Does Nana Sue know?
“I know it’s a long shot, but did your parents, the Novaks, bank in Dallas?” Ryan asked, interrupting my thoughts.
“Not that I know of.” Not that I knew much. They used a local bank, the same one I use, but that didn’t mean they didn’t also bank in Dallas.
“That’s okay, we’ll look into it,” Ryan said.
Why’d they ask when they could just use their CIA connections to find out?
My vision blurred as I stared at the baggies on the table. What would they find out? Would they find anything?
What had my parents left me? Would I ever know, or would the questions haunt me for the rest of my life?
I straightened my back and remembered Nana Sue’s advice. Plastering my customer service smile on my face, I asked, “Do you think you’ll find anything?”
Austin held eye contact for two heartbeats before his hand found mine. He squeezed without breaking said intense eye contact. “What do you want to hear?”
“The truth.”
He inhaled deeply. His thumb stroked my wrist in the most distracting way. His eye contact never wavered.
“I’ll do everything in my power to get you the answers you need, but I can’t promise when or if I’ll find them.”
Austin’s intensity sent a shiver down my spine. My fingers itched to curl around his.
What am I thinking? I can’t hold his hand.
Resisting the urge, I stiffened my fingers as I released the breath I’d been holding on a shaky exhale. Austin’s honesty was refreshing, but not comforting.
I nodded and whispered, “Thank you.”
Jack walked in, a coffee in one hand and a laptop in the other.
When Austin pulled his hand back, I missed his warm, comforting touch immediately. “What’d you find?” he asked.
I wondered if they always acted like this. They’d be joking one second and serious the next. They’d be nice and comforting one moment, and cold and calculating the next.
The constant energy shifts kept me off balance.
“I have a list of possibilities, but nothing concrete.” Jack sat across the table, next to Jamie. “Give me a second and I’ll put it on the screen.”
I sat, wringing my hands in my lap, as Jack tapped away on his keyboard.
Ryan talked to Austin, but they’d leaned in close so I couldn’t hear what he was saying. From the look on Ryan’s pinched face, it wasn’t good.
Jay watched the interaction with what I could only describe as a knowing grin on his face.
What does he know?
Jamie leaned over Jack and looked at his screen.
“Jamie, it’ll be on the big screen sooner if you stop hovering,” Jack said to his older brother.
Jamie laughed and sat back in his chair.
“If Austin can wait patiently, so can you,” Jack said.
The part of Austin visible above the table looked calm, but his foot was tapping out a fast rhythm under the table, so I didn’t think he was all that patient.
