As much as he wanted to reassure her, she needed the truth.
“The FBI in Chicago feel you’re in danger, Violet. You’ve been digging into Mafia business. The mob silences anyone who comes too close.”
A terrible visual flashed though Clay’s mind. Swallowing the bile that instantly filled his throat, Clay blinked twice, relieved to find a flesh-and-blood and very much unharmed Violet standing in front of him.
Clay noted her drawn drapes, needing to turn his focus back to security issues instead of the way his pulse quickened whenever he was near her.
PROTECTING THE WITNESSES:
New identities, looming danger and forever love in the Witness Protection Program.
Twin Targets—Marta Perry, January 2010
Killer Headline—Debby Giusti, February 2010
Cowboy Protector—Margaret Daley, March 2010
Deadly Vows—Shirlee McCoy, April 2010
Fatal Secrets—Barbara Phinney, May 2010
Risky Reunion—Lenora Worth, June 2010
DEBBY GIUSTI
is a medical technologist who loves working with test tubes and petri dishes almost as much as she loves to write. Growing up as an army brat, Debby met and married her husband—then a captain in the army—at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Together they traveled the world, raised three wonderful army brats of their own and have now settled in Atlanta, Georgia, where Debby spins tales of suspense that touch the heart and soul. Contact Debby through her Web site, www.DebbyGiusti.com, e-mail [email protected], or write c/o Steeple Hill, 233 Broadway, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10279.
Killer Headline
Debby Giusti
MILLS & BOON
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Special thanks and acknowledgment to Debby Giusti for her contribution to the Protecting the Witnesses miniseries.
I lift up my eyes to the mountains:
From where shall come my help?
My help shall come from the Lord
Who made heaven and earth.
—Psalms 121:1-2
To my precious family
For your love, support and encouragement
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
PROLOGUE
MEMO: TOP SECRET/TOP PRIORITY
To: FBI Organized Crime Division; U.S. Marshals Office
From: Jackson McGraw, Special Agent-in-Charge, Chicago Field Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Date: February 5, 2010
Re: Operation Black Veil
According to the FBI informant who wears a black veil and has recently come forward, the medical condition of the head of Chicago’s Martino crime family, Salvatore Martino, continues to decline. The family’s operation is now run by his son, Vincent Martino, currently out on bail and scheduled to stand trial for murder in June.
Activity within the family compound has increased significantly. Many of the major capos have visited Vincent at his Chicago home. Speculation on the street is that Vincent needs to prove himself to his father before the elder don dies. Whether the capos are paying allegiance to their new don or planning a change in their current operation is not known at this time.
The U.S. Marshals Office in Billings, Montana, notified the FBI concerning two women in Witness Protection murdered within the last month. Both had green eyes and ties to organized crime. Their deaths indicate growing Mafia activity in that state and may have been botched attempts to kill Eloise Hill, presumed to be in Montana. Hill has green eyes and testified against Salvatore Martino twenty-two years ago, resulting in his incarceration.
A Missoula news reporter contacted Detective Clay West, Chicago P.D., seeking information on the Martino family in reference to the murders. Action is now being taken to ensure the reporter focuses her interests elsewhere.
Law-enforcement personnel are instructed to notify SAC Jackson McGraw, FBI Chicago, with information pertinent to the Martino family, organized crime and/or the two murder cases.
ONE
Reporter Violet Kramer looked up from her laptop—relieved the drapes were drawn and the doors locked—as the car passed her house yet again. The sound of the souped-up engine and pounding bass cut through the otherwise still night.
A gang of rowdy troublemakers had moved into Missoula, prowling the streets and bringing a wave of crime that worried local residents, especially the older folks who lived in her neighborhood. Concerned though Violet was about the increased crime, her attention tonight was focused on her computer screen and the information she’d compiled over the last few weeks.
Violet could smell a good story, and this one was as strong as Limburger cheese. She just had to keep digging until she uncovered all the bits and pieces that would turn a good beginning into a great front-page spread, sure to improve her current odd-man-out status at the Missoula Daily News.
Even more important, the story would warn other women who might be in danger. Women who had somehow tangled with organized crime. Like Ruby Summers Maxwell and Carlie Donald, both murdered in Montana. Both young and attractive with the dubious distinction of having testified against the mob.
Another interesting similarity, both women had green eyes. An important clue or coincidence? Violet wasn’t sure.
She