She nodded warily. The guy held up a police badge, and that was when she realized all of them were wearing uniforms.
“Police!”
“We’ve come to help you, ma’am. Thank goodness we caught up to you here. We’ve been searching all over.”
Augusta wound down the window a crack.
“How do you even know I’m in trouble?” she asked, her voice high with fear.
She noticed that four of the cops flanked the car. They could be blocking her escape route or covering her from danger. It was impossible to tell.
“A young lady named Rachel left a report, ma’am,” the officer said. “We’ve been searching for you ever since.”
Rachel?
Augusta didn’t know what to make of that. Confusion stampeded through her, mingling with fear and adrenaline and coming out as pure exhaustion.
I wasn’t built for life-or-death situations.
“We need you to come with us,” the officer said loudly. There was traffic on the road, and the wind had picked up.
“I’m here with Ray,” she said. She didn’t know if it was the best idea to reveal this, but she had no choice. “You know, Ray Moretti?”
The officer shook his head, his face falling with dismay.
“Ma’am, I’m sure you know this, but that man is an unsavory character. He doesn’t have your best interests at heart.”
Augusta felt a horrible certainty soak through her. This guy was touching on all her deepest fears, and the worst thing was, he was making them sound real.
She didn’t want to leave Ray. She couldn’t imagine how he would feel if he came down here and found her gone. He might panic, or he might think good riddance.
Once he had the picture and the negative, he held all the cards.
He won’t need me anymore.
Augusta thought it may be worth sticking around just for that one reason. Once he had all the evidence, if he still wanted her around, that had to count for something.
Unless I’ve totally misjudged him, and he has deliberately tried to make me feel sorry for him, so I’d tell him everything.
She grunted softly, shaking her head. She didn’t know what to believe.
“I understand that he’s been helping you, is that correct, ma’am?”
She nodded, watching the officer’s face. He appeared upset at her response.
“He’s going to kill you once he’s done, ma’am. I’m so sorry, but it’s the truth. He just needs to make sure his family has all the power in the up-and-coming mob war. Once he has what he needs, he’ll take care of all the loose ends.”
Augusta sat, frozen with shock. She recoiled a little, frightened by the officer’s words.
“He’s an executioner, Miss Sinclair,” the officer said. “A very dangerous man. Would you please come with me?”
Augusta hesitated for another moment, then shoved open the door. She glanced at the building with its many glowing windows. There was no way of knowing where Ray was or what he was up to.
I don’t think I want to stick around.
“So, you say a friend of mine left a report?” Augusta said, closing the car door. “Roslyn, did you say?”
The officer frowned. “It was Rachel, ma’am. She was very concerned for you, especially since she hadn’t heard from you in a while. She contacted her cousin in the department.”