Jessica bit her bottom lip. She needed this man’s help. Michael needed his help. She had to trust someone. She took a deep breath and pressed forward, knowing full well that there was no going back once she had stepped over the line. “Michael called me a few days ago and told me that he was in serious trouble. He didn’t go into details, but he asked me for help. We got cut off before we could finish our conversation. He sounded desperate, and I’ve been really worried about him ever since.” She paused and looked away, then a moment later brought her eyes back to meet Dominic’s once again. “I don’t know where he is, but I have a cell phone number for him. I got the impression from some of the things he said that he’s in the Tallahassee area, but I’m not sure. In the past, if I needed to contact him, I left him a message on his cell and he would always call me back, usually within an hour or so. Since I got that last call from him though, I’ve left a message every day, but he still hasn’t called me back. I don’t know what to think.”
Dominic stood. “Does he normally call you back at your home number or on a cell?”
“Could be either, but I keep the cell charged and with me at all times, just in case.”
“Good. Pack a bag. You’re coming with me, and bring that cell phone and a charger with you.”
Jessica stood, confused. “Where are we going?”
“To a safe house. I’m not taking any chances with you. Once you’re protected, we’ll have you call Michael with a frantic message of your own. When he calls, we’ll use our equipment to trace his call and discover his location.”
“You’re not going to hurt him, are you?”
Dominic grimaced. “I don’t want to hurt him, Ms. Blake, and neither do the people I work with, but he will be arrested. Michael is a fugitive, and it’s my job to bring him in. Does he carry a gun?”
“He was carrying a pistol like yours the last time I saw him, but that was a long time ago. He’s always liked hunting and is pretty good with a rifle.” She came up to Dominic, stopping only inches away, and gave him a beseeching look. “I want to be with you when you arrest him. I want to make sure he’s okay.”
Dominic immediately shook his head. “That’s not how it’s done, Ms. Blake. You could get hurt or caught in the middle.”
Jessica’s eyes narrowed. “Then I’m not calling him,” she said defiantly. “You need to meet my terms, Deputy. I have to be there. That’s all there is to it.”
“You’re pushing too hard, Ms. Blake. I can let you talk to him after we have him in custody. That’s the best I can do.”
Jessica clenched her fists. “He’s my brother,” she said icily, her voice filled with determination. “If you can’t meet my terms, then I’ll go it alone.”
“You don’t know what you’re saying,” Dominic said roughly. “You have no idea how unscrupulous your enemy really is. You don’t stand a chance without my help, and if you think about it, really think about it, you’ll know that I’m right. If you try going it alone, you’ll be dead in three days. That’s a guarantee.” He lowered his voice, his eyes intense. “You’re really not in a position to be demanding anything, Ms. Blake. But I work with a good group of deputies. We always do our best to make our arrests in the safest way possible, for the suspect and for the deputies. I told you I’m a man of my word, and I meant it. I give you my word that we’ll be as easy on him as we can. Our goal is to have him testify against Coastal. That company has been distributing counterfeit medicine on a huge scale, and from what we know so far, Michael was right in the thick of it. We want him on our side.”
Jessica’s eyes rounded. “What if he won’t agree to go on your side?”
“Then he’ll end up in prison, but at least he won’t disappear without a trace or be murdered in the street. You’ll know he’s alive.”
Jessica knew Dominic was right, but that didn’t make it any easier to accept what he was saying. Oh, what she would give to start this day over! She looked into his stormy gray eyes and saw strength and professionalism, and she knew down deep that her choices were few. She sighed.
“All right, Marshal. I’ll pack a bag.” She grimaced, the full impact of his words weighing heavy on her mind. “How long should I plan on being away from my house?”
“Figure four or five days or so for now. If we need to, we’ll find a washing machine somewhere.” Dominic stepped back, looking relieved that she had agreed to work with him. He stood over her shoulder, watching her pack a duffle bag as if he expected her to change her mind at any moment and run. Well, if that was what he expected, he was in for a surprise. If the marshal was going to bring her brother in, then she wasn’t going to let anything stop her from being by his side when it happened. Michael was going to live through this. She’d make sure of it.
And she’d work with whoever she had to in order to make it happen.
THREE
“So where is this safe house of yours?” Jessica asked quietly. Dominic was relieved to hear her speak. They had been driving for almost twenty minutes, but she hadn’t said a word since they left her house. Her hands had been constantly in motion, however, and he’d seen her move a small, silver ring from finger to finger at least a dozen times.
“We’re almost there,” he assured her. “And in case you’re wondering, you’re doing the right thing.”
She glanced out the window again, then turned and looked thoughtfully at the deputy. “I hope you’re right.” She bit her bottom lip. “What do you know about Michael? Tell me more about what he’s gotten himself into.”
Dominic straightened. “The charges against him are interstate counterfeiting medicine and conspiracy.”
Jessica sighed heavily. “And you said all this happened in Atlanta?”
“That’s right.” Jessica winced and touched the sore on her head again. “But you said you were a U.S. Marshal. Why is a marshal interested in Michael? I thought you guys took care of the witness protection program and courthouse security, that kind of thing.”
Dominic nodded. “We do those things, but we also collaborate with the FBI and other governmental agencies on certain cases and track down interstate fugitives. Michael was able to arrange a bond, but then he disappeared. We want him back.”
“Well, what does counterfeiting medicine actually mean? I’ve never heard of that type of crime.”
“It can mean a lot of different things. In this case, Michael has been working for a pharmaceutical company named Coastal Pharmaceuticals for about the last two years. Coastal owns several pharmacies in and around Atlanta, but they are also one of the major distributors in the business, and they supply medicines throughout the eastern seaboard. Apparently someone at Coastal has been diluting medicines, repackaging them and then selling the new bottles for profit.”
“And the FBI thinks Michael is responsible?”
“If he isn’t, then he knows who is,” Dominic answered, his tone matter-of-fact. The district attorney had indicted four men in the Coastal case. Their first arrest had been Don Levine, a former Coastal employee, and when squeezed, Levine had pointed to Michael, Ross Kelley, who was Coastal’s CEO, and Jeff Martin, Kelley’s right-hand man, as the three other conspirators. A few days after the indictments had been handed down, Levine had been viciously murdered. Although the marshals didn’t suspect Michael for the murder, they did believe that he had been a major player in the counterfeiting, just as Levine had suggested. The district attorney had leaned heavily on Levine’s testimony for the indictments, and without him, the AG wasn’t sure he could convict the other players. When Michael had been arrested, he had refused to talk to the feds, but when he had disappeared