The Lost Girls

by Allison Brennan

  “Twelve days,” she whispered.

  She walked Sean to the garage, kissed him good-bye, and watched through the kitchen window as he drove off in his black Mustang.

  Once he was out of sight, Lucy started the coffee, then went back upstairs to take a long, hot shower. She figured she’d get into FBI headquarters early this morning, considering that she had a lot on her plate she needed to clear in the next twelve days. She wanted to locate as many of the black market babies—sold in the human trafficking ring she’d helped stop last month—as she could before she left.

  But after her shower, she got caught up in reading the news while eating a bagel and drinking her coffee and suddenly she didn’t have as much time as she’d thought.

  “Shoot,” she said and rushed back upstairs to finish getting ready. Sean texted her that the first of his short flights was done, but he was turning off his phone and removing the battery per orders of the Marshals. Truth was, he’d been told not to bring a cell phone at all and this process was a compromise.

  She sent him an emoji kiss.

  I love you.

  They’d had a recent setback in their relationship and for a short time, Lucy wasn’t even certain they would survive the events. But instead of tearing them apart, they’d found a way to not only stay together, but love stronger. For nearly two years, Sean had been her rock of support. She’d leaned on him, he’d carried her when the weight of her life threatened to bury her. Now, she was strong enough to be Sean’s support when he needed it the most. Two years ago, she would have failed. Now, because of Sean, she could be the rock he needed.

  Lucy had just strapped on her gun when the doorbell rang. She pressed the security screen in the bedroom to see who was on the front porch so early. Sean was more than a little security conscious, especially after he helped the FBI catch a money launderer last month. Now, as soon as anyone crossed onto the property, the sensors alerted them. It took Sean a week to adjust them so every squirrel that scampered up a tree didn’t set them off. She’d turned off what she called the “hyper-alert” system when Sean left for the airport earlier that morning.

  An impeccably dressed, attractive woman with long sun-streaked, dark-blonde hair swept up into a loose bun stood waiting. She had a large shoulder bag and a small suitcase. She looked familiar, but Lucy couldn’t remember meeting her. It didn’t help that she wore large sunglasses. A neighbor?

  While the visitor didn’t look suspicious or dangerous, after the past month Lucy had become edgy. It didn’t help that Sean was nervous; he rarely showed any stress, but this last month had been even more difficult for him.

  Lucy pressed the intercom speaker. “Who is it?”

  “Hello? I’m Eden. Eden Rogan. Sean’s sister.”

  Eden Rogan? Lucy stared again at the screen. She had only seen photos of Eden and her twin brother Liam, most of them more than a decade old. It could easily be her.

  “I’ll be right down,” Lucy said. She grabbed her blazer and slipped it on as she walked down the stairs. She disengaged the alarm and unlocked the door.

  Eden smiled and pushed her large dark glasses up to the top of her head. Immediately, Lucy saw the resemblance—the dark blue eyes that she shared with both Sean and Kane stood out the most. But there were other little things, like her smile and her strong jawline, tempered by her femininity, and the way she tilted her head, just a bit, as she assessed Lucy, that was very Roganesque. “So you’re the girl who tamed the wild beast.”

  Lucy said, “Come in. We didn’t know you were coming.”

  “My baby brother is getting married? Of course I couldn’t stay away!”

  The wedding was still two weeks off—well, twelve days as Sean reminded her this morning. When they were going over the guest list this weekend, they’d taken Liam and Eden off—they hadn’t responded yes or no. Lucy had suggested that Sean call them—he said no.

  “I haven’t seen either of them in years. Something bad went down between Liam and Kane. I used to want to know what happened … now? I don’t care. Especially since they couldn’t even RSVP. I’m staying out of it.”

  “I’m glad you’re here,” Lucy heard herself saying, though she wasn’t sure she was happy. With everything that Sean had been dealt this last month, he didn’t need surprise guests.

  Eden walked in and looked around the large foyer with a half-smile that was so much like Sean it was a bit unnerving. She openly assessed Lucy. Her face appeared open but her eyes were cool. Calculating.

  Lucy needed to stop being so suspicious.

  “So, you’re Lucy.”

  Then she walked across the wide, open hall to the living room and stepped down the two steps. She surveyed the high ceilings, the furnishings, the multiple French doors that went out to the pool. “This place is really great. I never imagined that Sean would settle down, but well, stranger things have happened.” She put her bag down on the floor and dropped her shoulder bag. “It’s Kincaid, right?” Eden smiled and shook her head almost in disbelief. “Is that how you met? Because of your … brother, right? New partner at Rogan-Caruso.”

  Lucy wouldn’t exactly say new. Jack had joined Rogan-Caruso Protective Services six years ago and they’d changed the name to Rogan-Caruso-Kincaid. Patrick had joined two years later.

  “Not so new,” she said.

  “Time really flies, doesn’t it? I haven’t been back to the States in years. No reason to, until now.”

  “Do you have a place to stay?”

  “Not yet—I wasn’t sure I could get away, so I planned this sort of last minute. I came here straight from the airport. I’ve been traveling nonstop for the last eighteen hours. Milan to Heathrow and then just waiting. Wishing I’d been as smart as Sean and got my pilot’s license. And then I was stuck in customs at JFK for hours. I’m not a good traveller. I hate flying.”

  Eighteen hours of traveling and she couldn’t send Sean a message that she was on her way? Lucy wasn’t buying it, not completely.

  That’s when Lucy saw it, the tension under Eden’s perfect makeup. She was a stunning woman—beautiful, really. But there were fine lines around her eyes, which were a little too bright. Either fatigue or fear or both. Lucy had a little sympathy for her, considering the transatlantic flight. Two years ago she wouldn’t have thought twice about inviting her to stay. But now, she hesitated.

  “Where is Sean?” Eden asked. “He’s never been one for sleeping in.”

  “He had to leave early. A case he’s working on.”

  And just like that, the tension eased. It was subtle, and if Lucy wasn’t so focused on Eden, she would have missed it. It was like Eden was relieved Sean wasn’t there. Had she thought there would be a confrontation?

  “Well, I’ll be around for a while, I’ll catch him when he gets back,” Eden said. “Would you mind if I stayed here with you this morning? I don’t have a hotel reservation, I need to call around, find a suite for the next two weeks. And truly, I really want to get to know you. I hate that Sean and I have gotten out of touch, but weddings are new beginnings.”

  “Stay here,” she said. It just came out, and it was probably a bad idea. “At least for a day or two. My sister and her family won’t be here until Sunday, we have plenty of room.”

  Lucy hoped Sean wouldn’t be upset at her spontaneous invitation. But this was his sister. He hadn’t seen her in years, and when he was nostalgic, he talked about the time when he was young, before Liam and Eden went to Europe where they’d stayed since college. When he sent them wedding invitations he’d said they wouldn’t come, but he wanted to reach out anyway … maybe this was Eden’s way of trying to fix their relationship. Sean wouldn’t have sent the invites if he didn’t want to mend fences.

  Spontaneously flying halfway across the world and dropping by unannounced? Something was up.

  She wanted to talk to Sean about this, but he’d turned off his phone. He wouldn’t turn it back on until after he left Jesse. Maybe not until he arrived back in San Antonio.
She’d send him a message that he’d get as soon as he turned on his phone—at least that way he wouldn’t be blindsided when he got home.

  “Are you sure?” Eden asked. “Call Sean, please, make sure it’s okay with him. It has been a long time. But he sent the invite, and I thought…” Her voice trailed off and she looked nervous.

  “He’s traveling, I won’t be able to reach him until tonight. Let me show you around.” Lucy gave Eden a quick tour of the downstairs—the living room, dining room, kitchen, family room. She skipped the other rooms—like Sean’s office—and led Eden down the hall to the guest rooms. There were two on the main floor, each with its own bathroom. Next week, Carina and her family would have one, and Lucy’s brother Dillon and his wife would have the other. Upstairs was another guest suite, and Sean had partially finished the large space above the garage. It wasn’t fancy, but had a working bathroom. Lucy wished she could put Eden there because then she could secure the house—the garage apartment was on its own security system with its own entrance. The pool house was Kane’s when he visited—he liked being separate from the house with his own space, and he’d been coming and going a lot over the last month. It was one of the reasons Sean started renovating the garage apartment—he wanted to offer Kane a permanent place. But for the wedding, they needed it for family.

  Just two days ago, Sean had treated her to breakfast in bed and announced, “This is the lull before the storm. We’ll be overrun with Kincaids and Rogans in a week. Enjoy the peace.”

  Lucy had the distinct impression that Eden was the beginning of a hurricane.

  “This place is amazing,” Eden said. “I love it. Thank you so much, Lucy. I won’t be a bother. I’ll be out of your hair tomorrow.”

  Lucy showed Eden the security panel. Eden frowned. “Is something wrong?”

  “Wrong?” Lucy asked.

  “Sean has always loved his toys, but this system is … rather advanced. Overkill.”

  “We’ve both worked cases that have made us cautious,” Lucy said carefully. “I work for the FBI.”

  “Oh, I know,” she said with an almost dismissive wave of her hand. “Surprised, though, since Sean has never particularly liked authority. I suppose true love knows no bounds.”

  Lucy decided to leave the comment alone. She didn’t know Eden, and she didn’t really know much about her relationship with the rest of the family, other than that there had been a falling-out and Liam and Eden had walked away from RCK when it was still Rogan-Caruso Protective Services. “Is Liam also coming to the wedding?”

  “I doubt it,” she said. “I really tried, but … well, some things can’t be fixed.”

  Why did Lucy think she was lying? Why would she? Because she knew that Liam still had problems with his brothers? She probably spoke the truth, but there was more to the story, and Sean would get it out of his sister. Still, this visit was odd, especially with Sean out of town. She couldn’t possibly have known—Sean didn’t even know he was leaving until last night. Eden would have already been on a flight by the time Sean got the approval from the Marshals to visit his son, Jesse.

  Lucy was now really late to work. She said, “I have to go. I’ll try to get off early, take you to dinner. I’m not a very good cook.”

  “I would really love getting to know you better.” Eden smiled and hugged her lightly. “Thank you for letting me stay. I promise, I’ll be out by tomorrow. There are several nice hotels in the area, and a resort I’ve heard fabulous things about. I’ll find something.”

  “You don’t have to leave tomorrow. I’m serious—wait until Sean gets home, you two need to catch up.”

  “We’ll play it by ear.”

  Lucy grabbed the rest of her things and hesitated in the kitchen. Maybe she should take the day off. Except … she had no time to take. She’d taken so much time off already this year that she didn’t even have vacation for her honeymoon. She’d told Sean they would have to postpone the secret trip. Sean had been planning it for months, but kept Lucy in the dark, which was fine with her. But her fellow agents on the Violent Crimes squad had each given up one of their vacation days to her as a wedding present so she could have a honeymoon. She almost cried when they’d taken her out to lunch and told her. She hadn’t made the best first impression on her team. She got along with some of them, and others were wary. She didn’t blame them. Trouble followed her, and unfortunately touched everyone else. But all of them, including her temporary boss, Noah, had given her time.

  Eden stepped into the kitchen and said, “I’m going to take a shower and sleep. I really am exhausted.”

  “Give me your phone number and I’ll call you later, see if you need anything.” Lucy wrote down her cell phone on a notepad.

  “Great.” Eden rattled off her number for Lucy. “It’s a US number, I have both—comes in handy when traveling.”

  Odd, considering how she said she hadn’t been in the States in years.

  Lucy left after showing Eden once again how to set and reset the alarm, and reminding her to keep it engaged even when she was inside.

  From her car, she sent Sean an email to call her when he had an opportunity. She didn’t want him to worry, so added:

  Nothing serious, just have some information for you.

  Then she called FBI headquarters to tell them she was running late. As she drove, she was still apprehensive, so she called Sean’s oldest brother, Kane. He didn’t answer, which was par for the course. She left a message to call her. “It’s not urgent, just call when you get a chance.”

  Put it out of your head.

  She had a full day ahead of her, and worrying about Sean’s sister wasn’t going to help.

  But she really hoped Kane called her back soon.

  Also by Allison Brennan

  Poisonous

  No Good Deed

  Best Laid Plans

  Compulsion

  Notorious

  Dead Heat

  Cold Snap

  Stolen

  Stalked

  Silenced

  If I Should Die

  Kiss Me, Kill Me

  Love Me to Death

  Carnal Sin

  Original Sin

  Cutting Edge

  Fatal Secrets

  Sudden Death

  Playing Dead

  Tempting Evil

  Killing Fear

  Fear No Evil

  See No Evil

  Speak No Evil

  The Kill

  The Hunt

  The Prey

  Praise for these other novels by New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan

  “A fast-paced, suspenseful read with interesting characters and sinister twists that keep you turning the pages for more.”

  —Karin Slaughter on Poisonous

  “Allison Brennan’s Poisonous has it all—thrills, chills, and Max Revere, the bold and powerful heroine at the center of this rocket-paced novel. With a plot that never lets up, Brennan dives in deep beneath the surface to untangle the ties that bind—and sometimes strangle—us. A twisty and compelling read.”

  —Lisa Unger on Poisonous

  “Packs in the thrills as investigative reporter Max confronts new murders and old family secrets in a suspense novel guaranteed to keep you up late at night!”

  —Lisa Gardner on Notorious

  “Amazing … The interconnectivity of Brennan’s books allows her ensemble of characters to evolve, adding a rich flavor to the intense suspense.”

  —RT Book Reviews (4½ stars, Top Pick!) on Best Laid Plans

  “Gut-wrenching and chilling, this is a story you won’t soon forget!”

  —RT Book Reviews (4½ stars) on Dead Heat

  “All the excitement and suspense I have come to expect from Allison Brennan.”

  —Fresh Fiction on Stolen

  “Once again Brennan weaves a complex tale of murder, vengeance, and treachery filled with knife-edged tension and clever twists. The Lucy Kincaid/Sean Rogan novels just keep gett
ing better!”

  —RT Book Reviews (4½ stars, Top Pick) on Stalked

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  New York Times and USA Today bestselling author ALLISON BRENNAN is the author of more than twenty-five novels, including the Lucy Kincaid and Max Revere series, and many short stories. A former consultant in the California State Legislature, she lives in Northern California with her husband Dan and their five children. Visit: www.allisonbrennan.com. Or sign up for email updates here.

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  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five