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“I had to do a little digging, but I wanted to have the latest update for you.”
“I appreciate it.”
“How are you doing?”
“I’m good, but I’m getting restless. I want to move on, but without as much worry.”
“I have good news then. As you know, a lot changed in the Gianni family after what happened. Salvatore Gianni isn’t even in the country anymore. He’s back in Italy, awaiting his sickly father’s death. We haven’t seen any activity that shows you’re on his radar anymore.”
“But?” He always lays out the good before the bad.
“Marina and her family have me a bit more concerned. Her behavior has been erratic, even for her. She’s completely derailed from her usual routine. We don’t know what she’s up to, yet, but she’s having secret meetings with a new member of the family. We don’t know what she’s planning, but it’s something. In regard to you, we still monitor her online activity, and there have been a few searches.”
I let out a heavy breath. Will this ever end? “What is your opinion regarding me still being a target?”
“Her dad is always looking for someone to blame. I can’t say for certain he won’t focus on you if you reappear in the public eye, or if she won’t target you out of resentment or sheer insanity. The majority of the blame was placed on Ainsley, but they’ll never find her, which leaves the second person in the incident.”
“Me.” I say it for him, my blood boiling in my veins. I hate Marina more than I should hate anything or anyone. “The blame belongs on her.”
“I know that,” he says in a calm voice. “You know that. But the Mafia doesn’t live by the same moral compass that the rest of us do.”
“How is Ainsley doing?” Last time I asked about the college student who got sucked into this mess with me was shortly after being placed in witness protection. She lost more than I did from this ordeal.
“I haven’t monitored her in a long time. She got a new handler awhile ago, and I lost track of her.”
I nod, even though he can’t see me, and close my eyes in contemplation. “So the only way to know for certain if Marina or her family have any vengeance toward me is to put myself out there like bait?”
“Yes.” His tone is solemn. “If she’s watching you, we’ll know. You’re too far from the East Coast to be in immediate danger. We can step in and—”
“Put me back under protection? You know I don’t want that. I want my life back—a modified version of it, anyway. I’ve accepted I’ll never live a normal life again where I’m not always surrounded by security and looking over my shoulder, but whatever I have, it needs to be mine, on my terms.”
“I understand that. I applaud you for how well you’ve done, too, but it’s okay to take help. And, one day, if we get lucky enough to press charges and detain Marina, you would be a valuable asset toward implicating her.”
“For all we know, her father will blame me for that, too.”
“He most certainly would.”
The conviction in his tone sends ice down my spine. If that happened, I’d need to rejoin the program for my safety.
“Is there a chance I’m no longer a target?”
“Yes,” he says with the same conviction. “But to know for certain, we have to slowly put you in the public eye and see how or if they react.”
I’d need to be prepared to uproot my life again by whatever means possible if they come after me.
“Are you still working toward your plan?” Keller asks in a lighter tone.
“I am. I’m close to getting it, too.” A few more big trades, and I’ll have what I need to buy the property I want.
“Now is the time to make small waves then. Nothing crazy. Keep it simple. A trip to the mall or a popular public place where you might be recognized. Go to Malibu or Santa Monica. It’s safer if you don’t do it around where you are.”
“I wouldn’t be comfortable doing anything here. I can protect myself, but not the people around me. They’re innocent.”
“I heard Gigi’s granddaughter is living there now. With her social status, you being there is a risk. We need to know if you’re still on Marina’s radar, not plaster your face on social media with an open invitation to your whereabouts.”
“I know.” I draw in a breath and run a hand through my hair. “I miss when life was simple.”
“Most people in hiding do. Safe is better than simple.”