and Sammy did a pretty good job of saving yourselves.”
Her gaze touched his, but for only a moment, before it darted away and a blush stole up her cheeks.
He’d spoken the truth. He had no doubt that Laurel could have taken on the teams of men by herself with Sammy as backup and come out on top. She had grit to spare. He liked that about her. In fact, he liked a lot of things about the lady.
The direction of his thoughts startled him. As though to negate them, he shook his head, refusing to go down that rabbit hole. As they said, Been there, done that.
* * *
Laurel wanted to do a happy dance in her excitement about meeting Jake and Shelley. At the same time, she wanted to weep for the years she had lost with them. Her brother and sister. She felt it. There would have to be tests, but her gut told her she was right.
She and Mace had made the rest of the trip to Atlanta with scarcely a word spoken between them. She was too wrapped up in anticipation, and Mace had lapsed into a brooding silence, the edge of a frown putting the beginning of furrows on his brow.
At her request, he had taken her to a hotel and, after checking in, she’d cleaned up, fed Sammy and then taken him for a walk.
Now, as she sat in Shelley’s office at S&J headquarters, she absorbed impressions of Shelley and Jake. They had an easy kind of give-and-take relationship that made her think of the families she’d dreamed of when she’d been a little girl.
Jake was tall and rangy while Shelley was petite, a bundle of energy that made her seem larger than her five-foot-nothing frame. Jake took his time making up his mind and spoke with slow deliberation; Shelley made snap decisions and didn’t mind letting everyone know what she thought.
Like two adjacent pieces of a puzzle, they fit. Would there be a place for her? Laurel wondered. Or was the puzzle an exclusive one, made only for two? She steered her thoughts from that emotional quicksand and concentrated on the present.
After introductions were made, including giving Sammy time to sniff Jake and Shelley and decide that they were all right, Laurel explained what had brought her here.
Concluding her story, she gestured to her backpack. “I have the ledger and money here. I didn’t want to leave it at the hotel.”
“Smart move,” Jake said.
Shelley leaned forward. “Can we take a look?”
In response, Laurel opened the pack, withdrew the ledger and money and handed them to Shelley.
Shelley flipped through the pages of the ledger. “Obviously encoded. We’ll put our encryption specialist on it.” She passed it to Jake.
While he looked at it, Shelley thumbed through a packet of hundred-dollar bills, a corner of her lip caught between her teeth. “Not a fortune,” she said, “but enough to steal.” At that, she flushed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that your mother—”
“It’s okay,” Laurel said and, like Shelley, tucked the corner of her lip between her teeth.
“I’m pretty sure she stole the money. That’s probably what got her killed.”
“I’m sorry,” Shelley repeated, and Laurel heard the sincerity behind the two words, “for your loss.”
Laurel shook her head. “We weren’t close.” Familiar pain pushed its way forward. As always, she pushed back.
Thoughts of Bernice and how she’d died intruded. Bernice, who’d always chased happiness with the wrong men. She’d played the victim card and attracted men who wanted to make her just that. In the end, it had gotten her killed.
Laurel caught the shared looks between Shelley and Jake and found herself not wanting to lie to them, to pretend that the relationship between Bernice and her was that of a loving mother and child.
Questions she’d parried throughout childhood and her early teen years came back to taunt her. Questions like “Why doesn’t your mom come to your school play?” and, worse, “Why is your mom so mean to you?”
She told herself that none of that mattered now and changed the subject. “I want in on the investigation. I was with CID for a time before I joined the Rangers. I can help.”
Mace bunched up his mouth, as though trying to contain the words that were itching to get out. When he finally spoke, it was in a carefully neutral tone. “I already told her that we don’t involve clients in the investigation. It’s too dangerous.”
Shelley steepled her fingers together. “With her background, Laurel could be an asset.” She turned an expectant gaze on Mace.
Mace trained cool eyes on Laurel. “Boss lady says you’re in, you’re in.” A muscle at the base of his neck flexed even as a flicker of annoyance skimmed over his face.
Laurel heard the reluctance in his voice and knew that while he wasn’t happy about the decision, he’d abide by it. Though he’d left the Rangers, he was still a soldier and that was what soldiers did: follow orders.
“Thank you,” she said to Shelley. “Thank all of you. I’d be grateful if you could keep the money and ledger here. I don’t want to carry it around with me. Too risky.”
“Good idea,” Shelley said. “I’ll put them in our safe.”
Mace stood. “Laurel’s dead on her feet. I’m taking her back to the hotel where she can get some shut-eye.”
Shelley gave Laurel a sympathetic look. “Of course. Don’t worry. Mace will keep you safe.”
Outside, Laurel realized how late in the day it was. The sun slid like melted butter below the horizon. On the drive back to the hotel, she closed her eyes, taking in all that had happened. Shelley and Jake were everything she had hoped for. And more. You had only to gaze into Shelley’s eyes to see the integrity shining there. The same went for Jake.
But something had held her back from telling them about the photo and sharing her belief that she might be their half-sister. She chewed on her lip when she recognized the source of her omission. Fear. She’d never lacked courage when it came to taking the fight to the enemy, but she was afraid to confide in Shelley and Jake.
Laurel had endured Bernice’s rejection, but she wasn’t at all certain she could bear rejection from the man and the woman who might be her brother and sister.
Had anyone noticed that Shelley had a habit of tucking a corner of her lip between her teeth, the same as Laurel?
She opened her eyes to find Mace watching her.
“What did you think of Jake and Shelley?” he asked.
She blinked. What did he mean? Had he guessed... No. She was jumping to conclusions. “I liked them.”
“They’re pretty great,” he agreed. “They had a rough childhood, but they’ve made something of themselves, something good.”
What would it have been like to have grown up with such a brother and sister? She tamped down the longing in her heart
