Cover image Chinese Lanterns © caoyu36.
Cover design copyright © 2016 by Covenant Communications, Inc.
Published by Covenant Communications, Inc.
American Fork, Utah
Copyright © 2016 by Traci Hunter Abramson
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any format or in any medium without the written permission of the publisher, Covenant Communications, Inc., P.O. Box 416, American Fork, UT 84003. The views expressed within this work are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect
the position of Covenant Communications, Inc., or any other entity.
This is a work of fiction. The characters, names, incidents, places, and dialogue are either products of the author’s imagination, and are not to be construed as real, or are used fictitiously.
ISBN 978-1-52440-196-2
For Christina
Thank you for sharing your love of all things Asian.
Acknowledgments
Every book I write reminds me of how valuable a good editor can be as I navigate the journey from idea to finished product. For the past dozen books, I have been fortunate to have an amazing editor who has truly helped me progress as a writer. Thank you, Samantha Millburn, for all you do.
My continued appreciation to everyone at Covenant who puts so much effort into every aspect of my books. Thank you to Stephanie Lacey for your tireless efforts and for being willing to think outside the box. Thanks to my writing partners, Paige Edwards, Jen Leigh, and Ellie Whitney, for your editing advice through those early scenes and for being my sounding board, and to Mandy Abramson for your help in the early editing process.
I also want to thank Paige Edwards and Lara Abramson for helping me create a particularly unique scene in San Francisco. Without you, the journey wouldn’t have been nearly as enjoyable.
My gratitude also goes out to the rest of my family who continue to support my career as an author, and I especially want to thank my sisters, Stephany Osborn, for giving me the idea of a planned elopement in Las Vegas, and Tiffany Hunter for creating so many memories that ended up in these pages.
Thank you to the CIA Publication Review Board for your continued support and diligence. Finally, thank you to my readers, who make creating these stories so worthwhile.
Chapter 1
Fai Meng made his way through the hallway of the executive suites of Revival Financial. The brokerage firm had earned worldwide recognition over the past decade as one of the top in its industry. What the world didn’t know was that among the successful brokers were a few select individuals who also doubled as spies for the Chinese government.
Fai’s position in Hong Kong opened the way for him to operate freely while spying on foreign nationals from the Western world.
He walked over to the corner office where his associate in both careers maintained his appearance as a senior executive at Revival and knocked on the door that hung ajar. As soon as he was summoned inside, he entered and closed the door behind him.
“I have something I think you should see.” Fai crossed to where Qing Yao sat behind his desk. He handed a paper to the older man.
“What’s this?”
“A job application for our company.”
Qing’s shrewd eyes narrowed, the whites disappearing beneath eyelids that drooped with age. “Who is Devin Shanahan?”
“I believe he can be a valuable asset, one who can bridge a void we have been hoping to fill.”
“I’m listening.” Qing motioned for Fai to take a seat.
Fai lowered himself into the padded chair and leaned forward slightly. “A source indicated the CIA was pursuing Mr. Shanahan to work with them. Our background research shows he is an only child, raised primarily by a Chinese nanny. We also know the cook in his household is a native of Hong Kong, and Mr. Shanahan is fluent in both Mandarin and Cantonese.”
“And his feelings about the United States? Clearly the Central Intelligence Agency believes him to be a loyal American if they are contemplating bringing him into their employ.”
“Yes, but everyone has a weakness.”
“What is his?”
“We know he lacks a solid family structure, and our psychological profile indicates this is something he seeks.”
“You think we can provide what he seeks here?”
“That, or we find another weakness. He’s probably got another one.” Fai straightened in his seat. “I believe if you look at his personal information, you will find he has other attributes that will serve us well.”
Qing looked down at the application, his heightened awareness apparent when he lifted his gaze. He steepled his fingers, tapping his forefingers together. “We may need to find a position for Mr. Shanahan. I believe we have a problem employee who can be disposed of.”
“Kyle Rode?”
“He has been accessing files he shouldn’t be looking at.” Qing’s eyes went hard. “Do we know who Mr. Rode is really working for? The British? The Americans?”
“The British.” Fai’s voice lowered to nearly a whisper. He had planned to offer the information to Qing and feared what would happen now that it had been demanded before he had the opportunity.
“You were going to tell me this?”
“Yes, sir. That is one of the reasons I am here.”
“I see.” Silence filled the room and stretched for two long minutes. “I believe this will be an excellent opportunity to teach some lessons.”
He was afraid to ask the question and more afraid not to. “What lesson would that be?”
“Kill Mr. Rode.”
“I thought you wanted to question him in the hope we could turn him into a double agent.”
“Shanahan will give us what we need. This man must die. He will be an example of what happens when we are crossed.”
“Yes, sir.” Fai swallowed hard. “I will take care of it.”
“Make Devin Shanahan the offer, and put him under surveillance. Also, verify the proper security is in place to make sure he has nothing to take back to his CIA while we make our play.”
“Yes, sir.”
* * *
Las Vegas.
Devin didn’t have to read the signs to know they had arrived. The strip was alight with neon billboards and towering casinos. Pedestrians streamed up and down sidewalks, and the pulse of adventure filled the air.
After spending the past five and a half years with his nose in a book and interning for the CIA every summer, Devin was ready for a new adventure. One more semester, he reminded himself, and he’d achieve his goal: an MBA from Stanford, followed by a career in intelligence.
His friends and family didn’t know about the intelligence part, of course. The likelihood of his working undercover prevented him from being able to share anything beyond his cover story.
What would they think if they knew the truth?
He glanced at the man in the driver’s seat beside him. Caleb’s blond hair had recently been cut short, and his blue eyes were usually filled with humor . . . or mischief. Devin could hardly remember any part of high school and college that Caleb hadn’t been a part of.
“Are you sure this is where you want to get married?” Devin asked. “Seems to me that most girls want the whole flowers and bridesmaid thing.”
“Molly definitely wants the flowers and bridesmaids. What she didn’t want was months of stressing out over whether the tablecloths matched the napkins or whatever it is the mother of the bride likes to worry about.”
“I gather Molly’s mother was getting carried away on the wedding plans.”
“Oh yeah. She wanted the country club, a string quartet, and five hundred guests. Not to mention the first available date was almost a year out. We don
’t want to wait that long to get married.”
“On the bright side, that would have meant five hundred presents,” Devin offered.
“I’d rather forgo the gifts and start on the marriage.” He glanced over at Devin. “What about you? Ever thought about getting married? You and Ashley have been together for five months. That’s a long time for you.”
“We were together for five months,” he corrected. At Caleb’s raised eyebrows, he added, “We broke up a few weeks ago.”
“What happened?”
“Nothing happened. I guess she thought the same thing you did and expected me to put a ring on her finger when we celebrated her birthday last month.”
“Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be. It was fun while it lasted, but I don’t think we ever really had a future together.”
“I thought it was getting serious,” Caleb said. “You haven’t lasted that long with anyone since Grace Harrington our senior year in high school.”
Devin experienced the same little stab in the heart he always did when he thought of Grace. He hadn’t seen her since graduation, but that didn’t change the fact that she was the only girl he had ever loved. He wished he had recognized that fact when he was seventeen. Maybe then he wouldn’t have made the biggest mistake of his life.
Caleb slowed when the GPS announced their destination was on the right. He pulled into the drive in front of their hotel. “Here we are.”
“When is Molly supposed to get here?” Devin asked.
“She should already be here. She was supposed to fly in this afternoon.”
“I’m surprised she isn’t sitting in the lobby waiting for you.”
Caleb turned off the engine and grinned. “What makes you think she isn’t?”
They both climbed out of the car and stepped onto the sidewalk. Not thirty seconds passed before the doors slid open and Molly rushed outside into Caleb’s arms. Her straight blonde hair framed her face, and her green eyes filled with pleasure.
The sheer delight in her expression made Devin smile. “You two had better be careful, or people are going to think you’re in love.”
Caleb gave his fiancée a hard smacking kiss before turning to grin at Devin. “You’re just jealous that I get to marry the prettiest girl in Arizona.”
“That must be it,” Devin agreed easily. “It’s not too late, Molly. You can still dump him and run away with me.”
She shot an amused look at him as the automatic doors opened again. “Tempting, but I think I’ll keep him.”
“You’re breaking my heart.” He put his hand up to his chest in mock despair.
A familiar female voice broke in, a hint of the South carrying humor. “I don’t think a girl alive has managed to dent that heart of yours, much less break it.”
Devin turned, then took a step back, stumbling off the curb and barely managing to keep his balance. It couldn’t be. His eyes narrowed and then widened with delight. Speak of the devil . . . “Grace Harrington? Is that you?”
“In the flesh.” Her hazel eyes held warmth, and she moved toward him, her arms outstretched for a hug.
He moved forward, careful not to trip over the curb a second time, and pulled her against him in a welcoming gesture. The scent of vanilla clung to her hair, courtesy of her shampoo, no doubt, and a wave of emotions crashed over him as he held her for that brief embrace. He shifted back to look at her, suddenly transported into the past. Before Grace, he had dated dozens of girls in high school, never letting anything get too serious.
But she had lasted longer than most, over six months, until his buddies had convinced him to move on. Prom was approaching, and he needed someone who was more the prom-queen type. With her solid build and wildly curly hair, Grace hadn’t fit the mold.
The thought made him cringe inwardly. Had he really been that shallow? Or had he let his friends nudge him into the breakup because his feelings for Grace had started to scare him?
Her hair was straight today, hanging past her shoulders, light catching in the golden streaks against darker brown. The transition from teenager to twenty-three had enhanced her natural beauty. Instead of solid, her body looked long and lean, her subtle curves evident despite her loose-fitting T-shirt. Beyond her appearance, she seemed more confident and secure.
Devin struggled to find his voice. “I didn’t know you were going to be here.”
“You didn’t know Molly is my cousin?” Grace asked.
“Your cousin is marrying my best friend? What are the odds?”
“The odds were pretty good considering she introduced us,” Molly said.
Devin turned an accusing eye on Caleb. “You never told me Grace introduced you.”
Caleb shrugged good-naturedly. “I thought I had.”
“Come on.” Molly grabbed Caleb’s hand and took a step toward the door. “Let’s go inside and get you two checked in. I’m sure you’re both ready for some dinner.”
Devin fell into step beside Grace and glanced at her again. There was no doubt about it. She looked like the prom-queen type now.
Chapter 2
Devin Shanahan. Grace rolled his name over in her mind as she dressed for dinner. He had changed over the years since she had seen him last. He had grown a couple more inches, now standing about six two, and his shoulders were much broader than they’d been in high school. A faint scar trailed up the side of his left temple before disappearing beneath his dark red hair, which was cut stylishly short. It irritated her that she wanted to know the origin of the scar.
She hadn’t seen Devin since he had graduated high school a year ahead of her. They had shared a number of classes over her two years in Sedona, despite their difference in grade. Grace had been a year ahead of most students in math and science when she moved from Virginia to Sedona at the beginning of her sophomore year. Two seasons of running track together beneath the Arizona red rocks had given them the foundation of a friendship. When he had asked her out the first time, she’d thought she’d stepped into glass slippers and a fairy tale. Unfortunately the fairy tale had lasted only twenty-seven weeks.
He had tried hard not to break her heart. She could give him that. Their talk had ultimately been about his concern that they were getting too serious. She couldn’t deny that at the time, she had started thinking of herself as half of a couple instead of as an individual. She had also recognized how much stock everyone in school had put in the fact that she had lasted longer than any of his other girlfriends—Devin had been known for breaking things off before he ever reached a one-month anniversary.
That knowledge hadn’t stopped her from falling in love with him before the end of their first date. It hadn’t simply been her infatuation with the handsome senior or that her friendship with Devin had developed into a crush long before he’d asked her out. No, what had captured her heart had been his innate kindness.
That first date hadn’t gone as expected. Their picnic at Grasshopper Point had been interrupted by a terrified three-year-old who had approached, tears in her little eyes and very much alone. They learned later the little girl had managed to wander off while her mother was changing her baby brother’s diaper.
Devin had given the child a water bottle to drink before leaving her in Grace’s care and going in search of the mother. His presence of mind had been admirable, as had his sensitivity and reassurance when the mother and daughter were finally reunited.
Grace shook away the memories and slipped her hotel key into her purse.
“Are you about ready?” Molly called from the bathroom, where she was reapplying her makeup. The girl had flawless skin, yet she was always powdering something.
Grace ran her fingers through her hair, raking it into place. “Yeah.”
Molly emerged from the bathroom, and her gaze swept over Grace’s black evening gown, the hem of which grazed the top of her knees. The cap sleeves and scoop neck were more modest than what she knew most women her age tended to wear, but Grace had always loved the classics
in everything from movies to fashion.
“You look great.” Molly wiggled her perfectly plucked eyebrows. “You’re going to have the men eating out of your hand tonight.”
“I doubt that.” Thirty minutes with her straightener had helped tame her naturally curly hair into smooth waves, and she couldn’t deny that moving out on her own had benefited her waistline. The extra pounds she carried during her teenage years had slowly melted away once she was no longer tempted by the cookies and other desserts her mother had often baked for the family. None of those changes convinced her that the guys would suddenly start noticing her tonight.
Her heart squeezed a little at the thought of her parents, and she drew a deep breath to push away the memories. She was here in Vegas to make happy memories, not to dwell on what she had lost.
“I can’t believe I’m getting married in five days,” Molly said.
“Neither can I.” Grace tucked her purse under her arm and offered her cousin a smile. “You’re going to make a gorgeous bride.”
“Do you think my mom will get over the whole Vegas wedding thing?”
“She just wants you to be happy,” Grace assured her. Aunt Marie might be a little over the top with a lot of things, but she had a good heart. When she slowed down long enough to listen, she could usually be persuaded that other people were entitled to their own opinions too. “Come on. Caleb is probably downstairs pacing the lobby, waiting on you.”
The two women left their hotel room and started down the hall. “So what’s the deal with you and Devin?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Grace said, reluctantly admitting to herself that she looked forward to seeing him again at dinner.
“He looked pretty excited to see you. How do you know him?”
“Same way I know Caleb. We all went to high school together. You know that.”
They stepped into an empty elevator, and Molly turned her green eyes on Grace. “And?”
“And nothing.” Grace deliberately turned to face the front of the elevator so she could avoid her cousin’s scrutiny and that reporter’s intuition she had honed during the past year working for the local television station in Phoenix. Feeling Molly’s gaze still on her, she added, “Sorry, Molly, but there’s no story here.”
Kept Secrets Page 1