Chapter Seven
Willow was beginning to think Navy SEALs only came in one size.
She sat at the kitchen table with Jay Bird, Derek, and Tink.
Derek was tall and broad-shouldered, with the kind of commanding presence that made it easy to understand why men like Jay Bird followed his orders.
Tink was even bigger, which Willow hadn’t thought possible until she had met him.
He looked like the sort of man who could pick up one end of Jay Bird’s SUV with one hand.
Three weeks ago, Willow would’ve taken one look at the two unfamiliar men and immediately searched for the closest exit.
Part of her had done exactly that today.
She had noticed their size first, then immediately started reading everything else about them without even meaning to.
She checked their hands, the way they held themselves, their positions in the room, how close they stood to her, and whether either man was unintentionally blocking her path to Lily.
She hated that her mind still worked that way, automatically assessing every man she met as a potential threat before allowing herself to see anything else.
But neither Derek nor Tink had seemed offended by her caution. Actually, Willow had a feeling they had expected it.
Derek had offered her a brief handshake and nothing more. Tink had done the same, keeping several feet between them afterward instead of stepping farther into her space.
Jay Bird had quietly positioned himself between her and the two men during those first few minutes.
He hadn’t made a production of it. He hadn’t asked whether she was afraid or announced that he was trying to protect her.
He had just stayed close, talking to Derek and Tink while giving Willow enough time to decide for herself that neither man posed a threat.
Now the four of them sat around the kitchen table while Lily occupied the living room a few yards away.
She had been wary of Derek and Tink at first, immediately moving closer to Willow when they had arrived.
But once she had determined neither stranger planned to bother her, she had returned to the coloring book she had been working on earlier.
Ellie sat beside her, her tablet playing quietly in the background. And every few minutes Willow glanced over just to reassure herself that her daughter was still there.
Derek noticed her glancing over and, rather than saying anything, he shifted his chair a little to the side, giving Willow a clearer, wider view of the living room. It was another small gesture that she appreciated.
Before they had gotten down to the reason for their visit, Derek had surprised her by thanking her.
Not for agreeing to speak with Tink, but for helping Riley.
“I know you’ve probably heard it already,” he had said, “but what you did for Riley was very brave. You gave her the opportunity our people needed to get her back. You took one hell of a risk helping her. Thank you.”
Willow hadn’t known what to say, and she still didn’t. She hadn’t helped Riley because she expected anyone to thank her. She had helped because she had seen an opportunity to get one woman away from Chen and couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t take it.
Now, nearly twenty minutes into the conversation, a folder sat open in front of Tink along with his laptop.
“So,” he said, turning the computer slightly, “the good news is your identity isn’t nearly as complicated to restore as you probably think it is.”
Willow looked between him and the screen. “Seriously?”
Tink nodded.
She had been bracing herself for endless forms to fill out, court hearings she would have to sit through, and the very real possibility that she would need to prove through DNA or something that she was actually Willow Beckett, the woman who had vanished three years ago.
Tink leaned back. “Your birth certificate is easy. I can help you request a certified copy. Social Security is going to require a little more documentation because of the circumstances surrounding your disappearance, but you’ve already spoken with the FBI, which helps considerably.”
“What about Lily?”
“Birth certificate first. After that, Social Security number.”
Willow hesitated. “She was born in China.”
“I know.”
Of course he did. Tink apparently knew everything.
“And I don’t have anything official for her,” Willow admitted. “Honestly, I don’t even know if anything was even filed when she was born. All I have is the fake birth certificate from when we were on the run.”
“That’s no problem. Again, I’ll help you with all of this.” Tink said. “In fact, it’ll be better if I handle everything. I have ways to get documents without alerting anyone if someone is monitoring your name in any system.”
Willow slowly nodded. “Okay. Whatever you think is best, I agree with.”
Beside her, Jay Bird remained quiet. He had been mostly silent since the conversation started, allowing Tink to explain things without interruption.
“What about my bank account?” she asked. “I had one before I disappeared.”
“That one’s a little more complicated.”
Willow’s stomach sank.
Tink must have seen her expression because he immediately added, “Not bad complicated. The account was eventually closed because of prolonged inactivity. The remaining funds were turned over to New York’s unclaimed-property division.”
Willow frowned. “So it’s gone?”
“No. It’s still yours. Once your identification is straightened out, you’ll submit a claim proving you’re the account owner. Given the circumstances, there might be a few additional verification steps, but you’ll get it back.”
“Do you know how much it is?”
Tink glanced at his notes. “Just over three thousand.”
Willow sat back. Three thousand dollars wasn’t a fortune by any stretch, but right now it felt like one.
“There’s something else,” Tink said. “Did you know your father had a life insurance policy?”
Willow furrowed her eyebrows. “No.”
Tink picked up a sheet of paper from the folder and slid it across the table toward her.
“It was his life insurance through the government.”
Willow’s eyes remained fixed on the paper.
For several seconds, she couldn’t bring herself to touch it.
Just hearing her father’s name alone still hurt too much.
He had been the one person she had always been able to count on.
The person who called just because he wanted to hear her voice.
The person who showed up when she needed help, without asking what he was getting in return.
He had passed away just months before Willow had been abducted.
She finally reached for the paper, her eyes moving over the information as she read, before something made her stop.
Beneficiary: Willow Beckett.
Her vision blurred as she blinked, trying to focus, her gaze drifting farther down the page. Her eyes widened, and her breath caught in her throat when she saw the amount listed. Twenty thousand dollars.
She looked at Tink. “My dad left this to me?”
“You’re the sole beneficiary,” Tink confirmed.
Willow stared at the amount again. Twenty thousand dollars could give her and Lily a real start, something solid to stand on instead of just surviving day to day.
Tears filled her eyes. “He never told me.”
Her dad had been the quietly responsible type, the kind of man who made sure everything was taken care of without ever needing recognition for it or expecting a single word of praise in return.
Even now, after everything, he was somehow taking care of her.
She ran a fingertip over his name on the document.
“I’m surprised my brother or Mother didn’t try to steal this.”
Jay Bird looked at her. “You have family?”
“I don’t consider them my family.”
His eyebrows drew together slightly. But he didn’t ask why.
Tink spoke up. “Speaking of your mother and brother, I did look into both of them.”
“What did you find?”
“Your brother is currently serving time in prison.”
“For what?” Willow asked.
“Embezzlement, along with a few other charges. He was moving money through the company he owned. It went on for several years before they caught him.”
Willow let out a breath that was almost a laugh, though there wasn’t anything funny about it.
“Of course he was.”
Jay Bird looked at her. “You don’t seem surprised.”
“That’s because I’m not.”
Her brother had spent most of his adult life looking for shortcuts to money, particularly when the shortcut involved somebody else’s wallet, including hers and things that belonged to her.
“And my mother? I know three years ago she wasn’t in the best health.”
“She’s still living across the country with a longtime friend. From everything I could gather, she seems to be doing okay.”
Willow nodded. That was enough. She didn’t need an address, or a phone number. And she definitely didn’t need a reunion.
“The last time either of them contacted me was probably two years before I disappeared,” Willow explained. “And that was because they wanted money. My dad was my family. When he died, I was alone.”
A heavy silence settled over the table.
Willow didn’t want those thoughts circling back in on her. She didn’t want to think about her brother or her mother, or the way they only seemed to notice her when she had something they needed from her, as if her worth had always been tied to what she could give rather than who she was.
Her father deserved better than having his memory mixed up with theirs.
She looked back at Tink. “Could we talk more about the identification?”
“Sure.”
“How long will it take to get a drivers license?”
“Two or three days.”
Willow’s eyebrows rose. “That fast?”
Tink smiled faintly. “I have friends.”
Jay Bird snorted. “That’s his polite way of saying don’t ask questions.”
Tink smirked, but then his expression shifted.
“But there’s something else we need to discuss before we start putting your name back into circulation.”
Something about his tone made Willow’s stomach tighten.
“What?”
Tink glanced briefly at Derek, who nodded.
“Someone recently has been looking into her name.”
Every bit of warmth left Willow’s body. “What? Do you know who?”