, but he hadn’t been kidding about the need for a break.
Maybe focusing on something else would give their brains a chance to work on the problem.
He hoped so. Because the stakes were much higher than he’d ever imagined.