“The FBI does domestic work, Luke. You know that.”
“Are you telling me you can’t find out anything about him? From anywhere?”
“I didn’t say that.”
Saks was growing annoyed. This guy was using Luke’s shop as a cover for an operation that he wouldn’t share with either of them. He at least owed them information.
“Look, it’s important,” Saks said. “If there’s any chance he had anything to do with what happened to Hawk and me, we need the info.”
“And,” Luke interjected, “I’ve been mighty patient with this whole camping in my shop while you’re pretending not to hold your government job.”
“You have,” Rob admitted.
“So perhaps you can spill a few things just to grease the wheels of your employment with me.”
“You're aware I can’t keep the money you give me.”
“That’s not the issue,” Luke argued. “Whatever shit you’re into can come down on me and mine. Lately, with everything happening, that's been weighing on my mind. If was just me? I wouldn’t care. But Em, Robbie, and the new baby coming? Yes. I have serious concerns.”
Rob’s lips drew into a hard line. “I understand, and I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize Emily, Robbie, or the new baby. You and they are the only family I have left.”
Luke blinked. Saks didn’t realize that Rob considered Luke family. Rob was Emily’s biological father, but had been a no-show since before Emily’s birth. Rob had been the one to initiate the reconnection to his long-lost daughter, but Emily was loyal to a fault to her mother, sister, and the man who’d raised her. While cordial to Rob, she didn’t welcome him into the family circle.
“The truth is, Luke, we have no idea where your uncle is. He’s dropped off the grid. His business is running just fine, but where he is operating? Not a clue. The reason I’m stationed here is to keep an eye on you.”
“Me?”
“Well, you and the Spawn. You guys are clean, but the people around you, your uncle, the Roccos, the Rojos and Hombres, and now the Serafini aren’t. The Spawn have become a magnet for interactions with the worst elements in Connecticut.”
“You aren’t telling us anything new.”
“Just to inform you, this is my last assignment before retirement. I’m just to observe and report. What action the Bureau takes is up to them.”
“And you’re hoping my uncle will contact me?”
“He can’t help himself. Eventually, he’ll show up. It’s anybody’s guess when that will be.”
Luke sucked in a huge breath, and Saks didn’t blame him. Raymundo Icherra had shown up just before the birth of Robbie. If he had any idea that Emily was pregnant again, he’d show up in a few months’ time. Saks did a quick mental calculation and realized that would be just around the holidays.
Shit. Unfortunately, he had more immediate concerns. “Look, that doesn’t help us now.”
Rob shrugged. “If it’s any consolation, Threat Analysis thinks he has nothing to do with the hits placed on you or Hawk.”
“That comforting,” Saks replied sarcastically.
“If not him, then who?” Luke asked.
Rob sighed. “If you’re looking for an answer such as the Rojos, Hombres, Roccos, or Serafini, nothing indicates them. Sure, the Rojos and Hombres are ticked off at you, but they have other troubles they’re dealing with. Both the Roccos and the Serafini have never put a hit out on a family member, so that’s unlikely. We haven’t picked up chatter from any other crime families in New York, New Jersey, or New England. My best professional guess is that it’s none of them.”
“You have a guess, don’t you?” Saks observed.
“This is just a gut instinct, but I believe it was James Pearson.”
Saks clenched his jaw as alarm shot through him. “Why?”
“The way he looked at you at the airport. Like you were someone he wanted to kill, like you were in the way of something important. Is it possible Christina is having an affair with him?”
“No,” Saks responded in a low, guttural growl.