None of that had to do with the fact Rachel was Emma’s cousin, either. It was just common decency to see that someone had been pulled into a situation they couldn’t control and were trying to make the best of it.
Emma slumped onto the bed. Great. Sounding like her mom just made her a judgmental jerk. But she didn’t want to think about her mom, because that would make her even more of a judgmental jerk. It was a slippery slope, made worse by the fact she was beyond exhausted.
Alexis’s eyes filled with warmth.
“Sorry,” Emma said, mostly meaning it. “You were trying to help your friend, and I didn’t take it the right way.”
Alexis shook her head. “You’re right.”
She was?
“It is between you and Mint.” Alexis clapped, smiling like everything was perfectly fine. She pointed at a door on the other side of the room. “That’s the bathroom. It’s a jack-and-jill with the room next door, so lock both sides if you’re going to take a shower, okay?”
Still being nice. Which made Emma feel more miserable, even though Alexis didn’t seem to think anything was wrong. She nodded. “Thank you.”
Alexis excused herself.
Emma flopped back on the bed. She didn’t mean to fall asleep, but woke up hours later with the sun a low glow through the curtained window. Someone had taken off her shoes and covered her with a blanket.
She pushed it aside, not willing to think about who’d done that. She hadn’t even locked the door before she gave in to the fatigue and crashed.
Emma selected a pair of pants and a nice blouse from the clothes folded neatly on a chair, underwear between the layers, and found all the usual supplies laid out in the bathroom. Even a toothbrush, still in its packet.
She felt a million times better when she was dressed, with her hair dried. Looking fresher than she’d felt in days.
She slipped on a pair of ballet flats from under the chair, then poked her head out into the hall and found no one. Not even a sound. Was everyone still asleep? She didn’t really know what time it was. Her wanderings brought her to the kitchen, where she snagged a granola bar. When she turned around, she realized Mint was on the couch in the corner.
His chest rose and fell and even in sleep he looked…lethal.
There wasn’t a better way to describe him. He wasn’t a soft man. He was a warrior, a protector. Just being in the same room as him made her feel safer. Alexis might think there was a soft core in him and maybe that was true, but Emma liked the hardness of his exterior. It made him strong. And it made her wish that she could be like that, too.
Between them on the coffee table was a handful of change and a couple of bills. A phone. Car keys. Like he’d deposited the contents of his pockets there, pulled off his glasses and crashed.
Part of her wanted to stay. Wait for him to wake up so they could talk. The other part wanted her to run out the door. Escape. Flee. Get out of this place, just so they didn’t have to keep bleeding money and resources just to keep her safe. So that Double Down didn’t continue to get dragged into her business. Then they’d be able to focus on figuring this whole mess out, and finally uncover the blackmailer’s identity.
With the added bonus that she wouldn’t have to get into hard stuff with Mint. She didn’t want to be a chicken, but it was easier than actually having to do the grunt work of figuring out their conflict. How did married people even do it, when it was so much easier to just walk away and not have to do the hard stuff?
Before she considered what she’d done, Emma had his car keys in her hand, and she was stepping outside.
She hit the unlock button on his keys. The beep made her jump. Why were they made to be so loud? She climbed in and started the car, getting settled. Refusing to think about what she was doing. Where she was going. The repercussions.
She just drove.
Chapter 17
Mint followed Bradley and Alexis up the front steps of the church where the memorial service was being held for Senator Sadler. Soon enough they were going to have to bury Craig and Drew.
The weight sat in his chest like a stone had taken up residence there. But he couldn’t let it stall him.
This was about finding Emma.
He hadn’t exactly been surprised when the tracking device installed on his car had led them here.
He tugged at the tie pulled too tight around his neck. How did guys wear these things, anyway? It was choking him. The sound of a delicate chuckle made him realize Alexis had caught his discomfort. She reached up and tweaked his tie. Finally he could swallow.
“Thanks.”
After he’d been injured saving her from being blown up as a suicide bomber in a bank, she’d been acting like this. He lived with it because she meant well, and she was just glad they were all alive.
Bradley looked like he was about to laugh. At Mint’s expense. If this wasn’t a funeral he’d think about punching their newest teammate in his smug face. But Bradley knew how Mint felt about Alexis fussing over him like his big sister—or a mother hen. Mint knew just how to get rid of that look. “Your sister coming to this?”
Problem solved. Bradley’s face shifted to the frustrated look probably also on Mint’s face. Bradley said, “I left her a bunch of messages, but she never got back to me. I think Steve went to her apartment to check on her.”
She’d moved out of her house after getting abducted from her own living room. If she was hiding out in this new place, that didn’t mean anything good. Rachel was letting the fear get to her. And boy did Mint get what that was like. Fear swallowed you up. It was like being devoured by some great beast, and there was nothing you could do about it. Hopefully Steve would be able to snap her out of it.
Alexis said, “You look nice all dressed up. That alone is going to distract Emma from whatever she’s doing here.” On her face was all the hope in the world.
Mint didn’t know how to have that much faith in life, or other people. “I know what she’s doing here.” And it wasn’t anything good.
If she wanted to mourn the senator’s passing, showing up at a public funeral full of public figures, high security and plenty of press wasn’t the way to do it.
They’d gotten word from one of the security guards—a friend of a friend also in the private sector who used to be a Secret Service agent. It was a small community, private security, most of them former military. A guy Steve had known years ago on the job for the senator’s funeral had called in to Double Down to let them know Emma Burroughs had shown up before the service.
They’d been on their way.
Bradley said, “We should get inside.”
Mint motioned to Alexis with a tilt of his head. “I’ll be fine. Thanks for fixing my tie.”
She knew he was frustrated. Okay, he was pretty angry. Hard to protect someone when they took off. Thankfully she’d done it in a company car equipped with GPS. They’d tracked her all morning. And what did she think she was doing anyway? News had barely hit the wires that she was the principle witness in the senator’s murder, and half the people who attended may not even have received word that she was no longer the FBI’s prime suspect. Whatever game she was playing, the woman was taking an incredible risk.
For what? Saying goodbye to a man who, on all accounts, wasn’t very nice.
His son, Lincoln Sadler had been a spoiled brat who’d nearly assaulted Alexis. He’d ended up being killed by federal agents. Dead because of his own selfish choices. For his refusal to give up Alexis and surrender. Bradley and his sister Rachel had never said anything good about the man. Only his constituents, who heard what he wanted them to, had anything good to say about him.
Hardly a legacy worth honoring, even if Emma was his daughter. But grief often didn’t take into account the reality of who that person was. Loss had to be processed, no matter the circumstances. Sometimes the prevailing emotion left over afterwards was relief.
But had Emma stuck around so he could explain that to her? No. She hadn’t.
/> Bradley and Alexis headed inside, leaving Mint standing on the front steps of the church by himself.
His father had dragged him to a pew every Sunday morning, after he’d drank himself stupid day after day through the week. Getting sloshed and screaming cuss words at Mint for whatever infraction he thought he had done. Steve and Bradley had both talked to Mint about their faith, but he’d only told the whole story to his boss. And while he figured it was taking the easy route to write off every Christian just because of the hypocritical behavior of one, actually confronting the dark places inside himself was a whole lot harder.
Emma was inside. That alone was what got him through the door. He wanted her to know he was here for her. That he would continue to protect her.
A slender woman brushed past him in fancy black shoes and a black dress that touched her knees. Black overcoat. Black purse. Her blonde hair had been perfectly styled. Makeup, too.
For a second he thought it might be Emma, but then he saw the face was at least twenty years older—though she’d done some work to hide that fact.
“Excuse me.” Her voice was short, her tone like someone trying to choke back tears.
“My apologies.” He held the door longer than necessary, continuing to study her.
Emma’s mother.
Mint didn’t know for sure, but he was pretty certain he was looking at Isabella Burroughs, the famous conservative talk radio host. She brushed past mourners gathered in the lobby and moved straight into the sanctuary. Mint followed. He stood against the back wall, blending in like he was one of the security guards. The woman sat four rows down, still in the back section. Perched on the edge of the row, like she wanted to be able to escape at any moment.
Mint watched while the service got underway. He scanned the back of heads for Emma while the senator’s friends tried to tell stories of when he’d been altruistic, or the ways he’d bettered the country. There wasn’t a lot of unique material, mostly just the same couple of stories told over and over.
And then she was there. Emma, walking to the podium.
A hush moved over the crowd. Cameras flashed. Her face was set, a polite smile he didn’t believe one bit. She looked amazing, but then he’d followed her to the store where, with her stash of cash, she bought those clothes and purchased styling products to fix her hair. When she got to the memorial service, he’d rushed to change his own clothes.
Now he wished he’d stayed, jeans and T-shirt or not. He wished he’d forced her to face the fact he was still right there with her. To convince her that she wanted him to always be there.
Emma cleared her throat. “Many of you are probably surprised to see me here.”
A murmur swept through the room. Several people pulled out cell phones and camera clicks filled the space.
“Yes, I was there the night the senator was ruthlessly killed by Aaron Jones.” She swallowed. “I heard his final breaths. And my only regret was that I didn’t get to share with him what I had learned just that morning.” She paused, took a breath. “Senator Sadler and I shared more than just a passion for accurate accounting.”
A chuckle broke out in a few places around the room.
“We shared a passion for helping the destitute in his community, raising support for those working every day to make the lives of women and children better. To provide support to fathers determined to leave a strong legacy. To those who might need an extra hand. To the homeless, and the sick. Because only by lifting each other up can we rise above hatred. Selfishness. Evil.”
Mint figured most of the man’s work in that area was due to his having a guilty conscience. Or making himself look good for the next election. But Emma had known the man personally. If she wanted to remember him in the best light, who was he to stop her?
“Kindness is the greatest virtue. And those who prey upon other people, who force them to commit atrocious acts, should be brought to justice.”
Emma’s voice broke. She took a step back and used a quiet moment to compose herself, while some applauded.
“Senator Sadler and I shared more than just the values we should all base our lives upon.” She paused again.
Mint saw her mother perk up in her chair, glancing around. Why did she look nervous?
“I recently discovered that he was, in fact, my father.”
Gasps echoed around the room.
“And I will cherish the memories of him that I now have. I will carry those with me always.”
Emma’s mother launched out of her chair and flew to the back doors, heels clicking as she went.
**
Emma forced herself not to react. She watched her mother rush to the back doors, where a man in a suit intercepted her. It took her a second to realize that the man was Mint.
He was here?
She hadn’t even spotted him. And yet, why had she thought he wouldn’t catch up with her? She’d felt eyes on her all day but hadn’t been able to see anyone. It figured he would keep an eye out, and honestly it made her feel better knowing he was here now. He was listening.
This was the hardest thing she’d ever done.
A man in the front row got up, the senator’s personal assistant. Beside where he’d sat was Senator Sadler’s widow, now glaring daggers at her.
The man took her arm, the squeeze of his fingers far tighter than necessary. “Thank you, Ms. Burroughs.” He tugged her back. She nearly tripped on the heel of her right shoe, but caught herself before she fell. “We appreciate your kind words about the senator.”
His grip said anything but.
Emma made her way to the left aisle, and she kept her head high as she gathered her purse and made her way to the side door. Tears filled her eyes. Through the blur she managed to find the handle.
Cameras flashed. Voices drifted to her. No doubt this would be all over social media by the end of the day. The broadcast of her emotional confession that the senator was her father. A sob worked up her throat as she pulled the door open and moved into the side hallway.
“How nice.”
She nearly slammed into the man.
The door clicked shut behind her, the sound echoing in the stone-walled hallway with its matching stone floor and arched ceiling.
His eyes narrowed in a gleam below dark brows. Styled hair. He smelled like expensive cologne. “Our mutual friend sends his regards.”
She took a step back. In a second she realized, even with everything that was going on, who he was referring to. “What…” She sucked in a breath and straightened her shoulders. “Two of Double Down’s team are dead. He’s not going to get away with this.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“Exposing the secret doesn’t mean this ends.” He grinned. Perfect teeth, a pretty cover to an ugly person beneath the surface. “We’ll be in touch.”
He disappeared. Emma slumped against the wall, and a tear rolled down her face, which was where Mint found her. One second all she could hear was the rush of her own breath in her ears. The next second, she caught his footsteps, and then his eyes stared down at her. Dark brown, light at the edges. So much darkness in the center, it was like she was being sucked down into it. And she wanted to fall in. To try and help him break free of it. But it wouldn’t do any good for her to try and help someone as damaged as he was. It would be like two cripples trying to run a marathon.
“Emma.” Frustration crinkled his brow. “Come on.” Whatever he’d been about to say, he brushed it off and led her to another hallway off this one, where Bradley and Alexis stood with her mother.
Her mother flew at her, rage twisting her face. “I cannot believe that you—”
Mint shifted his body in front of Emma’s and put his hand out. “Mrs. Burroughs, if you’d wait until we get somewhere private—”
Emma would prefer to do this—never. She said, “Mom, I know this affects you as well, and I’m sorry I aired something you didn’t want to come out. You never told me that dad isn’t actually my father.”
“You u
ngrateful little—” She called Emma a name that made Alexis gasp.
“Don’t catch your followers using that word. They won’t like it.” Emma didn’t much care. The sheen had come off the rose, and now she saw her mom clearly for probably the first time in her life. “What you don’t know is that there is more going on here. Senator Sadler was murdered, and I never got the chance to see if I could have some kind of relationship with him as my father. You took that away from me. But what you don’t understand is that I had a reason for making that announcement.”
She highly doubted her mother would see past her own outrage and what she saw as betrayal by Emma, to even understand that Emma had a serious problem. Her mom didn’t care that the past few weeks had been the most terror-filled time in her life. Did her mom ask her how she was? Or why one bicep under her sweater was thicker than the other. Her infected arm was much better, but it was still really obvious.
“That debacle in there will go public.” Her mom rummaged in her purse and pulled out a pink sparkly cell phone. “I have to call my assistant. And my publicist. We’ll tell them you’ve been traumatized. Or—I know!—we’ll tell them the FBI told you to say that.” Her fingers flew across the screen. “Yes, that’s good. The cops wanted you to say that. And, I’m sorry, but we’ll have to say that you were going to take the blame for the senator’s death before Patrick escorted you off the stage. Maybe you even put Aaron Jones up to it, or something like that. In collusion with him.” She glanced at Bradley, then Alexis. “Is that the right word? Collusion?”
Alexis said, “I think you should leave now.” Her voice was tight, her face set like stone.
It was like her mom didn’t even notice. She breezed to the door and called back, “My assistant will call you and tell you what to say.”
Emma noticed Alexis watch her mother leave.
This woman had faced down the blackmailer herself. She’d told the world a raunchy video of Rachel Harris was, in fact, her. She’d allowed it to discredit her, get her fired and blacklisted all across Washington. Alexis had stood up for her friend.
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