Ellie had heard of that. “You mean, I change my name, leave Santa Martina, move to some tiny town no one’s ever heard of, get a different job, and never have any contact with any of my friends or family for the rest of my life?”
“That’s right.”
“No way,” Ellie said. Imagine never seeing her brother again! Or Catalina. “Absolutely not. Who’d do that?”
“No one.” With a sigh, the detective stood up. “Well, thank you for your time. I’m sure you’d testify if you could. You can go home now.”
He turned and headed for the door.
Ellie jumped up, raising her voice to halt him. “Wait a second. I never said I wouldn’t testify. I just won’t go into Witness Protection.”
Detective Kramer froze, then slowly turned to face her. “Let me make sure I heard you right. You’re not willing to do Witness Protection, but you are willing to testify against Wallace Nagle.”
“That’s right.”
“And you realize that he’s going to try to kill you. And that he can. Easily. I appreciate your courage, Ms. McNeil, but unless you go into Witness Protection, you won’t live to testify.”
The detective’s words made Ellie’s entire body tingle with anxiety. But she’d seen an innocent man ruthlessly murdered. How could she not testify, no matter how dangerous it was?
But she wasn’t willing to give up her entire life, either. How could she agree to abandon her family and friends, and never see or speak to any of them again? She didn’t want to give up her job— she loved being a paramedic in the bi
g city. And on the off-chance that she found a man who loved her, job and all, how could she have a real relationship when she could never even tell him her real name?
On the other hand, she’d never have a relationship with anyone if she was shot by one of Mr. Nagle’s hit men.
Ellie bit her lip, trying to think of alternatives to ruining her life, ending her life, or letting a vicious murderer get away with it. Catalina wasn’t just her partner, she was Ellie’s best friend. But good as she was at emergency medicine and pedal-to-the-metal driving, she couldn’t fight off a hit man. Ellie’s brother Ethan was completely capable of protecting her, but he was on some secret Marine mission. He wouldn’t be able to leave it even if she had any way of contacting him, which she didn’t.
“Can’t the police protect me?” Ellie asked. “You want to put Nagle away, right? Then keep me alive so I can do it.”
“We don’t have a budget for round-the-clock protection,” Detective Kramer replied.
At that point, Ellie’s stress hit maximum. She wasn’t hot-tempered normally, but hearing that the cops couldn’t afford to save her life made anger burn through her body. “I bet your boss could find some money for getting rid of the Godfather! If you can’t help me, I want to talk to the watch commander.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Detective Kramer began.
“I want to talk to the watch commander,” Ellie repeated.
“He’s busy.”
She folded her arms across her chest. “Fine. He can see me when he’s ready. But I’m not leaving till I’ve talked to him.”
The detective seemed taken aback. “Hold on. I’ll see what I can do.”
He hurried out. The door shut behind him, leaving Ellie alone and feeling like she’d just made the worst mistake of her life. She couldn’t bring herself to deny what she’d seen, but the idea of being hunted like an animal made her heart start pounding again.
I’ll be safe. The watch commander will find the money, and then I’ll have a police officer to protect me, she told herself.
The thought didn’t make her feel much better. Detective Kramer might be good at solving crimes, but he looked like he spent more time eating donuts than chasing down criminals. And while the detectives she’d spoken to had been nice, several of the patrol officers had openly ogled her curves when she’d walked through the station.
With the luck Ellie was having that night, she’d probably get Officer Creeper, one step up from a mall cop. He’d stare at her generous breasts and big ass, get in her way as she tried to work, lurk creepily in his car outside her apartment at night, and shed a trail of donut crumbs wherever he went. He’d breathe heavily and stand way too close to her. And if anyone attacked her, he’d be so out of shape that she’d have to protect him.
Worst night of my life, Ellie thought.