MARA SIMMONS TUCKED her tote bag under her arm and rushed to catch up with her twin brother. She’d brought along several of her favorite movies, a couple of library books, as well as a pack of playing cards and some snacks. All Matt had told her was that Eli and Kay were in hiding but that Eli had asked him to drive up. She’d jumped at the chance to come along, and not just because she figured poor Kay had to be going crazy stuck in a house with Eli for the past two weeks.
There was a good chance she might need Eli’s help with something soon. Now was as good a time as any to start building up brownie points.
“So, why did we park so far away?” Mara huffed, already irritated that she had to lug her heavy tote bag so far.
“I don’t want to park right in front of the house. They’re trying to keep a low profile, not advertise that there’s a bunch of people there.”
“Oh, right. That makes sense.”
They crossed through several yards. Matt seemed like he knew where he was going, so she kept her mouth shut and followed his lead. It occurred to her then that he knew the way because he’d lived here for a few months last year. It was so weird sometimes to think that there were stretches of his life she wasn’t a part of. For years they’d shared so much that it was a foreign feeling to not know something about him. It made her feel distant and more than just a little lonely.
“We’re here. Approaching from the back.” Matt had his cell phone to his ear. He held up his hand to halt Mara’s steps. A few seconds later, the curtains on the back windows of the house in front of them moved to the side slightly.
“Okay, thanks.” Matt hung up and then twitched his head toward the house. “Come on. They’re waiting for us.”
“This is all very cloak-and-dagger. I had no idea your life was so mysterious.”
Matt scoffed and gave her a sardonic look. “There’s nothing mysterious about it. I just had to call ahead and warn them so they won’t shoot us.”
“What?” Mara stopped walking again.
Matt smirked.
She pursed her lips and shook her head slowly. “Ha ha. Very funny.”
“Thanks for coming with me, by the way,” Matt said. “Kay is probably feeling pretty isolated right about now. I think she could use a little girl talk.”
Mara suppressed a twinge of guilt. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see Kay. She did. Of course, she wouldn’t have been quite as eager to give up her weekend if she didn’t need to ask Eli for a favor. She hitched her bag higher on her shoulder. To be honest, she was probably in need of girl talk just as much as Kay. Once she asked Eli for help, she wouldn’t be able to take it back. And it wasn’t something she felt comfortable discussing with her brother or any of their other friends.
But Kay was a relative newcomer to their group. She could give an unbiased opinion on the whole mess.
The back door opened and Matt stepped back to allow her to go first. As soon as she crossed the threshold, she was grabbed by the arm.
“Mara! I’m so glad you’re here, too!”
Her breath left her lungs as Kay tackled her in a hug tight enough to almost knock the wind out of her. Ridley gave her a hug, too.
“I am so happy to see you guys.” Kay looked between her and Ridley with a big smile.
The poor girl, Mara thought. She’d probably been going crazy out here with only Eli’s gruff company for the past few weeks.
“Don’t worry I came prepared for us to have a girl’s night right here. I brought movies and snacks.” Mara held up her tote bag.
The guys were already huddled around the kitchen counter, looking at a bunch of files. Tank was on the end, looking somber as usual. Matt stood next to Eli. They both looked tense.
“I want to hear what the guys found out first.” Kay sat down in one of the kitchen chairs and crossed her legs.
Eli’s lips tightened. “You don’t need to stick around for this.”
“I want to know what’s going on. If I’m in danger, I should be aware of it.”
Matt glanced at Eli, then brought the files over to her. “Eli asked us to go over all our cases that had incident reports to look for commonalities. Then we can hopefully spot something that will give us a clue.”
Tank stood in the corner, not speaking.
She didn’t know him well, but he’d always seemed like the kind of guy who spoke his mind. “So, who do you think is behind it,” Mara asked him.
“It had to be someone who knows Kaylee. Really well.”
Eli grimaced. “Tank, a word outside.”
Kay looked at her before jumping up. “Wait a minute. I want to know who he suspects. I’m not that fragile, Eli. I can take it.” She looked at Tank. “Who do you think it is?”
“Your friend. Sasha.”
Kay gasped. “Why would you think Sasha has anything to do with this?”
Matt cleared his throat. “She’s been depositing large amounts of cash for the past year. There’s no way she’s earning all that money at her job.”
Kay suddenly became very interested in her toes. “Oh, about that. I might not have been totally honest about her job.”
Eli suddenly looked murderous. Mara took a step back. “Maybe we should come back later.”
Kay sprang forward and grabbed her arm. “No, don’t leave. It’s not that big of a deal. I just didn’t want to tell you because, well, because Sasha’s still a little embarrassed about it. She’s been singing at this club lately and the owner pays her in cash. Under the table.”