Chapter 31

 

Rake

 

“Dad?” Rake pressed his lips together after the outburst.

“Rake.”

“Raymond da Silva?” West asked.

“That’s right.” Ray eyed the Marshals with disdain. He was pale and sweaty, with pit stains under his white dress shirt. He’d looked like Rake once upon a time, but too many casino buffets packed on an extra forty pounds. His hair had started to thin on top, and he used the old standard comb-over.

“Are you joining Corsetti in giving testimony?”

“I have the books.” He held up a tablet. “I’ll hand them over, but that’s it. I’m leaving.”

“You don’t want protection?”

“Hell, no. Not from no pigs.”

West and Judge didn’t blink, but Rake bristled. Why the hell was he there?

“Fine. Hand it over.” Judge took out his phone and started to record.

“Hey!” Ray pulled up short. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Recording the hand-over, so no one can say we coerced you or took them by force or illegal means.”

“Get that out of my face! I can’t have anyone know it was me.”

Judge lowered the phone, but it still recorded from a lower angle, his father’s face still visible. He didn’t want his father to be killed, but he couldn’t tell Judge to stop.

Ray looked at the Marshals, then Corsetti, then Rake. “I’ll give them to my son.”

West frowned but said nothing as Rake stepped ahead a little, but as the tablet reached his fingers, the door opened.

West kept his gun on Corsetti and Ray as Judge whipped his around to point at the newcomer faster than Rake could follow. “Federal Marshals! Don’t move.”

“Rio?” Rake went to rush forward, but Judge stopped him as Rio stepped inside the room with a gun held to the back of his head. The blood drained from Rake’s face and the room tilted under his feet. He took a deep breath…and another. He couldn’t pass out. Rio needed him.

“Who are you?” Judge asked.

“You don’t need to know.” The gunman pushed Rio’s shoulder. “You should keep a better eye on your pets.” He was a barrel-chested man, though lean in the hips and legs. He held Rio’s shoulder with one meaty paw. He was dressed in a black tracksuit with black gloves and balaclava.

Through clenched teeth, Judge said, “We are conducting an official handover and witness testimonial. You need to put your gun down and step away.”

“Oh, I’m aware. Corsetti chose his location well. I couldn’t get a clean shot on anyone, so I had to join this little party.”

Rake kept his eyes on Rio, calm, with his hands held at chest level. Calmer than Rake was, anyway.

Rake was so focused on Rio’s face, the next few moments were a blur of loud noises and fast movements. He didn’t see the gunman point his weapon toward Corsetti, which took it away from Rio’s head.

Judge yelled at Rio, “Get down!”

Rake lunged forward to grab Rio as Judge fired at the gunman. His fist flew out on instinct. Thousands of hours of training took control of his muscles, and he connected with the bastard’s face. West dove to cover Corsetti as the gunman kept firing, and according to Judge, Rake’s hit saved them.

He yanked Rio behind the reception desk and ducked.

It lasted only a few seconds, and when the noise stopped, he waited for the ringing in his ears to cease. They finally heard Judge call their names.

“Yeah,” Rake called out. “We’re good.” He turned to Rio whose tanned skin resembled a corpse. “You’re good?”

He nodded. “You?”

“Yes. What the hell are you doing here?” He didn’t yell because he was still reeling, but he wanted to.

“I needed to be close, in case something happened. I hadn’t planned on leaving the car.”

“Well, something happened.” He pulled Rio into a hug and kissed his head. Rio squeezed him hard.

“Come on out, guys.” Judge appeared over the top of the desk, eyes somber. Rake’s heart thudded low in his chest.

“Rake, I’m sorry.”

“Ray…?” He rounded the desk and took in the mess around them. Plaster dust and ripped up papers from stray bullets littered the floor, and Ray lay in a pool of blood, eyes wide and afraid, unmoving.

Shocked, Corsetti sat on a nearby chair. The gunman had vanished.

“He got away,” West said as he came through the door.

Rake hadn’t even noticed his absence.

“The cops?”

“I called them. They’re blocking off a sixteen-mile radius. They’ll be here in fifteen.”

“No cops.”

Judge glared at Corsetti. “Shut up. Give me the tablet.”

Corsetti held it in his hand for some reason. He stood and surprised them all by obeying.

“You’re still interested in Witness Protection?”

“Yes. He will be back. And probably others.”

West scanned the mess with fists on his hips. “You know him?”

“Of him. He’s a hit man.”

“Right. That’s just one of the things we’ll go over with your testimony.”

“I told you, I won’t testify in court.”

“We’ll see. But you’re still going to talk to us.”

Rio put his arms around Rake as he stared at his dead father. He felt very little. He’d worry about that later. At that moment, the only word that came to his mind was pity. Pity for the man who had wasted his life. Rake vowed right there that he’d never make the same mistake. He was going to live a full and happy life, hopefully with Rio by his side.

“He’s not worth mourning, Rafael. He never cared about anything but himself.”

He flicked a glance at Corsetti. “I know.”

Corsetti lifted his eyes from the corpse and met Rake’s. “I’ll call us even, and our business done. As an apology for this.”

Rake barely listened as he turned and tugged Rio away.

“Are you okay?” Rio asked.

“I think so. Just shaky.”

Rio nodded and placed both hands on Rake’s face. “Rake, I’m so sorry. If I hadn’t come, he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to come in here.”

“He would’ve come in one way or another. It’s not your fault.”

“But—”

“Rake is right.” Judge stepped up and pulled Rio into a tight hug. “He’d have either stormed in, catching us unaware, or picked us off as we exited. You actually gave us a minute to process what was happening.”

Rio frowned as Judge set him back.

“I’m serious. As soon as he moved that gun from your head, I knew I had the shot.”

“You shot the gunman?”

“I did.” Judge turned Rio loose. “And you.” He pointed at Corsetti. “I find it funny that you think you’d still be in any position to extort money from Rake when you’re in federal custody.”

Corsetti’s smile was unpleasant. “Oh, there will be a lot of positions I could be in while in your custody, Marshal.”

They all paused at the innuendo.

West coughed. “I hear the sirens. Let’s head outside. Hands up, everyone. This is going to be a long night. Oh, and nobody talk to anyone from the FBI.”