Matt regarded him with raised eyebrows.
“Seriously. She’s a preacher’s kid.”
“Oh, and that automatically makes her trustworthy, is that it? You ask me, that makes it worse. She’ll probably end up force-feeding Jesus to you.”
“She’s not like that. I guess you’d have to meet her. Honestly, she’s too good for me.”
“Hey.” The word sliced the air between them. “No one’s too good for you. You got that?”
“Yeah, yeah. I hear you.” Not that he agreed.
“And next time you see her, ask her if she’s got a friend. Maybe someone blonde and leggy…”
₪ ₪ ₪ ₪ ₪
“It’s beginning to look like a car.” Lana leaned against the wall as Reilly positioned one of the model car’s red side panels.
Reilly looked up at her. “Slowly. Now if only I could figure out a way to drive it.”
“Good luck with that one.”
“So how’s your new friend?”
The mischievous tone begged a response, but she chose to ignore it. “Just that, a friend.”
“I used to say the same thing about Des.”
Whatever. No point in trying to change his mind.
Or argue the reasons why she and Nate would never be anything more.
She nodded at the car. “You know, I could see you driving something like that. Maybe you should consider getting a real one.”
“Right. I’ll just pencil Ferrari into my budget.”
“Maybe not a Ferrari. But you could afford a Challenger or Mustang.”
“I’ll stick with something more practical. Besides, sometimes dreaming about it is enough. But you know what we should do?” His grin told her she wouldn’t like what was coming. “Go out for dinner tonight.”
“Uh, hit man on the loose, remember?”
“New look, remember?”
“That doesn’t mean we take unnecessary chances.” And going out definitely qualified as an unnecessary chance.
“It worked out fine the last time. And I looked like me then.”
True. But then they hadn’t known they were dealing with Stevens. That little detail changed everything.
She shook her head. “Above my pay grade. You’ll have to take it up with Alex.”
And she was reasonably certain Alex would say no.
₪ ₪ ₪ ₪ ₪
Rain drilled steadily against the roof above her head. A cool breeze swept the hair back from Lana’s face and she pulled the blanket tighter across her shoulders. Thunder growled in the distance, but she had yet to see any lightning.
Too bad. She could go for a good light show right now.
When the clouds split open just after dinner, Alex had cancelled the outdoor patrol. Lana chose to keep watch from the shelter of the balcony.
Not that she thought any hit man would be crazy enough to go out in this weather.
Then again, sanity might not be something Stevens possessed in great quantities.
Still, the natural light had disappeared about an hour ago. They’d made it past Stevens’ primary working hours. Going inside would be okay.
She didn’t move.
The solitude, the fresh scent that only occurred during a storm, and the drumbeat of the rain mixed with the rumble of the ocean held her in place despite the cold.
For the first time all day, she allowed her thoughts to stray to an area she really didn’t want them to go.
Theo. Dimitrios. Cyrano. What if everything she’d believed about her past was a lie?
Amazing how quickly life could change.
It’d only been five days since the incident at the safe house. Five days since she’d been shot, since she’d met Dimitrios. Little had she known that incident would trigger a domino effect in her personal life.
She tried to let the falling rain soothe her.
Yeah, right. With the storm in her life making the one in front of her look like a drizzle?
Oh, God. How much do You think I can take?
Throbbing in her eyes precipitated the tear that snuck rebelliously down her cheek. She swiped it away and forced deep breaths.
Now was not the time to fall apart.
If anything, the stress provided all the greater reason for her to hold it together.
She could do this.
Not alone, but thankfully, she didn’t have to do it on her own. Reilly was on her side. As was Alex.
And, most importantly, God was with her for every step.
Claiming the promise of James 1:5, she breathed a prayer for wisdom.
Okay. Say those people were her relatives. So what? She didn’t have to rearrange her life or change anything.
And it might be kind of nice to know more about her roots. There were certainly strong medical reasons for knowing her family history. To see if cancer, heart disease, or schizophrenia ran in the family, for example.
She should call them. Maybe tomorrow.
Or maybe not.
The future was too uncertain to wait long. Especially given that her team could leave town at a moment’s notice. Much as she dreaded what she’d learn, she also didn’t want to live with the regret of chances not taken.
Only a coward would run away. And she was not a coward.
Decision made. She’d call them.
Tomorrow.
Once she knew the truth, then she could decide whether or not to walk away and never look back.
₪ ₪ ₪ ₪ ₪
Finally. He thought they’d never leave.
Frank Rosetti let the curtain slip from his fingers as he watched the last car bearing federal agents drive away. The quiver in his hand irritated him almost as much as the FBI’s presence had only moments ago.
They’d shown up with a warrant. How had they gotten the evidence they needed to get a warrant?
The deadline was still eight days away, so he didn’t think Doug had talked. But how else would they have gotten a judge to sign off on a search warrant?
Maybe he should’ve paid to have Doug eliminated.
At least the FBI left empty handed. The hidden file room Al had installed off the wine cellar no longer seemed like actions born out of paranoia.
“Frank?”
He whipped around to find Ginger standing inside the doorway. Play it cool. He flashed a grin. “Hey, babe.”
Ugh. Hopefully his smile was more reassuring than his tone.
Her heels tapped across the room as she came to stand in front of him. She cocked her head to one side, her curls brushing her bare shoulder. Light eyebrows drew together in concern. “Are you okay?”
Toying with a lock of her hair, he tried to keep a lighthearted tone. “Yeah. I’m good.”
“Why was the FBI here?”
He wanted to tell her. The truth of what he’d done wouldn’t bother her, of that much he was sure. Before they’d gotten married, she’d been a major player in one of Al’s enterprises.
But anything he told her would make her an accessory after the fact.
While he might go down for this, he refused to take her with him. “They’re on a vendetta, trying to nail me like they did Al.”
“But they won’t, right? There’s nothing for them to find?”
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her head. “Don’t you worry.”
Her arms slid around his back and she angled her lips to meet his. “I love you.”
“Love you back.”
As their lips met, he vowed to outsmart the Feds. He couldn’t go to prison. Separation from Ginger would kill him.
Stevens had better keep up his end of the bargain. Tanner couldn’t live to see month’s end.
Seventeen
Two solid days of rain.
Lana let the slat of the vertical blind covering the sliding glass door swing back into place. According to the news report they’d watched last night, the whole Oregon coast was experiencing an unusually wet season.
Figured. Why couldn’t the wet season have start
ed after they left town?
Another day of this and she’d go running in spite of the rain. A little water never hurt anyone, right?
How was she supposed to keep her sanity while stuck indoors for two whole days?
Never mind that Reilly had been trapped for even longer. And that the progress on the case was proceeding about as quickly as a slug performing brain surgery.
Maybe God was trying to instill more patience. If so, she still had a long way to go.
Or maybe God planned to hold her captive until she finally called Theo Lykos. She’d certainly welcomed any distraction that kept her from doing what she knew she needed to do as far as that whole matter was concerned.
A sigh shuddered from her. She’d procrastinated all day yesterday until the day was gone; now today was half over, too.
Well, no more putting it off. It was time.
She wandered into the living room, where Alex sat alone, half-watching a comedy Lana remembered seeing a few years ago. Banging in the kitchen told her Reilly was in there, probably making the lunch he hadn’t wanted to eat earlier.
Dropping onto the other end of the sofa, Lana curled her legs up underneath her. “Where is everyone?”
“Peters and Chow are down at the hotel’s gym. Rodriguez should be in the other suite and Beckman’s probably asleep.”
At least they were unlikely to be interrupted. “I need to talk to you about something.”
Alex fixed sharp eyes on her. “Is it Peters again? I’ll set him straight if you need me to.”
“No, no it’s not him.” Not that he’d been any more pleasant to be around, but he was the least of her concerns right now. “Something happened on Saturday when I picked up those things for Reilly.”
“And you waited three days to tell me about it?” Disapproval tinged every word.
“It’s personal. Has nothing to do with Reilly.” Or did it? What if this was some elaborate ruse to lure Reilly out so Stevens could kill him?
Not possible. This thing had too much truth and too many variables involved to be a hoax.
“Lana?”
She blinked Alex into focus, drew in a breath, and recounted what had happened and what her research had turned up.
Silence lingered as Alex processed the information. Finally, she shook her head. “So what’s next?”
“I’m going to call him.” It almost hurt to say that. “I know he’ll want to meet up. Compare stories.”
“Do it. It’s hard to believe there could be any connection, but you never know.” Alex stared at her with eyes that widened by the second. “Then again, you were the one who singled this place out.”
Not exactly how it had happened, but she let it ride. “You think there’s a connection?”
“What if there is? What if something triggered in your subconscious?”
“I was pretty young. You really think I’d remember a city when I don’t recognize a man who may be my father? Seems like a stretch.”
A small shrug lifted Alex’s shoulders. “The mind’s a strange thing.”
“I don’t know. We’ll probably find out there’s no connection. To the town or the family.” Propping her elbow on the back of the sofa, she leaned her head against her fist. “You have no idea how much I wish I could take Reilly with me to this meeting.”
Sympathy touched the smile on Alex’s face. “Too risky.”
“I know. It’d just make it easier to have him there to act as a buffer.”
“I have an idea. Set it up for that Mexican restaurant and we’ll all go. We can’t sit together, but at least you’ll know Reilly’s close and that he’s safe. He’s been driving me crazy asking to get out of this place, so you’ll be doing him a favor, too.”
That wasn’t a bad plan.
Not the same as having Reilly sitting next to her, but under the circumstances, it was the best they could do.
The Mexican restaurant was one of the places they’d considered for Reilly’s birthday. A number of the tables sat in private cubicles, so they’d be able to sequester Reilly easily enough.
There was only one problem. “You’re willing to take him out at night? What about Stevens?”
“We’ll get inside before sun down and won’t leave until well after. Should be fine.”
“Assuming Stevens sticks to his MO.”
“Well assumptions are all we’ve got.” Alex offered a reassuring smile. “Realistically, Stevens is more likely to track us here than if we go out.”
True. But at least they could control the environment here. A restaurant was a completely different story.
She tried to smother her worry.
Alex was in charge here. Alex was the one with all the experience. And Alex thought taking Reilly out was okay. That needed to be good enough for her.
“Sounds like it’s settled.” She forced a peace she didn’t feel. “I’ll give them a call now.”
“You do that.”
Pushing off the sofa, Lana headed for the bedroom. A soft click signaled the door latching as she leaned against it.
Her eyes went to her phone.
Or, more specifically, the crumpled piece of paper sitting next to it. Although she couldn’t read it from this distance, she knew what it said and it drew her like a mouse to a trap.
Her hand shook as she reached for the paper. Tightening in her throat made breathing difficult and swallowing nearly impossible. She curled her fingers into a fist and smacked it down on the table next to the paper.
Grow up.
It was just a name and phone number, for crying out loud. She was only making an inquiry, not auctioning off her firstborn.
God, I need Your help here.
If only she could feel God’s hand on her shoulder, hear His voice telling her everything would be okay. But no warm presence enveloped her; no booming voice reached her ears.
He was waiting for her to obey.
She snatched the phone off the dresser and punched in the number before she could further consider her actions.
The line rang in her ear. Once.
She wandered to the window and opened the curtains as the phone rang a second time. Three times.
Maybe no one would answer. Then she could at least say she’d tried.
A woman answered. Older, judging by her voice. Possibly Theo’s wife.
“Is, uh, Theo… Theo Lykos available?” Real smooth. She sounded like an idiot.
But that may not be a horrible thing. Maybe they’d assume it was a telemarketer and hang up.
Silence cloaked the line. “I–is this Milana?”
Dang. “Yes.”
Okay, so this woman answered Theo’s phone and knew about her. Had to be Theo’s wife.
She refused to carry the thought any further.
“I’m so glad you called. I almost went with Theo to the store that day, I wish I had, and I was afraid you wouldn’t call.” The words mirrored the downpour spattering the window in front of her, but stopped abruptly enough to make the silence shocking.
She should say something. Anything.
No words came to mind.
“I’m glad you called.” The woman repeated, her voice softer, heavier, laced with an emotion Lana didn’t want to define.
“I almost didn’t.” Wow. That sounded nothing like her usual voice.
Silence burdened the line. After several seconds, the woman cleared her throat. “Uh, well, let me get Theo.”
This was a mistake. The biggest one she’d ever made. What had she been–?
Theo’s deep voice intruded on her thoughts. “Milana. Thank you for calling.”
“No problem.” Great. And now, to top it all off, she was lying.
“Did you have a chance to think things through? I mean, do you think–”
“I don’t know what to think. Thirty years is a long time.” The hardness lining her words surprised even her.
She should apologize.
No. None of this was her fault.
If blam
e should be assigned to anyone, it was them. How could these people do this to her?
“I know.” Grief weighted the words. “I’ve spent every day of those years second guessing my actions that night.”
That night.
It could only refer to the night of the fire. The fire that had claimed his daughter’s life.
Or not.
The hand crushing her cell phone twitched. She fought the urge to hang up.
Stick with the plan.
She’d come this far. She couldn’t slam the door now.
No matter how much she wanted to.
She inhaled a sharp breath. Even the air tasted bitter. “I think we need to meet. Hash all this out in person.”
“Thank you. I’m sure this isn’t easy for you either.”
Dang. It was easier to blame him when he wasn’t considering her perspective. And she really wanted someone to blame right now.
She was a jerk.
There was no denying the raw emotion she heard in his voice. His wife’s, too. This had to be even harder on them than it was on her. If she wasn’t who they thought she was, she could go back to her life like nothing had ever happened. They, on the other hand, would lose their daughter all over again.
The risk they were taking was so much greater than her own.
“How about over dinner? Tomorrow night?” The words tumbled from her mouth.
“That sounds good. Would you like to come over here?”
“Actually, I was thinking of a Mexican restaurant I saw. I think it was called La Hacienda.”
“Good choice. What time works for you?”
“6:30?”
He agreed. Of course. She probably could’ve suggested meeting on the moon at midnight and he would’ve found a way to reserve a space shuttle to get there.
After a terse good-bye, she closed the curtains and turned away from the window, but didn’t move.
What if they really were her biological relatives? What happened then?
Enough. She couldn’t spend the next twenty-four hours – a glance at the clock confirmed it was actually closer to twenty-seven – obsessing about this.
Crossing the room, she jerked open the door and almost smacked into Reilly.
Deadly Alliances Page 20