Along one side of the alcove that housed the elevators was a low, upholstered bench. Taking a seat, Val unfolded the paper. The sight of Carlo Lanzoni’s face in the photo triggered a stomach spasm so sharp that she had to gasp. Even without reading the article, she could guess what was going on. Lanzoni was in jail. But that didn’t mean she was safe. The man was like an evil spider with a network of webs as broad as the state of Nevada. He had eyes and ears everywhere, and an army of paid informants that included public officials and police officers. For him, running his organization from a prison cell and keeping watch on anyone he needed to control would be no problem.
She forced herself to read the news article, once, then again, memorizing the content before crumpling the newspaper and stuffing it into a nearby waste can. Stepping into the elevator, she pushed the button for the floor above her room. She would take the stairs the rest of the way down—a needless precaution, maybe, but she couldn’t be too careful—not only for her own safety but for her sister’s.
As the elevator hummed downward, she thought about what she’d read. Racketeering, extortion, and murder. Those were the charges. But whose murder? How many murders had Lanzoni committed, not with his own hands but on his orders? Dozens, almost certainly.
Solid evidence of just one killing would be enough to convict him. If Val came forward, her testimony could put Carlo Lanzoni behind bars for life.
But at what cost to her and her loved ones?
At least she could understand why she was being watched, and most likely warned. But why would it matter when there’d been so many other hits—most of them carried out by Lanzoni’s bodyguard, a coldly handsome brute named Dimitri who killed as efficiently as a machine. She couldn’t be the only witness left alive. There had to be others who had more to gain and less to lose.
Still tormenting herself with questions, she left the stairwell and walked down the hall to the room she shared with Tess. Before using her card, she took a deep breath and arranged her expression in a smile. She’d told her sister nothing about her past or about her present danger. Knowing would only set Tess off and distract her when she needed to focus on the bulls.
Val walked into the room to find Tess sitting up in bed, checking her phone. “I’ve got some good news,” she said. “Clay Rafferty wants to buck Whirlwind a second time in round four. And Whiplash will be on standby for the next reride. Rafferty really seems to like our bulls. Let’s hope they don’t disappoint him.”
“That’s great.” Val tossed her purse on the bed and headed for the bathroom.
“Hey, wait,” Tess said. “You were gone for quite a while. How did it go with Casey?”
“It didn’t go anywhere,” Val said. “We just talked—and agreed to stay distant friends. We won’t be spending any more time together.”
“Okay. So why did he just call and ask me if you’d made it back to the room? And why did he sound worried when I told him I hadn’t seen you?”
Val sighed. “You know Casey. Overprotective is his middle name. After he let me off, I took a little walk to clear my head. That was all.”
“Maybe you should call him and let him know you’re here now,” Tess said.
“My phone needs charging. Anyway, you’re the one who’s got his cell number. Why don’t you call him?”
Tess raised an eyebrow. “Goodness, it sounds like things really didn’t go well between the two of you.”
“What did you expect? We’re not teenagers anymore. We’ve grown up. We’re different people now.”
“Fine. I’ll call him.” Tess scrolled her phone, then paused. “I just remembered something weird. About fifteen minutes ago, the room phone rang. I thought it might be the desk calling about something, so I picked up and answered. Nobody replied, but I could hear a sound, like rustling, and then the line went dead.”
Val’s shrug masked a shudder of apprehension. “Probably just a mistake. Or some scumbag looking for an empty room to rob. Just to be safe, we need to make sure our door’s securely locked, even when we leave. Remember to call Casey, will you?”
Val ducked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She felt vaguely ill. The nachos and Coke had congealed in her stomach, but even when she tried to throw up, nothing happened. Maybe she should tell Tess what was going on. But her family would be safer not knowing. Any efforts on their part to protect her would only put them all at risk.
One question still bothered her. She mulled it over while she brushed her teeth and washed her face. If Lanzoni feared she might testify against him, why hadn’t his people killed her? It would be easy enough, especially if Dimitri was still doing his job.
Only one answer came to mind. Her death or disappearance could result in more charges, more investigations, perhaps even more arrests. And so far, their subtle scare tactics were working. Val had no desire to put herself or her family at risk. Surely the DA would have enough on Lanzoni to convict him without her help.
But what if she were wrong? Of all the terrors plaguing her, the most frightening was fear of the unknown.
By the time Val walked out of the bathroom, Tess had turned off her bedside lamp. She lay on her side, with the pillow doubled under her head. “I called Casey. When I asked him why he’d seemed so worried, he shut right down. What’s going on, Val?”
“Nothing.” Val sat on the foot of her bed in the dim light, her back toward her sister as she undressed and pulled the black sleepshirt over her head.
“It didn’t strike me as nothing,” Tess said.
“All right. We had an argument. Things got a little heated. I got out of the truck and walked back to the hotel by myself.” Val was lying through her teeth, but it was for a good cause, she told herself. Blast Casey—she could punch him for alerting Tess to her possible danger.
“I’ve been thinking,” Val said, although the idea had just struck her. “I won’t have much to do tomorrow. Lexie will be with the wives’ group she met, and you’ll be looking after the bulls. What do you say I tag along with you and give you a hand? I can shovel manure and scoop bull chow as well as the next flunky.”
“Uh—sure, Val. I’d like that. But weren’t you planning to fly out tomorrow?”
Val shrugged. “I changed my mind. I was thinking maybe it’s time I got more involved in the family business.”
“Oh. Okay then.” Tess sounded surprised. Not that Val could blame her. On the ranch, she’d filled in for the cook and given the old house a badly needed refurbishing for Lexie’s wedding. But she’d never offered her help with the stock.
Val still wasn’t keen on working with the bulls. But helping Tess would give her something to do and a safe place to be. Right now that was important.
“I’ll be leaving here by seven o’clock and grabbing coffee on the way,” Tess said. “We can have breakfast after the bulls have been taken care of. Do you think you can drag yourself out of bed in time to go with me?”
“We’ll see.” Val was tired, and she’d never been an early-morning person. “If you have to leave without me, I can always join you later.”
Tess sighed. “Whatever. But you know what Dad would have said. Hungry bulls need to be fed. You can sleep on your own time.” She turned over and pulled the covers up to her chin. Within a few minutes her breathing became deep and even.