Vince chuckled as she closed the door behind her. “Always had a thing for nurses in uniform. It’s gonna be really screwed up when Father Vince stops on the way out and asks her if she’d like to come by my hotel so I can play doctor and examine her from the inside out.”
I pressed the button to lift the head of the bed, anxious not to feel at such a big physical disadvantage in a room alone with Vince Ginocassi.
“How you feeling?” he asked.
“Like I got shot in the back,” I grumbled, adjusting my posture to sit straighter. “Didn’t expect to see you here. There were a lot of cops around yesterday, and they said they’d be back today since I didn’t remember anything.”
“Came to thank you personally for taking a bullet for my daughter. You were pretty impressive. Looked like a Secret Service man protecting our dumb-ass president.”
“How do you know what I looked like?”
He pointed to the TV hanging on the wall. “It’s all over the boob tube. Some kid carrying a skateboard was filming a prank they were about to pull on one of the vendors, and they accidentally caught the whole shooting on video—you covering Juliette with your body. If you hadn’t done that…” He shook his head and swallowed before meeting my eyes. “I appreciate it, Wes.”
“Just doing my job.”
“Maybe, but there’ll be a fat envelope waiting for you when you get out of here, help take care of all your pain and suffering.”
“I’m not sure I’m going to be able to protect Juliette for a while.”
“Already put two of my best guys on her. You take your time recovering, and then we’ll talk.” He gripped his hips. “What did the cops have to say?”
“The usual.” I shrugged. “Asked me questions—what I saw, if I knew why someone might want to shoot at me.”
“And you said…”
“Nothing. Didn’t see anything. Don’t know anything. They said they’d come back today to see if my memory improved.”
“It better not.”
It was difficult to not roll my eyes. “I know what I’m doing.”
“I don’t want the cops finding whoever tried to hurt my daughter before I do. Whatever punishment they’d give him won’t be nearly enough. I’m going to make that fucker regret the day he was born, one chopped-off finger and toe at a time. Did you get a look at the guy?”
For a few heartbeats, I considered telling him the truth, that I might’ve gotten a look at the shooter a few minutes before all hell broke loose. I wanted the guy who had tried to hurt Juliette to pay, too. But something stopped me from letting Vince dole out the punishment. I shook my head. “I didn’t see anyone. Wish I had.”
“You think of something that could help track this dead man down, you come to me, not the cops. Understood?”
I felt like punching this asshole, yet I had to swallow every ounce of my pride. “Of course. How long you in town for?”
“At least a few days.”
“What about the meeting at the rooster?”
Vince’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know where the meeting was supposed to be held?”
Shit.My heart started to race, and I hoped it didn’t show up on the monitors I was attached to. My captain had told me about the rooster, not Vince, and Juliette had explained where it was. I had no choice but to bluff. “You called to tell me about the meeting and said not to let Juliette out on Friday, remember? What is the rooster anyway? A bar or something?”
Vince rubbed his chin, and his eyes went out of focus. It looked like he was trying to think back to our conversation. I held my breath until he finally nodded. “Yeah, all right.”
Relief flooded me. I needed to be more careful in the future. Vince and I talked for a few minutes and then the door to my room swung open again. I froze when I got a look at the man standing in the doorway. Fuck.Chief Olson. He stepped into the room, and his head swiveled between Vince and me. No recognition or look of surprise registered on his face. If I didn’t know better, I would’ve sworn Olson didn’t know who the guy standing at my bedside was.
“Sorry to interrupt.” Chief Olson held up a hand. “I didn’t realize you had a visitor.” He smiled at Vince. “I’m Detective Olson from the LAPD. Just came to see if Mr. Callahan remembers anything from yesterday. Sometimes we get lucky after a victim has had a chance to settle down, and details resurface. But if now isn’t a good time, I can come back later.”
Vince seemed barely able to contain his amusement. “It’s all right. He’s all yours. I’ve got a nurse I need to discuss something withanyway.” He winked at me, looking like the cat that swallowed a canary, and leaned down to whisper in my ear. “Dumb fucks.”
Of course, thedumb fuckwas Vince. But he left my room smiling like the devil himself. Chief Olson watched him walk down the hall before shutting the door.
“Ignorance really is bliss, huh?” He chuckled. “Unless that guy is one hell of an actor, he had no clue that I’ve got an eight-by-ten glossy of him hanging in my squad room, along with the rest of his buddies.”
