Pride ran in our family, if nothing else did, so Mom squared her shoulders and raised her chin at Clint. “I’ll be ready to go.”
TWO HOURS LATER, WE came back home from breakfast. I felt ten pounds heavier after the huge meal. Clint led the way to the front door. He opened the door and went stiff, with one arm reaching back to his waistband.
“Don’t bother, Ramsey,” a male voice said.
“There’s someone in the house,” Mom whispered.
“What in the fuck are you doin’ here?” Clint asked.
“Mr. Debenedetti wants a word.”
“And that required breaking and entering,” Clint demanded, his tone pissed off.
“It did. The sooner you and the Connelly women come inside the sooner this is done,” a different voice said.
“That can’t be,” Mom whispered.
I looked at her. “That can’t be what?”
She shook her head, set her walker to the side, and grabbed my arm –forcing me to go with her– as she started up the steps.
Clint glowered over his shoulder at us.
“Is that Tommy Debenedetti in there?” Mom asked.
Clint sighed. “How in the hell do you know—”
“Let’s go inside, and I’ll tell you how I know him,” Mom said.
I hustled down the steps to grab Mom’s walker, so I was behind everyone walking inside. In the foyer stood a hulking man in a dark suit. He had close-cropped dark hair, beady brown eyes, and a bulbous nose. His focus centered on Clint, and I knew there was bad blood between them.
Mom walked down the hallway with more spring in her step than I’d seen since Wynnie’s death.
An older gentleman in a suit preceded us into the living room and settled into the couch. He had olive skin, dark hair, and brown eyes. He smiled as Mom walked into the room, and a strange feeling hit me. I didn’t know how Mom knew him, but I felt like I should remember him.
“Penelope Connelly, it’s been too long,” he said, standing from the couch and reaching out to grab Mom’s forearms.
She leaned in and air-kissed both his cheeks. “Tommy, it’s good to see you, but Clint’s right. You shouldn’t have broken in.”
A charming smile crossed his face as he shrugged. “What can I say? Bad habits are hard to break.”
Clint stood behind the couch with his arms folded on his chest. “Hate to break up this happy reunion, but I’d much rather know why you’re here at all, seeing as you’re a known criminal.”
He speared Clint with his eyes. “Never been arrested, Ramsey.”
“But you don’t deny doing the crime. Why are you here?”
Debenedetti looked at me. “Raegan. I haven’t seen you since you were four or five. You’re as pretty as your mother was when I first met her.”
I looked to Mom. “How do you know him?”
“Come sit down, honey. It’s a long story.”
“Which should wait until after we find out why he’s here,” Clint put in.
“Impatient as ever, Ramsey,” Debenedetti said, but moved to the recliner so he could see me and Mom better.
I sat down next to Mom, and Clint leaned into a hand on the back of the couch. “You’re here because...”
“It’s been brought to my attention that someone wants Raegan dead.”
“Pretty sure her abduction outside Target made that clear.”
His eyes shot to Clint. “I understand it was botched.”
“Be better to understand why you’re here.”
“There are new groups infringing on my business. One of these groups took the contract to eliminate Raegan.”
“You need to share that with the Sheriff’s office.”
He leveled a look at Clint indicating that wasn’t going to happen. “Payment wasn’t received, and that’s why Raegan was returned.”
“I don’t think Mom needs to—”
Mom looked at me. “Don’t you dare, Raegan. I need to know what’s going on, blood pressure be damned.”
“So, whoever wants Raegan harmed didn’t pay. Do you know why?”
Debenedetti pressed his lips together for a moment. “Seems this group wants payment for Bronwyn’s death, but —”
“What?” I cried. “Who would want me and my sister dead?”
Debenedetti’s expression turned somber. “Mistaken identity. You were expected to be in town on Labor Day.”
My stomach pitched and I sank back in the sofa. “You’re joking,” I whispered.
“This doesn’t make sense. How could there be mistaken identity? Bronwyn worked out like a fiend and was thin as a rail.”
Debenedetti shook his head. “I don’t know how such an egregious mistake happened. I only know they wanted payment for both hits, and since full payment wasn’t received, that’s why Raegan is still here.”
“Orange County Sheriff’s Office will want to know all this,” Clint said.
“Will they? With Gaspar as the lead detective? He’s got a closed case.”
“They’d reopen it —”
“All I’ve told you is hearsay.”
“I’m sure the Organized Crime unit would be interested.”
Debenedetti shook his head. “You’re right, but even you wouldn’t report this. You step over the lines when it suits you and when you know you won’t get caught.”
“This is crazy. If someone here wants to harm me, I should just head back to New York.”
Mom and Debenedetti turned to me, but I could feel the irritated vibe coming from Clint. I looked over my shoulder at him and his eyes glittered at me.
“You can’t run. At least here, we can keep you safe,” he said, but at the end of his statement his eyes widened, and I knew he wanted to know ‘what about us?’
I sighed. “You’re right, but I don’t like the idea of these people coming after me here and putting Mom in danger.”
My focus shifted to Debenedetti when he spoke. “For what it’s worth, it’s gotten around that you belong to Ramsey. That doesn’t get you as much protection as you might think, but I’m letting it be known you have my protection, too.”
“We don’t want it,” Clint bit out.
Mom looked over her shoulder at Clint. “Now why would
