Читать книгу Incriminating Evidence - Rachel Dylan - Страница 11

THREE

Jessica woke with a major headache and slowly realized that she was not at home in her own bed but in a hospital. An IV was hooked into her left hand. It all came rushing back to her. The car accident—which was probably no accident at all, but another attempt by the Hernandez family to intimidate her. Unless...they were through with threats and the car crash had been meant to get rid of her.

She was alone in the hospital room, and her heart immediately sank as she started to worry about Zach. Was he okay? There was no one around for her to ask. Her heartbeat started to race, and with it the beeping monitor she was attached to.

A petite gray-haired nurse walked quickly into the room. By her side was a uniformed police officer. “You’re awake,” the nurse stated with enthusiasm.

“Yes, I just woke up. Where is Zach?” Jessica couldn’t bring herself to ask the dreaded question as to whether he was alive. What if he had died trying to protect her?

“He just went down to the cafeteria to get some coffee. He’ll be back any minute.” The nurse motioned toward the officer. “And this is your security detail that has been assigned to you during your stay. But don’t worry. You’ll be very safe here.”

Jessica let out a huge breath. She wasn’t that worried about herself right now. She was just thankful that Zach was alive. “So Zach’s fine?”

“A few bumps and bruises, but you got the worst of it. How are you feeling this morning?”

Morning. She must’ve been out all night. “My head hurts.”

The nurse walked over to her. “I saw a picture of the SUV you were in. Honey, the fact that you weren’t more seriously injured is absolutely amazing. The doctors couldn’t believe it.”

Jessica took a moment and closed her eyes and thanked God for watching over the both of them last night. From the nurse’s words and the serious look on her face, Jessica understood that it could’ve been so much worse. “My head?”

“A concussion. Plus lots of bruising all over your body, and I’m sure you’re sore. But CT scan and an MRI confirmed no internal bleeding and nothing is broken. We’re giving you fluids to keep you hydrated and antibiotics to ward off infections from some of the cuts you suffered from the car metal.”

Jessica nodded slightly, realizing it hurt to move to her head.

Zach walked into the room holding coffee, sporting a bandage over his left eyebrow. His eyes widened when he saw her. He approached the side of the hospital bed. “I am so glad you’re awake.”

“Me, too.”

“Okay, you can talk for a few minutes, Agent Taylor,” the nurse said. “Then she’ll need to rest a bit.” The nurse walked out of the room with the officer, leaving her and Zach alone.

He pulled the chair up right beside her and took a seat. Her breath caught and she winced slightly as he reached out and grabbed her hand. She wasn’t expecting the contact.

“I’m sorry,” he said as he let go.

“No, it’s not you. I appreciate you being here.” What was she supposed to say? That she didn’t like anyone touching her because she was skittish from her violent past? Growing up in the foster care system, she’d lived through physical abuse. The foster parents that were supposed to protect her had ended up causing her the most harm—both physically and emotionally. And now she was understandably on edge.

“I thought you weren’t going to make it, Jessica. I prayed that God would intervene. It was a direct one-two punch between the Escalade behind us and the other truck that slammed into your side of the car.” His eyes showed his deep concern, and he leaned closer toward her. “I didn’t want to fail you.”

“And you didn’t. You did what you could.”

“The FBI is working on a safe house. It’s too dangerous to stay at your place. Not after this. I was wrong, and I underestimated the threat against you. A true rookie mistake. But I won’t let it happen again. I can promise you that.”

“Please, don’t beat yourself up over this.” She took a breath. “But I do need some help. My cat, Tiger, will need to be fed. When do you think they’ll let me out of here? And I want to take him with me if we go to a safe house. I don’t want to leave him there alone.”

Zach nodded. “We’ll have to figure out those logistics. But there’s actually a Miami PD officer at your apartment standing guard just in case the Hernandez family sent someone else. And as far as moving forward with the safe house, wouldn’t the cat be happier in his own surroundings?”

Her head pounded, and it all became just too much. “I’ll think about it later. In the meantime, can you just please have the officer feed him and put out fresh water?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Thank you.” She could no longer keep her eyes open and fell back asleep.

* * *

That afternoon, after being issued a brand-new vehicle, Zach drove Jessica back to her apartment. Once she’d been alert enough, they’d picked up right where their conversation had ended. She’d been insistent about getting Tiger and packing up some things before going to the safe house.

He was still in awe of the fact that Jessica walked away with only a concussion, scrapes and bruises. The Lord had really been looking out for her.

Zach’s mom had never gone to church, so he hadn’t, either. It wasn’t until he went away to college and had started attending the chapel on campus that he found out what faith in God really meant. It had changed his life forever—and for the better.

When Jessica had spoken about her faith, it seemed so natural to her. For Zach, it hadn’t been a natural process but something he had grown into. It had taken him all four years of college to really find out what it meant to be a man of God. It was refreshing to see someone who had been through so much have such a resilient belief in God. When Zach had been young, he had always associated religion with wishful thinking. People wanting some supernatural force to solve all their problems. He now understood what it was to have the comfort of knowing that God was going to be with him no matter what. When he looked at Jessica, he saw something special and different in her. It made him want to know more about her.

“This is me,” she said, interrupting his thoughts. “I’m on the second floor.”

He pulled up into the parking space in front of her place. “Wait for me before you get out,” he said.

She didn’t argue and sat quietly as he exited the car and walked around to the passenger side. He was beginning to think that the attack last night had served as a wake-up call that she was really in danger.

He opened her car door and took her gently by the arm, guiding her out. She insisted she was fine to walk on her own, but he was going to be guarding her much more closely.

“Are you going to be okay to walk up the steps?” he asked.

“Yes, I can handle them. I promise you.” She gave him a weak smile.

He’d called ahead to speak with Officer Lewis and make sure he was expecting them. Even though it was Jessica’s apartment, he knocked on the door to be extra cautious.

Uniformed police officer Sampson Lewis answered the door. The short and stocky African American officer smiled. “Glad you two made it.” Sampson looked at Jessica. “Nice to meet you, ma’am. I’m Officer Lewis.”

“Thank you, Officer Lewis. I appreciate you keeping an eye on things here at the apartment and watching Tiger.”

Officer Lewis grinned widely. “That cat was very skeptical of me at first. But once I started feeding him, I became his new best friend. Curled right up next to me on the couch.” He looked at Zach. “It’s all been quiet here, Agent Taylor. Not a peep of any kind.”

“That’s good.” The last thing they needed was more action.

Jessica walked over and picked up Tiger. “I’m going to go start packing up a few things. It won’t take me long.”

After she walked to her bedroom, Zach looked at Officer Lewis. “Thanks for taking this on.”

“No problem. She looked pretty banged up.”

“Yeah, the crash was no joke. She’s got cuts and bruising all on her face, neck and arms.”

“You think it’s tied to the Hernandez family?”

“Yes, unfortunately so.”

“Just keep your eyes open, man. I’ve heard some scary stories about what that family is capable of. I have to ask you. Do you think Ms. Hughes even realizes what kind of target is on her back?”

“If she didn’t before last night, I think she does now.”

True to her word, Jessica walked back out of her room just a few minutes later.

“Ms. Hughes,” Office Lewis said. “We just lost our cat of seventeen years a couple of months ago. My daughter is off at college, and my wife and I would be more than happy to pet-sit for you while you get through this ordeal. Tiger would be more than welcome at our place.”

Zach watched her hesitate and protectively tighten her grip on Tiger, pulling him close to her body.

“I know you want to be with him,” Zach said. “But it will actually be safer for him if he stays with Officer Lewis and his wife.”

Jessica continued to hold on to Tiger. Zach was surprised when her eyes started to mist over. She’d been through a lot so far, but he hadn’t seen her get emotional. It was clear that her pet was special to her.

“I can’t just give him away,” she said.

Officer Lewis walked closer to her. “Absolutely not. As soon as you’re in the clear, Tiger will be ready for you. I wouldn’t think of taking him from you. This is just temporary.”

She nodded. “Thank you for being so kind. And my hesitation isn’t because of you. I just don’t want him to think that I’m abandoning him.”

It hit Zach at that moment that Jessica probably felt such a strong connection to Tiger because he was the only family she had. Given her childhood, she probably had totally understandable issues with abandonment. “Jessica, if it’ll make you feel better, we’ll work something out and take him with us to the safe house.”

She shook her head. “No, Officer Lewis is right. I need to think about what is best for Tiger. Not my own feelings.”

“All right,” Zach said. “But if you change your mind, you can just let me know.”

She turned her attention back to the officer. “I need you to promise me something, though, and it’s a big promise.”

“Sure,” he said.

“If something happens to me, you’ll help find him a new home. A good home. You won’t take him to the shelter.”

Officer Lewis’s dark eyes widened. “First off, nothing is going to happen to you. But secondly, you have my word that I’ll personally take care of Tiger. Don’t think another thought about it.”

“Thank you.” She held the cat for another minute and then looked back at Zach.

“All right,” she said quietly. “I guess we should go.”

“Don’t you worry, Ms. Hughes. We’ll take great care of Tiger. And we’ll keep you updated.” He looked at Zach. “Any reason for me to continue standing watch here?”

“No,” Zach said. “Just wait for us to leave, give it a few and you and Tiger can get out of here.”

Jessica didn’t speak until they had been on the road a few minutes.

“How exactly am I supposed to work on the case? Are you expecting me to prepare for trial out of the safe house?”

“I’m afraid it’s gotten a bit complicated where that is concerned.”

“How so?”

“You should talk to your boss. But I think it’s a possibility that there may be some sort of postponement.”

“No! Absolutely not. That’s exactly what they want to happen. We can’t give in to them.”

“The trial and all surrounding it isn’t the FBI’s call. It’s your boss’s decision.”

“This was just a setback. It’s not reason enough to call it quits. I can do this, Zach. I’m fully cooperating with you and whatever you want as far as security goes, but I need to try this case.”

“I’ll do everything I can to help you.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m taking a circuitous route to the safe house to ensure we aren’t being followed.” He paused. “And, Jessica, I’m sorry about Tiger. I didn’t think the whole thing through.” He’d touched a nerve and needed to smooth this over.

“Thank you, Zach. He’s all I have, and I’m committed to taking care of him and giving him a great life.”

“You’re a good person, Jessica.”

“I did what I had to do to survive. And I thank God that He’s been by my side each step of the way—including last night in the crash.”

“I can tell that your faith is strong.”

“Honestly, Zach, it’s the only thing that kept me going through some incredibly dark years. One of my middle school classmates invited me to church with her family, and it changed everything for me. None of my foster parents were believers, but most of them didn’t mind if I went to church because it at least got me out of their hair for a bit. I know there are good foster families out there. But for some reason, I had a stretch of a few really bad ones.”

He could tell the memories brought her a lot of pain. But he felt as if he needed to understand her better and give her a chance to talk if she wanted to. “Do you feel like sharing?”

“They’re not good memories I enjoy talking about.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“No. You should probably hear this. It will explain why I have certain hang-ups. Why I chose the path of becoming a prosecutor.” She paused for a while as if gathering the courage to continue. “There was some physical abuse that took place while I lived in the foster homes. Which is why I started taking self-defense classes in college. I no longer wanted to feel like a victim and wanted to be able to protect myself if I was attacked again.”

“I can’t even imagine.” It sickened him to think about what Jessica had gone through as a child.

“Yeah, a couple of the foster parents had issues with drugs and alcohol. When they drank they got violent. In one house it was the man, and in another house it was the woman. I never could understand how a mother could beat a child—but there was one that hit both me and her own kids. It was a terrible situation.”

“All I can do is say that I’m sorry for the awful pain that you went through. And to say that you haven’t let those obstacles stand in your way. Your strength is evident, Jessica. And your faith shines brightly.”

“It means a lot to hear you say that. I don’t want anyone’s pity or sympathy for what happened to me. But I’ve shared this with you so that you can understand why I care so deeply about my work as a prosecutor. Helping innocent victims means the world to me.”

He admired her conviction. The more time they spent together, the more he grew to really like this woman. But it couldn’t be more than that.

He looked down at his phone where the GPS was directing him. “We’re almost there,” he said, changing the subject.

“Good. My head is pounding.”

“You need to rest. Once we’re at the safe house, you can lie down. It’s perfectly normal considering the concussion and other trauma your body suffered.”

“You’re probably right.”

“Hang tight. We’re less than five minutes out.”

* * *

Jessica had crashed right after they’d arrived at their new location. They were in the middle of an upscale Coral Gables neighborhood about fifteen minutes from downtown Miami. The upstairs bedroom she was in was half the size of her apartment. The two-story Old Spanish–style house was nicer than any Jessica had ever been in. She’d expected something more low-key.

She looked at her watch and realized she’d slept for a few hours. It was time to venture out of her room and see what was going on with Zach.

As she walked out of the bedroom and toward the stairs, she heard male voices. It took her a second to realize that Ian Lopez was there. This couldn’t be good.

She was careful to hold on to the railing as she quickly made her way down the stairs. She hated to admit it, but she was still far from 100 percent.

She followed the voices and walked into the kitchen, where Ian, Zach and Brodie were seated around a large table. Each man had a coffee mug in front of him. And by the serious tones of their voices, they weren’t having a casual conversation.

“You’re up,” Zach said. “How’re you feeling?”

“Better than I did before, but still sore.” She wasn’t going to let on to the group that her head still hurt pretty badly. “What’s going on here?”

Ian looked at her. “Jessica, I was so worried about you when the FBI called and told me about the car accident. Which I understand now wasn’t an accident in the least bit.”

“I’m fine, though. I’ll be okay, and I’m ready to move forward with my job.”

“That’s what I’m here to talk about,” Ian said.

She needed to try to get out ahead of this before Ian went all the way down a path that would be difficult to walk him back from. “Before you say anything, you need to know that I’m able to try this case, Ian. I’ve been working around the clock the past two months to prepare.”

He nodded. “Jessica, I’m not questioning your abilities, but I am worried about your safety. We can’t have your body washing up on the beach.”

She cringed, thinking about Denise. “I can finish preparing out of the safe house. Then we can have additional security for the trial. We can do this, Ian.” She changed to the word we to make sure he felt invested in this, as well. If she was able to get a conviction, he’d look good. And if not, he’d just say it was her fault. It was a low-risk proposition for him.

“This is against my better judgment, Jessica,” Ian said. “Let’s proceed as if we are going to trial. I reserve the right to pull you if this thing gets out of control. As long as you think you can adequately prepare out of here, then I will try to give this another go. It’s important that we don’t let criminals think they can dictate how we prosecute people.”

She nodded. “You’re right, Ian. I’ll just need to get access to a few paper files, and the rest I have electronically and can access from my laptop. One of the paralegals is working on the exhibit list, and that’s almost complete.” She looked over at Zach and Brodie, who had been incredibly quiet. “What do you guys think?”

“We’re going to protect you,” Zach said. “I don’t like you being a direct target, but you two make a good point. We can’t let a criminal organization determine who is going to be prosecuted or not. The legal system has to continue to function.”

“Zach’s right,” Brodie said. “You have the full support of the FBI. We’ll make sure security is airtight so you can push through and try this case.”

“Thanks, everyone. I really appreciate it.”

The doorbell rang, and the three men shot up out of their seats.

“Were you expecting someone?” Ian asked.

“No,” Zach said.

“I’ll go see who it is,” Brodie said. “Zach, you stay here with Jessica.”

Jessica could feel the tension mounting in the room. Was the person at the door there to try to finish the job? How would anyone have found her?

After a few moments she heard voices but couldn’t make out exactly what they were saying. A few more minutes passed, and then Brodie returned to the kitchen with a man in a gray suit by his side.

He was tall and dark-haired—and looking directly at her. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d seen him before, but she couldn’t place him.

“Hello, Ms. Hughes. We haven’t met, but I needed to come here to talk to you.”

“And you are?” she asked.

“I’m Detective Luke Hernandez.”