Hidden Sins

by Bolton, Karice

  “The agency’s been working on this case for a long time, Hannah,” Sam began. “Eric came to us years ago when he found out some of the same things you did. We’ve been building the case ever since. We couldn’t tell you anything. We were too close to making our bust. When you visited our field office back east our hands were tied.”

  “But he killed my sister, my best friend…” Hannah’s voice trailed off. “And he’s on your side? What? He’s considered a good guy?”

  “Sometimes casualties occur. You of all people should know that,” Sam replied, looking at me. His words hit me like a sword to the chest. Like usual, Sam was being his cryptic self, but I knew there was meaning in those words. He had known something about my parents. I’d been looking in the wrong place.

  “I didn’t kill anyone,” Eric said, pressing his lips together. “I regret every single moment I spent with the NLC and the 997F Cartel, and I’m so sorry for everything. But I never pulled the trigger. When people were killed, I had to turn the other way. I couldn’t jeopardize everything we’d been working for.”

  “What do you mean?” Hannah asked. I could tell she was holding back her anger as best she could.

  “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 rel
ayed. 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.

  Contact Karice

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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.

  “Okay, let’s see it,” I sighed.

  “Don’t even pretend you don’t want to play dress up.” She left my office and returned in a heartbeat with a garment bag and a Nordstrom sack dangling around the hanger.

  “I honestly didn’t know it was such a big deal,” I said, tucking my hair behind my ear.

  “That’s what black-tie means, dummy.” Brandy extended the garment bag toward me and gave an exasperated huff.

  I peered nervously through the glass wall that looked over the sea of cubicles. This wasn’t something I wanted the rest of the employees to see. I’d already caught the animosity in the air about the fact that I worked here and didn’t have to start at the bottom. Brandy saw my apprehension and quickly closed the door and shut the automatic blinds.

  “It’s not like I got an invitation. I’m his daughter. I just show up,” I replied, unzipping the garment bag to reveal a beautiful flowing chiffon dress. The fabric was soft lavender with tiny pearls stitched at the waistband, and beautiful lace appliques spreading from the hem up the skirt of the dress.

  “I wanna see,” Brandy whined.

  “It’s amazing and so… me,” I replied, grabbing the hanger from Brandy so she could take a look.

  I loved Brandy’s dress on her, but it was so not me. Why? Because it was really tiny! One false move and nothing’s left to the imagination, but that was exactly how she liked it. I, on the other hand, built a world that kept ‘em guessing. That was my motto.

  “Suddenly I’m no longer the belle of the ball,” she laughed. “Holy. Shit. Is this Valentino?”

  I shrugged and felt the familiar heat run up my face. My fingers instinctively ran up the scar along my breastbone as I eyed the neckline. There was no hiding it in this dress.

  “Nobody will care what’s being auctioned off tonight. They’ll all want you,” she gushed, noticing where my hand stalled. I could always count on her to make me feel better.

  “Oh, please. This covers me all the way up. You’ll definitely be the one who everyone’s looking at,” I assured her.

  “Doubtful,” she whispered, running her fingertips along the dress. “Let’s get you in this. We’re running late.”

  I laid the garment bag across my desk, careful not to knock any of the papers onto the floor, and worked the dress cautiously out of the bag. Brandy unhooked the shoe bag and opened the box up.

  “Of course, Jimmy Choo,” she said, dangling the lace pumps from her fingertips.

  I glanced at the shoes, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit just how pretty they were. But it was uncomfortable. I’d made it all through college without anyone really knowing about my family’s wealth.

  “You like them? You can have them after tonight,” I replied.

  Brandy looked over at me and smiled, shaking her head. “Nope. They’re yours and I’m not going to accept them. Never have taken your icky hand-me-downs and never will.” She laughed and began unhooking the straps on the Choos.

  I kicked off my heels, stripped out of my blouse and wriggled out of my skirt. So much for my bra in this dress. I unclasped it quickly and tossed it on the floor.

  “Classy,” Brandy said, picking everything up for me. “Oh, I almost missed this,” she said, looking into the Nordstrom bag, pulling out a large jewelry box. “Want me to open it?”

  I nodded as I slipped the dress over my head and felt the soft fabric cascade over my skin.

  “Whoa,” she uttered, opening the box. “This is beautiful.”

  She turned the box toward me, and the knot in my stomach—that I didn’t even realize was there—immediately diminished. So much for being cool and confident when it came to strapless dresses. As I looked in the box, a collared, sterling silver necklace with a large stone pendant was perfectly situated in tissue paper. This would cover up most of m
y scar…

  “Nice,” I replied, smiling.

  I positioned the front slit over my leg as Brandy zipped me up and centered the necklace around my neck, locking the clasp in place.

  “You look stunning,” she said, stepping back.

  The feeling of security the pendant provided as it dangled in the perfect place, gave me an extra dose of courage for the night. Something very few even knew I needed. I’d done a great job over the years explaining to everyone how well adjusted I’d become. Apparently, I hadn’t fooled my stepmom or Brandy for that matter.

  “Hair okay?” I asked. I had placed it in a loose French knot this morning, and last I looked, it was still holding on.

  “Yep. Let’s get going.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door. I grabbed my purse out of the chair and followed her to the elevators.

  “There should be plenty of cabs at this time,” I said, as we wound along the far wall of cubicles and waited for the elevator.

  “Umm.” Brandy stepped into the elevator, refusing to look at me.

  “Oh, no. Please tell me we aren’t going in the limo.”

  “Your father sent it over. He texted me,” she replied, trying to hide her smile.

  “That thing is such a spectacle, especially in Seattle. I always feel like I should see my high school date inside as it pulls up. Besides, Seattle thrives on bicycles as the main mode of transportation,” I protested.

  “Sorry,” she squealed. “But it sounds like the beast is going to be picking us up. And besides, can you really see yourself peddling on a bicycle in that outfit? Get real.”

  I rolled my eyes and smiled as we stepped into the lobby. Sure enough the black stretch sedan was waiting for us beyond the doors.

  “Let’s just hope we’ve got some hotties waiting for us at the ball,” Brandy said, winking. “Firemen, maybe, or how about some lawyers?”