Secrets Bared (Hawthorn Hills #1)

Prologue

Ten years ago...

The June sun beat down on Luke’s shoulders, clad in his black suit. Bright blue skies with puffy white clouds never made him so grumpy before.

But he refused to cry. He needed to be strong for Mom and Aaron.

Dad’s casket sat in the ground, a green fabric covering the cement vault. Mom hadn’t stopped crying since they’d arrived graveside. He stood there with one arm wrapped around her shoulders, with eight-year-old Aaron on her other side, clutching her hand.

The vibrant man, who raised Luke and made Deb so happy, died in an accident at his job at the tool factory.

Growing up, Luke thought Marcus Graham invincible.

When his supervisor called him with the news, he’d been undercover on a case.

Thank God for the other agent on assignment with him to cover his absence.

The FBI didn’t always stop for death, but Nancy had a conscience.

But he wasn’t able to stay long. The organized crime ring they were infiltrating wouldn’t rest just so he could mourn.

When it was his turn to throw in a flower, Aaron froze. Luke reached out a hand to his little brother. “Together?” Aaron looked up at him, the spitting image of their shared mother, and slid his little hand into Luke’s.

Though he hadn’t been Marcus’s son by blood, he looked more like him than Aaron did. It always struck Luke as funny. Though it didn’t make the kids any kinder when it came to his step-dad.

They stepped up to the casket and tossed in their roses, then Aaron did something that made Luke’s heart ache.

He reached up with his right hand and tapped over his heart.

Dad’s sign for “I love you,” that he’d sent his boys from a distance during football games, or graduations, or from the ground while Luke was up the Ferris wheel with his friends at the fair.

Silent but powerful. That had been their dad.

With a smile, Luke released Aaron’s hand and reached up to tap over his own heart. One more “I love you” before they couldn’t anymore.

Mom smiled through her tears as they returned to her side. “Thank you,” she mouthed to Luke before stepping up to say her own goodbyes.

After that, the family and friends who had gathered to say farewell headed out of the cemetery.

Mr. Robinson, Mom’s boss at the diner, had offered to host the funeral luncheon.

Luke held nothing but gratitude for the old man who’d made his mom a manager so she only needed to work while Aaron was in school.

He hadn’t lived in Hawthorn Hills since he graduated high school, going to college and then the FBI Academy in Stafford.

The academy was brutal, and he hadn’t been home in a year and a half.

Luke was proud of the life he’d made for himself outside his small town. And Dad had been proud, too, from their last phone call after he graduated from the Academy. He only wished the Bureau gave him more than two days’ leave so he could be there to support Mom.

At The Busy Bee, the entire town seemed to have turned out to remember Marcus Graham. Chicken tenders for the kids and sandwiches for the adults lined foil trays along the counter. Someone had brought the photo display from the funeral home and set it up in a booth by itself.

Neighbors and friends patted him on the shoulder and talked about Marcus. Luke smiled, knowing they meant well. But he was increasingly aware of the little boy clinging to his arm and wishing they could just fall apart at home.

Their neighbor, Mr. Williams, came up as Luke found them an empty booth at the back. “I know you’ve heard it a lot today, boys, but I’m terribly sorry for your loss. Marcus was a good man.”

“Thanks, Mr. Williams.” Luke shook his hand, then Mr. Williams bent down and shook Aaron’s as well, very solemn.

“With Luke away, that makes you the man of the house now.”

Luke bristled at the phrase. Wide-eyed little Aaron was eight. “Mom never needed a man in the house. She loved Marcus, and he made her life better. But she can take care of herself.”

Mr. Williams, realizing his error, raised his hands.

“Of course. I apologize.” He awkwardly shuffled away, said some platitude about how he hoped Mom took the company for all they were worth, and shame burned Luke’s ears.

He’d been taught to respect his elders, but some ideas needed to go out of style already. “Man of the house” indeed.

Mom was holding court with well-wishers up front, her customer service face back on. He caught her eye, pointing at Aaron, then pointing at the booth. She nodded, then went back to her conversation with Mrs. Acker.

“Hey bud, you want some chicken fingers?” He pulled out a kids’ menu with its activity side up and the two-pack of crayons Mr. Robinson kept for the little ones.

Aaron nodded and peeled the cellophane off the crayons.

“Okay, I’ll be right back.”

“Kay.” Aaron had only given one-word answers since Luke got there. It was a shock for his chatty little brother to be so silent. But then, none of them felt like themselves right now. Mom was their anchor, but Marcus had been the chain that tied her to the boat. Now they were all adrift.

He moved to the back of the line for the food, but everyone in front of him backed away, indicating he should go first. Luke’s cheeks burned, but since the food was for Aaron, he didn’t complain.

Still, he filled two plates, one with a sandwich for him, and chicken for Aaron. They could split the fries.

A familiar voice jolted him from his thoughts. “You eating for two or something, man?”

“Felix!” Luke’s best friend and next-door neighbor growing up, Felix Acker, stood behind him with his own plate.

With his hands full, he couldn’t hug him, so he gestured for Felix to follow him with his head and returned to Aaron.

His little brother looked up from his doodles and reached for the fried chicken as Luke set it down.

Luke gave his best friend a bracing hug. “How you been?”

“Good. I think I’ll be able to open my store next year.”

“Congratulations,” Luke slapped him on the shoulder. “I’ll have to come check it out between assignments.”

“How’s agent life?”

Luke let out a breath. “Classified.” They both chuckled. “No, no, it’s all good. I love that I’m making a difference. It feels … significant. You know what I mean?”

Felix nodded. “It’s satisfying for you. I’m not surprised. You always played Lawful Good characters.”

Luke shook his head and gestured for Felix to sit across from them in the booth, as they’d done so many times in high school while Mom was working. After a few bites of their sandwiches, Felix continued.

“Grace sends her condolences. She wasn’t able to get away from the restaurant on such short notice.”

“When did they open?”

“About a week ago.” Felix gazed down at the meal.

Luke squinted at his best friend. They might not talk much after Luke moved away, but he knew his friend was keeping something from him. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s not important today.”

“The fu—fudge it isn’t.” He glanced at Aaron to see if he’d caught his almost-slip. Mom didn’t approve of swearing in front of her baby, but Aaron was in his own little world so Luke was in the clear.

Felix sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose. “She’s getting married.”

“Dude.” Luke’s heart sank. He’d thought for sure once Grace finished culinary school, he’d come home and see what had been in front of her their whole lives. But Felix was out of luck.

His best friend shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about it today.”

Luke sighed. “Well, I’ll be undercover for a while, but I can call you once the assignment is done.”

Felix shrugged. “There’s nothing to really discuss.”

“Are you going to the wedding?”

He grimaced. “I don’t know.”

“Luke? What’s undercover?” Aaron’s tiny voice piped up from next to him. About half his chicken fingers were gone, and the fries were cold, so Luke dumped ketchup onto his plate to make them palatable. Aaron wouldn’t eat ketchup or cold fries, so they were all Luke’s.

“Undercover means I’m pretending to be someone else. That way the bad guys let me in and get evidence on what they’re doing.”

“And then you catch them?”

“Me or my fellow agents, yeah.” There was no distraction quite like explaining the nuances of FBI work to an eight-year-old.

The next day, Luke packed up his SUV and got ready to hit the road bright and early. Mom made him breakfast so she could see him off.

“Be safe, you.” She wrapped him in a hug on the porch.

“I will, Mom.” He lingered more than he probably should have if he wanted to get on the road.

“I can’t lose you, too,” she said with a shaky voice.

“I’ll do my best, Mom. I’m careful and I’m well-trained.”

She dabbed at her eyes and nodded as she pulled away.

Just as Luke said, “I wish I could say goodbye to Aaron,” the front door creaked open. A barefoot Aaron stepped out in his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pajamas, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Luke kneeled down and held out his arms. “Hey buddy, I gotta go.”

Aaron stumbled into his hug, and he held on tight. “Do you have to?”

Heart breaking, Luke squeezed tighter. “I’m sorry. Be good for Mom, okay?”

His baby brother nodded, and when they stepped apart, Aaron tapped twice over his heart.

Luke’s mouth tried to curve up despite the pain in his chest, but he tapped over the aching organ in their secret code as Mom looked on with a teary smile. He slid into his SUV and backed out of the driveway, with what was left of his family waving at him on the porch.