A Face to Die For (Forensic Instincts 6)

Emma was relieved when the phone rang. She’d spent the past hour emailing prospective clients, telling them the team would not be taking on their cases, and recommending easy fixes for their problems—like installing a new lock when an ex kept letting himself back into your apartment. Boring.

Whoever was

calling had to be more interesting than this—hopefully.

“Forensic Instincts,” Emma said into the phone.

“Hello, my name is Gia Russo.” The woman at the other end had a direct approach and more than a little anxiety in her voice. “I’d like to speak to Marc Devereaux right away. It’s urgent.”

Emma’s antennae went up. This was already intriguing. It was rare that someone, other than Madeline, called and asked specifically for Marc. He wasn’t exactly the nurturing type.

“May I ask what this is in reference to?” Emma inquired.

“Is he in?” Gia Russo responded, this time more forcefully.

Emma’s brows rose. “I’ll check. But I’ll need the reason for your call.”

“He knows me. Just give him my name and tell him it’s imperative that I speak to him now. I don’t mean to be rude, but time is of the essence.”

Emma’s instincts told her this was legit. “Hold on, please.”

She pressed the hold button that shut off the outside world and used FI’s internal system instead. She could have dashed up the two flights of stairs to where Marc was doubtless ensconced in the corner office on the third floor, where he always did his solo work. But this way was faster, and Gia Russo sounded close to frantic.

Emma tapped the button labeled Marc.

“What’s up, Emma?” Marc sounded a little bored with what he was reading.

Well, maybe his professional life was about to take an upswing.

“There’s a woman on the phone who’s desperate to speak with you. As in right now. She sounds like she’s coming apart at the seams. Her name is Gia Russo. Do you know her?”

“She was Maddy’s and my wedding planner.” There was definite surprise and puzzlement in Marc’s voice. “She’s also a bulldozer. Gia doesn’t come apart at the seams.”

“Well, she does now. She says it’s urgent and she’ll speak only with you. That’s all I’ve got.”

“Put her through.”

Marc closed the document he’d been reading and placed his iPad on the desk in front of him. His phone gave one bing, signifying that his caller was there.

“Gia?” he answered.

“Oh, Marc, thank God,” she breathed. “I was afraid your receptionist would blow me off.”

“What’s going on?” Marc had to admit that Emma hadn’t been exaggerating. Frantic Gia was one he had never heard.

“It’s too long to go into on the phone. Suffice it to say, my sister’s life and my life are in danger. We need to meet with you, hire you, like, yesterday. I know Forensic Instincts has a long waiting list of potential clients. And you know that I have just as long a waiting list for my services. I’m calling in the favor you offered when I bailed you out at the eleventh hour. My sister is flying in this afternoon. When’s the earliest you can see us?”

Marc had a million questions. But instinct and experience told him that now was not the time. For Gia to be pushing this hard, it had to be bad. And grilling her on the phone would be wasting precious minutes.

“Hang on. I’ll see what I can do.” He pressed *T and his cell phone number. Immediately, he answered his now-vibrating phone and simultaneously put Gia on hold. He left the room, opting to talk to Casey in person. He loped up the single flight of stairs that separated them and knocked on the conference room door. “Casey, it’s me.”

“Come on in,” came her reply.

He strode in and shut the door behind him. “Remember my wedding planner, Gia Russo?”

Casey’s arched her brows. “Only what you told me. From your description, she was a get-it-done wizard with an iPhone and an earpiece.”

“She’s on the phone. She’s a wreck. According to her, she and her sister are both in life-threatening danger. They want to see us ASAP.” Marc met Casey’s gaze. “This one’s for real, Casey. Gia’s not the type to freak out. Can we skip the preliminaries and see them late today? Her sister’s flying in this afternoon in order to be here.”