by T. L. Haddix
“I’m not providing a perfect stranger with a detailed file on your life, Sydney. That’s out of the question. But at the same time, like you said—if I don’t do something, he’ll just hire someone else.”
“How’d he find you?”
“Called the sheriff’s department, asked for recommendations for local investigators. I think our best bet is to call him back, let me lay the cards on the table. Tell him I know you, who you are to me, and ask bluntly why he’s looking at you. But I’m going to look into his agency first, see who we’re dealing with.”
“I can call someone at Uncle Charles’s firm, talk to them. Charleston isn’t that far from Savannah, and the legal community is fairly closely connected down there. I have a couple of people in mind who can probably tell us what we need to know.”
“Make the call.”
As she picked up the phone to dial, she let out a quiet sigh. Knowing someone was trying to get detailed information about her life was eerie, scary. It could be perfectly benign and harmless, but then again, it might not be.
“Thanks for backing me up on this,” she told Sawyer as she waited for the call to be answered.
He shook his head. “Call it even for the tax advice.”
“I don’t know if that’s even or not,” she said, serious.
“Sure it is.”
When the man she’d been hoping to reach answered, she swallowed back her nerves and explained the situation. “I figured calling you might be the smartest move, Lenny. Have you ever heard of them? I’ll put you on speaker so my boss can hear,” she said as she hit the button.
“McElty and Jones? Sure. They’re not that big, but their client list reads like a who’s who. If you don’t have an annual income or assets totaling at least ten million, they don’t even answer your calls.”
Sawyer whistled. “No kidding?”
“Nope, not even a little,” Lenny answered. “So whoever’s looking at Syd, they’ve got resources and influence. You didn’t break some playboy’s heart did you, kid?”
She laughed, amused even through her tension. “You know better than that. Do you have any connections at the firm, Len?”
“No, but I know someone who does. Want me to give ‘em a shout?”
“I hate to ask you to do that,” she hedged.
“Sydney, don’t make me drive up to Kentucky and put you over my knee. I’ll see what I can find out. What’s the best number to reach you at?”
She gave him the office number and her cell phone. “I appreciate this, Len. Seriously.”
“Enough to come home and work for me? I probably shouldn’t ask you that in front of your boss,” he said with a laugh.
Sydney smiled and winked across the desk at Sawyer, who was scowling. “You know Kentucky’s home for me. But if I ever do decide to head south again, you’ll be the first person I call. Give Dora a hug for me?”
“Always. Talk to you soon, kid. I’ll light a fire under my contact. We need to know who’s looking for you.”
The buzz of the disconnected call filled the room. Sydney lifted the receiver and let it fall back into the cradle, then sank back with a groan. “Knowing Lenny, he’ll drive up there if he can’t get answers. He’s persistent.”
“Who’s Dora?”
“His wife. They’re two of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet. She’s a lawyer with the firm, and he’s the investigator. They have a daughter my age who lives in California, and when I started working with Uncle Charles, they kind of adopted me. Holy crap, Sawyer. Ten million minimum? I don’t like this. I left that world behind when I got divorced. I don’t want any part of it now.”
His right eyebrow shot up. “I knew your husband’s family was wealthy. I didn’t know they were that wealthy.”
Sydney sent him a sardonic grimace. “Oh, they were up there. If I’d known Adam was from that kind of money, I’d never have started dating him. Not that there aren’t nice people in that income bracket, but a lot of the kids in my generation are entitled assholes even without all that privilege. Of course, I could just have a biased point of view, all things considered.”
“Can’t imagine why,” Sawyer teased gently.
There was speculation in his gaze, and Sydney could tell he wanted to ask her something. “What is it you aren’t saying?” she asked as she stood.
“I’m trying to think of a nice way to put it,” he said.
She grabbed a couple of folders off her desk and crossed to the cabinets to file them. “Then ask in a not-so-nice way. I’m a big girl, fairly hard to offend most days.”
“I’m just thinking about what you were like when you left here.”
Despite her best efforts, her back stiffened a bit, even though she wasn’t upset at the observation. “And you’re wondering how in the world someone like me fit in with a family like that?”
He had the grace to look ashamed when she glanced at him over her shoulder.
“Kind of.”
Sydney snorted. “It was a square peg, round hole kind of situation for a while. And I’m embarrassed to admit that I wanted to fit in with them so much that I turned into something of a sheep, at least the first couple of years. I had school, and that’s where I was myself. When I went home, I conformed to Adam’s expectations.” She closed the drawer and leaned against the cabinet. “His parents are good people. They really are. Kind people, even if they’re a bit standoffish. They remind me a lot of Ainsley, Uncle Ben’s wife. You know?”
Sawyer nodded. “Reserved but warm.”
She smiled. “That’s Ainsley. And that’s Ray and Helen. I don’t think they expected my… courtship, I guess you could say, with Adam to last beyond a few weeks. They certainly didn’t expect us to get married after six months of dating. Helen confessed that to me after the marriage fell apart. It wasn’t that they didn’t like me or approve of me. They just knew their son. If I could have kept them in the divorce, I would have.”
“They sound nice.”
“They are. She still calls me occasionally just to chat. In any event, she and Ray did what they could to make social situations easier for me. And it wasn’t like Mom and Daddy raised a heathen. A hellion, yes.”
“No arguments here.”
She smacked him gently with the stack of mail from the top of the filing cabinet. “Hush.”
“Don’t forget who’s the boss here, young lady.”
“Mm-hmmm.”
Sawyer crossed his ankle over his knee as she sat back down. “So you don’t miss it?”
“Being part of that world? No.”
“Being married.”
The question stunned her, coming from Sawyer, especially considering the seriousness with which he asked.
“Um, I guess… yeah. I do miss some aspects of marriage. Not enough to risk it again, at least not at this point in time. Do you miss it?” she countered softly.
“Some aspects.”
They exchanged a long look. After a minute, Sydney laughed sadly. “I never expected to be a member of this club, you know. The ‘divorced’ club. I was stupid with youth and love, and that’s a dangerous combination. I expected it to last forever, and in hindsight, now that I’m out from under Adam’s spell, I know there’s no way in hell it could have lasted. The miracle was that it lasted as long as it did. How in the world did we get on this subject?” she asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“My fault,” Sawyer said as he stood. “And now that I’ve thoroughly depressed us both, I guess we’d better get back to work. How long do you think it’ll be before Lenny calls you back?”
“Probably late today or sometime tomorrow, depending on how easily he can get up with his contact. He won’t dawdle. When are you supposed to call Varney back?”
“Tomorrow. I’l
l be in here if you need me.”
“Thanks, Sawyer. I mean that,” she told him as he went into the office.
He shrugged. “It’s the least I can do.”
“Still, I appreciate it. Whatever it turns out to be.”
Desperate to have something else to focus on, she turned back to her computer and pulled up the e-mail program. Maybe there’d be something in there that would distract her. Otherwise, she might just get in her car and drive to Charleston to ask Bret Varney herself what the hell was going on.
Chapter Eleven
They found out the next morning what was going on, though not via the phone call Sydney had been expecting. Or rather, not through a phone call from Lenny. Instead, the news came from Emma, who called just after ten a.m.
“Hey, Mom. What’s up?” Sydney asked.
“Are you terribly busy? Could you come down here?” Emma’s voice was strained, tense. Right away, Sydney knew something wasn’t right.
“What’s wrong?” She stood as Sawyer stepped into the reception area. When he held his hands up questioningly, she shrugged.
“I just need you to come over here.”
“On my way.” Disconnecting, she shoved the phone into her pocket. “Something’s wrong. She needs me down at the shop.”
“Want me to tag along?” he asked.
“Please?”
He didn’t say a word, just followed her down the stairs. In less than a minute, they were walking in the door at Emma’s studio. Emma was standing in front of Zanny’s unoccupied desk, staring quietly at two clean-cut young men who were seated on the couch across the reception area.
“Mom? Are you okay?”
Emma smiled tensely and held her arm out. “I am. I didn’t mean to worry you. Hey, Sawyer.”
“Hey.”
But Sydney could see she wasn’t okay. Her mouth was pinched, and she looked like she’d break if someone touched her. And she was staring at the two men as though they were a threat to everything she held dear. Sydney hugged her tightly from the side.
“Who are you?” Sydney asked the men. They’d gotten to their feet when she and Sawyer had come in, and upon further inspection, she was startled to see they were twins. Identical twins, unless she missed her guess, the only difference between the two being their haircuts and the fact that one of them wore glasses. She started to get a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach.
“We, um, we’re… I’m Grant,” the one without glasses said.
“And I’m Cade,” his brother answered, staring at Sydney with an intensity that unnerved her. “We’re sorry to cause such a disturbance, ma’am,” he said to Emma. “Truly.”
“We are,” Grant reiterated. “She looks just like you, Mrs. Gibson. Wow. She’s so pretty.” Cade elbowed him, causing Grant to scowl. “What? She is.”
“You sound like you expected her to be a hag or something,” Cade said.
Grant pulled his gaze off Sydney long enough to make a face at his brother. “You know better. I knew she wouldn’t be a hag, not that it would matter if you were,” he quickly reassured Sydney. “But it’s a relief to know that we won’t have to pay someone to date her.”
“Excuse me?” Sydney asked, incredulous. “What the hell are you talking about? Who are you?”
Emma let out a long, shuddering breath. “You don’t recognize them, do you? Though I guess there’s no reason you should. Sydney, they’re your brothers.”
Stunned beyond words, all she could do was stare at her mother. That sick feeling in her stomach rose up, threatening to choke her. Before she could come up with anything, the door opened and Archer came in, anger and fear on his face. He went straight for Sydney and Emma, moving so that he was between them and the men.
“What do you want?” he demanded.
“Daddy…” Sydney edged around him to stare at Grant and Cade, who were looking very uncertain. Though they weren’t small men, Archer was six feet four and heavily muscled, an imposing figure even when he wasn’t upset. And right now, “upset” didn’t begin to cover the tension coming off his body.
“We just wanted to meet her, sir,” Grant said. “That’s all.”
When she tried to step forward, Archer shot her a displeased look. Trying to reassure him, she slid her arm around his and clasped his hand. But she didn’t back down.
“Are you the ones who’re looking into my background?” she asked. “The investigator from Charleston?”
“What?” Emma asked. “What investigator?”
The twins exchanged a silent look, and Sydney had the eerie sensation they’d held an entire conversation with that glance. She’d always heard about “twin speak” but she’d never seen it before.
“That’s probably our mom. She worries,” Cade said with an embarrassed shrug. “We’re…”
“…all the family she has,” Grant finished. “She knew we were thinking about contacting you, and she’d want to be sure you weren’t dangerous or something.” His cheeks flushed.
“Yeah, she’s not much of a threat, she’s so tiny,” Cade said. “I don’t think Mom has anything to worry about.”
Grant rolled his eyes. “I don’t think Mom was afraid she’d beat us up, Cade. I think she was more concerned about…”
“…other things. Yeah, I know. Mom tends to think we’re naive or something,” Cade said. “Sorry.”
Sydney couldn’t help it. She laughed. They were so cute, so funny, finishing each others sentences. And she’d never responded well to certain kinds of stress, laughing when other people were dead serious.
“They’re like puppies,” she said, smiling at them. “Polite, somewhat clumsy puppies.”
Grant clearly didn’t like the comparison. Judging by the way he stood, the close-cropped haircut, he was either military or law enforcement. But Cade took her words in stride and grinned back at her.
Archer didn’t seem any more pleased than Grant. “That still doesn’t answer my question satisfactorily. Why are you here now?”
Cade answered. “We’ve always been curious, ever since we learned about Sydney. We were upstairs the night you showed up,” he told her. “Did you really drive all the way from Kentucky when you were just fifteen? And you stole a car and everything?”
“Anyhow,” Grant said before she could respond, “we saw you stand up to Dad. And then after you left and things calmed down, Mom explained who you were. Who you all were,” he said, his gaze dancing to Emma and Archer. “We…”
“…didn’t have the best relationship with our father,” Cade said quietly. “He wasn’t the nicest guy in the world, as you might have gathered. You really, really hit the jackpot by not having him raise you.”
Archer’s hand flexed involuntarily, and Sydney squeezed it even tighter. She knew he’d often worried over the years that she was missing out on something by not having known her biological father. Hopefully, if the twins were telling the truth, some of that fear would be allayed.
“So after that, any time things got rough, we kind of had this thing we’d ask ourselves. Mom even picked up on it, and she started playing along with us when we were teenagers,” Cade finished.
“‘What would Sydney do?’” Grant told them. “Any time we had something to get through, that’s what we’d ask. ‘What would Sydney do?’ And it helped to imagine how you might handle things, even if we didn’t have the courage to implement what we came up with.”
Cade chuckled. “We came up with some pretty crazy things.”
Grant nodded. “I guess that sounds pathetic now, but we kinda looked up to you. Like you were a superhero or something. And so when Dad died, we started thinking maybe we should try to meet you. It wasn’t possible before. That’s all.”
Even Archer wasn’t immune to the story. He sighed roughly, and Sydney c
ould feel his muscles relaxing. “Does your mother know you’re here?”
Grant cleared his throat. “Not so much, sir. She knows we’re traveling but…”
“…We didn’t want to worry her. If we got here and Sydney wasn’t what we were expecting, there was no need for her to know about it. Right?” Cade asked his brother.
“Right.”
Sawyer pushed away from the wall beside the door. “Looks like you folks have things under control. I’m going to head back. Sydney, if you need to take today off, feel free.”
“Thank you. I probably will.”
“Thanks, Sawyer,” Emma put in. “Sorry to disturb you.”
“Don’t mention it. Call if you need me.”
“Is he your boss?” Grant asked as Sawyer left.
“He is.”
“LEO?” he persisted.
She tilted her head, confused. “LEO? Oh! Law enforcement officer. Yes, he’s retired from the state police. Why?”
“Grant’s getting ready to start his senior year, pre-law, and then he’s heading to the FBI academy,” Cade said. He pushed his glasses up. “I’m just a bookworm.”
“An archivist is not just a bookworm,” Grant argued. “He does that, sells himself short like it’s something to be ashamed of.”
Cade nudged him again in the ribs, this time a little firmer. “Shut up.”
Archer shook his head. “Puppies. Yeah. So do you boys have a place to stay? How long are you planning to stay, exactly?”
“Daddy!” Sydney chided at the same time as Emma’s “Archer!”
“It’s a legitimate question,” he told Emma, then sent Sydney a scolding look. “Well?”
“We figured we’d get a hotel,” Cade said. “And we can’t stay long. He has to get back home to his girlfriend,” he teased Grant.
“She’s getting ready to go overseas for an internship,” Grant said through his teeth. “She’s leaving next weekend and I want to spend some time with her before she goes. That’s all.”