Page 7 of The Veteran
I clenched my jaw. “Told me what?”
“When Sage was eighteen, her father robbed a bank. He tried to run away with the money and cut his partners out of their share, but they caught up to him. By the time the police arrived, they’d killed him, but not before blowing out his kneecaps in an effort to convince him to tell them where the money was.” Her mouth pinched. “I think they probably intended to torture him, but Sage knew they were there, so help arrived before they had time.”
“Holy fuck.” The contents of my stomach curdled. “She was there?”
Willow nodded. “Yes.” She lowered her voice. “She’s the reason the men were locked away. She was able to identify them so the police could track them down, then she testified in court.”
“Shit.” I couldn’t imagine the strength of character that would have taken for an eighteen-year-old girl. “They didn’t hurt her, did they?”
“No. They didn’t know she was there. Her father had waved a gun at her and told her to run. She watched from the neighbor’s backyard.”
The poor girl. That must have been traumatic on so many levels. First to have been scared by her father and then to watch his partners accost him. Had she seen them shoot him? God, I hoped not.
“Where was her mom in all this?”
Willow winced. “Inside, unconscious. She’d gotten into an argument with Sage’s dad. He’d pushed her, and she fell and hit her head. She died later that night.”
Sympathy turned me inside out. “She lost both parents on the same day?”
“Yeah.” Willow’s face was uncharacteristically bleak. “It was a tough time for her. She had to go into witness protection until after the trial. She got out around the same time my dad died, so we moved in together.” Her lips twisted wryly. “At least we were able to be there for each other.”
I laid a hand on Willow’s knee and squeezed reassuringly, but let it go before Ronan felt the need to glare at me. “I’m glad she had you.” I wondered how to ask my next question without alarming her. I was sure Ronan’s mind had traveled the same path as mine, and when I met his gaze, he gave a slight nod. “What did Sage’s roommate look like?”
Willow cocked her head. “Average height, brown hair, brown eyes. Why?”
I sucked in a lungful of air and let it out on a rush. “Is there any chance she could have been mistaken for Sage by someone who hadn’t seen her for a few years?”
Willow gasped, and turned to Ronan. “Do you think they might have hurt Jessica thinking she was Sage?”
He put an arm around her shoulders and drew her against him, tucking her under his chin. I made myself look away, feeling a pang of envy at their closeness.
“Maybe,” Ronan said. “But let’s not jump to conclusions.”
“She needs protection,” I growled. “From the moment she leaves this station, we need eyes on her.”
Ronan nodded. “I agree. I’ve already emailed a request through.”
“Good.” I should have been relieved, but I wasn’t. Uneasiness coiled around my spine. I didn’t like the idea of letting Sage out of my sight for even a moment until I knew for sure she wasn’t a target. Nobody else would be as vigilant as me, or as invested in the outcome. I needed her to be okay. “She should be taken to a safe house.”
“I agree,” Ronan said again.
Willow pulled a face. “Good luck getting her to go along with that. She won’t like it.”
I narrowed my eyes. “We’ll convince her.”
There really was no other option. Sage Nichols had to be protected at all costs.
3
SAGE
The blood drained from my face and I was glad I was sitting down or I might have swayed on my feet.
“They escaped?” I asked faintly.
“Just the two of them,” Detective Lee confirmed. “Parrish is still in custody.”
That didn’t make me any less afraid. Getty and Baker were scary enough on their own. At least I’d never have to worry about the other partner, LaMond, ever again. He’d been shot when the police tried to take him into custody, and died before he made it to the trial. But from what had come out in court, Getty was the most dangerous of the three—their leader—and Baker was his right-hand man. The others had been associates, the same as my dad.