The Cinderella Mission (Family Secrets #1)(38)
Author: Catherine Mann

His choice of topics stilled her. “Yes, I remember.” She remembered every word this man had ever said to her, knew she always would. Could she be as indelibly stamped on his memory?

“That isn’t the whole story.” He scrubbed a hand along the scrape on his cheek. “There was a kidnapping attempt made on me. It went to hell during the car chase and my parents died.”

The chill from the wood floor and his words seeped into her. Thoughts of seduction faded. He’d only been five years old. What must those young eyes have seen? How much had he understood? Regardless of how much he consciously remembered, the loss of his family would have scarred a part of his soul. Combined with losing his fiancée, my God, no wonder the man had fears about the danger of his job. He understood too well what it was like being the one left behind.

“How awful for you.” She twisted her hands in her lap to keep from touching him, regretting that her bold approach had robbed her of offering a comfort she would once have given him easily. This assignment and their out-of-control attraction had damaged, if not ruined, their friendship. The years stretched out ahead of her with a strange pall without him in the picture.

Ethan scrubbed a hand along his five o’clock shadow that had slipped somewhere closer to a seven o’clock beard. “The guy in the other car died, too. I’ve always been told my au pair, Iona,” a tic twitched his eye at the mention of the name, “was responsible for selling information, and that she died along with the other driver. Now, it seems there was more to it.”

As if that wasn’t enough. “How did you find out?”

“Hatch has more information on my parents’ deaths. For some reason, the CIA was involved in the investigation. That information is mine when this case is finished.” His elbows on his knees, he leaned toward her. “I want it, Kelly. More than anything. I have to know the rest of what happened that day.”

The intensity of his need seared her. She’d focused on her own goals in this investigation, never once considering why Ethan might be so driven. “Of course you do.”

“I’ve tried to find out what I could on my own, but without whatever Hatch has, I’m stuck.”

A dangerous thought entered her mind. “You’ve tried to find out on your own?”

“On my own time.”

“Oh, I didn’t doubt that.” How long had he known? Her sympathy for him began a slow disintegration. “Did you ever consider asking me for help?”

“No.”

“Of course not.” The rush of surviving their fall into the mine, the afterglow of what they’d shared faded as reality intruded. They’d worked together for almost two weeks and still he didn’t value what she had to offer.

Maybe her anger had more to do with the sting of rejection and a physical frustration bordering on pain. Her voice rose and she didn’t bother reining it in. “I have access to things in that office. Believe it or not, I’m actually damned good at chasing a paper trail.”

“Well, yippee for you.” Anger seeped into his rising voice. “And did you ever think of telling me about that…” his jaw flexed, “…pervert in your past? I’m actually damned good at creep-chasing.”

“No,” she conceded, begrudgingly. She hated hanging out her old hurts for the world to see, especially when she’d been trying hard to stay on her toes for her first field assignment. “I didn’t.”

“Guess that doesn’t say much about our so-called friendship, does it?”

“Guess not,” she snapped.

So much for the afterglow. She took slow deep breaths to keep from hyperventilating on the anger and hurt.

“He’s still out there, Kelly.” Ethan plowed a hand through his hair, dislodging a shower of dust. “What if he’s the one responsible for all these ‘accidents’?”

The thought paralyzed her for three heartbeats. Then she remembered she wasn’t the same person she’d been then. Her frustration mushroomed. “It’s not likely after all this time, but I’ll look into that possibility when we’re out of here. If so, I’ll take care of it.”

He grabbed her shoulders. “Like hell you will!”

“Like hell you will!” She wouldn’t back down.

“If you think just because we—”

The door creaked open—admitting the boss himself. ARIES Director Samuel Hatch strode into the room, followed by Clyde.

She cut off the flow of angry words begging to pour out and rose to her feet in the slow glide Eugenie had taught her for commanding a room. “Good evening, sir.”

“Taylor,” he nodded to each of them, “Williams. I’m glad my trip out was precipitate and that you’re both all right.” He shrugged out of his trench coat, shaking snow free.

Clyde tugged at his beard. “Sorry to be an alarmist. Those old instincts die hard. Never know who’s out there wanting to put a slug in your back.”

Kelly’s mind filled with images brought on by two years worth of working files about cases such as Clyde would have seen. Like the one that had taken him out of the CIA. Yes, those experiences would mark a person even fifteen years after quitting the job. And she’d signed on for that.

A high price she was willing to pay. But was there something to what Ethan said about not asking a family to take on the same burden?

Clyde passed her a stack of clothes with a bar of soap and a travel-sized shampoo on top. “I rustled up some clean clothes for you, ma’am. Water heater’s all fired up, too. Y’all can take turns with the shower. Sorry the other water heaters are off in the other cabins for the winter, so there’s just the one.” He pointed with his finger stub. “Come with me and I’ll show you the way.”

Kelly looked from Ethan to Hatch, feeling too much like a shuffled-aside piece of office furniture.

Hatch nodded reassurance her way. “It’s okay, Taylor. We can’t talk here anyway. We’ll have a more formal debrief on the return flight where it’s secure.”

“I look forward to it.” Kelly backed toward the door, Ethan’s eyes meeting hers with none of the warmth or smiles she’d come to recognize, yearn for, the past two years.

She’d botched it big-time.

Kelly turned her back on what she didn’t want to see, but couldn’t escape. She’d valued their easy friendship, every moment together over the past two years feeding that ridiculous crush. And now she had to face that it had all been an illusion. Some kind of shallow relationship with no basis in honesty or trust.