Page 31 of The City That Care Forgot

“Geez, Wildcat. You told her about that,” Shane said, feeling the heat rush to his cheeks.

“There are no secrets between us. Which means your secrets aren’t safe either,” Jones said, putting an arm around Carrie’s shoulders.

Shane signed and lowered the gun. “Maybe we should go inside and talk about this.”

* * *

Rachel heard the beeps that signified someone was trying to get through the metal door. She didn’t want to take the chance that it wasn’t Shane, so she grabbed a sawed-off shotgun from her stash and pointed it at the door.

The door opened and a huge man filled the entryway. He was taller and more muscled than Shane, which wasn’t an easy feat, and she figured the man could have passed as a fighter in the UFC. Or maybe even the Incredible Hulk. She pumped the shotgun before he could get a foot over the threshold.

“Whoa, honey,” Wildcat said. “Let’s not jump to conclusions.”

The giant of a man stepped to the side and revealed a tiny blond woman, but Rachel looked over her head to the man behind. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Shane rounding up the trio. He seemed unharmed and unconcerned about the strangers who had invaded their sanctuary.

“It’s okay, Rachel,” Shane said. “I’d like you to meet Jones Daugherty and his fiancée, Special Agent Carrie Layne.”

Rachel looked at the man square in the eyes and didn’t bother to put down the shotgun. “You’re late, Agent Daugherty. Have you come to help us or did you spend the last two days setting up a way to trap us here?”

“Are you always this suspicious?” Wildcat asked and took a seat at the kitchen table.

“You could say I’ve learned to be cautious over the years,” she answered.

“I have to say I’m curious to know the answer as well,” Shane said. “Especially after I’ve gone to all the trouble to assure Rachel that you’re the most trustworthy friend I have. Now would be a hell of a time to be wrong about that.”

“I assure you, Shane, that Jones has had nothing but your best interests at heart since you called him,” Carrie said defensively.

“Put the gun away, Rachel,” Shane said as he nodded to the woman his best friend had chosen to spend the rest of his life with. “Let’s all sit down and talk this out.”

Rachel put down the shotgun and took the chair next to Shane. He lounged like he hadn’t a care in the world, and she tried to emulate him. The lack of sleep over the past couple of days was beginning to catch up with her, and she found all she wanted to do was climb back into bed.

“I brought the files on the agents you asked for,” Jones began and handed over a folder at least three inches thick of papers.

Rachel gave Shane a curious look and waited for him to explain.

“We’ve already determined that someone in the FBI has been feeding information to Angelo,” Shane said. “And more than likely that same agent is responsible for your father’s disappearance and the murder of Agent Culver, since only an inside person would know when and where Culver and Dom were meeting. I want you to look through the files of these agents and see if anyone looks familiar to you.”

He handed her the file and she flipped back the blue cover with the confidential seal stamped across it. “This could take a while. I had no idea so many agents had worked on trying to catch my father or any of his men.”

“These agents are from all over the country,” Shane said. “Not just Chicago. Your father had interests in several states.”

Rachel began flipping through the pages and Shane turned his attention toward Agent Layne. “How do you fit in here?” he asked. “Are you IA like Jones or do you have a personal interest in the Valentine case?”

“I’ve never been assigned to any of the Valentine task forces directly,” Carrie said. “I work in the Violent Crimes Unit, so sometimes my cases overlap with the guys in Organized Crime.”

“Not many agents would be willing to risk their career for people they’ve never met.”

“I’m not like a lot of agents,” she said. “If Jones asks for my help, I’m willing to give it because I trust him. He had to stay in Chicago on an assignment and he needed someone to stock this house with food and extra clothing. I was glad to do whatever I could to help, despite it going against director’s orders. Sometimes the results outweigh the consequences.”

Carrie’s eyes were passionate and her Kewpie doll mouth was pressed in a serious line. Shane could tell she meant every word she said and was loyal to Jones. That’s all he could ask for his friend. “You picked a good one,” Shane said to Wildcat. “Though how you got her to fall in love with you is a mystery.”

“What can I say? I have charm to spare,” Wildcat said with a shrug. “Maybe I can loan you some. You’re not looking your best right now.”

“I’ve been shot and lying in bed unconscious for two days. How else am I supposed to look?” Shane turned his attention to Rachel to get her support, but her attention was riveted on the file in front of her.

Shane cursed viciously when he saw the picture of himself in her shaking hands. It was his old FBI photo and the pages attached to it described his job on the Valentine task force. Plain and simple, he’d been the one asked to steady the crosshairs on Rachel’s father and pull the trigger if necessary. He thanked God it hadn’t been necessary.

“What is this?” Rachel asked.

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