Emma had her back to me, but I saw the compassion in her body language. Her eyes had lit up when I told her who was waiting for us at my club. She wanted to know this sister, and she didn’t want the information handed to her in a folder. She wanted to foster this relationship. Even if she came out and denied that desire, I knew she would be lying to me.
She wanted a family. I couldn’t deny her that, but this war… My hand tightened around the phone, and I forced myself to loosen my hold. I was going to break the thing. “Unfortunately, I think so.”
“Well, consider yourself warned then.”
Emma came out of the office as I hung up, with her sister behind her. Both had shed a few tears. What had they talked about in there? Emma reached for my arm, and as if she’d heard my unspoken question, she murmured, “I’ll tell you later. Do you think a car can take Andrea and Kevin to their hotel?”
“Of course.” I gestured to Thomas, who opened the side door on command.
Emma’s sister looked around the warehouse, a small line forming in her forehead. “Where’s Kevin?”
“He had to step outside for a moment. Thomas will help you to the car.”
“Oh. Okay.” She reached for Emma and squeezed her arm. “I’ll see you later then?”
“Yes.” Emma grabbed her hand for a moment. “I’m looking forward to it.” She choked up on the last word, and I leaned forward to study her. Her other hand reached toward her sister, but she caught herself and lowered it back to her side.
“Okay. Good night or good morning, whatever it is.” Emma’s sister gave her another beaming smile before hurrying through the door. It wasn’t long before a car door shut, and we heard their vehicle pull away.
Emma didn’t waste any time. She turned to me, both her hands grabbing my arm. “I know you want to leave. I know there’s a war going on, but I want to stay.” She glanced over her shoulder in the direction her sister had gone. “I want to know more about what happened, Carter.” She pressed against me, her eyes turning sad. “She doesn’t remember AJ. She hates him. Kidnapper. That’s what she said. I have to know. I need to understand what happened. I…” She faltered, closing her eyes a moment. “I don’t have memories before I was with AJ, and according to her, it was just us with our mother. I need to know what happened.”
“I can hire someone to look into it. Their private investigator’s already given us most of what he has on them. I can do that.” I needed to try, but she shook her head, as I knew she would.
“I need to remember. Me. Reading about it won’t do the same thing. I remembered a little bit when I was with her. If we can spend more time together, maybe I’ll know for myself what happened.”
“This isn’t just for you, is it?”
She shook her head. “AJ wasn’t my kidnapper. He was my savior.”
“I know.”
“We’ll stay?” Her chest lifted and held. Her eyes were so hopeful. As I nodded, she let out her breath. “Thank you.” Touching my cheek, she lifted up and kissed the corner of my mouth. “Thank you so much,” she whispered. “I love you.”
“Emma.” She started to pull away, but I caught her and held her there. “We’re here, but it’s like we’re not. That means no Theresa, no Amanda, and no Noah even. None of them can know. I want us hidden as much as possible.”
“I know. I understand, but I’d like a few nights to spend time with her.”
I wasn’t happy about it, but protecting her from here could be done. I’d just have to be flexible. As Emma headed for the car, Michael came over and waited for his instructions. “We’re going to need a new safe house,” I told him.
“Sir?”
My home wasn’t safe. The Bartels knew about it. If we were staying here, everything had to be new.
Today was going to be a great day.
As soon as I woke, I remembered I was going to spend time with my sister today. After heading home, Carter had gotten a new phone I could use to text with her, and we’d started planning.
We were going to meet for breakfast, then go to a bookstore, followed by a lunch. For the afternoon we’d booked a salon, and then we’d end with dinner. All our meals would be at Carter’s establishments. He’d also approved the bookstore and the salon. Every move we made had to be planned out, and we had to wear disguises. The guards would be doing their blending thing, and they were going the extra mile. Instead of wearing their usual black suits, they’d be dressed like normal civilians.
When we picked Andrea up, she looked at the guards and gave me a rueful grin. “They’re less intimidating now.”
I didn’t respond. Their usual intimidation was conscious, but now they needed to be camouflaged, like me. I’d asked Carter if I should say anything about the Bartel war, but he told me to pretend it wasn’t there.
“Get to know your sister,” he’d said. “If you talk about the war, that could get between the two of you getting to know each other.”
I followed his advice, but after perusing the bookstore, when we sat down for lunch, she brought it up.
“Ummm…” She unfolded her cloth napkin and didn’t look at me. As she placed it on her lap, her head remained focused there for a beat. Then she looked up, and I saw a different look in her eye.
She was about to introduce a real topic, not the casual conversation we’d been having all morning. I readied myself, putting my hands in my lap.
“The bomb,” she began. “I…” She stopped and tucked some hair behind her ear. “Kevin is making me bring this up. I—oh boy—I loved meeting you last night. I know it was unconventional, demanding to see you like that. To be honest, I’d had a little too much wine. I was very brazen until the guards showed up. Then all that liquid courage left me, but…” Her hand returned to her lap. “The bomb. You—you’re okay after that?”
I froze. The less she knew, the better. “Yeah. I’m good. I don’t watch the news. What are they saying about it?”
“That a previous employee did it. Someone who was fired and got angry. That club, that wasn’t one of Carter’s was it?”
“I don’t believe so.”
“Good.”
She wanted a family. I couldn’t deny her that, but this war… My hand tightened around the phone, and I forced myself to loosen my hold. I was going to break the thing. “Unfortunately, I think so.”
“Well, consider yourself warned then.”
Emma came out of the office as I hung up, with her sister behind her. Both had shed a few tears. What had they talked about in there? Emma reached for my arm, and as if she’d heard my unspoken question, she murmured, “I’ll tell you later. Do you think a car can take Andrea and Kevin to their hotel?”
“Of course.” I gestured to Thomas, who opened the side door on command.
Emma’s sister looked around the warehouse, a small line forming in her forehead. “Where’s Kevin?”
“He had to step outside for a moment. Thomas will help you to the car.”
“Oh. Okay.” She reached for Emma and squeezed her arm. “I’ll see you later then?”
“Yes.” Emma grabbed her hand for a moment. “I’m looking forward to it.” She choked up on the last word, and I leaned forward to study her. Her other hand reached toward her sister, but she caught herself and lowered it back to her side.
“Okay. Good night or good morning, whatever it is.” Emma’s sister gave her another beaming smile before hurrying through the door. It wasn’t long before a car door shut, and we heard their vehicle pull away.
Emma didn’t waste any time. She turned to me, both her hands grabbing my arm. “I know you want to leave. I know there’s a war going on, but I want to stay.” She glanced over her shoulder in the direction her sister had gone. “I want to know more about what happened, Carter.” She pressed against me, her eyes turning sad. “She doesn’t remember AJ. She hates him. Kidnapper. That’s what she said. I have to know. I need to understand what happened. I…” She faltered, closing her eyes a moment. “I don’t have memories before I was with AJ, and according to her, it was just us with our mother. I need to know what happened.”
“I can hire someone to look into it. Their private investigator’s already given us most of what he has on them. I can do that.” I needed to try, but she shook her head, as I knew she would.
“I need to remember. Me. Reading about it won’t do the same thing. I remembered a little bit when I was with her. If we can spend more time together, maybe I’ll know for myself what happened.”
“This isn’t just for you, is it?”
She shook her head. “AJ wasn’t my kidnapper. He was my savior.”
“I know.”
“We’ll stay?” Her chest lifted and held. Her eyes were so hopeful. As I nodded, she let out her breath. “Thank you.” Touching my cheek, she lifted up and kissed the corner of my mouth. “Thank you so much,” she whispered. “I love you.”
“Emma.” She started to pull away, but I caught her and held her there. “We’re here, but it’s like we’re not. That means no Theresa, no Amanda, and no Noah even. None of them can know. I want us hidden as much as possible.”
“I know. I understand, but I’d like a few nights to spend time with her.”
I wasn’t happy about it, but protecting her from here could be done. I’d just have to be flexible. As Emma headed for the car, Michael came over and waited for his instructions. “We’re going to need a new safe house,” I told him.
“Sir?”
My home wasn’t safe. The Bartels knew about it. If we were staying here, everything had to be new.
Today was going to be a great day.
As soon as I woke, I remembered I was going to spend time with my sister today. After heading home, Carter had gotten a new phone I could use to text with her, and we’d started planning.
We were going to meet for breakfast, then go to a bookstore, followed by a lunch. For the afternoon we’d booked a salon, and then we’d end with dinner. All our meals would be at Carter’s establishments. He’d also approved the bookstore and the salon. Every move we made had to be planned out, and we had to wear disguises. The guards would be doing their blending thing, and they were going the extra mile. Instead of wearing their usual black suits, they’d be dressed like normal civilians.
When we picked Andrea up, she looked at the guards and gave me a rueful grin. “They’re less intimidating now.”
I didn’t respond. Their usual intimidation was conscious, but now they needed to be camouflaged, like me. I’d asked Carter if I should say anything about the Bartel war, but he told me to pretend it wasn’t there.
“Get to know your sister,” he’d said. “If you talk about the war, that could get between the two of you getting to know each other.”
I followed his advice, but after perusing the bookstore, when we sat down for lunch, she brought it up.
“Ummm…” She unfolded her cloth napkin and didn’t look at me. As she placed it on her lap, her head remained focused there for a beat. Then she looked up, and I saw a different look in her eye.
She was about to introduce a real topic, not the casual conversation we’d been having all morning. I readied myself, putting my hands in my lap.
“The bomb,” she began. “I…” She stopped and tucked some hair behind her ear. “Kevin is making me bring this up. I—oh boy—I loved meeting you last night. I know it was unconventional, demanding to see you like that. To be honest, I’d had a little too much wine. I was very brazen until the guards showed up. Then all that liquid courage left me, but…” Her hand returned to her lap. “The bomb. You—you’re okay after that?”
I froze. The less she knew, the better. “Yeah. I’m good. I don’t watch the news. What are they saying about it?”
“That a previous employee did it. Someone who was fired and got angry. That club, that wasn’t one of Carter’s was it?”
“I don’t believe so.”
“Good.”
