Evangeline chuckled. “Thanks for pushing that through. I really appreciate it.”
“Happy to help. I’ll keep you posted on the email results.” As Joanne left, Evangeline’s desk phone rang.
She picked up. “Worthington.”
“Evangeline, it’s Jim. Can you swing by my office?”
With coffee in hand, she headed to her boss’s office. A tremor skittered through her. The last time she’d been called in, her world had imploded around her. Once there, she eased into the chair across from his desk.
“How’s the case coming along?”
“Snails are whizzing by me like Ferraris.”
He laughed. “That bad, huh? Can I help speed things up?”
“Joanne just expedited the DNA results for me. I’ll let you know if anything else surfaces.”
“You’ve been fully absorbed in the case for the past couple of weeks, and I wanted to give you space to get the ball rolling.”
“Everything okay?”
“There’s a Special Agent spot opening up here in the next month or two.” He smiled. “I hope you’ll consider interviewing for it. I’d love to be able to offer you a permanent position on my team.”
“I appreciate that.”
He frowned. “You seem reserved.”
She nodded. “Like you said, I’ve been absorbed in this case. I’ll jump online and look for the position.”
“It hasn’t been posted yet. I’ll forward you the link as soon as it goes live.”
She rose. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” As she headed back to her cubicle, she knew why she wasn’t fist pumping the air. Though Jim had just given her a reason to stay, she hadn’t reconciled her past actions with her principles.
She texted Sin. “Hey, babe, what’s the word?”
“Internal meeting. Done in an hour. Meet at home?”
“Yes,” she replied, dropping into her chair.
She’d been working twelve-hour days and frustration had tainted her attitude. In all the years she’d worked in law enforcement, putting together a basic profile had never been this difficult. She unlocked her screen and checked email. A new one from Kiki Washington waited to be read.
Yes! Thank you, Joanne.
One click and she was in. As she read Charlene’s DNA results, her brain stuttered to a stop.
“No way,” she murmured. “No effin’ way.”
LATER THAT EVENING, Evangeline got comfortable on the Luck family room floor while Sammy poured more imaginary tea into child-sized plastic teacups. The little girl plopped down beside her and grinned up at her. Despite her angst, Evangeline smiled back.
“I’m happy we get to have a tea party together,” Evangeline said. “Where is Miss Lady? Can she join us?”
Sammy jumped up, ran to the sofa and tenderly lifted the doll before carrying her over. “She likes tea parties, too.”
Sin and Dakota walked in from the kitchen where they’d spent the last thirty minutes talking quietly. Sin’s jaw was set in a hard line, a shadow had darkened his normally bright eyes. The anger he carried around with him had been unleashed yet again. When his gaze met hers, he didn’t smile. But she knew his rage wasn’t directed at her.
The second Dakota laid eyes on his daughter, he smiled, but she could see the pain on his face. Most of the color had drained from his cheeks. Was anger his go-to like Sin, or did he have another emotion he carried—loaded, cocked, and ready to fire?
When Dakota knelt by Sammy, Evangeline went to Sin.
“Samantha Lynn, you sure are one lucky girl,” Dakota said. “We had family dinner on a Friday night. What do you think about that?”
She grinned. “And I get to have a tea party with E-Leen! Can you and Uncle Lalla have a tea party, too?”
Dakota kissed the top of her head. “Uncle Lalla and I have to work for a little while. I’ll be home as soon as I can. Bedtime is normal tonight.”
“But Daaaadddddy, E-Leen is here.” She jumped up and looked him in the eyes. “I want to stay up late!”
Dakota sighed. “I can change my work plans and put you to bed right now, young lady.”
“Nooooooo!” Tears filled her eyes. “I want to have a tea party with E-Leen.”
“After your tea party, a bedtime story, and then off to bed you go.”
Sammy stared at Dakota for an extra beat, then threw her arms around him. “Okay. I love you, Daddy.”
His expression softened as he hugged her. “I love you, too. I’ll kiss you goodnight twice when I get home.”
Dakota walked over to Evangeline. “Thanks for taking care of Sammy. I’ve got a guy nearby. You’ve got his number if you need anything.”
“We’ll be fine, right Sammy?”
Sammy nodded.
Dakota walked to the door and waited for his brother.
Evangeline gazed into Sin’s eyes. “Good luck.”
He dropped a brief peck on her lips and Sammy giggled. He said nothing, but the flash of hatred in his eyes told Evangeline plenty.
At half past nine, Sin picked the lock of the Chevy Chase estate while Dakota illuminated the doorknob with his phone’s flashlight.
Once inside, Dakota pulled a piece of paper from his back pocket and punched the numbers into the security system. As soon as the annoying beeping stopped, the brothers were plunged into silence.
Hours earlier, Jacoby had deactivated the home’s surveillance system, so the men were free to roam about without anyone being alerted to their intrusion. They meandered through the first floor until they found the bar, located off the kitchen. Dakota set two brandy snifters on the smooth surface and Sin poured Hennessy Cognac into each of the goblets. With drinks in hand, they made their way to the first-floor home office, which overlooked the backyard. Two accent floodlights were positioned in the grass, each pointing toward the back of the home. They painted the room in a soft glow, but the men found comfort hiding in the shadows.
Sin folded into the leather chair in the corner, but Dakota—too pent up to sit—leaned against the wall, masked by the shadow of red velvet curtains flanking the floor-to-ceiling picture window. In silence, the men sipped their brandy and waited.
The desk clock ticked off each second. Seconds turned to minutes. They refilled their snifters, returned to the office. The only sound was the rush of warm air from the furnace blowing heat through the upscale home.
Tick-tick-tick. The minutes dragged on.
Then, the front door opened and slammed shut. The deadbolt snapped into place. Light brightened the two-story foyer while the clicking of stilettos fractured the silence. Sin’s heart rate and his anger spiked, but his demeanor remained smooth and steady. Time to confront the ugly truth.
She entered the office, dropped her handbag on the mahogany desk and switched on the Tiffany desk lamp.
“Hello, Mother,” Sin said, his deep voice reverberating off the walls.
Gasping, Charlene jumped back. “What the hell? How did you get in here? I’m calling the police.”
Dakota stepped out from the shadows and aimed his Glock at her. “Do it and you’re dead, Mom.” He paused. “I’ll blow your fucking head off, have the place scrubbed and your body gone before your neighbors can decide if the sound they thought they heard was a gunshot.”