"Fuck you. I'm not dirty."
"Not what I've heard and if I wanted you dead, Agent Fox, your body would already be in the morgue."
Hissing, he opened the door wider, allowing me inside. His house was certainly nothing special; what little furniture he had was basically threadbare. If he was on the take, his money was certainly going elsewhere. Offshore accounts were a distinct possibility, although my gut told me that if he'd been compromised, he was a low-level player at most. FBI agents were never trusted, no matter how much money oiled their palms. Another lesson my father had taught me.
Then again, David was a smart man, cunning in ways that reminded me of myself. There was more behind his hazel eyes and cheap clothing.
"Say your piece, Francesco, and get the fuck out. I have business to handle."
I walked into the living room, my eyes catching a single and recent photograph of Sierra on the end table housed in a beautiful carved frame. As soon as he noticed my gaze, he snarled.
"What do you want?" he demanded.
"I would suggest that you remain cordial with me, especially given the fact that your daughter's blood was found on the victim in the horrific stabbing in Fuller Park."
He seemed horrified that I knew, immediately trying to cover up his surprise. "That's bullshit. What kind of crap are you trying to sell me? Is this some kind of a cover-up?"
I closed the distance until we were inches apart. I towered over him, also outweighing him by a solid forty pounds. He certainly didn't seem to have the same bravado that he'd had during the times he'd been the one to arrest me. "I assure you that I have no need to cover up any actions I determine are necessary. Now, you are well aware of the influential connections that I have. Yes?" I didn't wait for him to answer, crowding his space even more. "I'm certain that you are. I suggest that you and I speak the truth. Never forget. I have very powerful friends who would do anything I asked of them. Anything. They wouldn't take kindly to hearing that you're working with Axel Movino."
He swallowed visibly, finally nodding. "Fine. Whatever. Just get to your damn point."
I took a decided step backwards, lifting the photograph into my hand. "She's a lovely girl."
"Leave her out of this. She had nothing to do with this case."
Had. I noticed the word immediately. I'd been able to smell liquor on his breath, which surprised the fuck out of me. Even his hands were shaking. What had he gotten himself in the middle of?
"Unfortunately, that's not what the Chicago police department believes. I realize that you've already pulled the case from them, but you seem to forget that Senator Spalding is a very good friend of the police commissioner. I would suspect that the good senator is breathing down his buddy's neck in order to solve this case quickly. I would also imagine that your superiors will get a load of wrath for the manner in which you yanked the case from under their noses, spewing accusations without evidence. Lastly, I'm going to venture a guess that Chicago's finest are eager to talk with Sierra. While she might not be an actual suspect, although who knows what anyone is capable of, she's certain to have valuable information. But you already knew that, didn't you?"
Another moment of surprise crossed his face. "That's a load of crap. My daughter wasn't a killer. She did nothing wrong. She's a... good girl." David was coming unraveled before my eyes. Why all the damn past tenses? Had he received notification of something about her? Had one of my men betrayed me?
"What are you doing with Movino?"
He wrung his hands, taking gulping breaths. "He came to see me, some bullshit about the fact the city was going to see a significant change and that I needed to make certain the FBI looked the other way. I laughed in his face. That's when he threatened Sierra."
I honestly believed what he was telling me.
I bristled and did everything I could to keep my anger controlled. "You should have gone straight to my father instead of attempting to handle this on your own. Sadly, that ship has sailed so here's how we're going to play this." I gave him a huge smile. "You no longer have to worry about Sierra. I own your daughter. She belongs to me now. In fact, she came to me for help. In return, she gave up her... life to be with me. I will do everything in my power to protect her, but that means that you will drop all the bullshit about my family being involved. If you do not, she will pay the price and given how much time you've spent attempting to incriminate my family, you are well aware of my sadistic tactics. I suggest you agree to the terms of the deal. Call it a family olive branch."
His eyes flashed, the emotions unlike anything I'd ever seen in him. Within two seconds, he lunged forward, able to knock me against the end table. As the lamp came crashing to the floor, he thrust his hands around my neck. The man was foaming at the mouth.
"How fucking dare you! You horrible monster," he exclaimed as he attempted to beat my head against the wall. "You did this! You're responsible, not the pig, Movino. I will kill you!"
I grabbed him around the neck, easily flipping him over, my fingers ready to crush his windpipe if necessary. What the hell was the man babbling about? "That's not in your best interest."
"Fuck you! Why would you come here and say that bullshit to me? I will ruin you and your family if it's the last thing I do on this earth."
His eyes were now wild, and he continued to flail even as I pressed down, cutting off his air supply. He was obviously hyped up on adrenaline, boosting his strength. I yanked him onto his feet, my grip remaining. There was a blankness in his eyes, haunted in a way I only witnessed when a man was about to face his maker. "What the hell are you talking about? Sierra came to me of her own free will. She felt I was the only one to be able to protect her. What I need to know is why did Axel Movino want Lucas Spalding dead? What did he find that pushed Axel to the limit?"
"I have no idea." He was even more wide-eyed, his mouth twisting in horror.
"Don't throw that shit into my face. You know exactly what I'm talking about and I suspect you did agree to Movino's terms. That's why I will protect your daughter if you cooperate."
"Well, you fucking failed! You couldn't protect her. My sweet baby."
I stared at him, trying to figure out what the hell he was getting at. A nagging feeling pooled into the pit of my stomach. "I didn't fail."
"Then you killed her! You struck the match. Did she deny you? Did she realize that you're nothing but a monster?"
The words hit me hard in the gut. I loosened my grip, his words echoing in my ears. I was suddenly sick to my stomach. The man wasn't acting. He was utterly despondent. "Talk to me. What the fuck are you saying?"
He managed to jerk away, storming into the kitchen. I trailed behind him, my heart racing.
His entire body was shaking as he grabbed what appeared to be a photograph from his stack of papers, throwing it in my face. "She's dead. My baby girl is dead!"
The photograph was of a burned-out car, but given the closeness of the shot, it was easy to see the outline of a body. I was stunned, unable to breathe. There was no way. None. She couldn't be gone. "What. The. Fuck."
"That is my daughter's car, you asshole. She was burned alive. Why would you do that? Why? She's dead. My baby is dead, and I have no doubt you had something to do with it. No matter what it takes, Francesco, I will bring you down." Death.
I'd been surrounded by death since I was ten years old, my father taking me to what he called justice, the execution-style shooting of one of his most trusted soldiers. I'll never forget the initial wretched feeling in my stomach, creating a wave of nausea. Until that very day I hadn't fully understood just how powerful my father truly was.
Our family had experienced loss, the horror years before almost splitting my mother and father apart. Now this.
Facing the concept of Sierra's death wasn't something I was used to. I'd never allowed myself to care about anyone. There'd been no woman who'd crept into my heart, clawing to remove the armor. Even friends remained at arm's length. That was the way of our family.
In order to remain intact and in full control.