LITMIR.BIZ

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start.”

      “All right. The head of the family is Mick Hernandez. Ultimate crime boss who calls all the shots but rarely gets his hands dirty. He’s married to Fern Hernandez. She largely stays out of the spotlight, but my hunch is that she plays critical roles behind the scenes.”

      “Right, and then there’s Simon. The son that I’m prosecuting. Although without Denise serving as my witness who can testify about the forgeries and money laundering given her role as their accountant, it’s going to be super tough to present the level of proof we need for a conviction.”

      “I’ll see if there’s anything we can add that could be helpful given these latest developments.”

      “They’re not going to stop until they squash this prosecution,” she said more to herself than to him.

      “We’re not going to let that happen.”

      “And what about the other two siblings?” she asked. “I also have my eye on the sister, Ana. But I’m trying to focus on this case first before I attempt to build another one and charge a second member of the family. Depending on how this trial goes, though, Ana would definitely be next on my list.”

      “Funny you say that, because Ana is our prime focus right now.”

      “Then maybe we can help each other.” This might actually work out after all. Especially if her prosecution of Simon got railroaded, then maybe with the FBI’s help she’d be able to start working up evidence against Ana.

      “Ana is dirty—there’s no doubt about it. She’s known on the streets as the most ruthless sibling, but she’s working with someone in the organization to make sure she stays as clean as possible. But she can’t hide forever.”

      Jessica’s pulse quickened just thinking about constructing arguments against Ana. “She has a few businesses in town that she uses as fronts, right?”

      “Yes, two actually. A dry-cleaning service and a restaurant.”

      “You know who we haven’t talked about yet?” she asked.

      “The only person in the family who supposedly isn’t a criminal?” Zach raised an eyebrow.

      “You’re skeptical that the golden boy is really golden?”

      “Luke Hernandez may be a cop, but I don’t trust him.”

      She shook her head. “Everything I’ve researched has him coming up completely clean. The only member with zero ties to any family business or any crimes at all. Got out young and never looked back.”

      “Why would Mick Hernandez let his youngest son become a cop? I’m sorry, Jessica—I’m not buying it. There’s an ulterior motive going on even if it hasn’t presented itself yet. I wouldn’t trust him.”

      “He works homicide,” Jessica said. “Supposedly he’s quite good and highly respected in the unit.”

      Zach laughed. “When you grow up in a family of criminals it would make you a good cop. You know all the ins and outs.”

      “Wait a minute. You can’t judge Luke purely based on his upbringing.” After the words were out of her mouth, she realized that she sounded a bit too defensive.

      He leaned forward in his seat. She could tell that he was sizing her up.

      “I’m sorry if I’m skeptical about Luke. I just find it really hard to believe that his father wouldn’t have killed him by now if he was really an upstanding cop.”

      “Luke is still his son. And more importantly, he’s Fern’s baby. From everything I’ve researched, I think Fran has kept Luke off the table.”

      “You think even though he’s gone over to the other side and sold out his family, that his mother will still protect him?”

      “That’s where you have it wrong, Zach. What has Luke ever done to sell out his family? Nothing.”

      “Well, he better be walled off from working this homicide. Because the Hernandez clan is definitely behind the death of Denise Landers.”

      “Cut the guy a break. Shouldn’t we applaud him for stepping out of the life of crime and all the comforts that come with it?”

      Zach shrugged. “I guess if I truly believed he was clean, that would be one thing.”

      This wasn’t going to get them anywhere. “It doesn’t matter. I can tell you right now, I’m not going after Luke Hernandez. I think he’s a solid cop trying to do the best he can. I’d rather keep our focus on the case I’m supposed to be trying against Simon.”

      “Agreed. What are you going to do now without Denise to ensure a conviction?”

      “That’s the million-dollar question. We do have a videotape of Denise’s deposition testimony. But that’s never as effective as a live witness. Plus the defense will try to exclude the testimony.”

      “On what basis?”

      “That he lacked the opportunity for a proper cross-examination.”

      “How so?”

      Jessica remembered that day well. “The defense attorney cooked up a story about a personal family emergency and had to leave before he could finish his questions. He cut the deposition short, and we never rescheduled because Denise committed to being available for trial. That was a big mistake in hindsight.”

      “And who is the defense attorney?”

      “Mateo Tyson.”

      Zach groaned loudly. “That guy is the worst.”

      “But he’s a very effective lawyer who has successfully defended the Hernandez family and other criminals for years.” She rubbed her eyes as exhaustion started to set in again.

      “It’s getting late. Why don’t we get you home? Once we’re there, we can talk about the threat assessment and the security part of this operation.”

      “I live in a one-bedroom apartment. I don’t think that’s exactly conducive to having a bodyguard.” She didn’t like the idea of someone invading her personal space, but there was a tiny part of her that was happy that she wouldn’t be alone tonight. And that Zach would be the one protecting her. Seeing Denise’s lifeless body on that beach today shook her up even though she was desperately trying not to show it.

      “I can sleep in the living room. This isn’t about me having luxury accommodations. It’s about keeping you alive. When they sent someone to scare you, that was one thing. But now that they’ve killed a person connected to your case, we have to step it up. We’ll stay at your place tonight and then regroup and talk to Agent Wilson about a safe house and any other security precautions he wants to put into place.”

      “I have faith that I’ll be all right.” And she believed that in the deepest fiber of her being.

      Zach narrowed his eyes at her. “Faith as in the general concept, or faith as in faith in God?”

      “Faith in God.”

      He nodded. “I totally understand. My faith has gotten me through some tough times in life, too.”

      It was nice to hear that Zach shared the same beliefs. And she also knew he was right. Now wasn’t the time be alone. Not when the threat loomed large. “Let’s get out of here.”

      “Great. I’ll drive you and have another agent take your car back to your place. From here on out, you’re not going anywhere solo.”

      Jessica was quickly realizing that she was going to have to pick her battles with Zach. And this definitely wasn’t something to argue about.

      When she got into his government-issued SUV, she allowed herself to take a few deep breaths and try to decompress. The past twenty-four hours had been crazy.

      “Are you from Florida?” he asked.

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