Deadly Secrets, Loving Lies (17 page)

“Kyle,” she whispered, rolling his name off her tongue, tasting it, feeling it. Absorbing it as they moved together as one. And then she knew she couldn’t let him go. Not ever. She couldn’t go back to living without him, to spending her nights alone. Not again.

Not ever again.

Faster and faster he pushed, thrusting violently into her. Faster and harder, until she couldn’t hold on any longer, until she screamed and let go, succumbing to wave after wave of intense mind-jolting pleasure. Once. Twice. Three times, and still they kept coming, orgasmic rushes that swept her away until she was completely unaware of anything but the rush of pleasure flooding her body. And then Kyle was right there with her, finding his own release, taking as well as giving, until they both collapsed onto the bed, struggling to breathe.

As she lay there feeling his weight on her, his heat in her, she wasn’t sure who’d won this battle.

But frankly, she didn’t care. Because if this was losing, she was ready to lose to Kyle anytime, anywhere.

…

For the first time in eight months, Genie felt safe, secure and loved, lying beneath the covers nestled against Kyle. But as much as she enjoyed the feel of his warm body next to hers, and wanted to pretend that this moment could last forever, she still feared it was too late for them to go back to the way things were. Too much remained between them—too many lies and secrets, and not enough substance to grab hold of, for there to be a foundation to build a life upon. Not unless she came clean about everything. And how could she, when the real deal-breaker was the fact that she’d sworn she would never go back to the CTA, and she knew he would never leave it?

Which left the question, where did they go from here?

She was soaking up every last moment she could, being with him like this, safe and content and sated. Together in every sense of the word.

But Kyle was restless. She could feel the conflict building higher within him over what they’d done. The can of worms it had opened up. The questions he still had about her, and where this was headed. She knew the dam would burst sooner than later.

She didn’t have long to wait.

“Why didn’t you tell me Becca was your sister?” he finally asked. “The truth, please.”

Even if she hadn’t been able to feel the hesitant but powerful emotions coming off him, the pain in his voice was easy to hear, the vulnerability in his eyes clear as day. It was a rare sight. Kyle opening up to her was not something he’d often done.

Her auto-response in the past had always been to go on the offense and attack, in order to keep herself from empathizing too much. But she wouldn’t do that to him now. Not this time. Not when she still felt so connected to him, body and soul. And not when she could feel the need to understand consuming him.

“I told you earlier. I couldn’t,” she said, hating that their moment of bliss was already over.

“I didn’t buy that this morning, and I’m not buying it now. You always have a choice
—
come clean or lie. But, Genie, you always choose to lie. Or evade, or misdirect. What I don’t understand is why. What is such a big deal about having sisters? Having family is something you should be happy about, not try to hide.”

The admonition stung, even though she knew she’d done the right thing. He just didn’t understand. “Like I said, it was to keep us all safe. My dad insisted—
still
insists—that we don’t have any ties that could be used against one another. Nothing that would keep us from picking up and leaving at a moment’s notice.”

Kyle regarded her. She could feel the confusion flowing through every pore of his skin. And the growing anger. She could tell he was beginning to understand that whatever was behind her secrets about her family, was at the very root of all their problems. And he clearly didn’t like it.

“I’m sorry, but I need more. Blaming your dad isn’t good enough. Not this time.”

Genie cringed at his directness. “That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?”

“Maybe. But necessary.”

“I’m not blaming my dad. That’s what happened. After my mom died, he sent my sisters and me to the four corners of the earth. We weren’t allowed to tell anyone about each other. Not our closest friends, not our teachers. We didn’t talk about each other. Ever. To anyone. Hell, we barely even spoke to one another. Suddenly we were alone with no one. With nothing.”

She had to stop for a moment to swallow down the sudden tight hitch in her throat.

But Kyle was not about to let up. “But
why
? Why did you have to hide?”

“My dad didn’t want anyone to know who we are.”

“Because of your mother’s death? You said it was an accident. Was there something sinister behind it?”

Genie’s heart stilled. “My mom died in a random car accident,” she said quickly.

His eyes narrowed. “Are you sure?”

“Of course.” But she wasn’t so sure anymore. Just as she was no longer certain, thanks to Kyle’s questions, of her father’s motives for separating her from her sisters. He’d never actually said what being apart was keeping them safe
from
. And she’d never asked. She’d been a kid. She’d never even thought to challenge his reasoning. Because she’d never doubted her father’s judgment—until now.

It was a harrowing feeling, accepting that she might have been making a terrible mistake all along.

“Why would your dad have done that?” he asked, stealing the words right from her mind. “Separating you so completely is beyond extreme. Why were you suddenly not allowed to be a family? What was the connection with your mother’s accident?”

“I-I don’t actually know. I’m sure he had his reasons.” Why hadn’t she ever thought about it before? To question it? Why had she just meekly accepted?

“If there was no connection, no immediate threat,” Kyle continued relentlessly, “how come you were all torn apart at the one time in your lives when you really needed to be together? That was not only cruel, but extremely negligent.”

Had
there been a threat against them? Even then? There must have been…otherwise— She stared at Kyle, a sharp chill slicing through her.

“I guess I never thought about it, I just accepted that my father knew what was best for us. He always had. Besides, right after that, he became the director of CTA. He sent us to our boarding schools and relocated to Washington. I suppose I thought he couldn’t be there for both us and the CTA. That he had to focus on his new job.”

“And then you came to work there, too.”

“Sure. I wanted to be closer to him, and that was the best way. I didn’t blame the CTA for our situation. Not like—”

“Like?”

Genie took a deep breath, contemplating what she should say. But his accusation niggled at her conscience.

What was it he’d said she did? Evade? Lie? Misdirect? Well, a girl could change, couldn’t she?

Genie looked into his beautiful eyes and told the truth. “Like Becca did.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “Did she hate CTA enough to work against us?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “That’s why I went to the warehouse. I needed to talk to her. To find out what the hell was going on. And if she really was working with Emerich and aware of everything he was doing.”

“But you never saw her…”

There it was, that same question again. She wondered how she could explain what had really happened that day. Or at least what she remembered of it. She felt the expectation growing within him. His need for her to confide in him was so strong it was almost palpable. “I honestly do not remember seeing Becca, but I have a recurring dream about that day. In my dream, she’s there at the warehouse, taunting me, running and hiding like we did when we were children playing. Except we’re both adults in the dream.”

“And you’re sure it’s the same warehouse?”

She nodded. “So the truth is, I don’t know if I saw her or not. I just can’t remember. All I know is these nightmares haunt me. I wish I knew what really happened that day. I need to know for my own peace of mind. You have no idea how frustrating it is not to remember.”

“I’m sorry. I know it’s tough on you.” Kyle pulled her tighter against him and kissed her hair. “I just wish you’d trusted me enough to let me help you.”

She took a moment to absorb his warmth, and the profound joy she felt being in his arms.

And to come to terms with a couple of hard truths. This morning she’d touched on the danger Kyle had walked into because of the text he’d gotten, but hadn’t thought about herself.

“If it wasn’t Becca who texted me to meet her there,” she said, “then someone must have wanted me to die in that explosion.” She snuggled closer. “And I would have died, if you hadn’t been there to save me.”

“I wouldn’t have been there if someone hadn’t sent me a text to meet you there,” he reminded her.

She ran her fingers across his chest. “Yeah,” she whispered. “Which makes me think Becca wasn’t there. So I couldn’t have seen her.”

“Obviously she was there. They found her body.”

“But what if that wasn’t Becca?”
It couldn’t be.
Genie was growing more convinced her sister was still alive. She had no proof, but there were too many things adding up.

And if it wasn’t Becca’s body, her sister might never have been at the warehouse at all. Which meant… Hell, she had no idea what that meant.

He looked down at her. “You really think she could still be alive?”

“Do you know if they checked the DNA from the body?” she asked. “Or the dental records?”

He stared down at her for a moment. “I suppose they—honestly, I have no idea.”

“Sounds like something to ask Cameron.”

“Do you think it could have been Becca who sent me the text?” he asked. “Do you think maybe she knew what Emerich was planning, and wanted me to stop him from hurting you?”

“But then why not send
me
the text? Or even save me herself?”

“Maybe that’s what got her killed,” he suggested. “If it is her body,” he added for Genie’s benefit.

Clearly, he didn’t believe her crazy theory. Heck, she didn’t know if she really believed it herself. She just really hoped.

“Maybe she was there to help you,” he said.

“But if Emerich wanted me dead, his men could have shot me today when I was hanging on the ladder from the helicopter. I was an easy target. They didn’t take the shot.”

“So what does he want?”

“Me. Alive. But don’t ask me why. The only thing I can think of is so that he has some kind of leverage against my dad.”

“But your dad is retired.”

“Yep, right after Becca was buried. Timing is more than a little suspect, but when it comes to my dad, we never really know what’s happening. And there’s obviously a lot more going on here that we originally thought.”

“Until we find out the truth, we won’t be able to fight them. We need to find your dad.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying all along,” she said and gave him a smile. “One of these days you just might start listening to me.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.” She pulled his head down to hers, and kissed him. “Starting right now,” she said, and whispered something very naughty in his ear.

Chapter Nine

As Genie lay on the bed waiting for her heartbeat to slow and her body temperature to cool, a sound came from out back. Just a slight crunch of gravel.

“Shit,” she whispered and jumped out of bed. Kyle was right behind her. She ran to the front room where she’d left her clothes and her gun.
Stupid
. She knew better than to leave herself so exposed and vulnerable. And so did Kyle. She slipped on her panties and grabbed Kyle’s shirt, buttoning it while she headed for the kitchen and the back door. Kyle stepped into his pants and gestured to her as he eased out the front door. He was going to circle around the back of the house.

She was just buttoning the last button on the shirt when the back doorknob turned. With two quick steps forward, she slipped behind the door just as it started opening.

“Hold it right there,” she said, pointing her gun at the back of the man who’d just stepped through the door.

He stopped, and without turning held up his hands. A long stringer of fish dangled from his outstretched fingers. She’d know that frame, those wide, rounding shoulders, and that growing middle anywhere.

“Oh my God, Dad!” Genie launched herself at her dad, plowing into him and almost knocking him over. “Where the heck have you been?”

“Genie! It’s okay. I’m all right.” A huge smile filled his face as one arm—the one not holding the fish—wrapped around her shoulders and patted her back.

After a minute, she stepped away, set down her gun and flipped on the light. Then she looked at him. Really looked at him. At the fishing cap plastering down his wiry grey hair, the two-day-old stubble and the tired lines pulling at his eyes.

“I’ve been so worried.”

“Me, too,” he said. “About you. What’s important is that we’re both okay. I knew you’d find me. Now how about some trout for dinner?”