“I’ve got the address for The Institute.” Sin pushed out of the chair. “I’ll be going dark.”
“Jacoby’s in good hands,” Dakota replied. “I’ve got this.”
As the brothers strode down the hallway, Sin said, “It could have turned out differently for Monty.”
“From day one, he was never willing to put in the time or the effort. He was all about instant gratification.” Dakota shook his head. “If Evangeline hadn’t stopped him, it would have turned out differently forus.”
“Hey.”
Sin and Dakota turned as Evangeline and the doctor exited the exam room.
“You okay?” Sin asked.
“The picture of health, aside from my elevated blood pressure and rapid heart rate.”
“Excuse me,” said Dr. Joyce. “I’m going to check on Mr. Jones before I head out.” She eyed each of them. “Take care of yourselves, okay?” And with that, she walked down the hall.
Evangeline eyed Dakota. “What happened to Monty?”
“I took care of it,” he replied.
“Won’t forensics find our fingerprints?” she asked. “What about our skin residue?”
“There’s no body to find.” Dakota offered nothing more.
While Sin could live with what they’d done, he worried that Evangeline could not.
“I’ve got the location of The Institute,” Sin interjected. “It’s thirty-eight minutes away.”
Evangeline’s eyes widened. “That’s great. Let’s go.”
Sanchez poked her head out of the kitchen. “The Fields’ have booked a flight home.”
Evangeline hurried into the kitchen with Sin and Dakota on her heels.
“We’ll need you as back up,” Sin said to Sanchez. Then, he eyed Evangeline. “You’re covered in blood.” He wet a paper towel and gently wiped her face.
“Evangeline, I’ve got a clean shirt you can wear.” Dakota bolted out of the room.
As Sin cleaned her cheeks and forehead, she stared into his eyes. Even in the chaos, love was the glue that held them together. When finished, he whispered, “We’ll find them.”
She changed into Dakota’s shirt and they hurried into the oversized garage. Sin directed them to one of Dakota’s SUVs. After the door rose, the glaring light of midday had him slipping on his brother’s shades and hitting the gas.
En route, he handed both women earpieces. “Tap once to speak. It stays on unless you tap twice, then it mutes.”
They discussed strategy, included best and worst-case scenarios. He was a realist and didn’t want to candy coat what they might find. If Uncle Charlie had sold Robert to the Fields’, Hannah might already be dead.
They drove west, toward the Shenandoah Mountains, where the homes were separated by acres and barren trees populated the open spaces. Forty minutes later, Sin’s GPS said they’d arrived, but there was no building in the vicinity. He slowed down.
Evangeline pointed. “That looks like a dirt road.”
Sin turned onto an unmarked road. After half a mile, they rounded a corner. A large, white, three-story building loomed ahead. The modern structure looked like an office building.
As they pulled into the parking lot, Sin said, “Let’s do this.”
* * *
Evangeline was going in with eyes wide open. And she was under no illusion that Hannah and Robert were even here. After tucking her Glock into the back of her pants beneath her coat, she exited the vehicle.
