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“Thanks, guys.” I open my laptop once more to bring up the registration site. “I don’t know how long this is going to take. Hopefully, it will be some easy wins and only takes a week tops.” I have a strong suspicion I’m about to be very on edge for the next couple of weeks.
“Take all the time you need. Are you staying here in Rockport or are you going back to Evercrest?” Steel asks, suddenly serious. I know he’s concerned about what going back there is going to mean. Hell, I can’t lie and say I’m not either. I haven’t stepped foot back in that city since the day I left. When I do visit my father, he comes to me.
“I see no reason to stay there. We’re only thirty minutes away. That’s enough time to easily get back and forth. The less time I show my face around there, the better. I don’t want Emma to know anything about this until I win. Well, hopefully, if everything goes to plan.” I look back down at the computer to finish the entry form. It’s just some basic demographic information and then requires some information from the gym we are entering under. Guess it’s a good thing we have our own gym here that is used to train our new recruits. We recently opened it up for beginner classes for those interested in learning self-defense and those interested in joining the military who want to get some hand-to-hand training.
“Done. Application submitted.” I close the laptop once more. “From now on, I will be going by Parker Ryan. Thank fuck we created all those identifications for us last year. It’s about to come in handy.” I smirk, putting my hands behind my head, leaning back in my chair, and placing my feet on the corner of my desk.
“Game on, Robert. Game on.”
“This is about to get interesting. Do we still have eyes on the town? On Emma?” Knox questions, pulling out his phone.
Little known fact. Robert may think he owns the town, but I have spent this time carving out little pieces for my company to own. We always maintain eyes on the town and, more importantly, eyes on Emma. Well as best as we can. She has hardly been seen outside the mansion in ten years, shortly after the summer we graduated. We still haven’t figured out what secret Robert is hiding and why he keeps her locked up.
Getting eyes into his and Nora’s compounds has been tricky. We still don’t have information from there most days. Alerts are set up to be notified when Emma leaves the compound in her Jeep. Thank fuck for small mercies that she is sentimental and loves that Jeep. If she had gotten a new car, tracking her movements would have been harder.
“Um, Trevor, you may want to check this update the team just sent us,” Knox states questioningly without looking up from his phone. “Emma just dropped a young girl off at Evercrest Elementary. Did we know she had a daughter? I don’t think that’s in our profile.”
Fuck.
I launch myself back upright and pull up the email on my phone. This can’t be right. We have been watching the family for five years. Nowhere has it been mentioned about a young girl.
“They even provided a picture.” Steel chimes in moving from his spot against the bookcase to one of the leather chairs in front of my desk. “She looks like Emma, except for the eyes. Those blue eyes are definitely not hers.”
“No one in her family has blue eyes,” I quietly add, staring at the picture.Did Emma meet someone during the time I was gone? I wouldn’t be mad if she moved on, but I know the love we shared between us was one that doesn’t fade easily.
“Did either of you see a name listed for her? The update had little to no information.” I look back at my brothers after scanning the email for the second time to make sure I didn’t miss it.
“Nah, man,” Steel shakes his head. “All we got is two pictures. One of the little girl and another of Emma walking hand in hand with her.”
“Who the hell is she? If it wasn’t for the eyes, I would guess a little sister. Though that time frame would be a tad awkward.” Emma’s mother died when she was in high school, and I don’t remember ever hearing or seeing anything about Robert getting remarried since. I stare at the pictures longer. Something doesn’t sit right with me. How have they managed to hide a child so well for all these years?
Shoving my chair back, I start to pace behind my desk. Where do I know those blue eyes from? They look so familiar. We're missing something. This doesn’t make sense. I feel like I should know those eyes.
“Have the team double-check all the information we have about Emma and see if they can find out who this girl is! I want a report by the end of the day.” After growling out my orders, I head towards the door. A workout is the only way to work off this anger. I hate having unanswered questions when they involve the women I love.
“You got it, Boss,” Knox replies.
* * *
“Gotthat report you asked for, Boss.” Sky calls out as she approaches me thirty minutes into my workout.
That was fast.
Everyone knows to say something as they approach me when I’m working out. I tend to get so into the moment that paying attention to my surroundings goes out the window. But Sky has never had to worry since she’s always been extremely careful when she approaches any of us. Several of my employees have already been flipped and pinned for forgetting to announce their arrival.
Their fault.
I stop my movements and run my arm across my forehead, wiping the sweat. “Update, Sky.” I nod to her while grabbing my water bottle off the bench nearby to take a swing. A few droplets run down my chin, the cold water feeling good against the sweat on my skin.
“The girl's name is Alexis, Sir. We are unable to determine who she is to Emma; the records are sealed. We will have to send someone to city hall to see if they can find a paper trail. Though knowing our enemy, they rarely ever leave one of those.” She glances back up at me from her tablet clenched in her hands. When she spoke her tone was even, but I could hear a small bit of anger in her voice. She doesn’t like being bested.
Sky’s always been a shy girl. For a while, we didn’t think she would cut it in this lifestyle, even if her tech skills are amazing. It’s taken time, but she has slowly grown accustomed to all of us around her. She no longer runs scared and keeps her head down in the halls. Now, she speaks her mind, at least to my brothers and me, never afraid to give it to us straight and stand up to us if she knows we’re wrong.
“Do we have a last name, age, or anything else?”
“No last name, sir. It was left off her school registration paperwork. She is nine years old and entering grade four.” Sky looked down at her tablet again to verify her information.
“Nine, you say? Do you have her birthday?” I run my hand along the back of my neck. Something really does not add up here.
