“I can show you. I’ll just grab my phone. If you’ll just let Shiloh take your orders
while I go get it—”
“Hold on here.” Aldo burst through the doors, waving and making Italian hand gestures
that Willow didn’t care to know the meaning of. “My cousin is who he says he is. I
have my ninety-five-year-old
nonna
on the phone and she confirms.
“Nonna, let me put you on speakerphone. You tell these ladies and set them straight
about Con.” He punched a button on his phone and held the phone up so the crowd could
hear.
Nonna’s raspy voice filled the air. She let loose a string of rapid-fire Italian that
scared the ladies in the room into pin-dropping silence.
Aldo grinned and nodded along. Willow was close enough to him to hear him whisper,
“Give ‘em hell, Nonna,” beneath his breath.
“You see?” Aldo said when his grandmother finished.
“Yes, but what was she saying?” Lettie asked. “None of us speak Italian. We need a
translator.”
“Again in English, Nonna,” Aldo said into the receiver.
His grandmother began speaking again. “Con Russo is my Aldo’s second cousin once removed.
He has the Salemo good looks, but that’s only from his mother’s side. He’s my cousin
Sal’s…”
Willow wondered how the Agency had convinced Aldo’s
nonna
that Jack was her relative.
* * *
Jack wandered into Bluff Country Store around ten, hoping to get away with ordering
a coffee drink he really liked. The store was suspiciously quiet. None of the usual
crowd lingered about. Which was good for his coffee ordering but roused his suspicious
nature.
On top of that, the few locals who lounged at the tables, reading their newspapers
and sipping coffee, gave him the evil eye. Yeah, he’d been a spy long enough to recognize
the evil eye when he saw it. And he was definitely seeing it now.
Fortunately, he doubted any of them had assassin skills to match their looks. Who
among knew how to make a crossbow out of their newspapers, for example? It was an
acquired skill.
Making sure to steer clear of the second-story ledge above and, therefore, any
accidentally
toppling objects, Jack went to the counter where Willow’s friend Ada refilled Stan
Herman’s coffee cup. So there still were a few people who drank a plain old Americano
cup of coffee. Unfortunately, with Ada behind the counter, Jack would have to stick
to his approved drink list.
Stan walked away. Ada turned her attention to Jack and glared at him. Yes, glared.
What the hell? What had he done to upset her? Against his strong sexual impulses and
drive, he’d behaved perfectly around Willow. No animal advances. No taking her on
the living room rug like he wanted to. Nothing but gentlemanliness as far as the evening
stretched. Hell, he’d even helped her with the dishes. The fact that he’d had an ulterior
motive shouldn’t count against him.
“What can I get you?” Ada’s stare held all the warmth of the frost on a pumpkin, and
her eyes snapped with anger.
“I’ll take a
grande
pumpkin spice latte.” Still, not his favorite drink, but better than a cappuccino.
And it was on the approved cover list.
“To go, I take it.”
Now there was a subtle hint. So he wouldn’t be lounging in the cold atmosphere of
the store and picking up any helpful local gossip.
She rang it up and took his money. He watched her as she made his drink just to make
sure she didn’t spit in it. When she’d finished it, she plunked it on the counter
so hard that coffee splashed up through the drink hole of the to-go cup lid.
Sometimes the best way to get intel was the direct approach.
He looked Ada straight in the eye, giving her no wiggle room, and put on his most
sincerely apologetic tone. “Have I done something to offend you?”
Ada held a dishrag. She looked as if she wanted to swat him with it. Instead, she
thwacked the counter. “Willow is my good friend and I will protect her to the end.
Especially from gold-digging men who are after her widow’s inheritance. Mess with
her and you
will
mess with me, buster.
“The eyes of the entire town are on you, Con Russo, or whoever you really are. You
are
not
going to break our Willow’s heart and run off with her money. Nor will we allow you
to trespass on Aldo’s hospitality a moment longer, you, you fraud!”
If Jack hadn’t been trained to be cool under pressure and had lots of experience facing
down much badder guys than Ada, his heart might have stopped.
But the SMASH note pinned to his door and all the ladies of the town trooping through
Kennett’s house came suddenly to mind.
Touché, Kennett. Good move.
With a few well-placed lies, some hints, and a bit of innuendo, Kennett had just enlisted
the entire town to be his eyes and ears and keep watch on Jack.
The Rooster, that bastard, was definitely scared, but Jack tipped a figurative hat
to him. Kennett just proved he was good with a tactical move. And he knew small towns.
I’m going to get you, you bastard. Soon. Try all you like to trip me up; that only
strengthens my resolve.
Fortunately, NCS had an app for everything. Jack laughed and pulled his smartphone
from his pocket. “You don’t believe I’m Aldo’s cousin? Would you believe his dear
old
nonna
?
“Phone, call Tia Salemo.”
* * *
“Aldo Salemo, you should be ashamed of yourself for dragging your poor old confused
dear granny into this.” Lettie glared at Aldo after he ended the call with his grandmother.
The other women crowding the store nodded their agreement and murmured encouragement
to Lettie.
Aldo glared back at them. “Nonna is not confused. Are you insulting my
nonna
? No one insults Nonna and gets away with it.” He made an Italian hand gesture that
Willow was pretty well convinced meant something rude.
Lettie ignored it. “Do you have any Mafia connections?”
“I have a distant cousin in the porn industry in LA.”
Lettie’s eyes narrowed. “But he doesn’t off people who disagree with him?”
Aldo looked confused. “No.”
“Then, yes, I’m disagreeing. I’m not calling your granny a liar. I’m just saying,
at her age it’s easy to be mistaken.
“You have to throw this imposter out, Aldo. Kick him right out of that guesthouse
of yours and boot him out of town. You can’t harbor a fugitive.”
“Fugitive? Who are you calling a fugitive? Someone in my family? You’d better take
that back, Lettie, or no meatballs for you. Not ever again.” Aldo crossed his arms
and glared at the ladies.
“Slow down, everyone. Let’s not get carried away. All we have to go on so far is malicious,
unfounded gossip.” Willow had to stop this lynch mob, but if they wouldn’t listen
to Aldo’s grandma, whom would they listen to?
Although, privately, she had to admit she didn’t believe Aldo’s
nonna
, either. There was no way Con Russo was real, not if he was Jack. But Jack may have
assumed Con’s identity. Still, she wasn’t going to let these women scare the fake
Con, if that’s what he was, away. At least not until she knew for sure whether he
was Jack or not.
Lettie crossed her arms, too. “I will not take that back. It’s the truth.”
“And
I
will not stand for someone calling Nonna a liar. And I will not throw my cousin out
based on idle gossip. Salemos stand by and protect the family,” Aldo said.
“And I will not stand for the town interfering in my personal life. I’m a big girl.
I can take care of myself. So far, Con’s done nothing wrong and nothing more than
accept my dinner invitation and prove himself to be a charming dinner companion.
“Now, let’s eat caramel.” Willow waved to Shiloh. “Bring out a tray of samples.
“The rest of you clear a path so I can get behind the counter. I expect you’re all
here to buy candy.” She gave them her piercing, fierce stare, the one she hardly ever
used.
Just then her cell rang. She pulled it out of her apron pocket. “Ada?”
“Thank goodness I caught you,” Ada said. “Have you heard about Con Russo? He’s a fake
and a bigamist, a wanted felon who has wives in five states. I should call the cops,
but I wanted to talk to you first.
“He was just in. Don’t worry, I sent him packing. Any man who’d mess with you is not
welcome here. Of course, I sold him a coffee first. Profit is profit.
“So, should I call the FBI?”
“Not you, too,” Willow said, heart pounding. “No, you should not call the FBI. I thought
you had better sense than to listen to these horrible rumors. Where did you send him?”
Willow crossed her fingers.
Please don’t let him leave town.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“I’m sorry, Willow. The DNA doesn’t match. Despite his uncanny resemblance, your friend
Con isn’t Jack.” Drew Fields stared at Willow through his computer screen as he Skyped
with her. He’d disabled monitoring software before giving Willow the news. And, of
course, Willow had had her house swept. They could all speak freely. Staci sat beside
him, holding his hand and shooting Willow sympathetic looks.
Drew looked as broken up as Willow felt. “No! That can’t be true. He is Jack. He is.
He
has
to be. I had dinner with him last night. He tells stories like Jack. He … he’s Jack.”
It was a good thing Willow was already sitting down; otherwise she’d have collapsed
with shock. This couldn’t be true. All day long she’d been defending him, protecting
him, sending him texts, direct messages on social media, and trying to get to Aldo’s
to warn him. But the town seemed to be conspiring to keep her from physically reaching
Jack. “There has to be a mistake—”
“DNA doesn’t lie.” Drew’s tone was soft and sympathetic. “My guy checked it twice.”
“The sample—”
“The sample was fine, Willow,” Drew said. “More than fine, excellent. There’s no mistake.
The DNA on that drinking glass doesn’t belong to Jack.”
Drew’s phrasing sparked a thought. That sneaky rascal Jack. What if he’d somehow tampered
with the sample?
Willow squinted and stared back at Drew and Staci. “Who
does
that sample belong to?”
“A male of Italian descent,” Drew said. “Dark haired, healthy. Marker for marker it
basically matches your description of Con.”
Willow balled her fists. Oh, that man was good!
“Is there any way Jack or someone inside the Agency could have tampered with the sample?
This sounds like a classic Emmett smoke-and-mirrors trick.”
“Willow, I think you’re in denial, hon.” Staci looked genuinely sad for Willow. “Don’t
hang on to false hope. I wish Jack was still alive almost as much as you do. But let
this go.”
Drew squeezed Staci’s hand. Willow was observant. She saw him tense. “My man is outside
the Agency. Dependable, loyal. He owes me his life. I trust him. He can’t be bought
off.
“The Agency, however, is damn good. But we were all careful. The odds of them getting
to this sample are slim to none, Willow.”
“Jack could have done it. I don’t know how, but if Jack has been faking his death
for two years, I wouldn’t put anything past him,” Willow said.
“The package arrived undisturbed, the seal unbroken, our coded message inside, all
of our precautions and verifications intact. My guy was on the alert for any tampering.”
Willow took a deep breath to ward off tears. She couldn’t believe it. She
wouldn’t
believe it. She wouldn’t let Jack go. Not again.
“Is there any way you can do some discreet inquiring within the Agency? Something
low-key and beneath Emmett’s notice.”
Drew looked as if he was about to refuse.
Willow cut him off before he could speak. “I know it’s a lot to ask. You know I wouldn’t
if it weren’t so important.”
“If I ask about Jack, flags will immediately go up,” Drew said.
“So don’t ask about Jack. Dig around and see if the Agency has any reason to be in
Orchard Bluff. If Jack is in town, there’s a reason.”
Drew pursed his lips. “I’ll do what I can. No promises, Willow.”
“No promises, I understand completely.” And she did. She understood how much Drew’s
career meant to him and knew the risk he was taking for her. But like her, Drew would
do anything he could to bring Jack back. Drew had been Jack’s best friend. It was
the trump card she held over Drew and she half-hated herself for using it, but she
didn’t see any other option.
“You know that if I do find out anything sensitive, and all our stuff is sensitive
and top secret, I won’t be able to give you any details. The most I’ll be able to
do is say the Agency has an interest in the area.”
“I know. Thank you, Drew.”
He looked embarrassed by her heartfelt thanks. He shrugged.
“Just don’t hold on to such a slim hope, Willow. I’m concerned about you, that you’re
still in total denial. Damn that Sense of yours.” He gave her a crooked grin.
She grinned back in return. “It’s never wrong.”
He shook his head and became solemn. “Seriously, I’m concerned. If DNA evidence from
Con himself won’t convince you, nothing will. When will you give up?”
Never.
Which she didn’t say aloud. She didn’t have to. Drew caught her expression and sighed.
“Hope springs eternal,” she said. “Staci, how’s your mom doing?”
“If you’re going to start gossiping and engaging in girl talk, I’m out of here.” Drew
shook his head and stood to leave.
“Bye, Drew. Thanks!” Willow watched him walk away.
“Mom’s spending Sam’s money and doing surprisingly well. She still doesn’t suspect
a thing.…”
Staci’s mom had unknowingly been married to a traitor who was selling national security
secrets to a dangerous terrorist group. Willow, of course, didn’t know all the details.
Just that it had been Drew’s mission to capture Staci’s stepfather, Sam.