Page 43 of Triggered By Love
“Dark. I don’t know. Maybe twenties or early thirties.”
“He say anything?”
“No, but he kicked me when I was down.”
“Where?” Jason heard the uniformed officer snicker, as if the question were beneath him.
The driver motioned to the khaki pants.
“Can you show me?” Jason gave the driver a hand and pulled him to his feet. Sure enough, there was a smudge on the back of the driver’s pants. “Do you remember what kind of shoes he was wearing?”
“Yeah, they were silver and black cross-trainer shoes. The expensive brand with the serrated sole.”
“With the distinctive tread pattern,” Jason said, taking a picture of the imprint on the driver’s pants. “Let me have a look around for any footprints matching the shoe. Thanks for your cooperation.”
“Hey, man, as long as you write up the report on how it wasn’t my fault the company’s car is busted up.” The man wiped the copious sweat from his forehead.
“We’ll take care of that,” Blade said. “Anything else you remember?”
“No, if I think of something, I’ll let you know.”
Both Jason and Blade exchanged contact information with the man whose name was Felix Santiago.
After taking leave of Felix, Jason walked underneath the fire escape where he’d seen the suspicious character. “I saw him. Dammit. I should have taken a picture of him. He was up there on that fire escape with a pair of binoculars. Let’s go up there and see if we can lift fingerprints. I have prints I lifted from Dr. Renzi’s apartment.”
“The therapist?” Blade asked. “Or is she now your girlfriend?”
“Therapist only.” Jason mock-punched his partner. “I’m going to schedule another appointment and get her to talk.”
What he didn’t tell Blade was that he wanted Avery to be his girlfriend.
Chapter Fifteen
Avery wasglad she wore sunglasses large enough to cover the bruise over her right eye. She’d called Damon from the emergency room and was shocked to find her eldest brother, Chase, taking up two parking spots with his Hummer H2, the luxury version of the military SUV popularized by a former bodybuilder governor.
“Damon’s up at The Manor already,” Chase said, referring to her parents’ Westchester County home.
Avery supposed it was her home too, since she lived there growing up, but it never felt cozy and safe. Not that she’d ever let her family know the reason.
They loved her, and they worked hard to provide a protective cocoon for her without knowing that it wasn’t outsiders such as robbers or gang members who were the most dangerous.
“You didn’t have to come all this way,” Avery said, knowing Chase hated driving in the city. “I could have called a cab.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” He took hold of her upper arm and lifted her onto the passenger seat. “You were attacked by an out of control taxicab. How would any of us feel letting you wander around looking for another one?”
“I’m sure I’ll be okay, and thanks for giving me a ride.” She long ago learned it was easier to defer to her eldest brother than argue with him.
“Mom and Dad want you to come home for a while.” Chase shut the heavy door and lumbered around the front of the Hummer. When he got into the driver’s seat, he said, “I’ll take you back to the apartment to pick up your things. We don’t want to alarm them too much, but when they heard you were attacked, Dad ordered me to come up with a protection plan for you.”
Avery fastened her seat belt and took a moment to catch her breath. Chase was an ex-Marine and a hunting guide. Lately, because their father was running for Congress, Chase moved in with them to set up his bodyguard detail.
“I appreciate what you guys are doing.” Avery fought to keep her voice from rising. “And I’m sure you have a bulletproof plan, but I’d rather not get the parents involved.”
“It’s easier to guard you up at The Manor than down here in Manhattan.” He put the giant SUV in gear and backed out of the spot.
“The Melbourne is secure,” Avery said. “We have a doorman, and you can’t get up the elevator unless you have a keycard.”
“It’s not just the building.” Chase paid for the parking and waited for the turnstile bar to raise. “You were attacked outside a coffee shop. At the Manor, we have a defensible zone three-hundred-sixty degrees around the main house, not to mention the electronic gates.”
