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Synopsis
Lucy Kincaid and Sean Rogan are finally tying the knot. Two weeks before their wedding, a surprise visitor shows up at their door: Eden, Sean's estranged sister from Europe. She claims she's in town for the wedding and wants to mend fences. Lucy invites Eden to stay with them-after all, family is family-but her boss, SSA Noah Armstrong, knows far more about Eden's sketchy past than he's let on.
While Lucy is focused on her investigation tracking down dozens of children sold through illegal adoptions, Noah begins a quiet investigation of Eden and her elusive twin, Liam. He's certain that, since they're both thieves, they're here for a job or a heist. But they are up to something far more sinister than even Noah can imagine.
Liam has a score to settle with his family, and Sean has something he wants. The twins will do anything to get it-including putting Lucy's life in danger. It'll take everyone-Kincaids and Rogans alike-to stop Liam before someone dies. Unfortunately, Liam's treachery has unforeseen consequences for Sean and Lucy, as a longtime enemy of the Rogan family hellbent on revenge sees an opportunity to make them all pay... in Allison Brennan's Make Them Pay.
Release date: March 7, 2017
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group
Print pages: 352
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Make Them Pay
Allison Brennan
CHAPTER ONE
Friday Night, Present Day
Kane Rogan had been a Marine and a mercenary and had devoted his life to Rogan-Caruso-Kincaid Protective Services. He was ruthless when necessary but preferred clandestine operations to violent encounters. He wasn’t a soft man, but he wasn’t cruel.
Still, he had a deep-seated anger for those who hurt innocent people. And a violent rage against those who bought and sold human beings like property.
If Kane had known that the FBI had that bastard Angelo Zapelli in custody, then let him go, Kane would have taken him out before he crossed the border. Kane didn’t care about any rights Zapelli claimed to have or a supposed illegal search and seizure—which resulted in saving dozens of lives. He didn’t care that Zapelli was a Mexican citizen or that he had been detained without probable cause or any of that other legal bullshit that separated Kane from some of his closest friends.
Angelo Zapelli had sold his pregnant girlfriend and her sister into the sex trade, where they suffered at the hands of brutal men and women all for sick thrills and profit. Zapelli didn’t deserve to live; he didn’t deserve to breathe the same air as the women he betrayed.
For the two weeks Kane Rogan watched him, Zapelli clearly felt no remorse for his actions. But it wasn’t until Zapelli started talking up a young and obviously underage girl that Kane knew the bastard hadn’t changed. That he would once again sell girls into the sex trade or abuse them himself.
Neither of which was acceptable.
Which was why Angelo Zapelli now sat tied to a wooden chair in the middle of a decrepit barn outside Monterrey, Mexico. His face bled—from his mouth and a cut across his cheek and a gash on his forehead that would scar if Kane didn’t kill him. A tooth that must have already been loose lay in a ring of bloody saliva on the ground in front of Zapelli. Kane hadn’t tortured him, not yet, but Zapelli had put up a fight and Kane enjoyed taking him to the ground. Kane planned on killing him and he wouldn’t bring his team or his family into it.
Not this action. Not this time.
Zapelli tried to put up a tough front, but he was soft. Strong and powerful around young women he could manipulate, use, and bully, he was weak inside, with clean hands and manicured nails. At first he fought, but now he cried. He’d lost his rage because he wanted to live.
Zapelli knew exactly who Kane Rogan was and what he could do.
“I swear,” Zapelli pleaded, “I didn’t do anything!”
Kane remained silent. He sat on a chair in front of Zapelli, gun in hand. Silence drew confessions from the weak better than torture.
Kane rubbed his jaw. Zapelli had gotten in one left cross, but that was it. Sore, a little bruised, but the punch hadn’t even broken his skin. Kane stared at Zapelli. Sweat dripped down his face, mingling with the drying blood. He pontificated, lied, begged. Then lost it.
“Fuck you!” Zapelli screamed. “If I die, everyone in your fucking family will die. You think I don’t know who you are? Do you think I don’t know that fed is almost your fucking sister-in-law? Do you think she’s unreachable?”
Kane kicked the chair over. Zapelli fell hard on his back, unable to brace himself against the hard-packed dirt. He was stunned silent.
“You won’t do anything because you’ll be dead,” Kane said calmly.
His family had been threatened before; they knew the risks. Kane had read Lucy into the program, she’d made many of her own enemies, but she was cautious and she had Sean. A low-level prick like Angelo Zapelli wouldn’t be able to get to her.
But it wasn’t Zapelli that Kane wanted.
Kane had spent the last few weeks putting together the key players in the human-trafficking organization that Zapelli fed. The Flores cartel who ran it had been mostly wiped out; their accountant was turning state’s evidence and all but two of the family members confirmed dead. Kane had someone on the inside making sure the youngest Flores brother didn’t start up the operation again.
But Kane understood this business well enough to know that there were others who would fill the gaps. Kane may have cut off the head, but those who had answered to the Flores cartel would be taking over, and Kane wanted to make it clear that there would be no more black-market babies. The sex trade was bad enough, but to use these women as breeders, sell their babies, put them back into the business … it was worse than cruel. It was evil.
Kane would not tolerate it.
He rose, walked behind Zapelli where he still lay on the ground, and pulled up his chair. When he was sitting up again, Kane resecured his restraints, then returned to his own seat. He had all day. Hell, he’d stay here all week and watch Zapelli die of dehydration.
“What the fuck do you want?” Zapelli sobbed.
“Your contacts.”
“They’ll kill me!”
Kane just stared at him.
Sweat dripped into his eyes and he blinked, in full panic.
Yes, asshole, you should be very scared.
Zapelli continued to beg, swear, argue, threaten, plead … he tried every tactic and Kane sat there.
Kane wanted to kill him. He’d planned to kill him.
But he’d promised he wouldn’t.
He never made promises like that, and it bothered him on more than one level. Not only because it tied his hands in an operation but also because Siobhan Walsh had figured out his plan without him so much as saying a word.
Since when had the infuriating, sexy, too-smart-for-her-own-good redhead been able to read his mind?
“I know what you’re going to do, and I won’t stop you,” Siobhan said the night he left.
Kane stared at her. “You know nothing.”
“I want to kill him, too. Marisol wants to kill him. But remember what you told her, just two days ago? You can’t come back from murder.”
“He wouldn’t be the first man I killed.” He’d said it to scare her, but Siobhan didn’t scare easy.
“You need information, you’ll get it from him. But he’s not worth another piece of your soul.” She stepped toward him. He didn’t move. He didn’t dare move.
Siobhan whispered, “I still love you, Kane.” She kissed him. He stood rigid, willing himself not to respond to her. She stepped back and smiled, just a little turn of her lips, and he itched to take her to bed, right then, show her that he wasn’t the man she thought he was. That he took what he wanted and he had wanted her for years.
But Siobhan wasn’t a one-night stand. She wasn’t a woman he could screw, then walk away from. She was a woman who demanded lovemaking, not mere sex. She knew it, and still she pushed him. “I will love you no matter what you do in Monterrey. But you’re better than Zapelli. You’re better than all of them. I’m not letting you disappear on me again. I will hunt you down and make you realize that you are the man I see, not the man you think you are.”
And then she walked away. Siobhan walked out of his bunk and left him shaking with a hard-on.
He didn’t want to love anyone; love was dangerous.
He especially didn’t want to love Siobhan Walsh.
It looked like he had no choice in the matter, because as soon as she walked away he craved her even more.
* * *
It didn’t take long for Angelo Zapelli to break, and Kane Rogan didn’t have to say another word.
“Fuck you.” But there was no venom, no fight. He was resigned.
“Names.”
Zapelli gave up three names, and after continued questioning Kane was fairly certain those were the only players Zapelli knew. Kane had heard of two of them. One he was certain was dead, the other in hiding after he’d found out Kane was looking for him. And the third … a new player? Or was it an alias?
Kane would find out. He stood.
Zapelli started to cry. “I don’t want to die. Please.”
Had the women he sold as sex slaves cried and pleaded for their lives? Zapelli hadn’t cared about them, and Kane cared less about the whiny, sniveling bastard in front of him. Angelo Zapelli was a waste of oxygen.
But Kane had made a promise. Even though he didn’t explicitly say he wouldn’t kill Zapelli, Siobhan had walked away believing he had.
He should shoot Zapelli now to prove to Siobhan that he was unworthy of her and her love.
But Kane was tired. Tired of the violence and the heartache and the misery that he’d been fighting for well over twenty years.
“Is Jasmine alive? Is she rebuilding Dom’s network?” Kane knew that Jasmine was alive. He wanted to see what Zapelli knew.
“I don’t know! I swear, I don’t. I … I think so, but I haven’t seen her, I swear! I’m out of the business. I only work for my dad now. I swear.”
He was blubbering, but Kane didn’t believe him—Zappelli wasn’t out of the business. Maybe this beating would change him, but Kane wasn’t holding his breath.
“If you want to live, tell me one thing.”
“Anything. Anything.”
“Who bought your son?”
Zapelli’s mouth opened and closed and no sound came out until a gut-wrenching sob emerged. “No. They’ll know it was me.”
Kane raised his gun.
“New York! That’s all I know, someone in New York, a business tycoon who has four daughters and wanted a son. He’s powerful and has money. My son will have everything, everything! Why do you care? He’s not yours! Marisol can’t give him shit, she’s nothing!”
Kane pistol-whipped Zapelli and he fell over again. Kane holstered his gun and took out his knife.
It took all his willpower not to slit the bastard’s throat.
Instead, Kane cut the binds at his wrists, leaned down, and said, “I will kill you if you ever threaten my people again.”
He rose and walked away. It might take the sobbing asshole a few hours to get out of his leg restraints, but Kane lived up to his promise. He didn’t kill him.
In fact, Kane lived up to both promises. He’d promised Marisol that he would find her son, and now he had a lead.
Time to call in the cavalry.
And time to go home.
Home.
He hadn’t thought of having a home for years. He’d enlisted in the Marines when he was eighteen, but he’d always thought of the house where he grew up as home until his parents died. Since then, he’d had home bases and camps and occasionally a long-term apartment in some border city.
But that all changed when he reconnected with his brother Sean, and then Sean and Lucy moved to San Antonio. Sean wanted him to live in the apartment he was building over the garage; Kane said no. Too close to civilization, to people. He needed his space. It was probably the only luxury he truly needed.
Yet Kane felt that Sean and Lucy’s house was more of a home than anyplace he’d had in nearly twenty years. Lately, he’d been using Jack Kincaid’s place near Hidalgo. Last month, when Jack came to help get him out of a jam, Jack told him the house was as good as his.
“I signed the property over to RCK. It’s as much yours as mine now.”
The Hidalgo property was perfect for Kane—a lot of space, a great location, and secure. But home wasn’t just a piece of land. More and more Kane had been thinking of slowing down. Being more selective in the jobs he took. Spending more time with his family.
Home wasn’t a place, it was the people, and for the first time in a long time Kane looked forward to seeing his family, taking time off, and spending more than a fair amount of time with a certain Irish redhead he hadn’t been able to get out of his head for months.
Months? Try years, Rogan.
Thirty minutes later, Kane drove the borrowed Jeep to the remote, unmanned airfield where he’d landed his plane. He called one of the few people he trusted outside of RCK.
“Rick, it’s Kane. I have information about Marisol de la Rosa’s son.”
CHAPTER TWO
Lucy Kincaid heard her fiancé, Sean, slip out of bed at four Monday morning. She groaned, stretched like a cat, and sat up.
He walked over and kissed her. “Go back to sleep.”
“I can’t.”
“I didn’t mean to wake you up.”
“You didn’t.”
She hadn’t slept well as it was, and neither had Sean. On Saturday he’d received an email from his son, Jesse, and immediately knew something was wrong, but it was against the rules of witness protection for Sean to contact Jesse outside of the marshals’ office. Then yesterday Jesse’s handler in the US Marshals Service called because of the email—Jesse had violated the terms of the program by contacting Sean. Sean convinced Jesse’s handler to let him talk to Jesse, and they agreed that a face-to-face meeting might help the twelve-year-old understand the gravity of the situation.
If Jesse left witness protection, he would have a target on his back. And it pained Sean that he couldn’t protect his own son.
Sean sat next to Lucy on the edge of the bed and took her hand. He played with her fingers out of nerves more than anything. “What do I tell him, Luce?”
“The truth,” she said. “He’s just like you, Sean. He’s a smart kid. Honesty is the only way to convince him to do what’s right.”
Lucy had met Jesse briefly before he and his family went into witness protection. It had been bittersweet—Sean had to say good-bye. He’d found his son and lost him in a matter of days, and now, only a month later, Sean was still having a difficult time accepting the situation. And, evidently, so was Jesse.
“I wish it didn’t have to be like this.” Sean was on edge, emotional, and in pain.
Lucy turned over his hand, kissed it. “Jesse knows this isn’t your call, Sean, but it’s for his safety. Just think how you would feel if you were in the same situation.”
“Helpless.”
“Yes, but also angry and betrayed and scared. He loves you.”
“He doesn’t even know me.”
“That doesn’t mean anything, and you know it. You saved his life. He wants to get to know his father, and right now it can’t happen.” Didn’t Sean see what she saw? “He’s been emailing you—against the rules—because he’s trying to see how far he can go. He doesn’t understand that the rules—at least, these rules—can’t be broken. That it’s too dangerous.”
“I don’t know how to fix this.”
“You’ll find a way.” She kissed him. “You don’t have a lot of time.”
“I hate traveling commercial, and they’re making me fly all over the damn country. I don’t even know where he is.”
Lucy didn’t have to explain to Sean why the marshals were setting such protocols. They both knew it was to keep the Spade family safe.
Sean pulled Lucy into a tight hug. “I love you, Lucy. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
She smiled, trying to show a brave front for Sean. He didn’t need her worries and anxiety when he was so stressed himself. “It’s going to work out.”
He nodded, kissed her. “Twelve days.”
Her heart skipped a beat. They’d discussed eloping, considering everything that was going on in their lives. They’d even gone so far as to discuss the prospect with Father Mateo—the priest who would be marrying them at St. Catherine’s. He talked them out of it.
“You’ve earned this wedding. What you both have been through these last two years, you deserve this one day of joy and love in front of God, family, and friends. And Lucy,” Mateo added, “your mother scares me. She calls me twice a week about details, and if she can’t watch you get married she’ll probably haunt me for the rest of my life.”
The wedding would be small and intimate, but those Lucy and Sean cared about the most—friends and family—would be there. Whatever life threw at them, they weren’t running away or hiding. Together they were stronger.
“Twelve days,” she whispered.
She walked Sean to the garage, kissed him good-bye, and watched through the kitchen window as he drove off in his black Mustang.
Once he was out of sight, Lucy started a pot of coffee, then went back upstairs to take a long, hot shower. She figured she’d go into FBI headquarters early this morning. She wanted to locate as many of the black-market babies as she could—sold in the human trafficking ring she’d helped stop last month—before she left on her honeymoon.
But after her shower, she got caught up in reading the news while eating a bagel and drinking coffee and suddenly she didn’t have as much time as she thought.
“Shoot.” Lucy rushed back upstairs to finish getting ready. Sean texted her that the first of his short flights was done, but he was turning off his phone and removing the battery per orders of the marshals. Truth was, he’d been told to not bring a cell phone at all and this process was a compromise.
She sent him an emoji kiss.
I love you.
They’d had a recent setback in their relationship, and for a short time Lucy wasn’t even certain they would survive. But instead of the events tearing them apart, they found a way to not only stay together but also love stronger. For nearly two years, Sean had been her rock of support. She’d leaned on him, he’d carried her when the weight of her life threatened to bury her. Now she was strong enough to be Sean’s support when he needed it the most. Two years ago, she would have failed. Now, because of Sean, she could be the rock he needed.
Lucy had just strapped on her gun when the doorbell rang. She pressed the security screen in the bedroom to see who was on the front porch so early. Sean was more than a little security conscious, especially after he helped the FBI catch a money launderer last month. As soon as anyone crossed onto the property the system alerted him and Lucy. It took Sean a week to adjust the sensors so every squirrel that scampered up a tree didn’t set them off.
An attractive, impeccably dressed woman with long sun-streaked dark-blond hair swept into a loose bun stood waiting. She carried a large shoulder bag and a small suitcase. She looked familiar, but Lucy couldn’t remember meeting her. It didn’t help that she wore large sunglasses. A neighbor?
While the visitor didn’t look suspicious or dangerous, after the past month Lucy had become edgy. It didn’t help that Sean was nervous; he rarely showed any stress, but this last month had been even more difficult for him.
Lucy pressed the intercom speaker. “Who is it?”
“Hello? I’m Eden. Eden Rogan. Sean’s sister.”
Eden Rogan? Lucy stared again at the screen. She had only seen photos of Eden and her twin brother, Liam, most of them more than a decade old. It could easily be her.
“I’ll be right down,” Lucy said. She grabbed her blazer and slipped it on as she walked down the stairs. She disengaged the alarm and unlocked the door.
Eden smiled and pushed her large dark glasses up to the top of her head. Immediately Lucy saw the resemblance—the dark-blue eyes that Eden shared with both Sean and Kane stood out the most. But there were other little things, like her smile and her strong jawline, tempered by her femininity, and the way she tilted her head, just a bit, as she assessed Lucy, that were very Rogan-esque. “So you’re the girl who tamed the wild beast.”
Lucy said, “Come in. We didn’t know you were coming.”
“My baby brother is getting married? Of course I couldn’t stay away!”
The wedding was still two weeks off—well, twelve days as Sean reminded her this morning. When they were going over the guest list this weekend, they’d taken Liam and Eden off—they hadn’t responded yes or no. Lucy had suggested that Sean call them—he said no.
“I haven’t seen either of them in years. Something bad went down between Liam and Kane. I used to want to know what happened … Now? I don’t care. Especially since they couldn’t even RSVP. I’m staying out of it.”
“I’m glad you’re here,” Lucy heard herself saying, though she wasn’t sure she was happy. With everything that Sean had been dealt this last month, he didn’t need surprise guests.
Eden walked in and looked around the large foyer with a half smile that was so much like Sean it was a bit unnerving. She turned and assessed Lucy. Eden’s face appeared open, but her eyes were cool. Calculating.
Lucy needed to stop being so suspicious.
“So, you’re Lucy.”
Then Eden walked across the wide, open hall and stepped down into the living room. She surveyed the high ceilings, the furnishings, the multiple French doors that opened to the pool. “This place is fabulous. I never imagined that Sean would settle down, but well, stranger things have happened.” She put her suitcase down on the floor and dropped her shoulder bag. “It’s Kincaid, right?” Eden smiled and shook her head almost in disbelief. “Is that how you met? Because of your … brother, right? New partner at Rogan-Caruso.”
Lucy wouldn’t exactly say new. Jack had joined Rogan-Caruso Protective Services six years ago and they’d changed the name to Rogan-Caruso-Kincaid. Patrick had joined two years later.
“Not so new,” she said.
“Time really flies, doesn’t it? I haven’t been back to the States in years. No reason to, until now.”
“Do you have a place to stay?”
“Not yet—I wasn’t sure I could get away, so I planned this sort of last minute. I came here straight from the airport. I’ve been traveling nonstop for the last eighteen hours. Milan to Heathrow and then just waiting. Wishing I’d been as smart as Sean and got my pilot’s license. And then I was stuck in Customs at JFK for hours. I’m not a good traveler. I hate flying.”
Eighteen hours of traveling and she couldn’t send Sean a message that she was on her way? Lucy wasn’t buying it, not completely.
That’s when Lucy saw it, the tension under Eden’s perfect makeup. She was a stunning woman—beautiful, really. But there were fine lines around her eyes, which were a little too bright. Either fatigue or fear or both. Lucy had a little sympathy for her, considering the transatlantic flight. Two years ago she wouldn’t have thought twice about inviting her to stay. But now she hesitated.
“Where is Sean?” Eden asked. “He’s never been one for sleeping in.”
“He had to leave early. A case he’s working on.”
And just like that, the tension eased. It was subtle, and if Lucy weren’t so focused on Eden she would have missed it. Was Eden relieved Sean wasn’t here? Had she thought there would be a confrontation?
“Well, I’ll be around for a while. I’ll catch him when he gets back,” Eden said. “Would you mind if I stayed here with you this morning? I need to find a hotel for the next two weeks. And truly, I really want to get to know you. I hate that Sean and I have been out of touch, but weddings are new beginnings.”
“Stay with us,” Lucy said. It just came out, and it was probably a bad idea. “At least for a day or two. My sister and her family won’t be here until Sunday, we have plenty of room.”
Lucy hoped Sean wouldn’t be upset at her spontaneous invitation. But Eden was his sister. He hadn’t seen her in years, and when he was nostalgic he talked about the time when he was young, before Liam and Eden went to Europe, where they’d lived since college. When Sean sent them wedding invitations he’d said they wouldn’t come, but he wanted to reach out anyway … maybe this was Eden’s way of trying to fix their relationship.
Yet, spontaneously flying halfway across the world and dropping by unannounced? Something was up.
Lucy wanted to talk to Sean about this, but he’d turned off his phone. He wouldn’t turn it back on until after he left Jesse. Maybe not until he arrived back in San Antonio. She’d send him a message that he’d get as soon as he turned on his phone so he wouldn’t be blindsided when he got home.
“Are you sure?” Eden asked. “Call Sean, please, make sure it’s okay with him. It has been a long time. But he sent the invite, and I thought…” Her voice trailed off and she looked nervous.
“He’s traveling, I won’t be able to reach him until tonight. Let me show you around.” Lucy gave Eden a quick tour of the downstairs—the living room, dining room, kitchen, family room. She skipped the other rooms—like Sean’s office—and led Eden down the hall to the guest rooms. There were two on the main floor, each with its own bathroom. Next week, Carina and her family would have one and Lucy’s brother Dillon and his wife would have the other. Upstairs was another guest suite, and Sean had partially finished the large space above the garage. It wasn’t fancy but had a working bathroom. Lucy wished she could put Eden there because then she could secure the house—the garage apartment was on its own security system with its own entrance. The pool house was Kane’s when he visited—he liked being separate from the house with his own space—and he’d been coming and going a lot over the last month. It was one of the reasons Sean started renovating the garage apartment—he wanted to offer Kane a permanent place. But for the wedding they needed it for family.
Just two days ago, Sean had treated her to breakfast in bed and announced, “This is the lull before the storm. We’ll be overrun with Kincaids and Rogans in a week. Enjoy the peace.”
Lucy had the distinct impression that Eden was the beginning of a hurricane.
“This place is amazing,” Eden said. “I love it. Thank you so much, Lucy. I won’t be a bother. I’ll be out of your hair tomorrow.”
Lucy showed Eden the security panel. Eden frowned. “Is something wrong?”
“Wrong?” Lucy asked.
“Sean has always loved his toys, but this system is … rather advanced. Overkill.”
“We’ve both worked cases that have made us cautious,” Lucy said carefully. “I work for the FBI.”
“Oh, I know,” Eden said with an almost dismissive wave of her hand. “Surprised, though, since Sean has never particularly liked authority. I suppose true love knows no bounds.”
Though Eden’s tone bordered on snide, Lucy decided to leave the comment alone. She didn’t know Eden, and she didn’t know much about her relationship with the Rogan family, other than there’d been a falling-out and Liam and Eden had left RCK when it was still Rogan-Caruso Protective Services. “Is Liam also coming to the wedding?”
“I doubt it,” she said. “I really tried, but … well, some things can’t be fixed.”
Why did Lucy think Eden was lying? Why would she? Eden probably spoke the truth, but there was more to the story. Still, this visit was odd, especially with Sean out of town. She couldn’t possibly have known—Sean didn’t even know he was leaving until last night. Eden would have already been on a flight by the time Sean got the approval from the marshals to visit Jesse.
Lucy was now really late to work. She said, “I have to go. I’ll try to get off early and take you to dinner. I’m not a very good cook.”
“I would really love getting to know you better.” Eden smiled and hugged her lightly. “Thank you for letting me stay. I promise, I’ll be gone by tomorrow. There are several nice hotels in the area, and a resort I’ve heard fabulous things about. I’ll find something.”
“You don’t have to leave so soon. Wait until Sean gets home so you two can catch up.”
“We’ll play it by ear.”
Lucy grabbed the rest of her things and hesitated in the kitchen. Maybe she should take the day off. Except … she had no time to take. She’d already taken so much time off this year that she didn’t even have vacation for her honeymoon. She’d told Sean they’d have to postpone, but then her fellow agents on the Violent Crimes Squad had each given up one of their vacation days to her as a wedding present so she could have a honeymoon. She’d almost cried when they’d taken her out to lunch and told her. She hadn’t made the best first impression on her team. She got along with some of them, and others were wary. She didn’t blame them. Trouble followed her and, unfortunately, touched everyone else. But all of them had given her time.
Eden stepped into the kitchen and said, “I’m just going to take a shower and sleep. I really am exhausted.”
“Give me your phone number and I’ll call you later, see if you need anything.” Lucy wrote down her cell phone number on a notepad.
“Great.” Eden rattled off her number for Lucy. “It’s a US number. I have both—comes in handy when traveling.”
Odd, considering how she said she hadn’t been in the States in years.
Lucy left after showing Eden once again how to set and reset the alarm and reminding her to keep it engaged even when she was inside.
From her car, Lucy sent Sean an email asking him to call her when he had an opportunity. She didn’t want him to worry, so added:
Nothing serious, just have some information for you.
Then she called FBI headquarters to tell them she was running late. As she drove, she was still apprehensive, so she called Sean’s oldest brother, Kane. He didn’t answer, which was par for the course. She left him a message to call her: “It’s not urgent, just call when you get a chance.”
Put it out of your head.
She had a full day ahead of her, and worrying about Sean’s sister wasn’t going to help.
But she really hoped Kane called her back soon.
copyright © 2017 by Allison Brennan
Friday Night, Present Day
Kane Rogan had been a Marine and a mercenary and had devoted his life to Rogan-Caruso-Kincaid Protective Services. He was ruthless when necessary but preferred clandestine operations to violent encounters. He wasn’t a soft man, but he wasn’t cruel.
Still, he had a deep-seated anger for those who hurt innocent people. And a violent rage against those who bought and sold human beings like property.
If Kane had known that the FBI had that bastard Angelo Zapelli in custody, then let him go, Kane would have taken him out before he crossed the border. Kane didn’t care about any rights Zapelli claimed to have or a supposed illegal search and seizure—which resulted in saving dozens of lives. He didn’t care that Zapelli was a Mexican citizen or that he had been detained without probable cause or any of that other legal bullshit that separated Kane from some of his closest friends.
Angelo Zapelli had sold his pregnant girlfriend and her sister into the sex trade, where they suffered at the hands of brutal men and women all for sick thrills and profit. Zapelli didn’t deserve to live; he didn’t deserve to breathe the same air as the women he betrayed.
For the two weeks Kane Rogan watched him, Zapelli clearly felt no remorse for his actions. But it wasn’t until Zapelli started talking up a young and obviously underage girl that Kane knew the bastard hadn’t changed. That he would once again sell girls into the sex trade or abuse them himself.
Neither of which was acceptable.
Which was why Angelo Zapelli now sat tied to a wooden chair in the middle of a decrepit barn outside Monterrey, Mexico. His face bled—from his mouth and a cut across his cheek and a gash on his forehead that would scar if Kane didn’t kill him. A tooth that must have already been loose lay in a ring of bloody saliva on the ground in front of Zapelli. Kane hadn’t tortured him, not yet, but Zapelli had put up a fight and Kane enjoyed taking him to the ground. Kane planned on killing him and he wouldn’t bring his team or his family into it.
Not this action. Not this time.
Zapelli tried to put up a tough front, but he was soft. Strong and powerful around young women he could manipulate, use, and bully, he was weak inside, with clean hands and manicured nails. At first he fought, but now he cried. He’d lost his rage because he wanted to live.
Zapelli knew exactly who Kane Rogan was and what he could do.
“I swear,” Zapelli pleaded, “I didn’t do anything!”
Kane remained silent. He sat on a chair in front of Zapelli, gun in hand. Silence drew confessions from the weak better than torture.
Kane rubbed his jaw. Zapelli had gotten in one left cross, but that was it. Sore, a little bruised, but the punch hadn’t even broken his skin. Kane stared at Zapelli. Sweat dripped down his face, mingling with the drying blood. He pontificated, lied, begged. Then lost it.
“Fuck you!” Zapelli screamed. “If I die, everyone in your fucking family will die. You think I don’t know who you are? Do you think I don’t know that fed is almost your fucking sister-in-law? Do you think she’s unreachable?”
Kane kicked the chair over. Zapelli fell hard on his back, unable to brace himself against the hard-packed dirt. He was stunned silent.
“You won’t do anything because you’ll be dead,” Kane said calmly.
His family had been threatened before; they knew the risks. Kane had read Lucy into the program, she’d made many of her own enemies, but she was cautious and she had Sean. A low-level prick like Angelo Zapelli wouldn’t be able to get to her.
But it wasn’t Zapelli that Kane wanted.
Kane had spent the last few weeks putting together the key players in the human-trafficking organization that Zapelli fed. The Flores cartel who ran it had been mostly wiped out; their accountant was turning state’s evidence and all but two of the family members confirmed dead. Kane had someone on the inside making sure the youngest Flores brother didn’t start up the operation again.
But Kane understood this business well enough to know that there were others who would fill the gaps. Kane may have cut off the head, but those who had answered to the Flores cartel would be taking over, and Kane wanted to make it clear that there would be no more black-market babies. The sex trade was bad enough, but to use these women as breeders, sell their babies, put them back into the business … it was worse than cruel. It was evil.
Kane would not tolerate it.
He rose, walked behind Zapelli where he still lay on the ground, and pulled up his chair. When he was sitting up again, Kane resecured his restraints, then returned to his own seat. He had all day. Hell, he’d stay here all week and watch Zapelli die of dehydration.
“What the fuck do you want?” Zapelli sobbed.
“Your contacts.”
“They’ll kill me!”
Kane just stared at him.
Sweat dripped into his eyes and he blinked, in full panic.
Yes, asshole, you should be very scared.
Zapelli continued to beg, swear, argue, threaten, plead … he tried every tactic and Kane sat there.
Kane wanted to kill him. He’d planned to kill him.
But he’d promised he wouldn’t.
He never made promises like that, and it bothered him on more than one level. Not only because it tied his hands in an operation but also because Siobhan Walsh had figured out his plan without him so much as saying a word.
Since when had the infuriating, sexy, too-smart-for-her-own-good redhead been able to read his mind?
“I know what you’re going to do, and I won’t stop you,” Siobhan said the night he left.
Kane stared at her. “You know nothing.”
“I want to kill him, too. Marisol wants to kill him. But remember what you told her, just two days ago? You can’t come back from murder.”
“He wouldn’t be the first man I killed.” He’d said it to scare her, but Siobhan didn’t scare easy.
“You need information, you’ll get it from him. But he’s not worth another piece of your soul.” She stepped toward him. He didn’t move. He didn’t dare move.
Siobhan whispered, “I still love you, Kane.” She kissed him. He stood rigid, willing himself not to respond to her. She stepped back and smiled, just a little turn of her lips, and he itched to take her to bed, right then, show her that he wasn’t the man she thought he was. That he took what he wanted and he had wanted her for years.
But Siobhan wasn’t a one-night stand. She wasn’t a woman he could screw, then walk away from. She was a woman who demanded lovemaking, not mere sex. She knew it, and still she pushed him. “I will love you no matter what you do in Monterrey. But you’re better than Zapelli. You’re better than all of them. I’m not letting you disappear on me again. I will hunt you down and make you realize that you are the man I see, not the man you think you are.”
And then she walked away. Siobhan walked out of his bunk and left him shaking with a hard-on.
He didn’t want to love anyone; love was dangerous.
He especially didn’t want to love Siobhan Walsh.
It looked like he had no choice in the matter, because as soon as she walked away he craved her even more.
* * *
It didn’t take long for Angelo Zapelli to break, and Kane Rogan didn’t have to say another word.
“Fuck you.” But there was no venom, no fight. He was resigned.
“Names.”
Zapelli gave up three names, and after continued questioning Kane was fairly certain those were the only players Zapelli knew. Kane had heard of two of them. One he was certain was dead, the other in hiding after he’d found out Kane was looking for him. And the third … a new player? Or was it an alias?
Kane would find out. He stood.
Zapelli started to cry. “I don’t want to die. Please.”
Had the women he sold as sex slaves cried and pleaded for their lives? Zapelli hadn’t cared about them, and Kane cared less about the whiny, sniveling bastard in front of him. Angelo Zapelli was a waste of oxygen.
But Kane had made a promise. Even though he didn’t explicitly say he wouldn’t kill Zapelli, Siobhan had walked away believing he had.
He should shoot Zapelli now to prove to Siobhan that he was unworthy of her and her love.
But Kane was tired. Tired of the violence and the heartache and the misery that he’d been fighting for well over twenty years.
“Is Jasmine alive? Is she rebuilding Dom’s network?” Kane knew that Jasmine was alive. He wanted to see what Zapelli knew.
“I don’t know! I swear, I don’t. I … I think so, but I haven’t seen her, I swear! I’m out of the business. I only work for my dad now. I swear.”
He was blubbering, but Kane didn’t believe him—Zappelli wasn’t out of the business. Maybe this beating would change him, but Kane wasn’t holding his breath.
“If you want to live, tell me one thing.”
“Anything. Anything.”
“Who bought your son?”
Zapelli’s mouth opened and closed and no sound came out until a gut-wrenching sob emerged. “No. They’ll know it was me.”
Kane raised his gun.
“New York! That’s all I know, someone in New York, a business tycoon who has four daughters and wanted a son. He’s powerful and has money. My son will have everything, everything! Why do you care? He’s not yours! Marisol can’t give him shit, she’s nothing!”
Kane pistol-whipped Zapelli and he fell over again. Kane holstered his gun and took out his knife.
It took all his willpower not to slit the bastard’s throat.
Instead, Kane cut the binds at his wrists, leaned down, and said, “I will kill you if you ever threaten my people again.”
He rose and walked away. It might take the sobbing asshole a few hours to get out of his leg restraints, but Kane lived up to his promise. He didn’t kill him.
In fact, Kane lived up to both promises. He’d promised Marisol that he would find her son, and now he had a lead.
Time to call in the cavalry.
And time to go home.
Home.
He hadn’t thought of having a home for years. He’d enlisted in the Marines when he was eighteen, but he’d always thought of the house where he grew up as home until his parents died. Since then, he’d had home bases and camps and occasionally a long-term apartment in some border city.
But that all changed when he reconnected with his brother Sean, and then Sean and Lucy moved to San Antonio. Sean wanted him to live in the apartment he was building over the garage; Kane said no. Too close to civilization, to people. He needed his space. It was probably the only luxury he truly needed.
Yet Kane felt that Sean and Lucy’s house was more of a home than anyplace he’d had in nearly twenty years. Lately, he’d been using Jack Kincaid’s place near Hidalgo. Last month, when Jack came to help get him out of a jam, Jack told him the house was as good as his.
“I signed the property over to RCK. It’s as much yours as mine now.”
The Hidalgo property was perfect for Kane—a lot of space, a great location, and secure. But home wasn’t just a piece of land. More and more Kane had been thinking of slowing down. Being more selective in the jobs he took. Spending more time with his family.
Home wasn’t a place, it was the people, and for the first time in a long time Kane looked forward to seeing his family, taking time off, and spending more than a fair amount of time with a certain Irish redhead he hadn’t been able to get out of his head for months.
Months? Try years, Rogan.
Thirty minutes later, Kane drove the borrowed Jeep to the remote, unmanned airfield where he’d landed his plane. He called one of the few people he trusted outside of RCK.
“Rick, it’s Kane. I have information about Marisol de la Rosa’s son.”
CHAPTER TWO
Lucy Kincaid heard her fiancé, Sean, slip out of bed at four Monday morning. She groaned, stretched like a cat, and sat up.
He walked over and kissed her. “Go back to sleep.”
“I can’t.”
“I didn’t mean to wake you up.”
“You didn’t.”
She hadn’t slept well as it was, and neither had Sean. On Saturday he’d received an email from his son, Jesse, and immediately knew something was wrong, but it was against the rules of witness protection for Sean to contact Jesse outside of the marshals’ office. Then yesterday Jesse’s handler in the US Marshals Service called because of the email—Jesse had violated the terms of the program by contacting Sean. Sean convinced Jesse’s handler to let him talk to Jesse, and they agreed that a face-to-face meeting might help the twelve-year-old understand the gravity of the situation.
If Jesse left witness protection, he would have a target on his back. And it pained Sean that he couldn’t protect his own son.
Sean sat next to Lucy on the edge of the bed and took her hand. He played with her fingers out of nerves more than anything. “What do I tell him, Luce?”
“The truth,” she said. “He’s just like you, Sean. He’s a smart kid. Honesty is the only way to convince him to do what’s right.”
Lucy had met Jesse briefly before he and his family went into witness protection. It had been bittersweet—Sean had to say good-bye. He’d found his son and lost him in a matter of days, and now, only a month later, Sean was still having a difficult time accepting the situation. And, evidently, so was Jesse.
“I wish it didn’t have to be like this.” Sean was on edge, emotional, and in pain.
Lucy turned over his hand, kissed it. “Jesse knows this isn’t your call, Sean, but it’s for his safety. Just think how you would feel if you were in the same situation.”
“Helpless.”
“Yes, but also angry and betrayed and scared. He loves you.”
“He doesn’t even know me.”
“That doesn’t mean anything, and you know it. You saved his life. He wants to get to know his father, and right now it can’t happen.” Didn’t Sean see what she saw? “He’s been emailing you—against the rules—because he’s trying to see how far he can go. He doesn’t understand that the rules—at least, these rules—can’t be broken. That it’s too dangerous.”
“I don’t know how to fix this.”
“You’ll find a way.” She kissed him. “You don’t have a lot of time.”
“I hate traveling commercial, and they’re making me fly all over the damn country. I don’t even know where he is.”
Lucy didn’t have to explain to Sean why the marshals were setting such protocols. They both knew it was to keep the Spade family safe.
Sean pulled Lucy into a tight hug. “I love you, Lucy. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
She smiled, trying to show a brave front for Sean. He didn’t need her worries and anxiety when he was so stressed himself. “It’s going to work out.”
He nodded, kissed her. “Twelve days.”
Her heart skipped a beat. They’d discussed eloping, considering everything that was going on in their lives. They’d even gone so far as to discuss the prospect with Father Mateo—the priest who would be marrying them at St. Catherine’s. He talked them out of it.
“You’ve earned this wedding. What you both have been through these last two years, you deserve this one day of joy and love in front of God, family, and friends. And Lucy,” Mateo added, “your mother scares me. She calls me twice a week about details, and if she can’t watch you get married she’ll probably haunt me for the rest of my life.”
The wedding would be small and intimate, but those Lucy and Sean cared about the most—friends and family—would be there. Whatever life threw at them, they weren’t running away or hiding. Together they were stronger.
“Twelve days,” she whispered.
She walked Sean to the garage, kissed him good-bye, and watched through the kitchen window as he drove off in his black Mustang.
Once he was out of sight, Lucy started a pot of coffee, then went back upstairs to take a long, hot shower. She figured she’d go into FBI headquarters early this morning. She wanted to locate as many of the black-market babies as she could—sold in the human trafficking ring she’d helped stop last month—before she left on her honeymoon.
But after her shower, she got caught up in reading the news while eating a bagel and drinking coffee and suddenly she didn’t have as much time as she thought.
“Shoot.” Lucy rushed back upstairs to finish getting ready. Sean texted her that the first of his short flights was done, but he was turning off his phone and removing the battery per orders of the marshals. Truth was, he’d been told to not bring a cell phone at all and this process was a compromise.
She sent him an emoji kiss.
I love you.
They’d had a recent setback in their relationship, and for a short time Lucy wasn’t even certain they would survive. But instead of the events tearing them apart, they found a way to not only stay together but also love stronger. For nearly two years, Sean had been her rock of support. She’d leaned on him, he’d carried her when the weight of her life threatened to bury her. Now she was strong enough to be Sean’s support when he needed it the most. Two years ago, she would have failed. Now, because of Sean, she could be the rock he needed.
Lucy had just strapped on her gun when the doorbell rang. She pressed the security screen in the bedroom to see who was on the front porch so early. Sean was more than a little security conscious, especially after he helped the FBI catch a money launderer last month. As soon as anyone crossed onto the property the system alerted him and Lucy. It took Sean a week to adjust the sensors so every squirrel that scampered up a tree didn’t set them off.
An attractive, impeccably dressed woman with long sun-streaked dark-blond hair swept into a loose bun stood waiting. She carried a large shoulder bag and a small suitcase. She looked familiar, but Lucy couldn’t remember meeting her. It didn’t help that she wore large sunglasses. A neighbor?
While the visitor didn’t look suspicious or dangerous, after the past month Lucy had become edgy. It didn’t help that Sean was nervous; he rarely showed any stress, but this last month had been even more difficult for him.
Lucy pressed the intercom speaker. “Who is it?”
“Hello? I’m Eden. Eden Rogan. Sean’s sister.”
Eden Rogan? Lucy stared again at the screen. She had only seen photos of Eden and her twin brother, Liam, most of them more than a decade old. It could easily be her.
“I’ll be right down,” Lucy said. She grabbed her blazer and slipped it on as she walked down the stairs. She disengaged the alarm and unlocked the door.
Eden smiled and pushed her large dark glasses up to the top of her head. Immediately Lucy saw the resemblance—the dark-blue eyes that Eden shared with both Sean and Kane stood out the most. But there were other little things, like her smile and her strong jawline, tempered by her femininity, and the way she tilted her head, just a bit, as she assessed Lucy, that were very Rogan-esque. “So you’re the girl who tamed the wild beast.”
Lucy said, “Come in. We didn’t know you were coming.”
“My baby brother is getting married? Of course I couldn’t stay away!”
The wedding was still two weeks off—well, twelve days as Sean reminded her this morning. When they were going over the guest list this weekend, they’d taken Liam and Eden off—they hadn’t responded yes or no. Lucy had suggested that Sean call them—he said no.
“I haven’t seen either of them in years. Something bad went down between Liam and Kane. I used to want to know what happened … Now? I don’t care. Especially since they couldn’t even RSVP. I’m staying out of it.”
“I’m glad you’re here,” Lucy heard herself saying, though she wasn’t sure she was happy. With everything that Sean had been dealt this last month, he didn’t need surprise guests.
Eden walked in and looked around the large foyer with a half smile that was so much like Sean it was a bit unnerving. She turned and assessed Lucy. Eden’s face appeared open, but her eyes were cool. Calculating.
Lucy needed to stop being so suspicious.
“So, you’re Lucy.”
Then Eden walked across the wide, open hall and stepped down into the living room. She surveyed the high ceilings, the furnishings, the multiple French doors that opened to the pool. “This place is fabulous. I never imagined that Sean would settle down, but well, stranger things have happened.” She put her suitcase down on the floor and dropped her shoulder bag. “It’s Kincaid, right?” Eden smiled and shook her head almost in disbelief. “Is that how you met? Because of your … brother, right? New partner at Rogan-Caruso.”
Lucy wouldn’t exactly say new. Jack had joined Rogan-Caruso Protective Services six years ago and they’d changed the name to Rogan-Caruso-Kincaid. Patrick had joined two years later.
“Not so new,” she said.
“Time really flies, doesn’t it? I haven’t been back to the States in years. No reason to, until now.”
“Do you have a place to stay?”
“Not yet—I wasn’t sure I could get away, so I planned this sort of last minute. I came here straight from the airport. I’ve been traveling nonstop for the last eighteen hours. Milan to Heathrow and then just waiting. Wishing I’d been as smart as Sean and got my pilot’s license. And then I was stuck in Customs at JFK for hours. I’m not a good traveler. I hate flying.”
Eighteen hours of traveling and she couldn’t send Sean a message that she was on her way? Lucy wasn’t buying it, not completely.
That’s when Lucy saw it, the tension under Eden’s perfect makeup. She was a stunning woman—beautiful, really. But there were fine lines around her eyes, which were a little too bright. Either fatigue or fear or both. Lucy had a little sympathy for her, considering the transatlantic flight. Two years ago she wouldn’t have thought twice about inviting her to stay. But now she hesitated.
“Where is Sean?” Eden asked. “He’s never been one for sleeping in.”
“He had to leave early. A case he’s working on.”
And just like that, the tension eased. It was subtle, and if Lucy weren’t so focused on Eden she would have missed it. Was Eden relieved Sean wasn’t here? Had she thought there would be a confrontation?
“Well, I’ll be around for a while. I’ll catch him when he gets back,” Eden said. “Would you mind if I stayed here with you this morning? I need to find a hotel for the next two weeks. And truly, I really want to get to know you. I hate that Sean and I have been out of touch, but weddings are new beginnings.”
“Stay with us,” Lucy said. It just came out, and it was probably a bad idea. “At least for a day or two. My sister and her family won’t be here until Sunday, we have plenty of room.”
Lucy hoped Sean wouldn’t be upset at her spontaneous invitation. But Eden was his sister. He hadn’t seen her in years, and when he was nostalgic he talked about the time when he was young, before Liam and Eden went to Europe, where they’d lived since college. When Sean sent them wedding invitations he’d said they wouldn’t come, but he wanted to reach out anyway … maybe this was Eden’s way of trying to fix their relationship.
Yet, spontaneously flying halfway across the world and dropping by unannounced? Something was up.
Lucy wanted to talk to Sean about this, but he’d turned off his phone. He wouldn’t turn it back on until after he left Jesse. Maybe not until he arrived back in San Antonio. She’d send him a message that he’d get as soon as he turned on his phone so he wouldn’t be blindsided when he got home.
“Are you sure?” Eden asked. “Call Sean, please, make sure it’s okay with him. It has been a long time. But he sent the invite, and I thought…” Her voice trailed off and she looked nervous.
“He’s traveling, I won’t be able to reach him until tonight. Let me show you around.” Lucy gave Eden a quick tour of the downstairs—the living room, dining room, kitchen, family room. She skipped the other rooms—like Sean’s office—and led Eden down the hall to the guest rooms. There were two on the main floor, each with its own bathroom. Next week, Carina and her family would have one and Lucy’s brother Dillon and his wife would have the other. Upstairs was another guest suite, and Sean had partially finished the large space above the garage. It wasn’t fancy but had a working bathroom. Lucy wished she could put Eden there because then she could secure the house—the garage apartment was on its own security system with its own entrance. The pool house was Kane’s when he visited—he liked being separate from the house with his own space—and he’d been coming and going a lot over the last month. It was one of the reasons Sean started renovating the garage apartment—he wanted to offer Kane a permanent place. But for the wedding they needed it for family.
Just two days ago, Sean had treated her to breakfast in bed and announced, “This is the lull before the storm. We’ll be overrun with Kincaids and Rogans in a week. Enjoy the peace.”
Lucy had the distinct impression that Eden was the beginning of a hurricane.
“This place is amazing,” Eden said. “I love it. Thank you so much, Lucy. I won’t be a bother. I’ll be out of your hair tomorrow.”
Lucy showed Eden the security panel. Eden frowned. “Is something wrong?”
“Wrong?” Lucy asked.
“Sean has always loved his toys, but this system is … rather advanced. Overkill.”
“We’ve both worked cases that have made us cautious,” Lucy said carefully. “I work for the FBI.”
“Oh, I know,” Eden said with an almost dismissive wave of her hand. “Surprised, though, since Sean has never particularly liked authority. I suppose true love knows no bounds.”
Though Eden’s tone bordered on snide, Lucy decided to leave the comment alone. She didn’t know Eden, and she didn’t know much about her relationship with the Rogan family, other than there’d been a falling-out and Liam and Eden had left RCK when it was still Rogan-Caruso Protective Services. “Is Liam also coming to the wedding?”
“I doubt it,” she said. “I really tried, but … well, some things can’t be fixed.”
Why did Lucy think Eden was lying? Why would she? Eden probably spoke the truth, but there was more to the story. Still, this visit was odd, especially with Sean out of town. She couldn’t possibly have known—Sean didn’t even know he was leaving until last night. Eden would have already been on a flight by the time Sean got the approval from the marshals to visit Jesse.
Lucy was now really late to work. She said, “I have to go. I’ll try to get off early and take you to dinner. I’m not a very good cook.”
“I would really love getting to know you better.” Eden smiled and hugged her lightly. “Thank you for letting me stay. I promise, I’ll be gone by tomorrow. There are several nice hotels in the area, and a resort I’ve heard fabulous things about. I’ll find something.”
“You don’t have to leave so soon. Wait until Sean gets home so you two can catch up.”
“We’ll play it by ear.”
Lucy grabbed the rest of her things and hesitated in the kitchen. Maybe she should take the day off. Except … she had no time to take. She’d already taken so much time off this year that she didn’t even have vacation for her honeymoon. She’d told Sean they’d have to postpone, but then her fellow agents on the Violent Crimes Squad had each given up one of their vacation days to her as a wedding present so she could have a honeymoon. She’d almost cried when they’d taken her out to lunch and told her. She hadn’t made the best first impression on her team. She got along with some of them, and others were wary. She didn’t blame them. Trouble followed her and, unfortunately, touched everyone else. But all of them had given her time.
Eden stepped into the kitchen and said, “I’m just going to take a shower and sleep. I really am exhausted.”
“Give me your phone number and I’ll call you later, see if you need anything.” Lucy wrote down her cell phone number on a notepad.
“Great.” Eden rattled off her number for Lucy. “It’s a US number. I have both—comes in handy when traveling.”
Odd, considering how she said she hadn’t been in the States in years.
Lucy left after showing Eden once again how to set and reset the alarm and reminding her to keep it engaged even when she was inside.
From her car, Lucy sent Sean an email asking him to call her when he had an opportunity. She didn’t want him to worry, so added:
Nothing serious, just have some information for you.
Then she called FBI headquarters to tell them she was running late. As she drove, she was still apprehensive, so she called Sean’s oldest brother, Kane. He didn’t answer, which was par for the course. She left him a message to call her: “It’s not urgent, just call when you get a chance.”
Put it out of your head.
She had a full day ahead of her, and worrying about Sean’s sister wasn’t going to help.
But she really hoped Kane called her back soon.
copyright © 2017 by Allison Brennan
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