by Ivy Nelson
When they got back to the hotel, Adara excused herself for the night. Michael tried to stop her, but she didn’t seem to be interested in talking so he let it go.
The next morning, she was awake and drinking coffee when he got up.
“Morning,” he said, sizing up her mood.
“Good morning. I thought we could head to the bank as soon as they are open. Then I sent some e-mails to a couple of attorneys last night and I think I know who I want to use. We can have lunch with her at one this afternoon.”
“Sounds like you have a plan, Angel. I’ll need to spend some time in my office this afternoon, but I’ll make sure I’m free for lunch. We can go to the bank whenever you’re ready.”
The trip to the bank was uneventful. Adara was still being distant. For now though, he had to park her back at the hotel and go to work.
In his office, he was immediately flooded with things to do in his new capacity as chief of special investigations. His assistant brought him a stack of paperwork and told him it was all due today.
“You’re a real downer you know that?” he said with a wink.
“Just doing my job chief. I would do it for you if I could,” she headed toward the hallway and stopped at the door way. “Oh, I almost forgot. A Stephen Miller with Homeland Security was here looking for you.”
Michael rolled his eyes which didn’t go unnoticed by his assistant. “I’ll make sure you’re busy the next time I see him.”
“Ha. Thank you Nicole but that’s not necessary. If I’m here, let him in. I have a lunch meeting at one though.”
“Yes Sir. So noted.”
When she was gone, he stared at the stack of folders. He had known his paperwork load would increase with the new position, he just hadn’t realized by how much. With a sigh, he lifted the first folder off the stack. Expense report. Boring. The next one was more interesting. A list of all open cases in his department. The chief wanted him to provide a short summary of where each case was at and if he thought any of them needed to be moved up or down on the priority list. He combed through the list of cases and made notes where he had questions for the detectives working on the case. Nicole could get the lead detectives on each case to answer his questions for him. At twelve-thirty, he took the completed paperwork and his notes on cases to his assistants desk.
“I’m heading out for a couple of hours. You can file the completed paperwork for me right?”
“Yes Sir. Just can’t do it for you,” she said with a wink.
“Appreciate it. I’ll be back by three-thirty,” he promised.
He was at the hotel by one. When he walked into the suite, an African American woman in a dark blue suit sat on the sofa. She stood and offered her hand. “I’m Tabitha Kelly. You must be Chief Silas.”
“That’s me. You can call me Michael. Thank you for being here Ms. Kelly.”
“It’s what I do Michael. Adara was just starting to tell me what’s going on. This is quite the situation we have on our hands.”
“That’s one way to look at it,” Michael said as he sat in one of the arm chairs.
“Tabitha was just saying that stalling is going to be our best bet while Carrie and Peter dig for more information,” Adara said.
Michael nodded. Made sense.
“For now though, we have to get through the interview tomorrow without getting Adara arrested or deported. I feel confident we can do that. I think it’s best if we start combing through every piece of paper we can find to dig up more information. We know your parents are hiding things from you so let’s start with the journal.”
Adara picked it up from the table. “I haven’t been able to bring myself to read it. Mom said it won’t tell me everything but that Carrie might know where to start.”
“Alright then,” Tabitha said, clapping her hands together. “Let’s get this Carrie over here and get to work.”
Michael liked this woman. She was ready to get to work and save Adara. That was the kind of person they needed on their team right now.
### “Miss Kent, thank you for coming in today.”
Special Agent Stephen Miller of Homeland Security fiddled with the video recording equipment that sat at the end of the conference table. Adara sat next to Tabitha Kelly and did
her best to remain calm, but it was hard to do considering the circumstances. “Before we begin, I’d like to set some ground rules,” Tabitha said.
“The ground rules are pretty simple, Miss Kent answers our questions truthfully and we
all go home happy.” Stephen Miller had an attitude but Adara knew her attorney could get a bigger one. Adara also knew that she was likely to be accused of being connected to terrorism again. Those types of accusations gave Homeland a broad swath of power to wield that they might not otherwise have. It was probably best if her attorney kept the attitude in check. Thankfully,
Tabitha seemed to agree for now.
“We have every intention of being honest with you Agent Miller. However, Miss Kent
has worked with a lot of politicians and sensitive information. If we feel you are veering into
confidentiality territory, my client reserves the right to not answer those questions.” Agent Miller sat across from them. “I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that line of
questioning. This is more of an inquiry into Miss Kent’s personal life.”
Adara glanced back and forth between the two. It felt like they didn’t even know she was
in the room. She cleared her throat and both the agent and the attorney turned to look at her. “Shall we get started?” she asked.
“Certainly. Can you please state your name for the record?” he asked as he pressed record
with a small remote that sat next to him on the table.”
Taking a deep breath, she said, “Adara Noelle Kent.”
“Thank you Miss Kent. You’re here today because we received a tip that you are not who
you say you are. Would you like to address that claim?”
Tabitha held a hand up. “I really think we need more information about the tip you
received before my client answers that question.”
Stephen Miller rolled his eyes.
“I’m not at liberty to disclose my source at this time but it’s a pretty straightforward
question.”
“I would like a more specific question please.”
Adara wanted to grin at her attorney but she kept her face straight. Tabitha Kelly wasn’t
going to back down. She had definitely made the right choice in hiring her. Miller sighed. “Fine. Is Adara Noelle Kent the name you were given at birth?” Adara didn’t miss a beat. “That’s the name on my birth certificate, correct.” Tabitha slid the birth certificate across the table.
Agent Miller didn’t even bother to look at it.
“To your knowledge, has your birth certificate been altered since your birth?” “No it has not.” That wasn’t even a lie.
“Have you ever been to Israel?”
Now they were getting into tricky territory. Honesty was still working in her favor though
so she went with the truth again. At least what she knew to be the truth.
“I was born there, to U.S. citizens.”
And your parents are Ruth and Daniel Kent of Arizona?”
Tabitha interrupted before Adara could get an answer out.
“Yes. Again, this is information that is clearly on the birth certificate.” She waved the
piece of paper in front of his face as if he were incompetent—honestly Adara was beginning
to think he was.
“I understand what is on the birth certificate Ms. Kelly. But currently, Miss Kent’s birth
claims are under investigation. You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t just accept the
information on the birth certificate,” he said, snatching the paper out of Tabitha’s hand. “You probably think Obama’s birth certificate was fake.” The smart ass response w
as out
of Adara’s mouth before she could stop it and she cringed even before the last word left her
lips. Tabitha flinched but didn’t say anything.
“The former presidents birth certificate isn’t germane to this investigation. Let’s try to
stay on track please Miss Kent.”
The questions went on for another hour. Agent Miller found at least a hundred ways to
ask the same thing over and over again. Finally, her attorney stood.
“If you’re going to keep asking the same questions, my client and I are leaving.” Miller folded hisarms and leaned back in his seat. “One more question before you go.
Would you be willing to take a DNA test Miss Kent?”
That shook her, a DNA test would prove that her parents weren’t biologically related to
her.
She looked at her attorney who was already speaking. “We’re not agreeing to anything
until we know what evidence you have regarding the falseness of Miss Kent’s birth records.
If you can’t provide us with something other than an anonymous source, we’re not going to
agree to a DNA test. Miss Kent works in politics. Anyone could be making up this
preposterous claim because she pissed them off or they want to ruin her campaign before it
gets started.”
Miller’s nostrils flared. “Fine. But we’re not going away until we have DNA. That’s the
only way toclear this up. I can’t reveal my source.”
“Get a court order then. We will not volunteer DNA. We’re leaving now. Let’s go,
Adara.”
Tabitha opened the door and motioned for Adara to follow. The agent didn’t try to stop
her, but she still felt the urge to run through the building and out onto the street. It took all of
her willpower to walk at a normal pace. Part of her had expected to be locked up today. Michael was waiting on the street when they exited into the sunshine. She must have
looked rough because he rushed to her and pulled her into a hug. “Are you OK angel?” How
did it go?” Adara didn’t respond, just rested her head on his shoulder and took in a few deep
breaths as she tried to calm the storm raging inside of her.
“Come on. Let’s get you out of here.”
Behind them, Tabitha spoke up. “We’ll want to get together and strategize. They aren’t
going to leave you alone.”
Adara nodded. “Can I just have some rest? That was draining and I could use a nap. We
can get together for dinner if you’re free.”
The attorney agreed and soon they were hailing cabs to go their separate ways. Michael
directed the driver of their cab back to the hotel.
“Tell me everything,” he said once they were on their way.
“After a nap,” she said shaking her head. Closing her eyes, she rested her head against the
backseat as they made their way through the city.
“Angel.” There was disapproval in his tone and Adara was not in the mood. “Don’t take that damn tone with me.”
“I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on. We have a twenty-minute ride. Why
not just talk to me?” He was still using that disapproving voice one might use to scold a
misbehaving child.
Adara had had enough. “You’ve really got to learn how to talk to me. I’m not your
submissive and I’m pretty sure we’ve had this conversation before.”
His eyes closed, and he inhaled deeply. As if he were praying for patience. “I’m sorry. I’ll work on it. It’s just the tone I naturally take when I’m concerned. Right
now, I’m concerned about you.”
Her fingers twisted at the fabric of her blouse. “They want me to agree to a DNA test.” Michael whistled. “That could be problematic.”
“Yeah, no shit Sherlock.”
“You’re lucky you’re cute and you’ve had a hard day, Angel. I don’t appreciate the sass.” “And I don’t appreciate the overbearing dom act so I guess we’re even.” Somehow, the look in his eyes told her she might like it if she gave him a chance. She shook the thought off. That was just silly. It might be hot in the bedroom, but the everyday submission that Carrie
and Darci did? That was not for her.
“So, how do we combat a DNA test? It might prove you aren’t your parents biological
child, but it won’t prove who your real parents are. Do you have any clues about them?” Adara shook her head. “The details I’ve been given are pretty fuzzy. We could try talking
to mom and dad again but I don’t feel like that will really get us anywhere.” “Let’s plan to contact other relatives then. Maybe they’ll have more answers.” She held up a hand. “I was serious about being drained. Can we wait to talk about his
again until dinner? Then I don’t have to go over everything twice.”
For a moment, she thought he was going to object but then his features softened. “Of course, Angel. I’m sorry I’m being pushy. I just want to help.”
She sighed. “I know. I just need a breather. I’m going to take a nice long nap and then we
can get back to work. I promise. I’m sure you have work of your own to take care of.” Michael shook his head. “I’ve put in for some vacation. Kind of a leave of absence until
this is over. That’s part of what I did after I met with the chief yesterday morning.” Her eyes grew wide. “You did what? You didn’t need to do that. Damn it Michael. You
just got a promotion. This could jeopardize that. This isn’t something you just get slapped on
the wrist for either. It could be career ending if you make the department look bad.” “Stop. I have a ton of vacation time saved up that I never use. My promotion is locked.
My career is not in danger. I’m more worried about saving your chance to run for office.
Bradley told me how much you’ve always wanted to. He didn’t understand why you didn’t
do it sooner. I’m assuming it’s because of this?”
Her head fell back against the seat and she closed her eyes. “I was actually considering a
run for state legislature in Arizona before I went to work for Atleigh. We actually got into a
fight about me not running. I already told you why I decided to take Leslie Hanover up on her
offer. It’s just crazy to me that the very day I make that decision is the day all of this gets
dragged up.”
“Crazy is one word for it,” Michael said dryly.
The cab pulled up at their hotel. Michael paid the driver, and they rode the elevator up to
their floor. Once they made their way to the suite, Adara excused herself to the bathroom for
a quick shower.
While the water got hot, she stripped off the suit she had worn to the interview. Stepping
in, she let the warm water wash away some of the stress of the day. She dried off with one of
the fluffy white towels and slipped into some pajamas. It wasn’t long before she was drifting
off to sleep. Two hours later, she woke still feeling the effects of the rough morning. Her
shoulders were tense, but her head was clearer. Perhaps a glass of wine at dinner would relax
her. Dinner was unlikely to be all that relaxing though since it was a strategy meeting with
her attorney.
She just wanted to shake this tense, restless feeling. Her world felt completely turned
upside down. Nothing was as it should be. Just then, something dawned on her. Fuck. She missed her dog. Perhaps being near Hamilton would make things feel more like they
should.
In the living area, she found Michael lounging on the couch flipping through sports
channels. Another reason they wouldn’t work, she thought. Sports were not her thing at all. It
>
baffled her why anyone could get pleasure out of watching a bunch of grown men throw a
ball or tackle each other. When Michael glanced up and saw her, he smiled.
“Ready for dinner?”
“Yeah, but I have a question first. What is this hotel’s policy on dogs? I just realized I
haven’t seen mine in days and I miss him. Leslie is probably tired of keeping him for me
anyway.”
Understanding lit his eyes. He knew how much she loved her dog. “I’ll find out. And if
they don’t allow them, we’ll move to a different hotel. Either way, we’ll get you your dog
tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Michael. I really appreciate it. I know having him won’t fix anything but it
might make things feel a little more normal.”
He stood and picked up his jacket. “I understand completely, Angel. Let’s get to dinner.” Adara followed him to the door. “Let’s get this over with.”
Dinner was just as stressful as she had imagined. But they did learn one thing. “I did some digging into Agent Miller,” Tabitha Kelly said. “He lost his brother in a
terrorist attack carried out by Faisal Hadawi. It could explain why he was being so hostile. It
honestly didn’t make sense to me until now.”
“So you think because he’s assuming Adara is related to this fucker he’s not going to give
her a fair shake?” Michael asked.
“Something like that. But that’s what I’m here for.”
At that point, Tabitha began laying out countless options for dealing with Homeland.
None of them sounded particularly appealing, but ultimately, the decided that if Homeland
became insistent about the issue, they would go ahead and supply a DNA sample. It may
prove that Ruth and Daniel Kent weren’t biologically her parents, but it wouldn’t prove
anything else. At least she hoped not. It was difficult to know what Homeland had on her
since they wouldn’t reveal their source. Not knowing who her real father was also made
things more difficult to gauge. Carrie had the journal her mother had told them about, but so
far hadn’t found anything useful. She was still digging. Hopefully they would come up with
