Page 97 of The Lucky Heart (Jamison Valley 3)
“Shit,” he muttered.
That meant a lot of money was involved. If Sabrina’s story threatened to cut off that illegal income for the Federovs, she was in serious danger.
“How does all of this lead to you being driven to Montana by our friend Kenny?” I asked.
“I had an inside source but everything he gave me led my investigation to shell companies. If I ran the story or handed it over to the cops, the port authority would have gotten a slap on the wrist and nothing would have changed. So I called up Anton and we started ‘dating.’ I figured if I was his girlfriend, I might be able to find evidence that tied him and his family to the gun shipments.”
“And he found out?” Silas asked.
She nodded. “This morning. I had been using a fake last name, but somehow, he learned who I was and that I was a reporter. He came to my apartment in a rage,” she pointed to her face, “and did this.”
“He could have killed you.”
She unzipped the collar of her jacket, revealing angry red bruises on her throat. “He almost did.”
I gasped and clamped a hand over my mouth as my stomach rolled. No wonder her voice had sounded hoarse.
“I almost died today. I really fucked up.” Her hopeless whisper brought tears to both our eyes.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and reached for her hand. “But you didn’t” was all I could say.
We sat quietly for a few moments, both processing the gravity of the situation. I had almost lost my best friend today and I could still lose her. The Federovs could be on their way to Montana at this very moment.
“How’d you get away?” Silas asked.
“I got lucky.” She swiped at her eyes. “Anton was choking me but stopped. He said before he killed me, he wanted to . . .”
“Rape you.” I finished her sentence.
She nodded and a tear fell down her cheek. “He must have thought I was too weak from his punches and kicks because he left me on the floor and stood up to unbuckle his belt. When he did, I kicked him in the balls as hard as I could and then ran for the door. I twisted my ankle when I was running down the stairs.”
“How’d you find Kenny?” I asked.
“I left through the alley exit and ran to the CVS on the corner. I begged the clerk to call an Uber. When Kenny showed up, I told him I’d pay him five grand under the table to drive me the twelve hours to Montana.”
“And Anton has no idea where you’re at? There’s no way he could have followed you?” Silas asked.
“No.” She shook her head. “With any luck, before they can find me, each of the Federovs will be in prison. Yesterday, I sent a file to the FBI that has evidence directly linking Anton, his brother and his dad to the gun smuggling. My boss is running with the story as we speak.” She turned to me and with a small grin. “I got the bastard.”
I grinned back. She’d gotten herself into an epic mess, but she had always been committed to making the world a better place. And now she had.
Silas stood from the coffee table and raked a hand through his hair. “You’re in a fuckload of danger.”
“I know.” Her frame deflated and she shrank into the couch. “What am I going to do?”
I didn’t have an immediate answer. Families with mafia ties were not known to just let their enemies go free. But there had to be a way to figure this out. We could—no, we would find a way to keep her safe.
“Let’s start by getting you cleaned and bandaged up.” She opened her mouth to protest but I held up my hands. “No hospital.”
Her shoulders fell as she breathed, “Thank you.”
I took a quick inventory of her clothes, but none were salvageable. Her black leggings were ripped and her pale-pink zip-up was spotted with dried blood. Her matching pink tennis shoes were also spotted but would have to work because her feet were two sizes smaller than mine. “While you take a nice, hot shower, I’ll find you something else to wear. Then we’ll regroup.”
She nodded. “Good plan.”
I helped her to the bathroom and brought down some clothes from the bedroom. As the shower turned on, I met Silas in the kitchen and let him pull me into his arms.
“I’m scared,” I whispered. “This is bad. I don’t want to lose my best friend.”
