Читать книгу Hideaway At Hawk's Landing - Rita Herron - Страница 13
ОглавлениеBrayden studied Mila as Lucas left the interrogation room. Some clients were desperate enough to pour out their story immediately.
Others took finessing. Especially if they were afraid.
And this woman was frightened of something...
Hoping to put her ease, he claimed the chair across from her and adopted a soothing voice. “Dr. Manchester, I agreed to talk to you because Charlotte is concerned about you.” He softened his voice. “She believes in you, and Lucas and I both believe in Charlotte.”
The woman’s face twisted with emotions.
“Anything you tell me is confidential. But if I’m going to represent you, you need to explain your side of the story.”
She rubbed her forehead, then looked down at her hands on the table.
“Please talk to me,” Brayden said quietly.
Dr. Manchester sighed warily. “I already told you that I don’t know where they were taking DiSanti.”
Brayden let the silence stretch for a moment. “They didn’t mention a city or town?”
She shook her head no. “I’m sorry. I...don’t know what else to tell you.”
“Stop giving me the runaround,” Brayden said, his voice firmer. “Did you know who DiSanti was when you performed plastic surgery on him?”
Fear flashed in her eyes.
“You did,” he said, reading her reaction. “But you helped him anyway.”
She averted her gaze, then massaged her forehead again with a shaky hand.
“We know DiSanti has amassed a fortune,” he continued. “Is that the reason you did it? For the money?”
Her troubled gaze jerked to his, but she bit her lip and didn’t answer.
“Charlotte insists you do good work, that you donate your time and expertise to help people, especially children, in trouble.” He raised a brow. “That description doesn’t fit with you giving someone like DiSanti a new identity.”
Dr. Manchester pressed a fist to her mouth and breathed heavily.
“Help me out here, Doc. I’m trying to understand.”
“No one can understand,” Dr. Manchester said, a warble to her voice.
“I might if you talk to me.” Dammit, he wanted to believe her. Wanted her to be the person Charlotte described.
“Did he donate money to the clinic in exchange for a new face?”
She shook her head, misery darkening her eyes.
Brayden’s patience was wearing thin. “Did you owe him for some reason?”
She twisted her hands together.
“Come on, Dr. Manchester, I can’t help you if you don’t confide in me.” He racked his brain for answers, then it hit him. “You’re afraid. Did DiSanti and his people threaten you?”
* * *
MILA WANTED TO spill the entire story and assure him that she despised DiSanti and his men, that she’d never do anything to help them. That the entire time she’d been operating on him she’d felt sick to her stomach.
Most of all, she wanted to beg Brayden Hawk to check on her daughter.
But what if DiSanti’s men were watching?
According to the news, the police suspected DiSanti had a local contact in Tumbleweed. Who knew how many he had in Austin?
Or who they were. He might have contacts right here in the FBI or at the local police department.
She didn’t know whom to trust.
Brayden leaned across the table and pierced her with those blue eyes, eyes that were ice-cold. “Talk to me, Doc.”
She chose her words carefully. “I wish I could tell you what you want to hear, Mr. Hawk, but I can’t.”
He cleared his throat. “Please call me Brayden. If you’re concerned I’ll tell the FBI, you don’t have to be. As your attorney, I’m bound by attorney-client privilege.”
Maybe she should talk to him. If he understood, he’d send someone to see if Izzy was okay. “He’s your brother. How do I know this isn’t a trap?”
The ice in his eyes hardened. “Because I’m a man of my word. I chose law to help people.” He leaned closer. “And I think you’re scared and that you need a friend right now.”
Emotions swelled inside her at the compassion in his voice.
She opened her mouth to speak, but the door opened and Agent Hawk appeared again. This time another man in an expensive three-piece suit stood beside him. “Excuse me,” Agent Hawk said, “but Mr. Polk, Dr. Manchester’s attorney, is here.”
The suited man strode into the room, his skin pale, his dark glare intimidating. “Dr. Manchester, don’t say another word.”
Mila bit her lip. Brayden Hawk frowned and glanced at the man, then back at her. Suspicion took root in his expression, then a flash of anger.
She gripped the chair edge with sweaty fingers.
“Dr. Manchester, is Mr. Polk your attorney?” Brayden asked.
Mila barely stifled a scream of protest. But the attorney shot her a warning look, and she refrained.
“Is he your attorney?” Agent Hawk asked.
She blinked back tears and nodded. But she couldn’t look at Brayden. She had a bad feeling that Polk worked for DiSanti and Brayden knew it.
Worse, he hadn’t come to help her. He’d come to make sure she kept her mouth shut about DiSanti.
* * *
BRAYDEN STOOD, SHOULDERS RIGID, debating how to handle the situation. Dammit, he’d been making headway with Mila Manchester until this lawyer showed up. He’d seen the agony on her face when she’d looked at those pictures and was inclined to believe Charlotte.
Dr. Manchester had been coerced into performing surgery on DiSanti. That was the only explanation that fit.
And he had no doubt that Polk had been sent by DiSanti to protect DiSanti’s interests.
Mila looked terrified of the man.
He didn’t want to leave her alone with him, but unless she spoke up, he’d have to.
Lucas cleared his throat. “We’ll let you talk.”
He opened the door and gestured for Brayden to leave.
“What the hell?” Brayden said as they walked down the hall.
Lucas ushered him into a small office next to the interrogation room.
“You know that man is not her attorney,” Brayden said. “DiSanti sent him to keep her from talking.”
Lucas ran a hand through his hair. “Probably so. But unless she orders him to get lost or decides to answer our questions, there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.”
He and his brother locked stubborn gazes. “Can’t you charge Polk with being an accomplice or something?”
Lucas gave him a wry look. “Not without probable cause or evidence. And we have nothing on the man.”
“Then find something,” Brayden said. “Because you can’t leave Mila alone with him or release her in his custody. He may be the one threatening her.”
Lucas narrowed his eyes. “Did she tell you that she was threatened?”
Brayden clamped his mouth closed, frustrated. She hadn’t actually said so, but he’d seen the fear in her eyes.
“You know I can’t divulge anything she revealed to me in private.”
“Right.” Their gazes locked again, both at a standstill.
Brayden pasted on his poker face. If he wanted Mila to trust him, he had to prove he was trustworthy.
And that meant honoring Mila’s confidence.
If he’d only had five more minutes with her...
“What are you going to do?” Brayden asked his brother.
Lucas scowled. “Find out everything I can on Polk before tomorrow.”
“What about tonight?” Brayden asked.
“She’ll have to spend the night locked up,” Lucas said. “Maybe some time in a cell will persuade her to talk. If not, and Polk returns tomorrow to bail her out, I’ll have to release her.”
“She’ll face charges?”
Lucas nodded. “Yes. It may be the only leverage we have.”
God, he hated to see Mila Manchester spend the night in jail. But at least she’d be safe from that bastard DiSanti.
Meanwhile, maybe Lucas could dig up some dirt on Polk, hopefully enough to arrest him and keep him away from Mila.
* * *
MILA’S STOMACH KNOTTED as Polk settled into the chair across from her. His tight lips and beady eyes made her want to scream for help from Brayden Hawk.
At least she’d thought Brayden was sincere.
She’d promised to raise Izzy and keep her safe, but she couldn’t do that in prison.
“You work for him, don’t you?” she asked in a low whisper.
A sinister smile crept onto his face. “What did you tell them?”
She guessed that was her answer. “Nothing.”
His thick brows shot up. “Nothing? Are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” she said. “I have no idea how they learned he was at my clinic.”
“You didn’t tip off that nurse to call them?”
“No.” Anger made her voice hard. “I did exactly what I was told. Now, where is my daughter? Is she safe?”
He made a low sound in his throat. “What did you think would happen to her when you tried to escape at the clinic?”
Her stomach roiled, tears choking her. She shook her head in denial. They couldn’t have hurt her little girl; she had to be all right. Izzy was her whole life.
“Where is she?” she said through gritted teeth. “Did your people hurt her? Because if you did, what’s to stop me from talking to the FBI?”
“Now, now, just calm down,” the man said in a condescending tone. “Your daughter is safe. At least for now.”
Her breath rushed out. She hated this man and DiSanti with every fiber of her being. “She’s an innocent little girl,” Mila whispered. “Please don’t harm her. She has nothing to do with this.”
“But she’s important to you,” Polk said sharply. “So, if you want her to celebrate her next birthday, then you’ll cooperate.”
“I already did,” Mila said. “I performed the damn surgery. DiSanti has his new face, so leave me and my daughter alone.”
“You said yourself that there’s a risk of infection. Your services may be needed for recovery.”
He stood, and ran his hand over his diamond-chip tie clip. “I will be back tomorrow to post bond. Meanwhile, you are not to tell anyone about our conversation. And you won’t discuss DiSanti.”
He strode to the door and turned back to face her, his look ominous. “Remember what I said. Your daughter has lovely eyes and hair, Dr. Manchester. And a perfect face for now. Wouldn’t you hate for something to happen to change that?”
Cold terror shot through Mila. She pressed her hand over her mouth to stifle a scream as he walked out and shut the door behind him.
* * *
BRAYDEN DID NOT want to leave Mila locked up in that cell tonight. For all they knew, DiSanti had someone on the inside who might try to hurt her to keep her from talking.
Unless Polk had threatened her into silence.
“Let me talk to her one more time,” he said to Lucas.
“She has an attorney,” Lucas said tightly. “And you seem to be forgetting that she’s a criminal.”
“Not if she was coerced.” Brayden gritted his teeth. “For God sakes, Lucas, don’t be such a hard-ass. Your own wife asked me to represent her.”
“I’m doing this for my wife and those girls at Mother’s and all the other teens and women DiSanti has forced into sexual slavery.”
Brayden silently counted to ten to gather his composure. On the surface, he knew Lucas was right.
But there were extenuating circumstances.
“She was on the verge of talking to me,” Brayden said. “Give me one more shot.”
A muscle ticked in his brother’s jaw. “All right. Five minutes. But then I take her to a holding cell. Maybe a night in lockup will persuade her she needs to come clean.”
Brayden agreed. What else could he do?
Lucas escorted him to the interrogation room, his expression grim. If she agreed to accept Polk’s help as her attorney, his brother’s hands were tied, too.
Brayden forced a neutral expression as he entered the room. The moment he saw the tears in Mila’s eyes though, he nearly lost it.
Ever since he’d represented his friend, who’d been wrongly convicted, and gotten him off, he’d earned a reputation for fighting for the underdog.
Mila Manchester might be fooling him. Those tears could be due to the fact that she was upset about getting caught.
Or they were out of fear.
He crossed the room and claimed the chair across from her. “I don’t think you wanted to perform plastic surgery on DiSanti, Dr. Manchester,” he said quietly. “But I need you to tell me exactly what happened.”
Emotions twisted her face, and she averted her gaze from his.
“If you’re being coerced, I’ll protect you.”
She looked down at her hands, then lifted her head and her gaze met his. Emotions warred in her eyes. “Thank you, Mr. Hawk, but you can’t help me. Mr. Polk is my attorney.”
He studied her for a long minute, frustrated because he sensed she wanted his help, and that she needed it. But as Lucas said, their hands were tied.
He sighed, then stood. “All right. If you change your mind, let me know.”
She stared at the card he laid on the table, but didn’t pick it up. He waited another minute, hoping she’d change her mind, but she dropped her gaze to her hands again and remained silent.
Those hands had given DiSanti a new face so he could escape and continue spearheading the Shetland operation.
The man was despicable and needed to be put away.
If he was wrong about Dr. Manchester, she deserved to be prosecuted, as well.
Still, his gut churned as he left the room.
