Part 10 (1/2)
Denton scowled. ”Your girlfriend's attorney. Guess it pays to be connected.”
”Connected?” Jeremy didn't want to blow a chance to walk out free without having to involve BAD, but this just did not happen to him. ”What are you talking about?”
The look Denton gave him was ripe with impatience. ”Vincent DeMitri of the Ontario DeMitris. Cecelia's stepbrother, your squeeze's family? Any of that ring a bell?”
Slamming Jeremy in his solar plexus with a baseball bat would have been an easier blow to take. He'd heard of the DeMitris.
CeCe was part of a criminal organization?
”One more thing, Sunn,” Denton said. ”If I find out she does have the photo memory card we're looking for, you'll both be facing an indictment.”
What memory card? Jeremy would ask, but Denton had dropped that little bomb for a reason, so he gave the FBI agent no response.
CeCe hadn't thrown him to the feds. She'd used her contacts to free him, but she was related to a racketeering family that had been entrenched in Ontario for decades. Jeremy knew a few things about the DeMitri bunch that had surfaced on a couple of investigations over five years ago.
He needed some time to figure out what the h.e.l.l was going on before he contacted BAD. Joe and his codirector, Tee, took care of their agents and would send help if he called, but Jeremy didn't want to pull them into his personal problems and he wanted answers before he faced anyone from BAD.
BAD would eventually hear about this and that the FBI had found a member of the DeMitri family at Jeremy's house half dressed early in the morning.
CeCe wasn't going anywhere until he got answers.
ALL C CECE COULD do was put one foot in front of the other and keep pace with Vinny's long stride toward the exit. Anger boiled off him like an invisible steam. She understood. More than being angry about the mess she was in, Vinny felt as though he'd failed her. He'd been all business the minute he walked into the interrogation room. She'd had to admit he was d.a.m.n good at what he did. do was put one foot in front of the other and keep pace with Vinny's long stride toward the exit. Anger boiled off him like an invisible steam. She understood. More than being angry about the mess she was in, Vinny felt as though he'd failed her. He'd been all business the minute he walked into the interrogation room. She'd had to admit he was d.a.m.n good at what he did.
She'd just never expected to need his services.
Vinny stepped ahead of her and opened the gla.s.s doors. She followed him into a gloomy overcast day that matched her mood.
Ten paces down the walkway she heard, ”CeCe, wait up.”
Vinny stiffened next to her, but she'd made a decision last night to stop letting everyone tell her how to live. Her family was going to have to accept her decisions, just as Jeremy would have to.
And she had to take responsibility for anything she did.
CeCe put a hand on Vinny's arm. ”I need to talk to him.” She turned around to find Jeremy closing in on her. She'd expected anger, but the disappointment ringing his gaze struck her harder than anger ever could have.
A strong breeze lifted the hem of her jacket, which she smoothed back in place. She'd run home and changed to a conservative pants suit before leaving with the FBI agents. Squaring her shoulders, she walked away from Vinny to meet Jeremy halfway.
”We need to talk,” Jeremy started.
”No, I need to go pack up my house and move.” She stood her ground, struggling not to give credit to the pain in his eyes. She'd changed her mind about asking Jeremy anything after walking out of the interrogation room. There was nothing he could say that would magically fix all this. Instead, she pointed out, ”I asked you about your past.”
Jeremy shook his head and released a snort of disbelief. ”You're condemning me me for having a record when for having a record when you're you're a member of the DeMitri family?” a member of the DeMitri family?”
At that barked reply, Vinny pounded up next to CeCe who glared at him. ”As her attorney, I'm advising her not to talk to you.”
”As her attorney or her brother?” Jeremy snapped right back, anger boosting his sarcastic tone.
Before she could speak, Vinny added in a low and controlled voice, ”As her brother, I'm advising you to walk away and never speak to her again if you like the way your face looks.”
”Bring it on.”
Vinny's chest expanded with a breath of fury. ”Back down, a.s.shole.”
”I'll back down if and when CeCe tells me to. Not for you or a hundred brothers just like you.”
CeCe realized in that moment that Jeremy would not let anything or anyone stop him from getting to her when he was determined. That was the man she wanted. How could she love him so much when the same heart felt like it was tearing down the middle?
”Vinny, give me a minute, would you?” she asked. Wind batted loose hair around her face. She swiped a handful behind her ear and waited for her brother to move back, then she swung around to Jeremy. Before she could vent, Jeremy got in the first shot.
”You said you were all about honesty, but you you didn't say a word about being part of the DeMitri organization.” didn't say a word about being part of the DeMitri organization.”
CeCe jerked back at the accusation in his voice. ”I'm not part of the organization. My mother married into the DeMitri family and I'm not going to apologize for that because they've always loved me like a sister and daughter. They understood when I moved here that it wasn't because I didn't love them. I just didn't love what they did. As for honesty, you didn't tell me you had an adult record and I asked you point blank.”
”I told you-”
”-about a boosting conviction as a teenager.” She fisted her hands at her hips. ”Do you or do you not have a string of convictions that you've spent time in prison for?”
Jeremy locked his jaw shut to keep from trying to explain. He couldn't tell her how he'd ama.s.sed a criminal track record just for BAD or that since signing on with the agency he hadn't gotten a traffic ticket unless BAD had orchestrated the offense for a mission.
”Yes, and I can can explain, but not right now,” Jeremy admitted softly. explain, but not right now,” Jeremy admitted softly.
CeCe's throat muscles moved when she swallowed. Her bottom lip trembled until she clenched her jaw. ”I moved here to get away from a life built on lies. And for your information the DeMitri men are good citizens, changing things in the organization-”
”That's enough, CeCe,” Vinny interjected.
She nodded and glanced back up at Jeremy. ”How can you expect me to understand any of this if you can't tell me the truth now? I didn't want to be around cr-” She stopped short before the next word came rolling out.
”Criminals,” Jeremy finished for her. ”I did my time and continue to pay my dues every day. You believe the men in your family are decent upstanding citizens but not me?”
”I'm not saying that...”
”But you're leaving... me.”
”I don't want to live around... someone who can't tell me the truth.” She lowered her eyes to her hands, unable to take any more of his tortured gaze.
”I never lied to you.” Technically. He'd withheld some things, but he'd intended to explain more to her once he figured out how to do it and not expose BAD.
”Keeping something important from me is lying by omission.”
”I can make the same accusation.”
She nodded. ”For what it's worth, I planned to explain everything... if...”
”If we stayed together.” Jeremy checked to see that Vinny was still ten feet back then lowered his voice so that only CeCe heard his words. ”You're right. I did keep something from you just like you kept things from me. But the difference is that I I understand why you did and am willing to give you a chance to explain.” understand why you did and am willing to give you a chance to explain.”
When she sucked her bottom lip in and didn't answer he took a fist to the heart. ”I did withhold some things, but I need you to know one very important detail. I care about you, CeCe, and would never involve you in anything criminal or let anyone hurt you. I can explain everything on my record but, like I said, not right now.”
Silence spun between them with a swirling wind that tossed her hair back and forth around her delicate shoulders.
He held his breath, begging for a break. Just once.