Allison Brennan - Fatal Secrets

“Dean’s the lucky one. I never thought he’d get married to anything but his job. And giving up that post in Washington, oh, sorry. Is that a sore point?”

“Not at all.” Dean had given up his prestigious position in Washington to relocate to Sacramento and take the job as assistant special agent in charge. Some might think it was a demotion, but Dean told her he wanted the change of pace, the challenge and her. “Sacramento is your home. This is where your family is. They’re going to be my family. I’m not leaving them. I love them, almost as much as I love you.”

Will said, “I thought I’ll sneak away for a few minutes. My wife wanted to take a walk through that park down the street.”

“It’s a nice place. Riley and I played baseball and soccer and basketball there all the time. There’s a little zoo if you walk all the way to the other side, right next to the church.”

“You don’t mind, do you? Thirty minutes?”

“Take all the time you want.”

“Where’s Dean?”

“I don’t know. He had an errand.”

Will’s redheaded wife came running in. “Ready?” she said and they went off on their walk, hand in hand.

Sonia turned back to the window. The Rogans, two of them anyway, were there. Sean Rogan was showing Andres something-a card game, Sonia thought. Great, just what she needed-Andres beating them at yet another game. The kid was a whiz. She didn’t know what was going to happen to him, but she was pulling every string, and she had a lot she could pull, to keep him here. Owen and Marianne loved him and wanted him. He had no one else.

Kane couldn’t make it, but Sonia wasn’t surprised. He rarely came to the States anymore. But he’d called her that morning and they talked about Charlie and the past, as well as the future. “You forgave him, he knows that,” Kane had said. “And he died a hero. That’s all he wanted.”

“I’m looking for Ashley Fox,” she’d told him. “We found Jones’s old journals and are piecing together information. But-”

“You think she’s dead.”

“Yes, But I’ll confirm it if it’s the last thing I do. Her mother deserves to know what happened.” And for Charlie.

She’d never forget the night in the mine. She’d never forget the cloying fear. It didn’t matter that she’d come out on the other side and hadn’t let her claustrophobia beat her, she still woke up shaking, feeling the weight of the world on top of her…

“Sonia.”

She smiled, recognizing her husband’s voice. She turned and was surprised to see a young pretty woman with him.

“Maya.”

The girl nodded, looked at Dean with wide eyes. “Andres?” she asked.

“He’s out back,” Sonia said.

Dean walked Maya outside and Sonia watched from the window again. When Andres saw his sister, love and relief crossed his face. He ran to her and hugged her tightly. Tears streamed down their faces, and Sonia’s own tears flowed as well.

She heard Dean return to the kitchen and turned and embraced him. “You found her.”

“I didn’t want to get your hopes up again,” he said. Ever since they’d cracked Jones’s code a week after the mine incident, they’d thought they’d found Maya twice. Each time they’d been mistaken, though they’d rescued several underage prostitutes in the process.

“How is she?”

“She’s okay.” He wiped away her tears. “She’s strong, like you. She’ll need help, but she’ll make it. Because of family.” They looked out the window as Andres introduced his sister to Owen and Marianne. “I told your parents yesterday morning. They want Maya, too.”

“I’m going to cry all over again.” She took a deep breath. “That was a wonderful surprise. You are incredible.”

“Just call me Mr. Incredible.”

She laughed and kissed him, savoring his taste. “I can hardly wait until tonight, and you’d better be Mr. Incredible.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Tonight? What’s tonight?” He smiled and kissed her. “I have one more surprise.”

“I don’t think I can handle any more excitement.”

“Just this one.”

“All right. One more.” She grinned as she followed him out the side door. They walked down the street. It was the most beautiful Fourth of July-hot, blue, and free. She was free, and she would never forget anything-the good and the bad-that had brought her to this place, these people, this peace.

“Where are we going?” she asked when they turned the corner.

He didn’t answer her, but pulled her along. He was grinning and practically bouncing on the balls of his feet-very unlike the serious Dean Hooper she knew.

“Dean, what’s going on?”

“Be patient.”

“I’m not a patient person.”

“Fifty feet.”

“What?”

He stopped in front of a two-story Mission-style house with a wide porch and flowers everywhere. It fronted the quiet side of South Land Park, two blocks from her parents’ house.

There was a real estate sign in the front yard. Underneath it was a sign that said sold.

Her heart thudded. “What’s this?”

“Our home.”