spoken since his funeral.” An event that had been postponed a full month so Frankie could attend. Too bad it hadn’t made anything easier. The delay had only given her mother more time to pretend life with her spouse hadn’t existed. The brutal lack of emotion had shocked Frankie. Still did. If Sophia so willingly cut out a husband, losing a daughter probably hadn’t registered on her scale. Everything Frankie thought she knew about love and family had been turned upside down by a disaster someone had manufactured. Hurting, her blood beating cold in her veins, Frankie fixed her gaze on the window and the city glittering beyond it.
“Let’s assume you’re right,” Victoria continued. “It would require serious planning and resources to systematically take down a man of your father’s standing. To create evidence strong enough to ruin his career and push him to suicide without leaving a trail would be almost impossible these days.”
A knock sounded on the door. Frankie turned to see it open and a man with thick, dark hair in need of a trim, and vivid, cobalt-blue eyes, enter.
“Aidan Abbot, Francesca Leone.”
“A pleasure,” he said, shaking her hand.
There was a trace of Ireland in his voice and it sent her pulse into some foolish feminine skipping. He probably got that all the time, she thought, irritated with her reaction. “Likewise,” she replied.
“Francesca’s a lovely name.”
The way he said it made her want to sigh and forget why she’d come here. She cleared her throat. “Call me Frankie.” She’d been named in honor of both her grandmother and father. Her full name had always felt too exotic. “Frankie” was a better fit for the tough and proud little girl who’d spent her life aspiring to be like her dad.
When he was seated, Victoria handed Aidan the passports. “Frankie has some concerns about these.”
Frankie watched him examine them, involuntarily admiring his hands, as well as his attention to detail. More annoying was the difficulty she seemed to be having with the fact that he wore some appealing cologne that reminded her of the Pacific Coast on a clear, sunny day.
“One woman with two names implies that one of them is a fake,” he said after a moment.
“Both are fakes,” Frankie stated firmly.
Aidan arched a dark eyebrow, and his mouth quirked up at one corner. Frankie felt a warm tremor just under her skin. It was a relief when he turned that bold blue gaze toward his boss. “If there’s no question, why call me?”
“There may be good reason those passports were issued. Would you mind taking a closer look into the names and any travel records?”
“Not at all.” He tapped the closed passports against his knee. “How much time do I have?”
“A few hours at most,” Victoria said, her eyes cool. “Frankie wants the information yesterday.”
Frankie couldn’t sit still a moment longer. Her back ached from the travel and the tension. She wanted the freedom and clarity of a quick run but settled for pacing the width of the office. The patience she’d relied on in the field and in her work didn’t translate to this situation. “That’s a start. Can you tell me what sort of legal action we can take?” She shoved her hands into her pockets.
“Why don’t you give me what you have?” Victoria suggested. “Let my team investigate while you go back to Savannah. We’re good, objective and fast. I’ll call you as soon as we know something.”
Frankie shook her head, her ponytail swinging. “I’m not sitting this one out.” She’d been relegated to the sidelines too often since her injury. While she couldn’t say she knew her parents better than anyone—the opposite appeared to be true—she wouldn’t deal with this long-distance via secondhand reports. She wanted to see her mother’s face when the truth finally came out.
“Then why did you come to me?”
She felt Aidan’s gaze on her as Victoria waited for an answer. Frankie wished she could ask him to leave. She didn’t want to share the ugly Leone family secrets with a stranger. “For support and guidance,” she replied, keeping her gaze on Victoria. “I took vacation through next week. I’ll go to Seattle and confront my mother about that statement while you investigate the passports and other documents. Won’t that be enough time to know if we have a case against her?”
“Frankie—”
“I’ll tell her I want to reconcile, to mend the rift,” Frankie explained. “Hopefully, she’ll buy it and open up. If that isn’t enough, I’ll ask for a job. Anything to lower her defenses.”
Victoria glanced at Aidan. “Frankie’s mother owns Leo Solutions, a security firm in Seattle.”
“Cyber or personal?” Aidan inquired.
“Both, if I understand the setup,” Frankie answered. “She and her business partner built it on the backs of their government careers.” Regretting her burst of bitterness, she plowed on. “Once I’m out there, I thought I’d worm my way past her defenses. With your agency working this behind the scenes and me working on-site, I’m sure we can get to the truth quickly.”
“Frankie.” Victoria leaned back in her chair, her reading glasses in her hands. “Going out there with the intent to deceive your mother is a terrible risk.”
Frankie paused, studying her. “I’ve worked undercover before.” She couldn’t afford to think of this as anything other than a mission. If her mother could ignore the bonds of family, so could she.
“That’s not what I mean. Please, sit down.”
Reluctantly, Frankie returned to her chair. She didn’t want to endure a lecture on discretion or family unity in front of Aidan, but it seemed Victoria wasn’t giving her a choice.
“Since I clearly can’t stop you from going, I’m sending Aidan with you.”
“Pardon me?” Having braced for the lecture, Frankie needed a moment to digest the actual statement. “That’s not necessary.” She shot a quick look in Aidan’s direction. “Can’t he research the passports and documents from here?”
“I want him on-site,” Victoria said. “You shouldn’t be out there alone.”
“I’ll keep you updated—” Frankie began.
“I know you will,” she interrupted. “That isn’t the point. I refuse to take any chances with your safety.” She turned to her computer monitor, and her hands rattled on her keyboard for a moment. Then she met Frankie’s gaze with a thoughtful expression. “Assuming your mother’s statement is legitimate, your search will likely lead to someone better prepared to retaliate than offer up a confession.”
Yes, Frankie was angry and she was hurt. That didn’t make her a fool. “I’ve considered that and taken precautions.” She didn’t want or need a babysitter. The fewer witnesses to her family embarrassments, the better.
“Good,” Victoria replied.
“You know I can protect myself.”
“This isn’t up for debate, Frankie. I’ve known you since you
