Stay with Me (The WITSEC series Book 1) Read online

  “You know they have committed murder though?” Kane asked. “I mean, that’s the worst that you know about so far, right?”

  Lincoln nodded. “The FBI had been keeping an eye on letters and other communications between the father and son over the years and though we couldn’t prove Enoch’s ongoing involvement in the business, we didn’t think he would cut ties with Boston so easily. Since Shawn Manning’s arrest, our analysts at Quantico have gone back and looked harder at those letters and phone calls between father and son but in their communications, they keep things short and to the point, exchanging pleasantries but never overtly talking about crimes. But, due to the fact that Enoch was locked up with several known members of the Irish mob on the inside of Danbury Correctional over the years, and the fact that major crimes happen almost immediately after those associates are released, we are pretty certain that he’s still running the West Coast operation from behind bars.”

  “For twenty years? That seems implausible. He’s on the other side of the country. Are you so sure the son—what was his name?”

  “Brandon Moore,” Lincoln said.

  “Right, Brandon Moore. Are you so sure he isn’t running the operations?”

  “We’re not sure, no,” Lincoln admitted. “That’s what we’re trying to prove.”

  “So, what can I do? The father is behind bars. I work for the ATF and not only that, if I was exposed by name, they’d come after me and my family. As far as I know, Enoch is still gunning for me. At least that’s what I was told when I reached my majority at eighteen. It’s one of the reasons I joined the Marine Corps right out of high school. I wanted to be far away from my family in case he ever got wind of where we were,” Kane said.

  “You and your family are safe because we’ve made sure your location is secure,” Brady said with a frown.

  “Fine. But you haven’t explained what any of this has to do with building a case,” Kane said to Lincoln. “Why am I involved?”

  Lincoln sighed. “Enoch Moore has recently applied for a compassionate release.”

  “What?”

  “A compassionate release based on the fact that he’s dying.”

  “So, let me get this straight. Enoch Moore has been housed in a federal correctional facility in Connecticut for twenty years after being convicted of cold-blooded murder and now he wants out because of what? He’s sick?” Kane scoffed. If they hadn’t all been frowning, he would have thought it was a total joke.

  Brady shifted uncomfortably again. “He’s got stage three lung cancer that’s spread to his liver and brain. At most, prison doctors believe he’s got only months to live and…” He hesitated, glancing at Lincoln for help that was not forthcoming if the man’s posture was anything to go by.

  Brady finally continued. “There’s a pretty good chance he’ll be released to his son’s care.”

  “Here? In California? You said the son—this Brandon—has a bar in Hollywood, right?” Kane said, sounding bitter even to his own ears. Clearly, he wasn’t taking this news very well and he really hoped he could hold it together until he was alone. Breaking down in front of Lincoln would be bad enough but losing his shit in front of Sarah would be humiliating beyond measure.

  Brady nodded. “If he’s granted the release, he’ll be sent here only because Brandon is his closest living relative and he would have nowhere else to go lay his head. The good news is that he will be closely monitored by the marshal’s office and relegated to house arrest until he passes.”

  “So, if he’s dying, what can I possibly do for the world that isn’t already in God’s hands? Surely, you expect he’ll be granted the release or this wouldn’t be coming up at this moment,” Kane said. Something dawned on him and it chilled him to the bone. He stiffened and sat upright in his chair.

  “You’re not suggesting you want to move us again because I can tell you right now, that is out of the question.” His voice was strained with emotion and anger. “I have a life—a career. My mother and Glenna have lives too. You can’t possibly ask that we start over again after all these years.”

  Brady shook his head and held out his hands, imploring Kane to just shut up for a second and listen. He heard the words as if the man had spoken them out loud.

  “No. That’s not what I’m suggesting at all. There’s more if you’ll let me explain,” Brady said, turning to Snow. “You should tell him, Lincoln.”

  “Now that Sarah and I know you’ve been in protection,” Lincoln said, “the reason you’re here on a Sunday when no one is around makes sense, Delancey. When the marshals came to us, they explained that there was a witness who’d been in WITSEC for many years. Now that I know that person is you, it’s clear.”

  Kane still wasn’t following. “Huh?”

  Lincoln sighed. “The FBI has been trying to get an insider into the West Coast operation for years but risking a civilian informant’s life was unacceptable. These bastards are brutal. The Irish have ways of to keeping things close. They have tons of hired muscle and in addition to that, they job it out to independent operators at times. They’ve been known to use Ukrainian muscle when they want to send a particularly strong message.”

  “What does any of this have to do with me?” Kane asked.

  “When we ran VICAP after one murder victim turned up with no head and no hands, we found five others in or around Boston that were killed and dismembered just like that. The Irish mob has been known to send a message like that. In other words, the murders are somehow connected to the Irish mob. It wasn’t until the Shawn Manning case was put to bed that we began putting two and two together.”

  “How do you know it was the Irish mob?” Kane asked, still not understanding how he figured into these serial murders and the case the FBI was building.

  “Shortly after we broke the gun running case that sent Shawn Manning to jail, a body—dismembered in exactly the same way—was found under the pier in Santa Monica,” Lincoln said. “We ran his DNA and it was found to be a familial match to one of the bodies discovered in Boston.”

  “So you have a serial killer that killed, I don’t know, brothers or something, on two coasts. How the fuck does Shawn Manning fit into this and how do I fit in?” Kane was growing very frustrated.

  “Someone tried to hack our system,” Brady said.

  “WITSEC’s system? To find out where protectees were living?”

  “Yes. We have a highly-encrypted system and I think you know we’ve never lost a protectee that did what they were supposed to do,” Brady said, puffing up his chest. “Not in almost fifty years of doing this.” He paused, looking down at his large hands which were resting on the table for a moment. When he looked back up, his eyes were filled with regret.

  “Look, Delancey, we don’t think they got past the firewalls we have set up but on the off chance that they did, our procedures are to contact each protectee and check on their welfare. When our computer system pulled up your name, that’s when my boss realized that you’d been involved in the arrest that caught Shawn Manning,” Brady said. “And now that we have a body that turned up after Manning’s arrest and an attempt to hack into the WITSEC database, we think that connects somehow to the Irish mob, Enoch Moore, and his son, Brandon. Not only that, you are a federal agent.”

  Kane sat back. He knew what was coming and he didn’t like it one bit. He loved his job and didn’t want to leave it. Still, if the mob knew the whereabouts of his mom and sister… He couldn’t even think about it. His heart pounded like crazy. He honestly felt like his head was going to explode.

  “You want to use me to go after these fuckers? Why me? Because I have training, you think I can best be used to protect my sister and mother?”

  Brady sighed again. He was doing that a hell of a lot. “US Marshals are trained as well, Special Agent Delancey, but you are right about one thing. Normally—well, that is, in every other case, we’d reevaluate your protection needs and adjust accordingly but you and your sister are now of age and can make your
own decisions like your mother.”

  “And because you are ATF,” Lincoln said, “I think you might want to infiltrate the mob and help the FBI build his case. Of course, I didn’t know why the US Marshals picked you specifically until now.”

  Kane glared at Lincoln and then at Brady. “Let me see if I understand this. You want me to get involved in a new case against the man who murdered my father and the son who took over for him. You want me to put my life on the line? Fine! I’ll do that. It’s my job and I want them both behind bars. In my opinion, Enoch should have been put to death when he was convicted but for whatever reason, that judge sentenced him to life instead. I couldn’t do anything about it when I was twelve. I can now,” he growled, growing angry all over again. “But, what about my mom and Glenna? You want their lives to be put at risk because you need my help? Fuck you!”

  “Delancey, we’ll protect them. We’ve been doing that for twenty years, right? And think about it. We’ve never had a witness protectee become a federal agent before now,” Brady said. “Think about that. You are a sworn federal agent who can help put these bastards away for good. That’s why we thought the time was right.” His large hands spread again.

  “Look, Enoch is going to hell shortly. He’s not the issue, but if you agree with what Snow is suggesting and we can figure out a way to bring down Brandon and the rest of the West Coast branch of the organization, surely you’d want to do that. After it’s all said and done, you, Glenna, and your mother can come out of hiding forever. WITSEC will be here if you want us, but you can be free of us. Think about that for one minute.”

  Kane folded his hands in his lap, unclenching his jaw with effort. If they were truly offering what they said they were offering and he could help, they could take their names back. His mother, who’d been a nurse, could get her career back if she wanted it. She was nowhere near retirement age at fifty.

  Glenna would be able to embrace her past if she wanted to. She’d only been eight when they’d gone into protection and she didn’t remember much from her early childhood. He and his mother had tried to give her new memories along with new friends in a new place but they’d not discussed their father unless she’d asked. His murder had hurt them all too much to put into words. She hadn’t seen what Kane had. But now, the very idea of being free to take back his own name and live the life he’d always wanted to live without the threat of danger hanging over all their heads was seductive.

  “Enoch Moore knows me. I sat in a courtroom and pointed to him just days before he went into Danbury where he’s lived for twenty years. How can I infiltrate the organization if he’d recognize me?”

  Sarah finally spoke up, smiling at him as she touched his arm. He stared into her beautiful eyes.

  “You were twelve when you testified against him, Kane. He probably won’t recognize you.”

  “And my cover?”

  “Now that I know you’re willing, we’ll put you in as a dirty cop with the LAPD. The Moores have used dirty cops to get information for years,” Lincoln said.

  Kane snorted a laugh. “What? How’s that going to work? If they actually have dirty cops, they probably all know each other. Am I just supposed to show up and say, “Hey guys, let’s go steal some drug money before our backup gets here!”

  Lincoln smiled. “You know our friends Cassidy Ryan and Mike Williams. Their captain can assign them as your backup at the Brentwood station where we’ll insert you so they can give you the lowdown on anyone they suspect of being dirty. Since Moore’s bar is technically in the Hollywood division, Brentwood is a safer place to put you if he already has dirty cops working for him.”

  Kane laughed bitterly. “Crooked cops would have to presume that Ryan and Williams are also dirty to believe that I’m on the take as well. I can tell you right now, there’s no way anyone would believe that Cassidy and Mike are dirty. They’re the good guys who ride in on white horses with all the big cases we bring them in addition to having a great track record for closing their own cases.”

  “I think it’s worth a try,” Lincoln said, “but you’ll have to tell Mike and Cassidy about WITSEC. We have to be honest about why we want you involved,” Lincoln said, turning to frown briefly at Sarah. “You may be the missing piece that Sarah and I were looking for. We couldn’t think of a way to get anyone from the FBI involved with the LAPD without insulting two cops we respect a whole hell of a lot.”

  Sarah smiled. “Yes, the fact that you were… or are still… in WITSEC will make sense when we tell Ryan and Williams why we need you involved in this case.”

  “I’m pretty sure Cassidy and Mike will set you up with a great partner and you guys can figure out how to infiltrate Enoch and Brandon’s organization. That’ll be your decision and as of this moment, if you agree, you’ll work for us,” Lincoln said.

  “I’ll be FBI now?” Kane asked. “Is this what they call musical agencies?”

  Lincoln shook his head, chuckling quietly. “You’ll be loaned out to Justice, Delancey. If you agree to this arrangement, you’ll have the full force of the FBI, the Justice Department, and the LAPD going to go to bat for you in a big way. And, when you’re done with all of it, Sarah gets you back at the ATF if that’s what you want.”

  Kane sighed. “You’ll protect my family while I’m on this assignment? If WITSEC has been hacked…”

  “Yes,” Brady said immediately. “We’ll have two marshals living with them until this case is over with. We want you to feel—as you always have—that we will protect you.”

  Kane shrugged and lifted his hands. “Well, it looks like you’ve got it all figured out. I guess I have no choice if I want my mother and Glenna safe, right?”

  They all nodded at him. Sarah reached over and patted him on the back. “You understand that Lincoln wouldn’t put your life in danger unless he could think of any other way to break into this organization, right?” Sarah didn’t wait for his answer before going on. “Not only that,” she said, lowering her voice, “I think you’re going to feel a hell of a lot better when these scumbags are off the streets.”

  All Kane could think of was how happy his mother and sister were. It had taken them a long time to find their happiness again and if Kane didn’t do this, everything would be at risk. He finally nodded.

  “Fine. You have your undercover.

  Chapter One

  “Please, Luca. I know how you love to sing and it’s karaoke night at Marty’s,” Corey singsonged. He was giving Luca those puppy dog eyes that usually worked to convince him. Luca couldn’t help but smile and he reached out, punching Corey on the shoulder. The smaller man yelped and rubbed the spot in mock pain.

  “Don’t look at me like that. You know I love karaoke but I have to open the store tomorrow morning and I have to get up early. I’m the only one scheduled, Corey. Besides, we can do karaoke any night of the week. There are a million bars in LA.”

  “No fair,” Corey whined. “I was hoping to get laid, Luca.”

  “Isn’t that what you’re always hoping? You’ve been on more wieners than Heinz ketchup, Corey.” Luca winked at his friend as Corey squealed with laughter.

  “They’re only test runs until I find the right one. Besides, I’m looking for a big one.” He cackled.

  Luca shook his head. “Baby, all you talk about is looking for the big one. And, can I just be clear about the level of interest I have in the telescopic nature of the dicks you want? I promise you, it’s not very high.”

  Corey snorted. “I hate you, Luca. Besides, look at you. It’s so easy for you to get laid. You’re fucking gorgeous. I have to work to get dates.”

  Luca stared at his friend. Corey was a handsome man and had no problem getting dates as long as they were in a place where guys were looking for twinks. Luca would have described himself that way if he were just a little shorter. At five nine, he didn’t really fit that description even though most guys told him they liked his slender body just fine. He glanced down at his own form and then back at Corey
. Luca liked guys who were just the opposite of his young friend—hot older guys ripped with muscle. They weren’t as easy to find as one might think. Most of those were gym bunnies hopped up on steroids which didn’t fit Luca’s dating criteria at all. It wasn’t easy to find a guy who was naturally built big and brawny.

  Luca examined his clothing again, wondering for the millionth time what it was some guys saw in him. He was young, lean, and tightly-muscled in the cable knit T-shirt and well-worn jeans he’d put on for the evening. When he dressed to go out, he tried to keep it simple and classy. He worked in retail, so he kept his eyes pealed for sales. When he did buy something, he waited for price reductions. Sometimes he was lucky and he found a nice pair of designer jeans in a secondhand store but that required a lot of patience, something he generally didn’t have a whole lot of.

  “Please, Luca. Come out with me.”

  “I really want to stay in, Corey. Seriously, call Bobby or something.”

  “Bobby isn’t any fun. He only wants to sing and I really just want to get laid tonight. I need a partner in crime. Pleeeeeease…”

  Luca grinned. He hated it when Corey looked at him like that. It was so hard to say no. “Fine but only for a couple hours. I really need to get home and sleep.”

  “Oh, yay! I can’t wait to see you get up there and shake your bootie,” Corey gushed. Luca was shaken out of his reverie when his best friend leapt at him and hugged him hard. He hugged back.

  “Let’s go before I change my mind, idiot.” Luca picked up a coat and walked to the front door, glancing at his reflection in the small decorative mirror on the wall. He figured he looked okay to go out just the way he was dressed but he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small eye pencil before leaning closer to the mirror. Luca usually put black kohl around his eyes when he went out to clubs but that wasn’t a new thing. He’d been wearing it for years. He knew it made his plain gray eyes look brighter. In a certain light, his eyes had tiny hints of blue but regardless, he’d never liked their color. His tanned skin was permanent and natural just like the blond highlights in his boring brown hair. Corey was right. He never had trouble finding a partner for an evening of hot sweaty fucking, but he so wasn’t in the mood for it tonight.