“Like you?” Was she asking if he loved her? Did he?
“I mean that you want to protect me too.” Her breath was raspy as she corrected her words. He’d think about the other later.
“Yes, I promised your father. But I’d do it even if hehadn’t asked.”
“I understand that. But I don’t want youto smother me.”
“No smothering. Got it.”
Her sassy smile got his heart thumping harder than ever. Damn her. “Hmm, I’m taking back that promise not to smother.”
“But—”
“We’ve got a little time. I’m going to use it to smother you with kisses.”
Her eyes lit up as she reached for his face. “Well, in that case, go right ahead.”
* * * *
“We’re here to see Tony Pascucci.” Jack’s deep baritone made the mocha-skinned beauty at the desk look up and smile.
“Do you have an appointment?”
Shit, had they come all this way only to be turned away? Scott had tons of other things he could be doing today instead of driving down to Jersey to meet with the guy who’d been Victor Cabrini’s right-hand man. That included being with Heather and making sure she was fine. Her thick shell of protection had come back strong, and she’d practically kicked him out when he wanted to hang out at her office. She wasn’t quite steady after having her house explode last week, though, no matterwhat she said.
“No,” Jack answered, his smile growing. “But he’ll see me. Tell him Jack Holland is here.”
The woman spoke into her phone softly then nodded her head. “Mr. Pascucci’s office is at the end of the hallon your right.”
“Do you trust this guy?”
Jack’s smile slipped. “No, not really, but he did save Callie and me from Cabrini. And I’ve had some friends from the Bureau check on him. It seems he’s trying to make sure any of the companies that survived the criminal sweep stay legit.”
After a quick tap on the door and a call to enter, they walked into a large office where the dark-haired man sat. His expression was pleasant if not a bit surprised. He stood as they walked in farther.
“Holland, this is a nice surprise. Tell me you’ve decided to take me up on my offer of a job.”
Jack shook the man’s hand. “No, but I’ve got something I could use your help with.”
“Of course. Have a seat.”
After sitting, Jack began, “This is my cousin, Scott. He and a partner recently bought a mill building they planned to renovate. They’ve had quite a few problems crop up along the way. Victor’s name happened to pop up as possibly owning the building previously.”
Pascucci looked thoughtful. “Victor owned many properties along the eastern seaboard for a variety of reasons. Where is this one located?”
“Prescott Street in Menatuck, Connecticut,”Scott supplied.
“Menatuck. That doesn’t ring any bells, but then I wasn’t in charge of stuff like that. A lot of the warehouses and mills were used for supplies and stolen goods. Hold on. Let me check something.”
As he clicked away on his computer, Jack shot him a curious look. “You still have information on Cabrini’s holdings?”
Looking up, Pascucci grinned. “Sure. The Feds took most of the computers and drives that belonged to Victor’s companies, but there might have been a few they missed.” He winked at them. “Information is a precious commodity, my friend. It’s always good to have as much as possible.”
A minute later, he tapped the screen. “Yes, Menatuck. Victor used that building for supplies and stolen goods he got from some of the Boston syndicate. Had it under someone else’s name so it wasn’t traced back to him. Typical practice.”
“You have no dealings with that building anymore?” Jack asked.
“No, looks like it was emptied afew years ago.”
