Braden went as still as Arizona. “What did she ask you not to talk about?” they said at the same time.
The woman dug into her purse. “I’ve kept this on me since she left for the Virgin Islands.” She procured a key. “She opened a safe-deposit box at First Atlanta Bank.”
Why hadn’t she given this to Braden? She’d moved to Denver. She was going to sell her house in Atlanta. Why do this? Realizing she was staring at Braden, Arizona asked Sophie, “Did she say why?”
“No. She said it was personal.”
Personal. It must have something to do with the birth certificate. But if it was personal, would it be related to her disappearance? It seemed so, otherwise, why lock something up with instructions to keep it secret unless something happened to her?
* * *
Only Braden was allowed into the area containing the safe-deposit boxes. Tatum had left explicit restrictions. An odd mix of dread and anticipation accompanied him as he opened the drawer. The bank representative had left him alone, an illusion since the big safe door was open and he stood just inside of it. Arizona was just beyond, watching with her hands clasped in front of her. It was so uncharacteristic of her to appear mild and meek, when she was a firecracker. Hollywood might run through her veins but the true core of her was real.
He loved it.
Letting out a breath, he slid open the drawer. Only a single folded piece of paper was inside. A letter. Not even in an envelope.
He took it out and closed the door. Then he left the vault, joining Arizona in the lobby.
“What is it?” she asked.
He kept walking toward the exit. Outside, he stopped behind their rental. Unfolding the paper, he read the letter to himself.
I hope it’s Braden who’s reading this letter. If not, however, Mom, Dad, please know that I wished to bring this to you in person.
There’s no easy way to say it. Courtney Andrews is my half sister.
Braden could read no more. Nothing could have prepared him for this, the confirmation of what he’d already wondered.
Having read along with him, Arizona snatched the page from him.
“It all began innocently,” she read aloud.
How did she know he couldn’t read it himself, not objectively anyway? His sister had stolen sensitive files from him and now she’d kept this from him. His father had had an affair.
“I don’t know how she found me,” Arizona continued to read. She read as if she were in front of one of her father’s cameras, oblivious to them. “She said she found her father’s name among her mother’s things after her mother died. She must have researched the rest of us and chose to approach me because I was a woman.
“She told me she didn’t want to break up our parents’ marriage and that her mother hadn’t wanted that, either. She wasn’t sure how to approach our father, but her ultimate goal was to meet him. She was born just under a year after Mom and Dad were married, so the affair must have taken place just before that. I suppose if there’s any comfort in this, it’s that. Dad wasn’t married when he had the affair. Courtney swears her mother didn’t continue to see him after he was married. She said her mother was hurt that he chose our mother over her, but she wanted to do the right thing.”
Arizona glanced up at Braden, checking on him before continuing.
“I didn’t give her any credence at first. But then I began to see she was for real. She wanted to find her real father. She didn’t want anyone hurt in the process. Our first few meetings were to get to know each other, and then to decide how—or if—telling Dad was the right thing to do. Mom would have to be told, too. Courtney was cognizant of that.”
Arizona stopped. Braden reluctantly looked at her, pain ripping through him. This would kill his mother. Especially now, when her only daughter was missing.
“Around this time, things began to shake up at work,” Arizona resumed reading. “After I resigned, I began to look for her. I’d tried calling her a few times, but she never answered her cell. I went to her apartment. She rented one after she found me. There was a copy of an itinerary there. She’d recently gone to the Virgin Islands and booked a room at the Frenchman’s Point Hotel.”
Arizona stopped reading to look at him again.
“Julian,” he murmured.
Had Courtney been the one to steal the laser target designator files? Was she really their half sister or was this some kind of elaborate scheme? And how did Julian tie in with the arms deal? Was he the man behind the front company?
“If you’re reading this, it means I’m in trouble, and probably so is Courtney.” Arizona finished.
There was nothing in there about the files she stole. Tatum had only revealed Courtney. It made her appear guilty. Or was she trying to protect Courtney? She’d obviously formed a close enough bond with her, otherwise, why would she travel to the Caribbean to find her? Or had Courtney taken all the money and Tatum went after her for it?
The sound of youthful laughter drew his gaze across the street. Over the top of the rental, he saw a mall parking lot full of carnival rides. People’s feet dangled from a Ferris wheel, and a roller coaster roared down a track, kids and teenagers screaming, some with their hands up in the air.
“I wish we could go there right now,” Arizona said.
He shot a look to her. She wanted to go to a carnival? “Why?”
She shrugged. “It would be fun. Impulsive. Free of stress.”
She was impulsive. Adventurous. A kid at heart. It touched him in a way he’d rather not explore too much. It resembled too much the way he’d taken her night diving.
His cell rang. Seeing it was Serena, he answered.
“Braden?” She sounded breathless and afraid.
Aiden. “Serena. Are you and Aiden all right?”
“Y-Yes. But someone tried to take Aiden.”
“What?” Braden walked to the driver’s door.
“W-we were getting into our car when a man grabbed Aiden and tried to take him from me.” She began crying. “He tried to pry him away from me. I held on a-and Aiden kicked him. If it wouldn’t have been for Marcus, he may have succeeded. Oh, Braden. I’m so scared. What are we going to do?”
For once, she said “we.” She must be really scared. “Call the police.”
“I did. They just left. They’re going to step up the patrols, but I’m not sure that’s going to be enough. That man is determined. You have to do something, Braden. You have to make him stop. If he takes Aiden...” She cried harder.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure Aiden is safe. I promise.” There was nothing in the world he meant more. He’d die for his son. “We’re on our way.”
Serena sniffled and subdued her crying. “We?”
He disconnected. Now wasn’t the time to argue about his relationship with Arizona. It was bad enough that he was starting to call it one. He had to get to Aiden. His son meant everything to him. Nothing else in the world mattered.
What could he do to keep him safe?
It was a question that had plagued him ever since the break-in. He couldn’t take him along in the search for Tatum. And he couldn’t stop searching for her to stay with his son. But his near abduction unleashed the animal in him. Long-buried fears and insecurities surfaced. That must have been how his son had felt when he’d nearly been taken. Braden bristled with the idea. Nobody did that to his son and got away with it.
Where would his son be safe until he found and stopped those responsible?
Chapter 13
Arizona watched Braden tuck his son in at his parents’ house. They’d stay the night here and then tomorrow, she guessed, they’d return yet again to Tortola. Seeing him with Aiden gave her pause. He was worried. Twice now someone had gone after his son, clearly to use him as leverage. Most likely for the missing algorith
m files. When stopping him had failed, they’d sought out his weakness. Aiden.
Braden was not a man to tolerate anyone going after his weaknesses. In fact, he seemed highly in tune with protecting that. On guard and never vulnerable. But now his son and his sister were tearing him in two. He had to leave his son behind to find his sister. What if he lost his son in doing so?
Arizona had an idea to help.
Leaving the bedside after staring down at Aiden for several seconds, Braden joined her in the doorway, glancing back again. The love he had for his son awed her.
Downstairs in his parents’ four-bedroom suburbia home that faced a lush golf course, Arizona wondered if she should find another room. Braden planned to tell his parents about Courtney. Arizona had questioned him on it. Was he sure? Maybe it could wait. But he’d insisted this was the way his family operated. They discussed things in person. It’s what Tatum would have done as soon as Courtney was ready.
“Should I...” Arizona pointed to the backyard where a multilevel redwood deck promised a view of golfers and a barbeque.
“No. Stay with me.”
Reading the softness of his eyes, she understood. Her presence would help him. This was going to be hard on his mother. But she also suspected he wondered if his father had known. Tatum’s letter said Courtney wasn’t ready to meet him, but how much did his father know?
“If you want to leave him here, you can,” his dad said.
“Thanks.”
Would Aiden be safe here? Arizona doubted it. If he hadn’t been safe with Serena’s parents, he wouldn’t be safe here.
“Actually, I was going to suggest we take him to my parents’ house in Evergreen,” Arizona said.
Braden swung a look to her.
“It’s got a ten-foot-high perimeter stone fence with cameras and motion detectors. A big iron gate with security guards. It’s where we go for family reunions. It’s tight for a reason.” So they could have privacy from the press.
Still, Braden stared at her. She couldn’t tell if he agreed it was a good idea, if he was appreciative or if he hated it altogether. He could be extremely impassive sometimes.
“I’ll call my mother,” she said hesitantly.
After a moment, Braden slumped a little. In relief? Relenting to good logic? She wasn’t sure. But then he nodded. “Thanks, Arizona.”
He’d noticed her awareness of his heightened protectiveness for his son. Appreciative won out. It made her feel good.
Then he faced his parents and pulled out the letter he’d folded and put into his back pocket.
First he handed it to his dad. His dad read the letter, growing increasingly tense as he did. When he finished, he sat down on a chair in the open living room and slowly looked across the coffee table at his wife, who immediately picked up on the change in him.
“What? What is it? Is Tatum...?” Tears welled in her pretty green eyes that looked forty instead of fifty-something.
“Did you know?” Braden asked his dad.
It took the man some time to recover. Then he looked up at his son. “Yes.”
Anger slid over Braden, his brow growing ominous and his hands fisting at his sides.
“Knew what?” Braden’s mother walked over to her husband and reached for the letter.
His father let her take it, slowly lifting his gaze to watch her read.
The tears that had begun out of anxiety for her daughter now rolled down her cheeks from something else entirely. Braden’s dad rose and went to her. She backed away, dropping the letter onto the cushion of a chair and then looking at her husband as the hurt deepened and deepened. She sucked in a gulp of air.
“You knew?” she breathed. “All these years...”
“Please...Marlana, I...” He lost words.
What could he say, really? Arizona’s heart wrenched for him and for Marlana, who stood on the brink of sobbing.
“And that birth certificate...the father’s name was left blank. You knew then, didn’t you? And you said nothing. Until now, when you have no choice...when you’re finally caught.”
“I...” Braden’s father tried again. “I did what I thought was best for all of us.”
“Best?” Marlana’s shaken voice made Arizona stop looking at her.
“I met her before I knew you. We dated a few times and then she moved away when she went to college. I didn’t see her for years. Until a few months before you and I married. I loved you, Marlana. Never doubt that. But seeing her again...after the way it ended with us. It wasn’t finished yet. I had to finish it.”
“You had to see if you loved her still?”
Braden’s father’s throat cleared as he struggled with his rocky emotions. “Yes. And it quickly became clear to me that you were the one I loved. I’ve loved you ever since. Please...please believe me. I wouldn’t have married you if I had any doubt. I swear it.”
“Wh-when...”
When had the other woman gone to him and told him?
Braden went to his mother, who leaned against him as she continued to regard her husband as though she’d never met him.
“Not for a long time. Courtney was five by then.”
A single sob escaped Marlana’s fight for composure and strength. She was a woman who rarely lost either, Arizona surmised.
“She didn’t want to break us up. She only came to me because she thought I should know. I told her before I married you that I didn’t love her. I told her that it was you I loved and I was going to marry you. She was hurt and upset, but she understood and wished me well. She didn’t know at that time that she was pregnant.”
“You slept with another woman while you were with me!” Marlana pushed away from Braden to step toward her husband. “How long before we were married did you tell her?”
His head lowered.
“How long?” Marlana demanded.
Slowly he lifted his head. “The week before.”
“One week.” It came on a whisper, a ragged whisper full of pain. “Is that the last time you slept with her?”
Reluctantly, he nodded.
“You slept with her the same night you told her you loved me and not her?”
“She confronted me about you. She told me I had to make a choice. She did me a favor. I chose you, and I’ve never regretted it.”
“Oh...” Marlana covered her mouth as shaken sobs pushed past her resistance.
Braden went to her side again. And this time she turned against him, burying her face and crying from deep inside.
Arizona wished she wasn’t there right now. She felt like an intruder.
“I’ve been faithful to you ever since. Marlana...” He moved to her and put his hand on her sobbing back. “I had to be sure. Can you ever understand that? If I hadn’t met you, she’s the woman I would have married. I had to be sure.”
Marlana used Braden’s chest to support her as she turned to face her husband. Keeping a hand on her son’s muscular shoulder, she bore a teary, hurt gaze at her husband.
“Is there anything else you haven’t told me?”
“I opened a trust fund for Courtney. I’ve made deposits to it over the years, so she could go to college and have advantages her mother couldn’t give her.”
“Did you speak to her mother often?”
Braden’s dad shook his head. “Only when I set the fund up. After that, I didn’t have to talk to her. She preferred it that way. She respected my decision. She wasn’t a bad person, Marlana. She wouldn’t have had an affair with me even if that’s what I wanted. She did what she thought was right. We both did.”
“Where is she now?”
He looked at Braden for an answer. He didn’t know she was dead.
“She died,” Braden said. “Two years ago.”
“How?”
his father asked in defeat.
Braden shook his head. He didn’t know.
“And Courtney...?”
“We think she’s with Tatum.”
Both women had disappeared. Both women could be dead. He may not ever see either of them again. He lowered his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m so sorry.” Then he dropped his hand and looked at his wife. “I’m sorry, Marlana. I never meant to hurt you. I love you.”
“You should stay somewhere else for a while.” Marlana turned to Braden and then Arizona. “Make yourselves at home. I’m sorry you had to witness this.” With that, she left the room, climbing the stairs, each step full of dejection and making her petite frame seem heavier than it was.
“Did Courtney have any contact with you at all?” Braden asked his dad.
“No. None.”
“You know nothing about her and Tatum’s disappearance?”
“No. I promise you, I’m telling the truth. When I saw that birth certificate, it was the first contact I’ve ever had with Courtney or her mother since I opened the trust fund.”
Braden studied him for a long time. “How could you stay away?”
“There wasn’t a day that went by when I didn’t think of her. It wasn’t easy. I wanted to be there for her. I wanted her to be part of my family. But that wouldn’t have been fair to Marlana. Or you and Tatum.”
“We would have adjusted.”
Had Courtney been his child, Braden would have brought her into his family. The magnitude of that gave Arizona shivers. And it spoke loudly of his love for Aiden. He couldn’t imagine turning his back on any child of his. He loved his child that much. And he would have loved a child born to another woman just as much.
“Mom would have adjusted,” Braden continued.
“I did what I thought was best at the time,” his dad responded meagerly. “That doesn’t mean I didn’t regret a decision I made when I was too young to know better. But after time goes by, there comes a point when it’s too late to change anything.”
“It’s never too late,” Arizona said, bringing both men’s attention to her. “You can have a relationship with Courtney.” If she was ever found. If either she or Tatum was ever found...alive.
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