Hidden Agenda (16 page)

O
livia sat beside Michael on one of Piedmont Park's benches, with the city of Atlanta looming behind them, trying to look calmer than she felt. At least Ivan seemed to be having fun with Gizmo. The energetic French Brittany was still on his leash, but was clearly enjoying the freedom of being able to run around.

Freedom, though, still felt out of reach for her. On the drive here, Michael went into more detail about how he and Mason had arranged this meeting place. Working undercover had its own set of dangers, so they'd decided if ever one of them were in trouble, they would send the other a coded message and meet here. In the years that followed, he'd never chosen to implement the plan. Even after Valez had arranged his “death,” Michael didn't opt to contact Mason, primarily because he was worried about involving his friend in a situation his gut told him wasn't going to end well.

Apparently Michael had been right. But she had no idea whether they could trust his friend, no idea if they'd been tracked here . . . no idea how or when all of this was going to be over. Every minute that passed was another minute that something could go wrong.

“How are you holding up?” Michael's question broke through her troubled thoughts.

“Ready for all of this to be over.”

“It will be. Soon.”

She caught the determination in his voice, but knew he had just as many doubts as she did.

“What about Ivan? How do you think he's doing?”

“I don't know.” Which was what had her worried the most. “He's never been much of a talker, but we're close, and he's always opened up to me. This time—with Felipe's death—it's as if everything has changed between us.”

“Just keep giving him some space. There's a lot to process and a lot of loss for both of you to deal with.”

“It's hard to do when I know he's hurting so much.” She glanced at her watch, wishing the waiting would end. Wishing there was something they could do to reverse the effects of the mess they'd stepped into. But all the wishful thinking in the world couldn't erase the past three days.

“What about your friend?” she asked. “Are you sure he's coming?”

“He'll be here.”

She stared out across the open area of the park. By now, the sun was out and starting to melt the snow that had fallen during the night. She tapped her foot against the ground and tried to relax. It wasn't the first time she'd visited the urban park with its large, open green spaces, trails, gardens, and playgrounds. She'd come to concerts a few times with friends over the years, and once she'd gone fishing with an older couple from her church. But this morning wasn't about hanging out with friends for a few hours of fun. Instead, she felt as if the crippling feelings of fear were about to consume her.

She pressed her hands against the bench seat. “Am I the only one who's nervous?”

“Hardly.”

“Afraid he'll turn you in?”

“Mason? Never.”

“People change.”

“Not the essential part of who they are.” He leaned back against the bench, looking like a man with no plans other than to enjoy the morning, but she knew he was completely alert, watching everything that was going on around them. “I think I'm more worried about seeing my family. I can't help but question what my presumed death did to them. Especially my mother.”

“Questioning whether your choice to stay in was worth it?”

“Yeah. At some point I'm going to have to look my mother in the eye and explain to her why I did what I did.”

“Do you think she'll understand?”

“I come from a family of cops. They've all had to make sacrifices. But losing your son is different. And I'm not sure that seeing me again is going to instantly wipe away all those months of loss she's felt.”

Olivia tried to imagine the immense emotion they all were going to feel when they were reunited. “She loves you, and even your presumed
death
can't change that. Besides, not many people get a second chance like she's about to be given, and I'm pretty sure that will far outweigh any hurt or anger.”

Michael nodded toward the entrance. “Mason's here.”

Michael stood up as Mason walked toward them. His friend had changed little over the last year. His dark-blond hair was still a bit long, and he was wearing his typical jeans and T-shirt that allowed him to blend in almost anywhere.

Mason stopped in front of him, then pulled him into a big hug. “I'll be honest, when I got the message from you, I wasn't sure if I should hug you or slug you.”

Michael smiled, unprepared for the wave of emotion that shot through him. “I'll take the former, thanks.” He caught the hesitation in Mason's eyes as his gaze shifted to Olivia.

“I didn't realize you had anyone with you.”

“This is Olivia Hamilton.”

Mason shook her hand. “It's nice to meet you.”

“You as well,” Olivia said. “Michael says great things about you.”

“And this is her brother, Ivan,” Michael said as Ivan walked up with Gizmo in tow. “He's deaf, but he can read lips.”

Mason nodded at Ivan. “I could have used you a time or two on a stakeout.”

Ivan smiled. “It's nice to meet you, sir.”

Mason turned back to Michael. “We have a lot to talk about, but I'm still trying to convince myself that you're really standing here and this isn't some whacked-out dream of mine.”

“Trust me, this is real.” And so was the danger both to himself and anyone he involved. “Did you tell anyone?”

“Avery knows, and she brought in your father.”

Michael frowned.

“I didn't have a choice, Michael. This isn't exactly something we can deal with alone.”

“So who else knows?”

“Just your sisters and your father. No one else. They're not even going to tell your mother until things are sorted out.”

Guilt reemerged. “You could all get into trouble for this. You and Avery could lose your jobs—”

“Forget it. You're a whole lot more important than any job will ever be. So you know they're looking for you?”

“Yeah. We know.”

“Avery's the one leading up the hunt for you,” Mason said. “I want to hear everything, but I think it's best to get you both out of here so we can talk in private. And I've got a place where
we should be safe. Your family is meeting us there. How'd you get here?”

Michael paused. “A stolen car that's a bit worse for wear than when we first took it, which is one reason why it's only a matter of time until the police pick up our trail.”

“Then we better make sure we stay one step ahead of them,” Mason said. “Any signs of being followed?”

“Not here.”

“I guess it's hard to kill a dead man.”

“Apparently not.”

As they started walking toward the exit, Michael explained briefly how he had saved Valez's life, how Valez had orchestrated his death, and what had happened the past few days, including his rescue off the island and their subsequent escape from Felipe's cabin and the storage unit.

“They're going to keep looking for you, which is why we need to get out of here.” Mason nodded toward the stadium across the street. “I'm parked just south of 10th Street. The hotel will be a lot safer than out here in the open.”

Olivia went on ahead with Ivan and Gizmo, seeming to understand Michael's need to talk to Mason in private. Eight months away had left him with dozens of questions, starting with the well-being of his family.

He waited for a pair of joggers to pass, walking in silence past century-old trees and a thin blanket of snow covering the lawns, before speaking again. “I've been able to gather bits and pieces of news over the past few months. I know that Emily called off her wedding, and that she shot Charlie Bains while rescuing you. I know my mother threw my father a retirement party in August and Avery's engaged, but beyond that, I've stayed pretty much in the dark.”

“You really have been living under a rock. I guess you haven't watched the news the past few days either.”

“I've been a bit busy recently, trying to thwart my impending death. Has something happened?”

“Where do you want me to start?” Mason shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket as they followed the trail toward the exit.

“Tell me about Avery's fiancé.”

“Jackson Bryant is Atlanta's newest associate medical examiner. He's a Texas transplant, but still a good guy. You'll like him.”

“It's hard to believe how much I've missed these past few months.” After losing her husband in the line of duty, he was glad to see Avery had finally come to the place where she could remarry. “Does she seem happy?”

“Very.”

“What about Emily? I know she was involved with shooting Charlie, but I don't have any details.” He'd tried to follow the local news and any information he could get on his family, but he'd been afraid that any contact, or even Facebook stalking, could possibly lead back to him.

“First let me assure you that they're fine,” Mason began, “but last week, Emily's classroom was taken hostage, and Tess was kidnapped.”

Michael slowed his stride, feeling as if he'd been living on Mars the past eight months. “Whoa. What in the world happened?”

“Long story short, one of Emily's students took her class hostage for ransom money in order to save his brother's life. The positive outcome of all of it was that we were able to take down Bains. And while your sister might not be a cop, that girl definitely has Hunt blood inside of her.”

That statement didn't surprise him one bit. “What exactly happened?”

“There was a showdown at the mall parking lot.” Mason's
voice was coated with a layer of emotion. “She ended up saving my life.”

“This can't be easy for her,” Michael said. “I know Emily. She can handle a gun, but she went into teaching because she didn't want any part of law enforcement.”

“You're right. This hasn't been easy on her, but she's strong, Michael. Emily's going to be okay.”

Michael frowned, noting the change in Mason's expression when he said Emily's name. “You're not planning to take advantage of her vulnerability now, are you?”

“You always were the protective older brother.”

“And I can still see that spark in your eye,” Michael said. “I told you years ago, my sister was way out of your league.”

“More specifically, you said I had three strikes against me. I was a cop, I didn't share her faith—”

“And like I said, she's way out of your league.”

“Maybe that all used to be true, but your death forced me to look at life—and death—differently. And while I know I still have a long way to go in my faith, I've learned that being a Christian isn't about religion, it's about a relationship with Christ.”

“Wow.” Michael paused in the middle of the trail and turned to his friend, then gathered him up in a big bear hug. “I can't tell you how happy I am to hear you say that.”

“I'm just glad for the chance to tell you in person.”

Michael took a step back, still smiling at his friend's news. “And Emily? How does she fit into all of this?” Michael caught Mason's grin. “You're in love with her, aren't you?”

“Is it that obvious?”

Michael laughed. “Apparently you're losing your undercover skills.”

Mason started walking again. “I think I've always been in love with her. I'm thinking about asking her to marry me. Maybe
not right away—things have actually moved faster than I expected—but we're headed in that direction.”

Michael chuckled. “As much as I love you both, it might take me awhile to get used to my little sister and my best friend being an item.”

“Don't make it sound like it's the end of the world. This is a good thing.”

“You know I'm happy for you.” Michael slowed down as they approached the exit. While he knew there would be many more questions on both sides over the coming days, there was one more thing he needed to know now. “What about my mother?”