David watched her carefully, with sympathy and caution mixed in his eyes. “Do you know why?”
“He said they were boring.” She tossed another grape into her mouth.
“You never looked at that file Keith sent over. Do you want to know the real reason?” He closed his hand over hers.
Did she want to know the real reason? The better question would be if she wanted to keep pretending that her entire life hadn’t been a lie. She hazarded a guess. “We were kidnapped from a Midwestern state?”
David nodded. “From a suburb outside of St. Paul. You have a brother who is an FBI agent stationed in Kansas City. He had an alert set up to notify him if anyone looked at your files, and he expedited the genetic testing.”
All of a sudden, moving to Kansas City to be with David seemed like a dangerous proposition. She had a brother who worked in the same city where David wanted her and Summer to build a new life. The idea made phantom walls seem to close in around her, and she didn’t know why. “I have friends in Michigan. I don’t think I want to leave.”
If her abrupt change in topic threw him for a loop, David hid it well. “The wonderful thing about friends is that they don’t care where you live. They call, text, email, and visit. I’m asking you to move to KC because I want to build a life with you. I know I’m asking a lot, Sugar, but I think it’ll be good for you. Think of it as a fresh start. After everything that’s happened to you, you deserve a chance to hit the reset button.”
“What if I don’t want to see this brother or the parents who lost me?”
He caressed the side of her face, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Sugar, that’s an entirely separate issue. However, I think you owe them one face-to-face meeting. Whatever you decide after that, I’ll support.”
She didn’t want to give them one meeting. They’d lost her, and behind the anger at her dad, she found anger at the people who had allowed her to be taken. “They lost us, Summer and me, but they managed to keep their son. Maybe they didn’t want girl children.” She trembled as she said it. Whether it was anger or fear, she didn’t know.
“Your brother is three years younger. You were three when you were taken. Summer was six. Your mother was pregnant at the time. She left you in the backyard while she went in to use the bathroom. She wasn’t gone for more than five minutes, and when she returned, both you and your sister were gone.” He spoke softly, as if his normal volume might spook her.
Waves of anguish washed through her, their sound combining with the surf in a way that made her want to cry. A tear slipped down her cheek, but she refused to try to figure out why. “Summer is only two years older than me, not three.”
He chuckled. “Sugar, she was a petite child and you were tall. Brian Sullivan had no idea of your actual ages when he took you.”
Autumn swallowed a lump in her throat. “So I’m a year younger than I thought, and Summer is a year older?”
“It looks that way.” He moved empty plates out of the way and pulled her to him so that she snuggled against his side. His fingertips played down her arm in a soothing rhythm. “I know it won’t be easy, but I’ll be by your side. You can lean on me, Sugar. Always.”
She rested her head on his shoulder. “I love you, Sir. I’d like to say that you should also give your blood relative one more chance, but I’m still pissed at your dad for having me arrested.”
He chuckled. “I told you he was an asshole.”
Garbled sounds came over the earpiece in David’s ear. No doubt he heard it clearly. Autumn remained in place as she waited for instructions. Next time, she was going to insist on an earpiece.
“Don’t move.”
Autumn leaned forward to peer around David. Stephanie and Bruce moved toward them, each armed with a handgun. She smiled brightly. “Hi, Stephanie. Guess what? The pills didn’t work as expected, and I found a bank account with a balance of three million dollars. Isn’t that amazing? It’s like winning the lottery.”
Bruce stopped a few feet in front of their picnic blanket. “I told you not to move.”
She laughed. “I suck at following directions.” Nodding to David, she continued. “He’ll vouch for me in that department.”
With his stoic gaze fixed on the pair with guns, David didn’t join the conversation.
Autumn decided to ad lib for him. She narrowed her gaze and dropped the pitch of her voice. “You won’t get away with this.”
Stephanie let loose a blast that was maybe meant to be an evil chuckle. “We know you have the money somewhere. Give it to us, and we’ll let you live. Put up a fight, and we’ll kill you, then we’ll take the money.”
David gestured behind them. “It’s on the kitchen table.”
Bruce snorted. “We already looked. Only a few thousand was there.”
Autumn rubbed her hands together. “I smell a scavenger hunt. The first item on the list is a paper clip. The second will be a stick, and the third can be a corkscrew.” She stage-whispered to David, “For the wine.”
“Stop talking,” Stephanie growled. “The next word that comes out of your mouth, I will shoot you in the leg. Say anything more, and I’ll shoot you in the other leg. Piss me off, and I’ll aim for your head.”
David put up a hand. “There’s no need for anybody to die. I’m going to get to my feet so I can show you where the money is hidden.”
Bruce motioned with the gun. While his aim wasn’t trained on anyone, David lunged at the man. Inside twenty-five feet, a person with a gun had no real advantage, and Bruce stood only a few feet away. From the woods, a loud firecracker sound got Stephanie’s attention. She screamed as she fell, but the sounds were swallowed by the pounding surf.
Jesse had shot Stephanie in the shoulder, but she hadn’t dropped the gun. The trigger finger on her other hand still worked, and Stephanie struggled to switch hands. Meanwhile, Autumn seized her big stick and swung at Stephanie as if her head was the ball and her body was the tee. The woman dropped like a stone. Turning to survey David’s situation, she found him with his foot on Bruce’s neck. The gun was now in David’s hands, and he aimed it at Bruce’s head.
Autumn lifted an inquiring eyebrow. “Want me to take a swing at him?”
Jesse emerged from the woods and jogged toward them. “Nice job, Autumn. You kept your wits about you, and you kicked ass.”
She couldn’t take all the credit. “You shot her in the arm. That was a great distraction. We make a fantastic team.”
With an uncomfortable chuckle, Jesse secured Bruce’s wrists and ankles with zip ties.
David shook his head. “Office manager, Sugar. That’s the job offer. Take it or leave it.”
She grinned. Step One accomplished. “I’ll take it.”
Jesse secured the unconscious Stephanie next. He looked up at David. “You’ve got your hands full.”
“No doubt. Let’s get these two on the yacht. Did you see where they hid the dinghy?” He cleared their picnic materials off the blanket and rolled their captives onto it.
Autumn frowned. “Why are you putting them on the yacht? This island belongs to Great Britain. Just turn them over to the authorities. This isn’t a death penalty case, so they’re great about extradition.”
Jesse ran his palm over the short dark hairs on his head. “Extradition is a pain in the ass process that sometimes takes years. It’s better to sail them back to US soil and turn them over to the FBI.” He jerked his head to indicate a location somewhere to the northeast. “They tied up about a half mile away. The yacht is anchored off shore.”
David nodded, but he didn’t take his attention from Bruce, who hadn’t been knocked out. “Autumn, get everything packed up. We’re shipping out ASAP.”
She gazed wistfully at the cabin. It would have been a great spot for a romantic weekend, and now that things were good between her and David, she really wanted to spend some quality time alone.
Though he didn’t look at her, he seemed to sense her reticence. “We’ll come back another time
, Sugar. I promise.”
David and Jesse turned out to be excellent sailors. As they were also Doms, they tried to give her orders and treat her like crew. She did what they asked, shooting glares whenever either one became too bossy, and they taught her rudimentary seafaring skills. Two days on the high seas in a small yacht had given her an appreciation for life on the water. They’d encountered one brief squall in the early morning hours, but David and Jesse hadn’t been impressed. They’d shouted orders at her—mostly telling her to get below deck and watch the prisoners—while navigating their way through it. Just now it was smooth sailing. Jesse manned the helm while David and Autumn took a break.
“What time it is?” Autumn slipped a grape past David’s lips. She straddled his legs because he’d ordered her to sit on his lap, but he hadn’t specified how.
“Almost two.” David fed her a bite, letting her suck the juice from his fingertips.
Muffled sounds came from the direction of the door. Jesse and David had showed off their bondage skills by tying Stephanie and Bruce in ways that were slightly uncomfortable and very secure.
“I’m jealous, you know. I prefer to be the one you tie up.” She turned and whipped a grape at Stephanie. It bounced from her cheek and rolled out the open door to the deck. “Wasteful, I tell you.”
“Yeah, but when I tie you up, I don’t let my girlfriend pelt you with cheese and fruit. Keep that up, and we’re going to attract seagulls.” He fed her another chunk of pineapple. “Rats of the sea.”
“I think I’m doing a great job managing my anger.” She smooched him loudly.
“I agree, Sugar. You haven’t once tried to torture or kill our guests.” He smoothed a hand along her back.
“Hey, you two.” Jesse came into the stylish sitting room. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. “We’ll be in US waters in about ten minutes. The Coast Guard will meet us at the boundary and take these two off our hands. Agents Rossetti and Adair will meet them at the Miami port.”
They planned to dock there as well. “Are we flying back to Detroit?”
“Yep. I’ve booked our tickets, which is technically your job.” Jesse winked at Autumn as if he’d known all along that she’d get her way. “I’m so glad I won’t have to do the office crap anymore. We’re supposed to split it, but it never quite happens that way.”
She looked around. Though the yacht was on the small side, it managed to be spacious and elegant. “What happens to the boat?”
David ran his palms over her bare thighs where her shorts didn’t cover them. “It’s evidence. It goes to a Federal impound lot. They’ll probably end up auctioning it off once it’s no longer needed.”
“Oh.” Disappointment accented the single syllable.
David pressed a kiss to her lips. “SAFE Security owns a yacht. We can take that one out, just the two of us, and spend lots of time naked. If you’re very good, I’ll even tie you up and not throw fruit at you.”
She laughed and hugged him tightly. She was overcoming her anxiety where moving to Kansas City was concerned. As long as they were together, it didn’t matter where they were. And Summer would be nearby. For now, that’s all she needed.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Their plane arrived at Detroit Metro in the early afternoon, and David took Autumn straight to the hospital to visit Summer. Her sister was sitting up in a chair, which was a vast improvement from the last time they’d seen each other.
Summer brightened when she saw Autumn. She leaned into the hug and lifted one arm to rest on Autumn’s back in an attempt show affection. “Sorry. Physical therapy will take months, if not years.”
“That’s okay. You’re not in a coma anymore.” Autumn sat in the other chair. “We’re going to focus on the positives.”
David brushed a chaste kiss on Summer’s cheek. “It’s good to see you up and about.”
“Thanks,” she said. “It’s good to be up. Julianne was here this morning. She filled me in on a lot of stuff. Have they dropped the charges against Autumn yet?”
David nodded. “Agent Rossetti called yesterday. She’s in the clear.” He looked at Autumn. “Did you want some time alone?”
Just as Autumn was about to tell him how sweet he was and ask him to pick her up in a couple of hours, three people came into the room. She didn’t need name tags to know who they were. The younger man had rich brown hair and green eyes. His features matched hers and Summer’s in a familial sort of way. He had the same oval face, though his jaw was squared off. The woman had light brown hair with blonde highlights, but her green eyes were startlingly familiar. The older man sported a salt-and-pepper look. All three of them stared at her in silence.
She slipped her hand into David’s and held on tightly. He squeezed his in a gesture of reassurance.
“Hi.” Summer broke the awkwardness with her friendly greeting. “I figured the best way to do this was to rip off the bandage. Autumn, these are our birth parents, Sylvia and Warren Zinn of St. Paul, Minnesota. And that handsome young man with them is our little brother, Leon.” She tried to lift a hand to gesture to Autumn, but the effort proved too exhausting. “This is Autumn.”
So many emotions zinged through Autumn. Anger—at Summer for springing this on her. Shock—to actually be in the same room as her parents and brother. She’d known it was coming, but she’d thought she’d have time to prepare herself emotionally. And grief—because she didn’t remember them at all. They looked familiar because she and Summer had features in common with them, not because she remembered anybody.
“And this is David, Autumn’s boyfriend. He’s the one who set all this in motion.”
She wanted to run, but they blocked the exit. No words came to mind, and so she continued to stare.
David extended his other hand. He looked as if this meeting had caught him off guard as well. “Mr. and Mrs. Zinn, it’s great to meet you. Leon.” He shook hands with everybody. “Autumn wasn’t expecting to see you today. Give her a little time to acclimate.”
Tears cascaded down Sylvia’s cheeks. Warren put his arm around her shoulder and pulled his wife closer, but he was shaking too. Leon looked like a stone statue. Somehow it made Autumn feel less pain and anger.
“Don’t be mad,” Summer said. “I know you, Autumn. I know that you would have put this off as long as you could.”
Sylvia approached, and she dropped to her knees in front of Autumn. She clasped Autumn’s hand in hers. “Breanna. My baby girl. I never thought I’d see you again.” Her tears showed no signs of slowing down. She sobbed and buried her face in Autumn’s lap.
Autumn let go of David. She put a tentative hand on this woman’s head, lightly smoothing her hair. “I remember that name.” It had apparently been one of her favorite aliases for a reason. Her subconscious had clung to it. She lifted her gaze to study Warren. His features tugged a cord in her memory. “I kind of remember your face, but it’s vague, like a dream.”
He closed the distance, but he didn’t fall to his knees. Instead he fingered a strand of her hair. “I used to brush your hair every morning and night. You liked braids, and you made me learn how to French braid your hair.”
Sylvia lifted her head and wiped the wetness coating her face on her sleeve. She sniffled. “For gymnastics. You liked to have your hair braided for your gymnastics class.”
Her father had let her continue learning gymnastics. She remembered asking him to braid her hair. He would chuckle, tell her that he’d forgotten how, and put it in pigtails. Part of her felt horrible for these people who had lost their daughter. She could never be that person again, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t get to know one another. A knot of anger at Brian Sullivan twisted her gut. No matter what he’d done, he’d been her father. He’d raised her, and she loved him—but she also hated him. She hated feeling these complex and diametrically opposed emotions.
She looked up at Leon. He hadn’t been born when she and Summer had been taken. His life had most likely been seriously i
mpacted by living in the shadow of two siblings who had been kidnapped. Numb from the overload of stimulation, she flashed a smile she didn’t feel in her heart. “It’s nice to meet you, Leon.”
He flashed a sad smile, shades of ghosts haunting the green depths of his eyes. “Yeah. You too.”
“Okay,” Summer said. “The therapist said it’s going to be awkward for a while.”
Sylvia got to her feet. “We couldn’t wait. As soon as Leon told us that you might have possibly been located, we started hoping. And then, when he told us that the DNA tests were positive, we flew out here. I know we jumped the gun a little, but we’ve waited twenty-six years. We couldn’t wait a moment longer. Please don’t be upset about that.”
Autumn looked at Summer, and an understanding passed between them. She wasn’t angry with either of them for forcing this meeting. More than anything, it broke her heart. If Brian Sullivan hadn’t come into her life, these parents would have raised her. She would have grown up in one neighborhood, and she might even have met David while visiting her brother in Kansas City.
“I’m not upset,” she said at last. “Just overwhelmed.”
“Everybody is,” Summer said.
All of a sudden, the room became too small. She stood as close to David as she could get without crawling into his skin with him. “I need some air.”
He took her into the hallway and led her to a waiting room. She sat down and put her head between her knees. David knelt next to her. “Are you going to throw up?”
She hoped not. “I’m going to need you to scene with me tonight.”
“I know, Sugar.” He gathered her hair into a ponytail. “But right now, just breathe. I’m not going anywhere.”
Re/Leased (Doms of the FBI Book 5) Page 34
