Page 5 of Tattletale

“Upstate. A few hours outside the city. This property is desolate. A good place to hide an armory.”

“You’re a cop,” I murmur. “Looking for Accardi weapons.”

“No, I’m not,” the woman says, shaking her head slowly. “You need medical attention. Can you stand?”

“I won’t do a damn thing until you tell me who you are.” I mean to sound intimidating, but I know in my state, I only sound pathetic. But who are these people? For all I know they could rescue me from this room, just to lock me in another.

The woman hoists me up so I’m seated, back secured against the wall. She’s a small woman, but moves me easily, with strength that doesn’t match her size.

“I’m Vesper. I’m the leader of an undercover operation. This is Linc, short for Lincoln.” She glances over her shoulder. The man ducks his head, acknowledging me. “I know about you, Fiona, because of your father.”

“You’re law enforcement? You were going to arrest him?” I’m not surprised. My father was indeed an elite criminal.

Vesper shakes her head. “No. We leave that for the police and FBI. We aren’t concerned with the interworking of crime organizations until civilians are affected. We’re here because there was a rumor…that the Accardi family and the O’Leary clan had established a partnership. That was an alliance we could not allow. That crime ring would be too powerful.”

“It was a setup. The Accardi wanted sole control of the docks. But my father staked his claim by moving us to America. The mafia offered a peaceful partnership with split territories. It’s the only reason why Pappa gave up his location. Then, they shot him and his men to death before lighting our house on fire.”

“The rain stopped the fire from spreading. We found your father among his men in your home. But I thought Cillian had two daughters.” She holds up two fingers.

“My sister was shot down while fleeing. She’s lying dead somewhere outside by the house.” My bottom lip trembles, picturing my poor baby sister cold and pale on the ground.

“No,” Linc chimes in. “Our team scoured every inch of the four acres. We found a lot of bodies. But not one female.”

My eyes widen.She’s alive?

It’s the hope I need for my heart to keep beating. Smart girl. She must’ve fallen in the brush and waited for them to leave. Playing dead, until she could escape.

“Will you help me find her?” I ask. “Are you search and rescue?”

“I can’t tell you anymore, Fiona, for your protection. We are an invisible team. No witnesses, no outsiders—”

I grab her hand. “I pledge myself to your organization. Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do. I have no one else who can help me find Saoirse in America. I have no one left. Take me with you.”

“You don’t know what you’re asking for,” Vesper says, pity in her eyes.

“I do…please,” I plead.I need a family.I’m nothing without one. Like Pappa told me about the crickets in the field—helpless alone, but in numbers, they are mighty.

I will find my sister… I will avenge my father.

She’s quiet for a moment. “Have you ever held a weapon?”

“Yes.”

“Have you ever killed anyone?”

I shake my head. “No.”

“Are you willing to learn?” she asks.

A chill goes down my spine. At the same time, my stomach lurches with hunger pains.Who are these people?... But what choice do I have?

“Yes,” I say. “I’m handy with a rifle. Bow and arrow, too. Pappa taught me how to hunt back home.”

Linc grunts. I turn to see his bemused expression. “We operate in obscurity. You’ll stick out like a sore thumb with a bow and arrow.” He clears his throat. “Vesper, we can’t take her. She still looks like a young girl. This is too much.”

Looking over her shoulder, she shoots him a pointed look. “And you were just a boy when I found you. Remember? Two years later…now, look at you.”

He exhales and ducks his head. “Fine. We’ve been here too long. Luca, his men, and all their equipment are gone. We need to move before we’re spotted.”

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