by Lisa Harris
“I know we have a lot to talk about, but before we get started, are any of you hungry?” Emily’s question broke into his thoughts.
She nodded toward the dining room table that was covered with pizzas and soft drinks, but nerves had squelched any feelings of hunger.
“Maybe later,” he said. “Olivia? Ivan?”
They both shook their heads.
Michael turned to his father as they all sat down on the plush seating, while Gizmo curled up on the carpet at Ivan’s feet, apparently tired from his recent run in the park. Michael had a hundred questions to ask, but there was one question that couldn’t wait until later. “What about Mama? Mason said you decided not to tell her what’s going on yet?”
“I’ll probably regret the decision once she finds out,” his father said, “but until I knew exactly what was going on, I couldn’t take any chances of having her heart broken again.”
The guilt resurfaced, twisting through him like a knife. “I know the past few months have been difficult … I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am—”
“You don’t have to apologize for anything.” His father reached out and squeezed Michael’s hand. “You were doing your job to make this world a better place. Now we just have to figure out a way to put an end to this, so life can go back to normal for all of us.”
Michael sat back, wondering if that were even possible. At the moment, any sense of normality seemed a world away. “I know that I’m wanted by the police,” he began. “And that there’s a price on my head from the cartel.”
“You did manage to get yourself into quite a bit of trouble.” Avery pulled out a notebook and pen from her jacket pocket, then let her gaze rest briefly on Olivia and Ivan.
“They both know everything I’m about to say,” Michael said. “I’d like them to stay.”
“Okay.” Avery leaned forward, her hands clasped in front of her around the notebook. “On our end, the captain’s formed a special team to find you, believing you have crucial information that could bring down the cartel in this area. And if that wasn’t enough, you’ve been tied to a murder and a shooting—FBI agent Sam Kendall, and a man who was shot during a convenience store robbery. The police know you were there.”
Michael nodded. “We saw the news report last night.”
“Then let’s start back at the beginning. What happened the day of the explosion? We know the official version—that you were killed in a bomb attack—but clearly, that version was a cover-up by someone.”
Michael let out a slow breath as he gathered his thoughts. He’d never expected to be sitting across from his sister on the other end of an interrogation, even if it was in the middle of a cozy hotel room. “This all started a lot further back than the day of the explosion.”
He started at the point when he’d been approached by the FBI about going undercover in Valez’s organization, and how he’d eventually managed to work his way up in the ranks. He told them how he was involved in laundering money in order to eventually gain access to Valez’s money trail and his contacts.
“I’m assuming the plan worked?” his father asked.
“For the most part.”
Michael continued sharing about how he found out that the bomb had been intended for Valez, his decision to stay undercover, how Valez set him up with a new identity, and how because of a leak in the department, Kendall had insisted they keep his new identity secret for his own safety.
“That’s quite a story,” Mason said once he finished.
“I have evidence.” He set the flash drive he’d confiscated from Tomas on the coffee table in front of his sister.
“What is this?” she asked.
“Files, including a second set of books that show how Valez has been keeping track of all his illegal gains.”
“If you have this evidence, then why not go to the captain right now?” Emily leaned into Mason’s shoulder on the love seat. “We could give him the drive and tell him everything you’ve just told us. Aren’t those files proof of what you’ve been doing? Proof that you’re working for and not against the department?”
“I can’t go in yet, because Russell Coates was arrested during that operation you were involved in,” Michael said. “He’d been working undercover, and someone murdered him in his cell because of what he knew.”
“If they killed him to keep him quiet, they would do the same to you,” Emily said.
“Exactly.”
“We need to find out who killed Coates.”
“And the names of everyone on the force who’s working for the cartel. If we can get our hands on that kind of list, I’ll be able to come in.”
His father stood up and adjusted the thermostat. Despite the cold weather outside the room was getting uncomfortably warm. “I know you did what you thought was right, but you should have walked away, or at least come to us.”
“You don’t know how many times I almost walked away. But I’d poured so much time into this assignment. And then when I found out that some people believed I was the leak, I was afraid what would happen if I came in. Afraid what would happen if any of you were involved.”
“We’re family, son.” His father sat back down across from him. “I don’t care what happens, I want to be involved. And now that you’re here, we’re going to get through this together.”
“But the two of you, Avery … Mason … You could lose your careers over this.”
“You’re worth it, little brother, and don’t you forget it.”
“I agree,” Mason said.
Avery touched his arm. “The captain has me working your case. He just doesn’t know yet that we found you. I’ll bring him in when—and if—I know you’ll be safe.”
“As long as you all know what you’re getting into, know as well how much I appreciate it.”
Avery turned to Olivia. “When Mason told us you and your brother were with him and had been on the run a few days, we gathered a few changes of clothes and some other things we thought you might appreciate. And we brought a few things for you as well, Ivan. There’s a bathroom in that hallway, if you’d like to shower and change now, though what we brought for you might be a bit big.”
“It’s fine.” Ivan took the bag of clothes Emily handed him. “Thank you.”
“A fresh set of clothes and a hot soak in the tub would be fantastic.” Olivia stood up.
“Your clothes are in the bedroom,” Emily said. “There’s also a Jacuzzi in the master bath. Take your time. You’ll feel a lot better.”
Michael watched Olivia slip into the bedroom, then turned back to his family. “Thank you.”
“We brought you a change of clothes as well. Mama arranged to have a lot of the things from your apartment packed up and stored in their garage. Not that you had a lot of stuff, but most of what you did have is safe.”
“I’m sorry for all of this—”
“Stop apologizing,” Emily said. “You’re here, safe, which is all that matters right now.”
“She’s beautiful,” Avery said. “Olivia,” she added with a grin.
Michael grinned back at her. “Trust me, I’ve noticed.”
“I know you have. Every time you look at her you’re like a high school geek out on a date with the prom queen. But the real question right now is, can we trust her?”
“Is that why you sent them out?” Michael asked. “I’ve already been through this with Mason.”
Avery set her notebook down. “We’re talking about Valez’s daughter and son. What else are we supposed to think?”
“Not that they’re some Trojan horse sent to topple the department.”
“You trust them? Completely?”
“Yes, I trust them.” Michael worked to swallow his anger, knowing that they had every right to ask the question.
“I’m not planning to interrogate them, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Avery said. “You’ve always been a good judge of character.”
“I’m telling you, they’re not inv
olved with their father’s business.” Michael briefly recounted his time at Felipe’s cabin. “They didn’t even know who their father really was until a couple days ago. Olivia’s a journalist, who visits Valez once or twice a year. Ivan is a typical college student. Do a background check on them, and you’ll see.”
“Trust me, I will, but there is one other thing we need to talk about. I want to bring in my team to help with this.”
Michael shook his head. “There are already too many people involved in this—”
“They offered.”
“They know I’m here?”
“No, just that you’re alive. No one besides the four of us knows you’ve made contact.”
Michael reached up to massage the back of his neck. “I hadn’t even planned to get you involved. If anyone finds out you know where I am, you’ll lose everything you’ve ever worked for. All of you will.”
“Trust me, the captain made that quite clear, but we don’t have time to worry about that right now. I’m more worried about ensuring your safety—as well as Olivia’s and Ivan’s.”
“And what’s the captain going to do when he finds out?”
“The captain knows I’m looking for you. He just doesn’t have to know I’ve found you yet. Tory will come here. Carlos and Levi will work from the precinct. We’ll deal with those issues—and the captain—as they come up.”
“I could still turn myself in—”
“We have no plans of losing you again, son.” His father stood. “You’ll go in when we know it’s safe, and not a moment before.”
19
Forty-five minutes later, Michael stepped out of the bathroom. In the time it had taken him to shave and change clothes, Avery had turned the hotel living room into the duplicate of a precinct bull pen. Avery, Mason, and Tory were going through boxes of paperwork, while his father and Ivan worked at a computer set up on the desk.
“You haven’t eaten anything, so I reheated a few slices of your favorite—Italian sausage and black olives.” Emily handed him a plate of pizza and a Coke. “And you’ll simply have to excuse my babying you the next few days, but I still can’t believe you’re alive. I missed you.”
“I missed you too, and I don’t mind this a bit.” He took a bite of the pizza, realizing for the first time how hungry he was. “And to be honest, you’re not the only one still a bit surprised I’m here in the flesh. I was pretty convinced I was about to be tortured and dumped somewhere in the Atlantic for my body to be eaten by the sharks.”
“Don’t talk that way.” She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. “I’ve already lost my big brother once. I don’t even want to think about losing you again.”
“You’re not going to.” Michael took another couple bites of pizza, downed half his Coke, then set the plate and the drink down on the glass end table beside them. “From what I hear, I’m not the only one who had a rough few days recently. I’m sorry I wasn’t here for you, Emily. Sorry we couldn’t overload on ice cream and chocolate syrup like we’ve always done when one of us has a bad day.”
“I missed that too. Missed you.” Emily smiled, but the mark of pain was clear in her eyes. “With everything still so fresh in my mind, I have a feeling a few ice cream sessions would be in order.”
“You know I’ll be there.”
“Good, because while I might have stopped loving Charlie a long time ago, I’m still struggling to shake the feelings of betrayal, and now there’s the never-ending guilt of shooting him. I don’t know. I’m not sure that will ever completely go away.”
“Maybe not completely, but it’ll get better eventually.” Michael glanced across the room at Mason. “Though I’ve heard there’s a bright spot in your life now.”
Emily blushed and let her gaze follow his.
“I’ve been told the two of you have become pretty cozy since I … since I died.”
“Your death is what changed him. It made him look at life differently, and in a way brought us together. I’m sure he’ll tell you about it, but yeah. He makes me happy. Very happy.”
“Do you love him?”
Emily fingered the floral pattern on the lamp shade beside them, the blush deepening. “Love’s a strong word, especially since it all happened so fast and so recently. If it’s not there yet, it’s certainly headed that direction. It’s funny how something can be completely unexpected, and yet end up being exactly what you were looking for.”
“You know he’s been in love with you for years.”
“And I heard rumors that you tried to convince him I wasn’t interested.”
“It was true at the time, wasn’t it? He was a cop, and you said you’d never date a cop. Besides that, he didn’t share your faith, and you were way out of his league.”
“All except my being out of his league was true.”
“I just hate knowing what you had to go through to bring the two of you together.”
“Everything that happened only confirms that while I might be a Hunt, saving the world over the pursuit of justice isn’t my cup of tea. I’ll never again complain about grading papers and all of the other mundane things that teachers have to do.”
Michael laughed. “You’re a great teacher, and while I can’t promise to stop teasing you, I’m glad you’re happy.”
“Right now I’m happy because my brother’s alive.”
“I second that. And while you’re feeling so generous, maybe you can talk to Olivia and put in a good word for me.”
“Worried your charm and good looks aren’t enough?” she teased.
“No. Just worried I might lose the best thing that’s come around in a very long time.”
Olivia stared into the bathroom mirror, wishing she could erase the bags under her eyes. At least she felt better. She’d scrubbed her body and hair again, hoping there were no longer any traces of the smoke left from Felipe’s cabin. If only it were that easy to erase the haunting memories she now carried with her as well. But nothing she could do would change what had happened over the past few days. Nothing could bring Felipe back or change the fact that her father wasn’t who she’d believed him to be.
But while the long soak in the Jacuzzi had left her feeling human again, she couldn’t help but wonder if the Hunt girls’ generous donation of clothes—along with their suggestion for her to take her time—didn’t have more to do with their needing to grill Michael on who he’d just brought home. She’d seen the caution in Avery’s eyes and even in his father’s eyes. They wanted to know—and rightly so—where Antonio Valez’s daughter and son’s loyalties lay.
Olivia put on some mascara, finishing off with a light coat of lipstick. Honestly, she couldn’t blame them. She anticipated their questions—expected them. If they were as loyal as Michael had implied, then they weren’t going to take Olivia and Ivan at their word and let them into their confidence. Not if there was any chance at all that they might be working for the enemy.
She pulled a coral-colored zippered hoodie over the long-sleeved white T-shirt they’d gotten her, then zipped it up halfway. There had been another thing she’d noticed, sitting in the living room with Michael’s family. Despite the accumulation of loss and uncertainty that still hovered between them, she’d seen the strong bond of love and loyalty that Michael had spoken of. It reminded her of those longings in her own life for that sense of family she’d never experienced beyond her church family. Something she never thought she’d have.
But she couldn’t forget that when all this was over, the people in that room—Michael included—were going to go back to their own world. A world that, as the daughter of a known criminal, she’d never fit into.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the living room, shutting the bedroom door behind her, surprised at how they’d managed to transform the room into a workstation in such a short time.
Michael crossed the room, carrying a piece of pizza and a Coke. “Hungry?”
“Not really.”
“There’s plenty left if yo
u do get hungry. I was about to send in a posse to check on you.”
She smiled. “I’m fine, and feel tons better, actually.”
He’d shaved and changed into a pair of black jeans and a green, long-sleeved T-shirt, making her heart tumble just a little bit deeper over the edge. Looking up at him and his now-familiar smile brought memories of watching him sleep while worrying about his fever, listening to him share about his family, and more recently, eating pancakes together before the sun rose.
Had that only been this morning?
Because everything had changed now. His family was here, and he didn’t have to watch over her anymore. Anything she’d thought had passed between them was more than likely due to the intense emotional strain they’d all faced over the past few days. Nothing more.
Then why was her heart telling her that she wanted more?
She fought to dismiss the question. “Where’s Ivan?”
“My sister put your brother to work. Apparently, he’s some kind of computer genius. There were several encrypted files in the information I gave them, and he’s trying to hack into them.”
“Ivan is brilliant with computers.” She looked up at him, wishing she could squelch her insecurities. “I hope that will add a few brownie points in our favor.”
He reached out and squeezed her hand, sending chills up her arm. “Hey, you don’t need brownie points with them, and you certainly don’t need brownie points to impress me. You’ve already done that. But even Tory’s impressed with his skills, and from what I gather, it takes a lot to impress Tory.”
“Who’s Tory?”
“She’s a part of my sister’s homicide team. Avery brought her in to help.”
“Is that wise? She could lose her job over this.”
“It was her choice. She wants to help.”
“Even knowing who I am?”
“You mean knowing who your father is.”
“Yes—” She looked up at him, knowing he was trying to make her feel better. “And I don’t expect them to trust me, Michael. But I would like to help. What can I do?”