Page 42 of Bulletproof Baby

"We can't talk about this now. I'm entertaining. It's fucking Friday night and I haven't gotten laid?—"

I hold my hand up to stop her. "I don't need to know anything about my little sister's sex life."

She grabs me by the chin, tipping my face up toward the light, raising an eyebrow. "Right, whereas you get to walk around wearing yours on your face. Again, Val? Is it going to be as bad as the last time?"

"No." I swat her hand away from me. "I need you to be careful tomorrow. Armande's bringing them to the office. He's using the underground parking garage to bring them to the back door of that conference room. You have to use the same way to get in and out. I have no idea if Caputo has eyes on the family. I mean, he should, considering he's kidnapped Lia. Your friend is still coming, right?"

"Yes, I am," a voice says from down the hall.

Cecilia's shoulders sag. "Come out, Jeff."

I shake my head as the slender man emerges from her bedroom in a pair of my sister's pajama pants.

"Agent Jeff Darwin—" Cecilia begins her introductions but I stop her, holding my hand up.

"No, we're not meeting right now. Especially not with him wearing that. You're simply granting him access to my office space. Be nice to the Bonetti family. Take good care of them. The conversations and evidence of kidnapping will be waiting for you in that office. I can have Lia meet with you afterward. Are you sure that you can take them into protective custody right away?"

Agent Jeff nods, but there's a twitch of hesitation in his eyes.

"What?" I ask him.

"Keeping this as quiet as we have, I spoke with my superior and there's only enough in the budget for the parents. Technically, the crimes that are happening are only happening to the parents, so they're the ones going into custody. We're already doing a lot by overlooking the manslaughter on their part. Honestly, if Saint Bartholomew's wasn't one of the cardinal's favorite churches of the archdiocese, we'd be digging up those pilings to drag that body out. There are some political motivations behind this?—"

"I'm not here to discuss what you want to do or could have done to maintain relationships. I'm here to make sure that the Bonetti family is safe from Saul Caputo. He's kidnapped Lia and once she's released, you need to take her into custody with her parents," I argue with the agent, but I can see Cecilia's eyes growing wide with concern.

"Listen, Barrone," Jeff says, "we can appreciate Lia Bonetti's predicament. Yes, kidnapping is the FBI's jurisdiction, but the larger case against Saul Caputo falls under RICO. Have her parents actually called in the kidnapping?"

"No," I admit. "I don't think they received the message yet. They probably won't until tomorrow morning. By then, they should be with you and I should have my team in place to rescue her."

"See? Look at you, CEO of Barten, using your company's resources for the benefit of a young woman in dire straits. Negotiating a kidnapping is just going to muck up the FBI's case against Caputo. If you have a body at the end of it, then great. We'll add the extra murder to the indictment and mention it was the result of a botched ransom delivery. But if Lia's alive, then you can hide her. She doesn't have enough to go into WITSEC."

Anger bubbles as Cecilia jumps between us. She tries reasoning with me. "I know you wouldn't have done all of this if she weren't going to be protected, Valley. I'm just finding this out now."

"I just found this out," Jeff admits, mumbling under his breath. "That's how I ended up here. Came as soon as I got off work. My higher ups aren't going to protect anyone but the parents. To be honest, I had to fight to get the husband in on it too since technically he didn't do anything but mishandle a dead body."

"Thanks for the heads up, Cecilia."

"Valley"—her tone is one of disappointment—"you know this is not my fault. I'm doing everything I can."

"I can see that. You two enjoy your night." I tip my head to them and walk out of my sister's condo.

I have work to do. The sun's going to rise before I finish gathering all the evidence I need to hand over to Agent Jeff and his cronies. While I'd never willingly cooperate with law enforcement, Saul's actions have to get him into trouble with the feds. It's the easiest way to stop a war, protect Lia's parents, and get Saul out of their lives.

There's also the monumental task of convincing Saul Caputo that Lia Bonetti is dead.

19

LIA

The floor creaking under my feet as I walk through the small beach home makes me feel so alone. The house is spectacular, with a view from practically every room. The view isn't much as I stare out of sliding glass doors leading into the backyard where the brush is damn near eight feet high. I step outside onto the back porch where the deck looks like a dock with the light brown herringbone slats of wood. It goes well with the dark gray siding and white trim.

It's the perfect piece of peace away from the city. There are a few beaches in New York that people migrate to, but none of them are private like this. The stillness of the breeze lets me focus on the sounds of the ocean, its beauty is calm and serene. I find myself leaning against the railing of the back porch when I spot something that's cute and out of place.

The etching of initials in the wood are adorable. O + H encased in a heart. I can tell that it's been painted over and there are some scratches over it like someone tried to erase it. It makes me wonder about the love story behind it. It's probably about his mother. He said her name was Hera, that's the H most likely. I wonder what made her leave.

I know Valentino said he'd be a few days, so I guess I'll have to wait until he gets back to ask him about it. I'd call him, but for some reason I can't find my phone. I've searched this house up, down, and sideways but can't find a way to contact anyone. Being kidnapped is boring, but I guess the alternative is much worse.

I don't want to imagine what Saul would do if he actually had me in his clutches. Instead of letting my imagination send me over a cliff of worst-case scenarios, I head back inside to watch TV and raid the kitchen. The layout of the home is very simple. The front door opens into the kitchen, where a small island gives the illusion of separating it from the living room.