He pulled out a small pad and pen. “Please have a seat. Can you state your name?”
“Cindy Jones.”
“Must have been scary, Cindy. I won’t take up much of your time. Just need to know if you were familiar with the alleged perpetrator.”
Ma sat and I took a seat next to her, holding her hand.
“Itwaspretty scary. And I’m familiar with one of them. I didn’t know the rest. Jeannie.”
“Jeannie?” he asked. “Last name?”
She squeezed my hand so I squeezed back.
“Jeannie Thomas, I think. But that may not be her real name.”
“That’s fine. We’ll figure it out. Can you describe her? That’s a common name.”
Ma was very vague, but answered his questions enough to satisfy him.
After he wrote his final notes, he tapped his pen on the pad. “Right. We’ll get on this. Please don’t go far. Special AgentAntonov will be here in a few hours. I’ll be just outside, but here’s my card. You can text me if you think of anything else. And please let me know when your wife wakes up.”
Once the agent left, I stood up. “What the fuck were you thinking, Niko?”
“Not to worry,” he said, unbuttoning his blazer. “Antonov is a close personal friend. His parents dine at our restaurant regularly. His father is retired FBI.”
“So they’ll sweep this under the rug? What about this guy?”
“I told him he’ll get two big busts– well, if he can figure out how Josephine is federal and not state.”
Shaking my head, I wiped my hand down my face. Looking down, I realized it was still stained with Kat’s blood.
“Did they save the women?” I asked.
“I think he’s in the air already, but we’ll get more info from Antonov soon. I’m not familiar with this agent so I don’t want to press our luck.”
Blowing out a heavy sigh, I crossed my arms. “Never thought I’d be making a deal with the Feds. Pops would be rolling over in his grave if he wasn’t cremated.”
Niko shrugged. “We’ve arranged favors before. It’s nothing more than business. Don’t be so serious.”
Ma stood and came over. “Look, there was no way to clear all of that, get her here, and save those women. I hate to admit it, but Niko found your get-out-of-jail card. These local boys would love to stick it to an operation like ours. They’dmake an example of you.”
“Plus, you didn’t make a deal,” Niko said as he stood and came over. “I did. But Iwillneed that recording from Keys.”
Nodding, I said, “I’ll text him.”
He put his hand on my shoulder. “This isn’t on your hands. But I solved a problem. And now my sister won’t be alone.”
“I’ll hand over that recording, but I have a condition. I need them to right a wrong.”
Chapter 38
Katarina
A familiar woodsy scent hit my nose, mixed with the antiseptic smell of a hospital room, and a warm body was at my side. Cracking my eyes open, I drew in a deep breath and a sharp pain pinched in my chest.
Hawk’s arm was draped across my stomach and my stirring must have woken him.
“Kitty Kat,” he said, low and gravelly.
