Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
I reached for the vibrating phone on my chest.
The time in the left corner told me it had been two hours since Zane had checked in.
My boss once again had proven he kept his word, working through the night to track Penny. My team had gone on the hunt, each of them texting me updates.
Zane’s last call was to tell me they’d gotten a lock on Penny and were moving in to get her.
Now the sun was barely cresting.
My gut knotted at the potential consequences of answering the phone.
Best case, Penny was safe.
Worst case, I’d drown in guilt for not going and looking for my sister. For not getting to know her when she’d repeatedly swung the proverbial olive branch in front of me. Hell, she’d practically bashed me over the head with that fucker, and I’d still helped myself separate.
Best. Worst.
That seemed to be the story of my life with the scale always tipping in the worst’s favor. I didn’t have very many bests. Only a handful, and less than that, when I’d truly been happy without any shit clouding it.
Man the fuck up, asshole, and answer the phone.
I swiped to accept the call but remained reclined on the too-small couch.
“You find her?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Zane confirmed and relief swamped me. “She’s safe and unharmed. Totally unharmed.”
Not that I wasn’t grateful my sister was unharmed and safe but something wasn’t adding up.
I rolled up and swung my legs over the couch.
“What the fuck aren’t you telling me?”
“She didn’t stop digging after we wrapped everything up for POTUS and handed it over with a nice big bow.”
Digging.
What the fuck?
“Digging for what?”
“She said that something wasn’t sitting right with her about Titan Point.”
I closed my eyes and hung my head. Fucking hell.
“So she went fucking rogue?”
I felt her approach but didn’t bother looking up as Stella made her way through the living room.
“I’d say the apples that fell off the tree came from the same branch, but I’m sensing you won’t appreciate me pointing out your sister shares more in common with you than her eye color.”
No, I absolutely didn’t find anything remotely amusing about Zane’s aphorism.
“I appreciate you, brother, but I have about an inch left before my patience snaps.”
If that.
“I take it you haven’t gotten your beauty sleep.”
No, I hadn’t fucking slept while my brothers were out searching for my sister.
“Zane!”
He chuckled and I belatedly realized that if he was cracking jokes he was pleased with the outcome. Either that or he got to kill someone. It was Zane, so maybe both.
“Here’s what you need to know. Right now, Penny and Kira are in Garrett’s pigsty he calls an office speaking geek to one another.
Something about common language location identification and how she remembered seeing the CLLI for Titan Point on a report she’d broken the encryption on.
But the location identifier wasn’t the one for the AT&T cover building in New York. She hacked the NSA to get—”
Every muscle in my body tightened. “My sister hacked the NSA?” I seethed.
Stella scooted closer to me on the couch and put her hand on my thigh. Fuck, that felt good, but it did nothing to loosen my tension.
“Yup, and didn’t do a very good job covering her tracks. Though her fuckup drew out a traitor. Unfortunately, the CIA demanded I turn him over before I got to employ Stella’s famous Icy Hot on the scrotum. Have I mentioned lately how much I hate those Agency assholes?”
“I’d feel sorry for you that you didn’t get to fondle a nut sac if I wasn’t more concerned about the target Penny now has on her back.”
Stella squeezed my knee. I glanced at her in the early morning light and wondered if she’d gotten any sleep. The dark circles under her eyes said she hadn’t. We’d be rectifying that as soon as I could talk her into a nap.
“Dutch is on his way to pick her up. She’s going to Wyoming until we’re sure she’s in the clear.
Something else. As you know, Garrett took care of wiping your digital presence for the last week while you’ve been on vacation in France with your family.
I spoke to Detective Sullivan at the Annapolis Police Department to inform him I’d been in touch with you and you were very unhappy to hear your house had been vandalized and assured him you’d speak to him when you returned.
Garrett hacked the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office.
Your three dead guys are Philip, Martin, and Ollie Stevens.
Won’t be shocking those names are alias for Ivan, Denis, and Arseni Titov.
Russian mercs. Dutch and his team will run with the intel we hand over to them.
It’ll be their choice if they loop in the Color Scheme Team or they keep it in-house.
I trust Dutch to do what’s best to limit exposure for Penny. ”
I didn’t point out that as much as Zane ragged on the CIA for using colors to name their intelligence officers, he used colors to name his teams.
“Appreciate it, Zane.”
“You don’t owe me gratitude, Cash. We’re brothers.”
We absolutely were that.
“Is she thinking the real location for the NSA hub has been leaked?”
“That was exactly what she was worried about, and when we found her, that was exactly what she was being interrogated about.”
Interrogated.
I’d been on the receiving end of an interrogation as well as the one who was trying to extract intel. Only one of those had been comfortable and it wasn’t the side my sister had been on.
“Is there more you’re not telling me? And don’t think I haven’t noticed you’re being stingy with details.”
“I’m not being stingy with shit. It’ll all be in the file for you to read when you get back to the office. I’m giving you what you need to focus on—Penny is safe and she’s unharmed. Not a hair out of place. And she’s staying here until Dutch gets here.”
I had just started to relax when Zane went on. “She’d like to talk to you before she leaves.”
Fuck.
“What’d you tell her about where I am?”
“The truth, but not a location.”
So he told her I was at a safehouse but not that I was still close by.
“Okay, I’ll call her.”
In a few hours, after I called up the courage to face my sister and explain why I’d chosen Stella and Cara over her.
“No need, she’s right here.”
Fuck.
“Zane—”
“Hey.” Penny’s voice hit me like a slap to the face. Stella erased the minimal space between us and grabbed my hand. “I’m so sorry. So, so sorry.”
“Nothing for you to be—”
“You could’ve been killed,” Penny shouted over me. “And Zane told me about Stella and Cara. There was a child in the room, she could’ve been…”
Fucking Zane.
“Hey, no one was hurt and it’s not your fault.”
I heard Penny’s hiccupped sob. “How is she? Cara. Is she…”
“Cara’s fine.”
Stella stiffened as soon as I said Cara’s name even though I was pretty sure she could hear my sister through the phone.
“She could’ve—”
“We’re fine, Penny. How are you? Zane said you weren’t injured.”
“I’m fine.”
Her snapped assertion came too fast.
“Penny.”
“I’m fine, Cash. Just pissed at myself for being sloppy and stupid.
I’m pissed that there are probably more spies working at the NSA.
And I’m super, extra pissed that I was tied to a chair while some turncoat asshole questioned me about what I knew about a top-secret location like he wasn’t the one who was leaking information.
And I feel like the world’s worst big sister that because of me, Stella and Cara were in danger.
And I’m mildly pissed that I won’t get to meet Cara before I’m carted off to some secret hideaway.
Zane says you’re a total girl dad and I’m gonna miss seeing it. ”
I blew out a breath and fully relaxed.
“You’ll meet Cara when you get back. We’ll have dinner at our place, Stella will cook.”
The woman I’d offered up to cook smacked me on the arm.
“Will she let me into the house so I can meet her girl?”
I turned to look at Stella, and I knew she heard when she nodded. I wasn’t going to ever point out that while she was putting up a good fight, it was all for show.
She was already mine.
We were already a family.
And one way or another I’d figure out how to welcome my sister into our trio.
“Yeah.”
“Is she there?”
“Yep. Sitting right next to me.”
There were a few seconds of silence, during which I could hear Penny doing the breathing exercise she did when Zane was being a cantankerous ass and she needed to find the patience to deal with him.
“I’d like to talk to her.”
Stella scooted away from me and stood.
Chicken.
I would’ve started clucking if the sound effect wouldn’t have earned me a punch to the face. Not that she’d actually land the strike, but her punishment for trying would have her making a different kind of animalic sound that would undoubtedly wake up Cara.
Instead, I simply reached for her hand and tugged her back down to the couch.
“Sure, but first I need to explain why I didn’t go with my team—”
“No you don’t.”
“I do. You’re my sister.”
“I am,” she quietly said. “But am I really? We share a mother that both of us hate. It’s arguable and I’d argue it, that I hate her more.
She did the unthinkable and abandoned you.
And when she did that, she stole you from me.
I have memories you don’t. I get you don’t want to talk about this and I understand why.
This will be the one and only time I ever bring it up but Cash, I remember you.
I remember holding you. I remember your cry.
I remember rocking you. I remember the feel of you in my arms when you slept.
I remember loving you. All my life I hated that woman.
But now, there’s not a word strong enough to describe the level of loathing I have for her. I hope she’s rotting in hell.”
Jesus Christ.
“Penny—”
“That’s it, that’s the last we’ll ever speak of her.
You’ve had a life, one that I’ve had no part in and the same goes in reverse.
DNA doesn’t make a family, Cash, you know that better than anyone.
One day maybe we’ll get there. Maybe we won’t.
But the one thing I hope more than anything is that one day, you’ll think of me like you do Kira and Layla—sisters not of blood but of loyalty, friendship, love, the good kind of family. ”
Fuck, I hoped so, too.
“Same, Penny,” I choked out and cleared my throat. “But I want you to know that you mean something to me. I didn’t stay with Stella and Cara because I didn’t care.”
“Zane told me why you stayed with them, Cash. And at the risk of sounding too sisterly, I’m proud of you. You keeping your promise is the first step in breaking the cycle.”
“If I knew my big sister was so damn smart I would’ve been hitting you up for advice months ago.”
Penny snorted then chuckled. The sound wasn’t happy or carefree, but neither was it riddled with sadness.
“Smart you say? Have you forgotten I hacked the NSA, got caught, captured, interrogated, and put you in danger?”
I hadn’t forgotten. I was choosing not to think about it at the moment, or my gut would churn at the thought of her having to go into hiding.
“Right. Be safe and check in when you can. Here’s Stella.”
“I will. Thanks…Cash.”
I felt a stab of guilt that wasn’t mine to feel, that Penny caught then corrected herself before she called me brother. That shame belonged to the woman who had grown two souls in her womb, then treated them so callously that she threw one away and mentally tortured the other.
“Penny?”
“Yeah?”
“I want daily texts and at least once-a-week calls until you get back. And you tell Dutch, if he even looks at you crooked, Stella’s taught me a trick or two with the Icy Hot and I’m not afraid to deploy my skills.”
I heard it, the hitch in her breath. I waited for her to pull herself together, and when she did, some of that guilt ebbed when she whispered, “I will, Cash. Thank you.”
I handed my cell to Stella. She sent me a ray-of-death stare before she put the phone to her ear.
“Hey…um…I heard you’re alright.”
Holy shit.
Stella stuttering.
Hell must’ve been having a cold snap.
“Yeah. I’d be happy to. It might be a couple of days—” Stella abruptly stopped speaking.
I leaned closer to hear what Penny was saying but Stella leaned away from me.
“No need to apologize. Excuse me, Penny.” Stella glanced at me and frowned. “Nosy much?”
Was she serious?
“You listened in, too, woman.”
“So? If you didn’t want me to hear you should’ve moved.”
“Is this one of those times when a woman says crazy shit and I’m just supposed to keep my mouth shut and go along with it?”
Suddenly and without warning, Stella’s whole face lit up and she graced me with a smile I’d never seen—megawatt with a dash of mischief.
Good Christ, she was gorgeous.
“Yes, Captain, this is one of those times.”
I heard the words. I watched her lips form them, but they were beyond comprehension.
It felt like everything in our lives were spiraling out of control.
Yesterday we had to flee our home. Penny was wrapped up in something dangerous.
Damion had to be neutralized. We needed to assess then get Cara help to process and deal with the death of her parents, deal with any residual fear of being in that saferoom, her Lolo being hurt, me coming into her life, and the fallout from last night.
But with all of that circling, I’d never felt more content.
More at peace.
And when Stella’s face gentled and her lips tipped up—not into the megawatt smile, but a sweet, soft grin, I knew she felt the same.
My woman was going to find it in her to be brave.
To stick.