Lisa Childs - The Agent's Redemption

Fear gripped Rebecca. She glanced down at the photo of Lexi and Amy Wilcox, smiling, with their arms around each other. She wished she’d known how they knew each other—what had connected them in the past. Because she had a horrible feeling they had another connection—that they were both dead—murdered by the same man.

But why would Harris have murdered Amy? Rebecca needed to go through her sister’s things again and try to figure out how Lexi had known Amy and if Harris would have known her, too.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Jared told whoever was on the phone. Then he clicked off the cell and slid it back into his pocket.

“Did they find her body?” she asked. Tears stung her eyes with sympathy for what the young woman’s family would go through—for the loss and pain.

He lifted his shoulders, but it wasn’t a shrug. “There’s been no confirmation yet. I have to leave, though.”

He was the one who would make the confirmation—the one who knew the case better than everyone else no matter how short a time he had been working it. He would have immersed himself in it. He had even risked seeing her again, although he’d had no idea how she might react, in order to investigate the connection between Amy Wilcox and Lexi.

Despite saying he had to leave, he stood in front of her yet—as if there was something he wanted to say or do before he left her. He lifted his hand to her face and skimmed his fingers across her cheek, brushing back a stray lock of hair.

Her breath caught in her throat, choking her—choking back the words she needed to say. The truth.

He leaned down a little—as if he intended to cover her mouth with his. To kiss her...

She wanted his kiss. Her pulse quickened in anticipation of his lips sliding over hers. And she closed her eyes.

But his mouth never touched hers. She opened her eyes to find that he’d moved. His head was no longer bowed toward hers. And he’d taken a step back.

He took another step. “I—I need to leave.”

She nodded. “I understand.”

Unfortunately, he probably had a body to identify. And then he would be caught up in the investigation. He might come back—to follow up on the connection with Lexi. Or he might be too busy to come back, so he would send another agent instead.

He took another step back, nearing the door. Then he turned and reached for the knob.

Maybe it was because his back was turned. Maybe it was because she wasn’t sure if she would ever see him again, but she blurted out, “Alex is your son.”

His hand tightened into a fist around the doorknob. She thought he was going to open the door and just walk out. But then he turned around and strode back to her, and his gaze pierced her heart with its intensity.

Her chest ached as her heart hammered with fear and guilt. She expected an outburst. Angry words. Accusations. At least questions.

He had to have so many questions.

Answers jumbled together in her mind.

You said we shouldn’t see each other again.

I didn’t know if you would think I got pregnant to trap you.

I didn’t know if you even wanted to be a father .

His mouth opened, but no words came out. Maybe his questions were as jumbled in his mind as her answers were in hers. Then he shook his head. In denial of her claim? Didn’t he believe Alex was his son?

Maybe he thought she was trying to trap him even now. She had obviously wanted his kiss moments ago—moments before he’d walked away.

But a muscle twitched in his cheek. And those usually pale brown eyes had darkened with emotion. Then he turned away from her and walked back to the door. He didn’t hesitate this time. He turned the knob and stepped out.

She tensed, bracing herself for the door to slam behind him. It closed with a soft click, but that click echoed throughout the living room with a finality that left her shaking.

Would he come back to ask any questions? Or did he not care that he had a son? Didn’t he want to see Alex? To form a relationship—a bond—with his boy?

Nervous that her legs might give out, she dropped onto the sofa. What the hell had she just done?

He was on his way to identify a body—the body of a woman whose family was probably still holding out hope for her safe return. And then once Jared confirmed the identity, he would have to notify that family of their loss.

She couldn’t have picked a worse moment to tell him the truth. He was in the middle of an investigation. And she knew how investigations consumed him.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured. Not only had she not been fair to Jared but she hadn’t been fair to Alex, either.

She should have told them both years ago. She shouldn’t have denied them the relationship they deserved to have. Why had she been so selfish?

Regret and guilt had tears stinging her eyes. But giving in to the tears would be selfish, too, and would accomplish nothing.

She would make it up to Alex. Somehow.

But she wasn’t sure that Jared would ever give her the chance. She wasn’t sure that he would ever forgive her.

The phone rang, shattering the silence of her living room. She grabbed up the cordless from the table next to the couch, so that the ringing wouldn’t awaken Alex. She wouldn’t even be able to look at her son now—not without guilt overwhelming her.

The number was blocked on the caller ID, so she hoped it wasn’t a reporter. Maybe she should have just hit the off button. But she found herself saying, “Hello?”

And hoping it was Jared. Maybe he’d found his words. His questions. She would even welcome his accusations now.

She just wanted him to give her a chance to explain.

But there was only silence.

Maybe he hadn’t found his words yet.

“Hello?” she said again.

A reporter would have talked, would have fired a million questions at her. It had to be him. He was probably just too mad to speak to her.

“Jared?”

“No, Becca,” a male voice finally spoke. It was low and raspy, and she wasn’t certain that she’d ever heard it before. But how did he know the nickname that only Lexi and Jared had ever called her?

“Who is this?” she asked.

The silence fell again, but there was no dial tone. He hadn’t hung up. He was still there.

“Who is this?” she asked again, and goose bumps raised her skin as unease sent a chill running through her. She shouldn’t entertain some crank caller. She began to lift the phone away from her ear to hang up.

Then he spoke again in that raspy, nearly unintelligible whisper. “You need to be careful...”

“Careful?” She didn’t live a life of adventure. She lived a quiet life—focused on her son and her job.

“You need to be careful,” the person spoke again—this time with more urgency.

“Why?” she asked.

“You’re being watched.”

She peered out the window. The sun was beginning to set, setting the window aglow with a yellow glare. She couldn’t see anything but the yellow shimmer in the trees and across the grass. If someone was out there, she couldn’t see them. Were the reporters staked out there somewhere? Waiting to ambush her when she left for work in the morning?

“I know,” she murmured. Those damn reporters.

They’d been relentless during the investigation into Lexi’s case. They had followed her everywhere. And even after the case had gone cold, they’d checked in with her from time to time—wanting to interview her. Wanting to dredge up the tragedy and her pain...

“You don’t know,” the person said. “You don’t know...”

She shivered at the ominous tone. “What don’t I know?”

“That you’re in danger.”

The line clicked with the same finality with which the door had closed behind Jared. Then the dial tone peeled out.