Hidden Sins (38 page)

“We made the arrests tonight. The package you sent us contained the last pieces we need to make the case airtight. We were able to move everything up earlier. We got to them before the next shipment. We have enough to lock the bastards away for life. The CIA was able to grab the cartel members that weren’t on our soil. But it’s done. They’re all in custody. That’s why I couldn’t send help sooner.”

I looked at Hannah, confused. She’d sent Sam all of the proof she’d had?

Her gaze met mine and she whispered, “Sorry. I had Mia pick everything up and deliver it to Sam, just in case.”

She had absolutely nothing to be sorry for. I held her tight. “I’m so proud of you,” I whispered.

“If it weren’t for Hannah, we wouldn’t have been able to stop them before the next shipment.”

There was a look in Sam’s eyes that told me there was more to the story, and I intended to find out. In the meantime, it was time to get Hannah home. We’d had enough.

Hannah

Everything came late to me, but that didn’t make me less. It made me more. It made love more. It made me love more, and it made me appreciate the love I had more. The world seemed like a different place. Everything changed in that one instant, that one moment of becoming when I looked in my father’s eyes. The air changed. It wasn’t so heavy. Even the color of the room had changed. It looked brighter and today I felt brighter. I felt lighter. I knew the world could become a better place. We could do better. Nancy was wrong. There weren’t always strings attached. Sometimes love was all it took. I glanced over at Luke, who was sitting on the patio. He was holding a beer just looking out at the beach. This was my moment of perfection.

It was beyond unsettling to find out that the FBI had not only listened to me when I reported everything back east, but they’d begun monitoring me.

Last night, he held me tightly and let me cry. He let me mourn the life I thought I had and the one I thought I wanted, but that’s all I needed. I just wanted to be heard and let that happen.

“You doing okay?” he asked, taking a sip of beer.

I nodded and caught a glimpse of something in his eyes. “You?”

“I think so.”

“It’s hard to believe that the FBI had been following me from the moment I’d left the NLC,” I sighed.

“It’s hard to believe how many times they put you in harm’s way,” Luke said.

“That too.” I got up from my chair and sat on his lap, leaning my head against his chest. “I keep asking myself, now what?”

He nodded, pressing his lips to the top of my head. “It’s a loaded question.”

“It really is.” I let out a deep breath and felt his arms wrap around me.

“I’ve been thinking about my parents a lot with all of this,” Luke sighed. “I’ve seen the agency use people time and again, but somehow seeing how they worked around you made me reevaluate some things in life. I think I’ve been looking in the wrong places about my parents.”

“Maybe it’s time you concentrate on finding the answers you’ve wanted for so long.”

Luke kissed me and nodded. “I think they’ve been at my fingertips for quite some time. I just wasn’t ready.”

“You think you are now?” I asked.

“I do. With you by my side. I do. I think Sam was trying to tell me something in not so many words.”

“Seems to be his specialty.”

“That it does,” Luke laughed. He pressed his forehead to mine and his gaze dropped to my lips. I felt the familiar warmth inside my chest and smiled, hoping he would kiss me.

“I love you, Luke Fletcher,” I whispered. “And I’ll be there however you need me. We have nothing but time. You chased my ghosts away and I want to chase yours.”

His eyes flashed before he brought his lips to mine. Our connection grew with every passing moment and the heat of our exchange made me want him desperately.

Luke’s cell buzzed and I let out a groan as I broke from his embrace.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Oh, god. Haven’t we been through enough?” I teased.

“No doubt. We have,” he agreed.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Last night when we were in bed, I got some information from Sam.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s about your sister.”

“What about her?” I asked. I remembered back to the night I heard Eric and Miles discussing her fate. Maybe her body had been found. Shivers ran through my spine at the thought and I looked out toward the sea.

Luke grabbed my hand and looked toward the French doors. I followed his gaze to find Mia holding my sister’s hand. My body started trembling with confusion as tears came pouring.

My sister ran to me and held me in her arms as we both sobbed.

She was alive.

To read more about Luke Fletcher as he unburies his families’ secrets, be on the lookout for Buried Sins. Keep reading for an excerpt!

Luke

Everything about Hannah was soft and tender. I missed her so much. Feeling her in my arms, my hands sliding along her hair, my lips against hers, colored every thought I had as I rode in the van. It had been weeks since I’d seen her, and I had been counting the minutes until I could pick her up from the airport tonight. Then the call came in that shattered every thought I had and shook my entire organization.

“These latest images show that Mitch is being held in the building’s basement. They just moved him there. He looks to have regained consciousness,” Alex said, swiping at the iPad in his hand.

“That’s an improvement,” I agreed. “And you sent everything to Sam at the agency?”

“I did. Their ETA’s an hour.”

“I’m sure Sam will forgive us for not waiting,” I muttered.

“Usually does,” Alex agreed.

“Mitch appears to be in good condition.”

“I’m sure he would argue that. This makes no sense. Whenever they’ve attempted to send a message before, it was far subtler,” I said, leaning against the wall of the van.

“Maybe they felt they wouldn’t be able to get your attention quickly any other way,” Alex offered.

“Meaning?”

“You’ve been preoccupied.”

“True. There’s no arguing that, but if that’s the case, then does that mean they’ve just been watching me? It’s been quiet for over eight months. No emails. No letters. Nothing.”

“We can’t be sure it’s related to your past,” Alex said.

I nodded. “True.”

I looked out the back window. We had a few hours before dawn and were less than a klick away from the building. Confirmation that my other team had arrived on scene came through my earpiece.

“Team two’s on location,” I relayed. Alex nodded. “There’s no evidence that his captors located or tapped into any of the security footage so they won’t see us coming.”

I nodded just as a text from Hannah came over. She and my sister had landed and were pulling into the gate. This was why I had always led a less complicated life that didn’t involve a partner.

I’d been looking forward to picking her up for so long and now all of the plans I had in place weren’t going to see the light of day. Instead of me picking her up with dozens of roses, and a box from Tiffany’s in my hand, my assistant Kimberly would be picking them up. I let out a sigh and quickly texted.

Babe, I’m so sorry I won’t be there to pick you up. I’ll be back to the house as soon as I can. I’ll make it up to you. I promise. Kimberly is coming instead.

I didn’t want to tell her what the issue was until I rectified it. This just wasn’t how I pictured her homecoming.

Hannah immediately replied.

Oh. Well that’s disappointing, but it’ll give me more time to hide the Frenchmen I stowed away in my suitcase. I’ll be waiting….

Man, I loved this woman. I let out a sigh as the driver parked the van. Alex stood up, his body half-hunched over, as he began unhooking the AR-15’s from the holders. Besides personal weapons, each man would carry the assault rifle for the breach. There should be no issue with gaining access to the building, but I learned never to assume. So Alex would be carrying a Master Key to blow the hinges off, if needed.

We all jumped out of the van, and I took the lead, snaking us along the side of the building toward the delivery entrance, and that’s when the first explosion sounded. We had to get Mitch out alive.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I want to say a simple thank you to Amazon, iBooks, Barnes & Noble, and all of the other avenues available for the indie publishing world. It allows the art of storytelling to continue to flourish in unexpected ways!

Thank you also to:

Cover artist: Phatpuppy

Typography: BB Designs

Female model: Anya Kod

Makeup/Hair artist: Nadya Rutman 

Photography: Teresa Yeh

“Knock. Knock,” Brandy hummed, tapping on the door lightly. “You ready?”

“Not really,” I replied, pointing at the stack of papers piled on my desk. “But I guess that probably doesn’t matter.” I smiled and pushed myself away from the desk.

“Not when it comes to your father.” She grinned. Brandy stepped into my office, and I gasped when I saw her. She was in the most gorgeous blue dress, and her dark brown hair was piled in loose curls on top of her head. With every movement, her dress shimmered and clung to all the right places, highlighting the beautiful caramel color of her skin.

“Whoa,” I said, grinning, suddenly feeling completely underdressed for tonight’s function. I looked down at my silver blouse, black pencil skirt, and red stilettos. I was proud of myself for wearing what I thought was a day-to-evening outfit like I always saw in the style magazines… and then Brandy steps into my office, blowing my wishful thinking to smithereens. It must be wonderful to always be so stunning.

“Your assistant cleans up nicely, huh?” she teased. Brandy was my best friend, who I’d met in college, and she knew me better than anyone.

“Your father figured this would happen,” she laughed. “So he sent something over. A courier brought it about an hour ago. I didn’t even peek.”

“You mean my
stepmom
knew this would happen,” I laughed.

“Same difference.”

I blew the stray hairs out of my face and couldn’t help but smile as I thought about my father. He always took such good care of me, especially since my mother’s death. Actually, that wasn’t completely true. His money always took very good care of me. I only saw him more now because I worked for one of his companies.