Denton scowled. "Your girlfriend's attorney. Guess it pays to be connected."

"Connected?" Jeremy didn't want to blow a chance to walk out free without having to involve BAD, but this just did not happen to him. "What are you talking about?"

The look Denton gave him was ripe with impatience. "Vincent DeMitri of the Ontario DeMitris. Cecelia's stepbrother, your squeeze's family? Any of that ring a bell?"

Slamming Jeremy in his solar plexus with a baseball bat would have been an easier blow to take. He'd heard of the DeMitris.

CeCe was part of a criminal organization?

"One more thing, Sunn," Denton said. "If I find out she does have the photo memory card we're looking for, you'll both be facing an indictment."

What memory card? Jeremy would ask, but Denton had dropped that little bomb for a reason, so he gave the FBI agent no response.

CeCe hadn't thrown him to the feds. She'd used her contacts to free him, but she was related to a racketeering family that had been entrenched in Ontario for decades. Jeremy knew a few things about the DeMitri bunch that had surfaced on a couple of investigations over five years ago.

He needed some time to figure out what the h.e.l.l was going on before he contacted BAD. Joe and his codirector, Tee, took care of their agents and would send help if he called, but Jeremy didn't want to pull them into his personal problems and he wanted answers before he faced anyone from BAD.

BAD would eventually hear about this and that the FBI had found a member of the DeMitri family at Jeremy's house half dressed early in the morning.

CeCe wasn't going anywhere until he got answers.

ALL C CECE COULD do was put one foot in front of the other and keep pace with Vinny's long stride toward the exit. Anger boiled off him like an invisible steam. She understood. More than being angry about the mess she was in, Vinny felt as though he'd failed her. He'd been all business the minute he walked into the interrogation room. She'd had to admit he was d.a.m.n good at what he did. do was put one foot in front of the other and keep pace with Vinny's long stride toward the exit. Anger boiled off him like an invisible steam. She understood. More than being angry about the mess she was in, Vinny felt as though he'd failed her. He'd been all business the minute he walked into the interrogation room. She'd had to admit he was d.a.m.n good at what he did.

She'd just never expected to need his services.

Vinny stepped ahead of her and opened the gla.s.s doors. She followed him into a gloomy overcast day that matched her mood.

Ten paces down the walkway she heard, "CeCe, wait up."

Vinny stiffened next to her, but she'd made a decision last night to stop letting everyone tell her how to live. Her family was going to have to accept her decisions, just as Jeremy would have to.

And she had to take responsibility for anything she did.

CeCe put a hand on Vinny's arm. "I need to talk to him." She turned around to find Jeremy closing in on her. She'd expected anger, but the disappointment ringing his gaze struck her harder than anger ever could have.

A strong breeze lifted the hem of her jacket, which she smoothed back in place. She'd run home and changed to a conservative pants suit before leaving with the FBI agents. Squaring her shoulders, she walked away from Vinny to meet Jeremy halfway.

"We need to talk," Jeremy started.

"No, I need to go pack up my house and move." She stood her ground, struggling not to give credit to the pain in his eyes. She'd changed her mind about asking Jeremy anything after walking out of the interrogation room. There was nothing he could say that would magically fix all this. Instead, she pointed out, "I asked you about your past."

Jeremy shook his head and released a snort of disbelief. "You're condemning me me for having a record when for having a record when you're you're a member of the DeMitri family?" a member of the DeMitri family?"

At that barked reply, Vinny pounded up next to CeCe who glared at him. "As her attorney, I'm advising her not to talk to you."

"As her attorney or her brother?" Jeremy snapped right back, anger boosting his sarcastic tone.

Before she could speak, Vinny added in a low and controlled voice, "As her brother, I'm advising you to walk away and never speak to her again if you like the way your face looks."

"Bring it on."

Vinny's chest expanded with a breath of fury. "Back down, a.s.shole."

"I'll back down if and when CeCe tells me to. Not for you or a hundred brothers just like you."

CeCe realized in that moment that Jeremy would not let anything or anyone stop him from getting to her when he was determined. That was the man she wanted. How could she love him so much when the same heart felt like it was tearing down the middle?

"Vinny, give me a minute, would you?" she asked. Wind batted loose hair around her face. She swiped a handful behind her ear and waited for her brother to move back, then she swung around to Jeremy. Before she could vent, Jeremy got in the first shot.

"You said you were all about honesty, but you you didn't say a word about being part of the DeMitri organization." didn't say a word about being part of the DeMitri organization."

CeCe jerked back at the accusation in his voice. "I'm not part of the organization. My mother married into the DeMitri family and I'm not going to apologize for that because they've always loved me like a sister and daughter. They understood when I moved here that it wasn't because I didn't love them. I just didn't love what they did. As for honesty, you didn't tell me you had an adult record and I asked you point blank."

"I told you-"

"-about a boosting conviction as a teenager." She fisted her hands at her hips. "Do you or do you not have a string of convictions that you've spent time in prison for?"

Jeremy locked his jaw shut to keep from trying to explain. He couldn't tell her how he'd ama.s.sed a criminal track record just for BAD or that since signing on with the agency he hadn't gotten a traffic ticket unless BAD had orchestrated the offense for a mission.

"Yes, and I can can explain, but not right now," Jeremy admitted softly. explain, but not right now," Jeremy admitted softly.

CeCe's throat muscles moved when she swallowed. Her bottom lip trembled until she clenched her jaw. "I moved here to get away from a life built on lies. And for your information the DeMitri men are good citizens, changing things in the organization-"

"That's enough, CeCe," Vinny interjected.

She nodded and glanced back up at Jeremy. "How can you expect me to understand any of this if you can't tell me the truth now? I didn't want to be around cr-" She stopped short before the next word came rolling out.

"Criminals," Jeremy finished for her. "I did my time and continue to pay my dues every day. You believe the men in your family are decent upstanding citizens but not me?"

"I'm not saying that..."

"But you're leaving... me."

"I don't want to live around... someone who can't tell me the truth." She lowered her eyes to her hands, unable to take any more of his tortured gaze.

"I never lied to you." Technically. He'd withheld some things, but he'd intended to explain more to her once he figured out how to do it and not expose BAD.

"Keeping something important from me is lying by omission."

"I can make the same accusation."

She nodded. "For what it's worth, I planned to explain everything... if..."

"If we stayed together." Jeremy checked to see that Vinny was still ten feet back then lowered his voice so that only CeCe heard his words. "You're right. I did keep something from you just like you kept things from me. But the difference is that I I understand why you did and am willing to give you a chance to explain." understand why you did and am willing to give you a chance to explain."

When she sucked her bottom lip in and didn't answer he took a fist to the heart. "I did withhold some things, but I need you to know one very important detail. I care about you, CeCe, and would never involve you in anything criminal or let anyone hurt you. I can explain everything on my record but, like I said, not right now."

Silence spun between them with a swirling wind that tossed her hair back and forth around her delicate shoulders.

He held his breath, begging for a break. Just once.

Tears clung to her eyelashes but not a one fell. "It's probably best that we don't speak again."

Her dismissal smashed that flickering hope he'd been clinging to. Hurt clawed up his chest and churned into anger, but he wouldn't unleash that on CeCe. He could never hurt her.

And she was still at risk until he figured out what was going on with Dorvan and Starface. Jeremy shoved his emotions into that dark hole they should have stayed in and dropped his professional mask into place.

"What do you know about the photo card the FBI is looking for?" he asked.

"Nothing."

He glanced over her shoulder at Vinny. CeCe followed his gaze then snapped her head back to face Jeremy.

She lifted her clenched fists and her chin, ready for battle. "My family is not not involved in this. Vinny told me so." involved in this. Vinny told me so."

What Jeremy wouldn't give for a woman who would stand up as confidently in support of him. He placed his hands gently over hers and said, "I believe you."

All the bl.u.s.ter dissipated at his easy acceptance. She opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something, but her brother's patience had expired.

"Let's go, CeCe." Vinny walked up and gently took her arm, tossing a brotherly warning glare at Jeremy.

CeCe glanced over her shoulder at Jeremy, telling him with one look how disappointed she was... in him. He couldn't get a word past the lump in his throat so he said nothing as she moved away with Vinny.

"Ready to go, J?" Blade strolled up.

"Sure." Jeremy swung around and followed Blade, sorting through all the facts and the unknown as he walked. He wanted to figure out what was going on with the feds before he left town to rejoin BAD. Blade might be able to help. "You know anything about a guy called Dorvan?"

Blade scratched his chin and stopped at the driver's side of his customized silver-blue Corvette that had started out as a 1972 model. "Not really."

Jeremy climbed in and waited to continue until Blade had cranked the engine and exited from the parking lot, just ahead of Vinny's dark sedan.

"You in a jam with this Dorvan, J?"

"I don't know," Jeremy admitted. "What about a guy named Starface? Has a birthmark shaped something like a star on the left side of his face."

"Funny you should mention him. Heard something on that one just yesterday." Blade leaned back, his long arms easily reaching the steering wheel. "He's in town for a score of some sort."

"Drugs?"

"Naw." Blade merged into Atlanta traffic heading north of Clairmont Road on Interstate 85. "n.o.body knows. Just happened to hear about him because of word that Ziggy Gambino has men here ahead of his arriving sometime this week. Speculation is he and Starface got something cooking, but no money moving yet."

Jeremy turned that around in his mind. Starface had been sent to prison for getting caught in a net that snagged some of Ziggy Gambino's men. Jeremy hadn't been involved in that case. He'd ended up in the same cellblock as Starface for another mission, but he'd learned that Ziggy wanted the family that had sold his operation to the feds. His little empire had taken a beating since then.

Ziggy was after payback, but when he hadn't retaliated in the first two years everyone a.s.sumed he wouldn't.

Was Starface helping Ziggy go after retribution?

How did photos fit into all of this?

Jeremy looked over at his driver. "I need a favor."

Blade just nodded. "Told you back in the pen when you stopped a guy from shoving a knife in my gut you never had to ask. Just tell me what you need."

Jeremy had contacts all over the country he could call on but had never expected to tap one so close to home. Blade's resources were in a limited geographic area, but he could find out anything on anyone in his circle. His body shop was totally legit and making money, but he still had close ties to those working under the radar of law enforcement.

"Starface is looking for a photo card of some sort," Jeremy explained. "Find out what's on it."

"You got it." Blade parked in Jeremy's driveway and left the car running.

"One more thing," Jeremy added before climbing out of the Corvette. "I need you to fix CeCe's fibergla.s.s base, but I'll pay for that. I'll have it ready for you to pick up tonight."

"You got it. Call you as soon as I have something."

"Thanks." Jeremy got out and glanced at CeCe's empty driveway. Was she already gone?

He unlocked his front door, went through the house and out to his garage. Might as well clean CeCe's base to get it ready while he killed time waiting to hear from Blade. He pressed the b.u.t.ton to open his garage door.

Vinny was pulling a dark sedan into CeCe's driveway.

Jeremy couldn't make his feet move to back out of sight. This might be the last time he saw her.

CeCe stepped out of the car and her gaze shot straight to Jeremy as if she, too, wanted a last look. Then she lowered her head and walked to her front door.

Vinny, on the other hand, headed for Jeremy's garage.

Jeremy s.n.a.t.c.hed up a shop rag and grabbed a can of acetone off a shelf and squatted down to clean her base.

"You're not going to try to find CeCe once she's gone, right?" Vinny said more as a statement than a question when he stepped inside the garage. Big brother issuing warnings.

"Get out of my garage."

"I want to talk to you." Vinny said that in the most reasonable, let's-just-talk voice.

"What the f.u.c.k do you want?" Jeremy wasn't in a reasonable, let's-just-talk mood. He soaked the rag then rubbed the top of the fibergla.s.s. Acetone fumes burned his throat on each clenched-jaw breath.

"To clear up something. I'm not her keeper. My family loves CeCe and we're all trying to give her what she wants."

When Jeremy didn't comment Vinny went on. "None of us were happy about her moving away from the family where we couldn't easily protect her, but she's had her mind set to do this for a long time."

"Why are you telling me this?" Jeremy paused in his cleaning.

"To let you know we will will do whatever it takes to make her happy and keep her safe, even from bad choices." do whatever it takes to make her happy and keep her safe, even from bad choices."

"You worried about her hanging around a criminal?" Jeremy shot a sarcastic eyebrow up at her brother. "Considering how she grew up that ought to make her feel warm and fuzzy, right?"

"You don't get it, do you?"

"Guess not." Returning to the cleaning job, Jeremy said, "Why don't you explain it to me?"