Page 54 of Tone Deaf

I totally ignore the folders and the fed next to me. “I’m no longer a marshal—haven’t been in a long time. But I know there’s something you aren’t telling me. Either spill, or I’m out of here,” I declare, anger seeping out with my words.

Donna speaks up. “We think whoever is killing our agents is following the pattern from the Jacob Cunningham case.”

“And?” I snap, glaring at her. I’m tired of their games.

“We think they are going to come after you next,” Joust announces as he stands.

“What?” That’s the last thing I expected him to say.

“We think the killer who shot Jacob Cunningham is back. Our intel says the Mastov family wants every witness to that event eliminated.”

“That simply doesn’t make any sense,” I admit, then think about my ex-partner. “What about Rick?”

“We sent him a message asking him to also show today, but he never got back to us,” Donna explains.

“I saw him a few days ago,” I say, not wanting to give details, but if what they say is true, then he’s also in trouble. “He called me asking for help. Someone jumped him and he thinks people are following him everywhere he goes.”

“We’ll get a man on him,” Joust announces, picking up the phone.

I open the rest of the folders. Four men and a woman. All killed the same way.

“These were my agents, who were, at some point, part of that case you were involved in,” she admits, pointing to the men.

“And the woman?”

“A partner, who we guess was there at the time and got caught up.”

Shit. Then a thought hits me and I look at Donna. “Do you think whoever is doing this might go after people associated with me, too?”

Donna Waldon doesn’t pause. “I wouldn’t put it past the killer to go after anyone near their target until they get to the one they want.”

That isn’t what I want to hear. Then something else hits me. “There’s no way. I would have known these men,” I say, trying to piece together what Waldon and Joust just told me with my memories of that case. “Mangrove.” I glance down at the folder. “He and one other were supposed to take the next shift to watch Jacob, but they never showed up—am I correct?”

“Yes. They were held up by traffic.” Her tone suggests otherwise.

“But you don’t believe that, do you?” I push, because I didn’t believe it back then either.

“I don’t know what to believe,” she finally admits. There’s a small tick in her right eye, which tells me she’s lying.

“Jesus Christ, you think Rick and I were also part of the set up—You can’t deny it—I see it in your eyes,” I say with absolute confidence as she shakes her head.

“Rossetti.” Joust’s lips are pinched thin, but I don’t stop with my own interrogation.

“You think they were paid off to stay away,” I accuse, as the pieces click into place like the tumblers in a lock. “Both Rick and I were supposed to die, but we didn’t because the gunshots to my body were superficial, but Rick’s…” Yes, this has to be what that was. “You think we were a part of the plan the Mastov family set up.”

“Don’t put words in my mouth,” Waldon snaps out like a whip.

“Rossetti,” Joust says, a lot less tension in his voice. “We are not accusing you of the set up.”

The more I think about that day, the more my revelation solidifies. “Sure as hell sounds like she is.”

“We just want you to be aware of what happened and take precautionary measures,” Joust says evenly.

“You know we didn’t have to tell you anything about this case or the circumstances, but Joust felt obliged,” Donna says with a bit of grit in her tone.

“Good to know,” I say right back to her, not giving a fuck what she thinks, and turn back to Joust. “That old case ruined my career, nearly pinned me with Jacob’s murder and implicated me as the narc of the crime family. I have no inclination to play nice with either of you.”

“Come on now, Dominic. Let’s all be civil,” Joust says earnestly.