24. Parent Trap
24
PARENT TRAP
Ronan watched his team demolish the impressive spread of sandwiches and snacks Christian and Ethan had assembled. Some things never changed—Deke still ate enough for three people, Izzy still stole pickles off everyone’s plates, and Kenji still arranged his food in precise geometric patterns before eating.
The familiar scene twisted something in his chest. For a moment, it could have been any mission briefing from before. Before Copenhagen.
“Man, you guys eat like this every day?” Izzy asked around a mouthful of turkey club. “We were lucky to get MREs between ops.”
“The perks of private sector work.” Austin grinned.
“Got something.” Zara’s voice cut through the chatter. Kenji moved to peer over her shoulder. “We’ve been running current VA medical records in Southern California against Marcus’s flagged cases ...”
“These test panels.” Kenji leaned closer, sandwich forgotten. “They’re ordering the same specialized bloodwork. Hormone levels, genetic markers—” He broke off, face darkening. “Every victim had these tests ordered within two weeks of their death or disappearance. And forty-eight hours after the tests, they were gone.”
“Same labs?” Maya asked.
“Different facilities, same protocols.” Zara pulled up more files. “And ... wow. Two new matches. Tests ordered yesterday.”
Ronan felt his stomach drop. “Where?”
“Ventura VA clinic. A male.” Her voice tightened. “And Long Beach. A female.”
“Identical panels.” Kenji’s medical training showed in his precise terminology. “And none of the tests indicated by their presenting symptoms.”
“Why?” Christian pressed.
“That’s the ten-million-dollar question,” Kenji finished quietly.
“Alright,” Christian said, pulling up a map. “We’ve got three priorities and a ticking clock. Two potential victims and Griffin.”
Zara bit her lip. “That’s at least two hours between facilities.”
“Which means we split up,” Ronan said. “Two rescue teams, one contact team.”
“I’ll coordinate from here with Star and Ethan,” Zara said. “We’ll monitor all channels, keep everyone connected.”
Jack studied the map, years of tactical planning evident in his quick assessment. “Kenji, you’re with Austin in Ventura.”
“Deke, Izzy,” Jack continued. “You’re with me in Long Beach. Place is way bigger, and way closer to lots of law enforcement. Better that we have a three-person team. The helo’ll be fueled and ready in fifteen.”
Izzy’s eyes lit up. “That Agusta on the pad? Sweet.”
“Try not to modify our helicopter mid-flight,” Christian said dryly.
“And us?” Maya asked quietly.
Christian’s jaw tightened. “You, me and Boy Wonder here are going ghost hunting.” His tone suggested he wasn’t thrilled about the arrangement.
Axel cleared his throat. “I should stay here too. Help coordinate.” His meaningful look told Ronan he’d keep an eye on both teams, watch for patterns they might miss.
And avoid a dreaded helo flight.
Ronan felt Maya’s presence beside him, that mixture of attraction and wariness that seemed to define their relationship. Now they’d be working together, no buffer, no distractions.
“If Griffin’s watching the library,” she said, “we need to move fast.”
“Yeah.” Ronan watched his teams gear up, falling into familiar patterns despite the years apart.
“Hey,” Izzy called from the door. “Try not to disappear on us again, yeah?”
The words were light, but they hit like a punch to the gut. “Not this time,” he managed.
“Three targets, three teams,” Jack said, studying the map. “Two potential victims and Griffin’s breadcrumb trail.”
Maya’s dad stepped forward, face set like a bulldog. “I’m going with my daughter to Santa Monica?—”
“No.” The response came from multiple voices.
“Dad,” Maya said carefully, “every cop in LA County knows your face.”
Lawrence’s expression darkened. “I can be discreet.”
Christian stifled a laugh.
Lawrence shot him a look.
Maya rubbed her temples.
Ronan leaned closer. “Parents, right? If my mother were here ...”
“Woof,” Axel added with a grin.
Jack pulled up the logistics screen. “Alright, we’ve got my Phenom, the Agusta, and it looks like my father-in-law’s got one of his Pilatus PC-12 NGXs ready for action. My wife and her dad own a private air transportation company.”
“Must be nice,” Ronan muttered.
“Three birds, three pilots,” Austin noted. “Jack and I can take two, but we need?—”
“Ronan,” Axel interrupted, eyes gleaming. “Though I have to ask ... can you even handle something built in this century, Ro?”
Jack raised an eyebrow at Ronan. “Want to try? The Pilatus has that new Pratt & Whitney PT6E-67XP engine ...”
Yeah. He did. In the worst possible way. He could already feel the controls beneath his hands. Smell that new-plane smell ...
“Touch screen avionics?” he asked, trying and failing to sound casual.
“Full Honeywell Epic 2.0 suite,” Jack confirmed.
“You sure you’re up for all that modern gadgetry?” Axel’s grin widened. “No more analog gauges to tap when they stick ...”
“I piloted one last month, actually.” Ronan paused. “In a simulator.”
The room erupted in groans and laughter.
The teams were finalizing assignments when the command center door swung open.
A shockwave blew through the room. It was always like this. Every. Time.
His stomach dropped. No. Please, no.
Victoria Quinn swept in, all five-foot-nine of her wrapped in a designer suit that easily cost more than his monthly rent. Her signature red hair was shorter now, but she still moved like she owned whatever room she entered. His mother. The last person on earth he expected.
Or needed here.
Her gaze went straight to him, assessing. Concerned.
Apparently reassured he was still in one piece, she addressed the room like a monarch addressing an adoring crowd. “I heard you could use some help,” she announced, then stopped short at the sight of Lawrence Chen.
Her green eyes widened. “Well. The legendary Detective Chen. That serial arsonist case in ‘98? Brilliant work with the paint analysis.”
Lawrence, who’d been reaching for his badge, froze. “You ... you followed that case?”
“Darling, I tried to get an interview with you for months.” Her smile was pure charm. “But you were so delightfully elusive.”
Maya rolled her eyes as her father actually blushed.
“Mom,” Ronan ground out. “How did you?—”
“A source,” she said primly. “A very reliable source who thought an investigative journalist might be useful.” She fixed him with that familiar penetrating stare. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find out?”
“Wait. No.” Ronan waved his hands in the air. “This is not how we work. We don’t bring in civilian?—”
“Actually,” Christian interrupted, surprising everyone. “We could use the help. Victoria has contacts we don’t.” He tipped his chin at Lawrence. “And Captain Chen’s got decades of insight into law enforcement.”
Ronan glared at his brother. Christian defending the woman who’d ruined his family?
“I knew you were a bright bunch,” Victoria added, settling gracefully into a chair beside Lawrence, who looked like Christmas had come early.
Ronan watched in horror as his mother and Lawrence Chen fell into an animated discussion about cold cases and corruption patterns, his mother’s hand occasionally touching Lawrence’s arm for emphasis. Maya caught his eye, her expression a perfect mirror of his own dismay.
“Wheels up in twenty,” Jack announced, mercifully breaking the moment. “Ronan, you good with the Pilatus?”
“Yes,” he said too quickly, grateful for the escape. “Very good. Extremely good.”
Christian stood. “Suit up and meet me in the armory in five. Let’s do this.”
Great. Just great. Trapped in a small aircraft with his brother, the woman who tied his stomach in knots, and the knowledge that his mother would be waiting here when they returned.
“Moving out!” Ronan announced, perhaps a bit too loudly. He headed for his quarters, heard Maya’s quiet laugh behind him.
“Your mom’s not so bad,” she murmured as they walked.
He shot her a look. “Wait until she starts planning our wedding.”
They both froze, realizing what he’d said. Christian, passing by, muttered something that sounded suspiciously like “smooth.”
When did this become my life? Ronan wondered again. But as they headed for their rooms, he had to admit—if only to himself—that it felt better than the silence of the past three years.
Even if his mother was going to drive him insane.