“So how the hell does Letizia fit into the whole equation?” Vikki asked, dipping a chip into the bowl of salsa. “She was four when her parents’ died. Does that asshat expect her to remember what happened at that age?”

“Apparently. Which makes no sense,” Preslie said, taking a sip of her wine.

“Well, it’s more complicated than that—but the gist of it is—the mob boss wants her whole family dead,” Miles said, pulling Preslie closer to his side.

“Awesome. So, is Ricky walking into a trap?”

“A trap? No, he plans to bring Letizia and Finley home. Well, here I mean.”

Vikki made her way into the kitchen to open another bottle of wine. She leaned against the counter and moved the Claddagh ring back and forth with her index finger and thumb. Miles had shown up unannounced to the safe house a few days ago and had planned to stay with them for the time being. She loved how he had grabbed her hand and secretly slipped a ring inside her palm. He let her know Ricky’s instructions for how to wear the ring, which surprised her a little. The time Vikki had spent with Ricky was at the studio and sometimes at The Flying Monkey bar. They had never spent any time alone.

She starred at the heart facing inward. When she looked up the meaning for the ring and how she was instructed to wear it, her heart melted.

“You bringing the wine in here or drinking it all?” Preslie yelled.

She rolled her eyes and popped the cork on the bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. “Well, I would be happy to drink it all,” she teased and set the bottle on the table in front of the couch. “But I’m feeling generous today.”

Miles cleared his throat. “Vikki, you up for talking about that night yet?”

“I thought we did that already?”

Miles sat up and rested his arms on his thighs. “The guy you described. They have five possible suspects. You okay with looking at a few images?”

“Sure. I guess.”

The last two weeks had been hell. Every night Vikki would wake up with her body covered in sweat, and her heart pounding like it might fly out of her chest. The man with the eerie laugh was always chasing her in her dreams. The last two nights the creepy man reached out and grabbed her hand. She would wake up the moment she felt the light touch. Which would probably answer why she was so tired currently. Sleep was overrated.

“I thought you had enough for now, Miles?” Preslie asked, moving closer to Vikki and wrapping her arms around her waist.

“I just need you to look at the photos and see if you can identify any of them.”

“It’s okay, Pres.” Vikki patted her friend’s arm. “Sure, pass them my way.”

Miles took a moment on the tablet, tapping on the screen a few times. He passed the device toward Vikki. “There are five men we need you to look at. Don’t rush through it, just take your time.”

She reached for the tablet and rested it on her lap. Before looking at the screen, she took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. The first image was the Emergency Task Force logo, then she swiped right, and a face appeared. She let her mind adjust to each image. On the fourth image, she quickly hit the power button and moved the tablet to the coffee table.

“Vikki,” Miles said, reaching for her hand. “Did you recognize him?”

She let that question run around in her mind. How should she answer it? Honestly. The real problem, though, was she did recognize the guy, but he had threatened her with Ella’s life. Even if Ella was with the wrong crowd, she still didn’t deserve to die. Vikki knew the moment she identified the guy, Ella could be in danger.

“No,” she said, rubbing her sweaty hands back and forth on her thighs.

“Are you sure about that, Vikki?” Miles reached for her hand.

“Yeah, totally.”

“Why is your body language telling me something else?”

“What are you talking about?”

Miles stood to move closer to Vikki. “Hey.” He grabbed her hand. “You know you’re safe here, right?”

“That’s just it, I’m not safe, and if I say the wrong thing Ella could be in danger.”

Vikki couldn’t recall everything from that night, but she did plainly see a man dressed in the best suit with a bright blue, paisley tie. He was sitting at a table in the far right corner of the bar. He was alone and sipping on a drink. She could remember hearing him laughing as the men attacked her and Ella. Now that Miles and Preslie had filled her in on what had happened to Letizia and how the mob boss fit into the equation, she was afraid to voice more of her memories. What if that man with the paisley tie was the head of the mob?

“Ella. Do you know where she’s at, Vikki?” Miles asked.

“No, but what if we are bugged or something?”

“Hey,” Preslie said, squeezing Vikki’s knee. “You can talk to Miles. He’ll keep you safe.”

She sighed and reached for the tablet. “That guy,” she said, pointing to the fourth image. “I can’t get his laugh out of my dreams.”

Miles grabbed the tablet and started to type several words.

“You writing a short story over there?”

“No, just letting my team know on our secured line what you just shared.”

Vikki grabbed her wine and took a big swig. “And if anyone has seen Ella, you may want to find a way to protect her, too.”

“If they see her anywhere, I hope they put her in jail the first chance they get,” Preslie ground out.

“I don’t think she is bad, Preslie.”

Preslie crossed her arms over chest. “Anyone who hurts my family is bad.”

“What if she was threatened?” Vikki asked, twirling a lock of hair around her index finger and thumb. “Did you ever think about that?” Vikki grabbed her wine and stood. “Remember that new boyfriend? She changed after meeting him.” She started to head toward her bedroom. “I know what she did was wrong. There is just something gnawing at me that she was played, too.”