47
Slinking into the dining room at Myles’s side, Zoë cast her eyes down. Ethan was sitting at the head of the table, Boone to one side. She placed the bag on top of the table and then took a seat opposite Boone, leaving the chair beside Ethan for Myles.
“Enough of the bullshit,” Ethan said, his voice low and demanding. “This is the last time I’m asking nicely. Tell us what’s going on with you.”
Unwilling to see the condemning looks she knew both Ethan and Boone would wear, she met Myles’s eyes. He seemed more curious than angry. Sucking in a deep breath, she then related her story, or as much of it as she was willing to tell.
“Until recently, I was a saucier in a restaurant in Toronto. One night, Chef called me just after two in the morning, demanding I go in and start stocks because he wanted to serve consommé that night. He was always inconsiderate like that, a total jackass, really. I got dressed and drove to the restaurant. As I parked by the back entrance, I noticed a few cars there, including a police cruiser, but I didn’t think much of it. There’s a nightclub beside the restaurant, so people parking by the restaurant late at night wasn’t unusual, and police were being called out there because of fights all the time. I unlocked the door, went in, and heard voices coming from the kitchen. I was pissed right away, knowing the owner, Nino Rosati, was having a meeting in there again, and would undoubtedly leave a huge mess for me to clean. I should have made some noise to draw one of the men out to where I was, but I was so mad, and intent on complaining to Chef, so I decided to see what they were up to.”
She shrugged. “That was a stupid decision as it turned out. I quietly drew closer to the kitchen, and then snuck in to see what they were doing. Just as I did, I heard Nino telling one of the men he was an idiot, and that elbows wouldn’t go through the damn thing, didn’t he know that by now?” Myles’s eyes widened, and she nodded. “Yeah, you guessed it, they had the industrial meat-grinder out, there were body parts on the tables, and there was an arm sticking out of the grinder.”
“Holy shit!” His mouth fell open a little.
“I must have made a noise, I don’t know, but they all looked at me. One of them was in a cop’s uniform. I ran as fast as I could, got in my car, and took off. I hoped none of them saw my license plate number, but I knew it was only a matter of time before they figured out where I lived. So I went to my apartment, packed a bag, and then ran.”
She outlined most of the rest of the story, wanting them to believe her, and explained how she bought the train tickets she didn’t use to throw them off her trail, and then took a bus they wouldn’t be able to trace. She left out how she’d had disguises, had sent a text message, and had already possessed the IDs she used. They didn’t need to hear those things, as they would only question why she had them to begin with. She couldn’t answer, and didn’t want them to distrust her again. She finished up her story with an outright lie, that she purchased her current ID in Edmonton to establish a new identity.
Myles shook his head slowly. “Okay, I understand you not going to the police in Toronto, you couldn’t be sure how many officers there were involved, given that at least one was on Rosati’s payroll. But why didn’t you seek police help after? In Edmonton, or when you came here? You know I’m a cop, and Boone is. You know he works for Witness Protection. He could get you in the program and keep you safe until you can testify against Rosati.”
“Testify against the mob? No way.”
“You’d rather spend the rest of your life on the run?” Boone challenged.
“Yes,” she replied firmly.
Boone snorted angrily, and Myles didn’t look pleased with her response, but Ethan spoke, drawing her attention to him, and delivering a comment she hadn’t expected.
“I agree your safety can’t be positively guaranteed in witness protection. Police are already involved, and we have no way of knowing how deeply the corruption runs. I’ll give you that. However, you’re still in danger here. Rosati’s men followed us today. They saw my license plate and I imagine it’s only a matter of time until they figure out where the ranch is. They knew to come to Bison Bluffs in the first place. We have to figure out how to protect you.” He looked to Boone and Myles in turn. “My guess is they’ll come here, tonight, and they won’t be friendly about it.”
Her heart pounded with his words. He was talking about taking a stand, here on the ranch, and facing Rosati’s men. She needed help but didn’t want this, for him to endanger himself, nor for Myles, Boone, or anyone else she knew to do so either. As she wracked her brain for a way to convince him the best scenario for him and his friends was to allow her to flee again, Ethan turned a hard look on her.
“I still want you to clear something up for me. I understand you had to run, but how on earth did you know how to do what you did? Buy train tickets that can be traced to throw them off your trail, and then take a bus that can’t be? How do you know these things? Ditching your cellphone, your car, things they could have employed to track you. You had to have been terrified after witnessing that, but you acted so rationally. How?”
Swallowing hard, unsure how she could possibly answer his questions, she jumped when a familiar voice sounded from the room’s threshold.
“Don’t answer that.”