Blood drained from her face. She took a long drink from her water, and then patted her mouth. No lipstick on the napkin. No makeup. Only Kara, natural face and way too pale right now.
“He never told me. I wish he had. We’re close but I guess not close enough. I could help him, my parents could help him... We have to get him out of this, Jace! How much is that bike?”
When he named the price, she didn’t blink. “My dad would transfer the money to your president...”
Not my president. “No dice, babe. Lance doesn’t want money. He wanted Dylan under his thumb to steal for him. His puppet. Until Dylan himself stole the jewelry from under the gang’s noses.”
“He might have taken it from the gang because they’re my jewels. He’s family, and we look out for each other.”
“If he is, why is he so desperate to help his mother? Your family has money...”
Kara looked away, biting her lower lush lip. “We tried. We did give her money, but her husband, Dylan’s stepdad, took it, and instead of using it to pay hospital and doctor bills, the rat bastard used it to gamble. Until Wanda can get out of there, he’ll take everything she has. He doesn’t care if she lives or dies. I’m going to find a way to get her free. I will.”
Her voice held a note of fierce resolve. “As for Dylan, I can convince him to turn himself in, once I see him face-to-face.”
She was awfully involved with Dylan. Understandable. Family came first with Kara, which was one reason he didn’t protest when she broke off their relationship. He could never measure up to her expectations regarding closeness with family members. Not with his history.
The waiter brought their food. Jace took a huge bite of his burger, too famished to be polite. As he chewed, he considered everything she’d told him. Something was off about all this because she had a zealous attitude about Dylan, almost as if he was a brother and not a cousin.
Jace wondered.
The records he found regarding Dylan had been mostly sealed, due to him being a juvenile at the time of the offense. Darkling had gone over Dylan’s social media and found a brief, but poignant posting about a boy named Conner, Dylan’s best friend when they were both kids. Conner had been killed in a tragic car accident and his death had “messed me up for a long time,” Dylan had posted.
Jace needed to ferret out more about the mysterious Conner. He found no obituary, or even mention of a funeral home. Kara must know who Conner was since Dylan was close to the boy.
He reached for the salt, shook a generous amount onto his fries. Nibbling on her salad, Kara shook her head.
“Keep that up, Jace, and you’re going to have a coronary by the time you’re in your forties.”
“Better than becoming a rabbit,” he joked, eyeballing her greens. “I don’t always eat like this. It’s a special occasion.”
At her puzzled look, he added, “I’m hungry.”
The sound of her light laugh cut through the tension and made him smile. “I’ve missed that,” he admitted. “Hearing you laugh.”
Kara stopped, her gaze locking to his. “I miss you making me laugh, Jace.”
So much he missed about her, yet, busy with his career, he hadn’t filled in the gaping hole in his life until he’d run into her again. Talk about avoidance. He’d thrown everything into his career with the FBI, taking classes in undercover work to be the best. Always striving to be the best, making up for the screwups in his younger days.
Making up for the screwup with Kara.
Words he wanted to say remained stuck on his tongue. Jace bit into his burger again, chewed, uncomfortable with the silence between them. Good time to bring up their past, where they went wrong, maybe what they could do to fix it.
Because suddenly he realized he did miss her fiercely. Not just the hot sex and passion Kara brought out, more than any other woman. He missed everything about her, from her cute habit of nibbling on her lower lip while deep in thought, to her incredible determination in achieving her goals. The FBI had run a check on Kara after the theft, to make sure she wasn’t orchestrating it for insurance. Every bit of information Darkling had sent about Kara indicated she was honest and had a sterling reputation. Kara had taken a mediocre estate-sale business and made it into a thriving company, sharpening her skills while treating her clients fairly.
He was proud of her, Jace realized suddenly.
Say it. The words were on his tongue. Damn, he wanted to say them, but he couldn’t. Because in the back of his mind he hated starting up something he’d have to end.
This assignment came first. Not his personal relationships.
Kara glanced at her cell phone. “We need to be some place with a strong signal when Dylan calls. We’d better get out of here soon, Jace. Hurry, please.”
Polishing off his burger in a few bites, leaving the fries, he signaled for the check. Paid it, leaving a generous tip. Kara didn’t even fight him for it. How well he remembered her stubbornly insisting on splitting the check during their time together. She hadn’t changed.
Worry was overriding everything else.
Outside in the parking lot, Kara grabbed the keys from him. “You’ve been driving forever. My turn.”
He obliged but raised his eyebrows. “I was hoping to get further north by today, not next year.”
“Ha ha. I can drive fast.”
“Wonders never cease,” he muttered, climbing into the passenger seat.
When they were on the road again, he glanced at the dashboard clock. Growing closer to five.
“How’s your signal?” he asked.
Holding her cell phone, Kara nodded. “Good. I’m pulling over into that shopping plaza to wait for his call.”
The plaza looked deserted, with a few businesses that were closed. Kara parked at the end under a shady tree and left the engine running. Overgrown bushes provided privacy from the main road.
Anyone searching for them would have to enter the plaza from a side street. Still, he kept glancing around, a well-developed sense of preservation honed over the years.
It had started with his old man, who liked to beat him up at times. Jace had learned to read the signals.
Kara had such a different upbringing. Still, he wondered what ate at her. Something clearly had and he’d always had the feeling deep down that she hid a family secret.
