Page 73 of Sheltering You

“Is he?” By Michael’s tone, Derrick had missed something obvious.

“Isn’t he?” Though even as he asked the question, he saw what Michael meant. Uncle Gavin traveled an awful lot for a man who was retired. “He consults.”

“Uh-huh. But on what, and with whom? He’s doing something, and without more information, I just don’t know enough to trust him.”

Derrick stoked the fire and added a log. “Why would you have that kind of information?”

“You’d be surprised the things I know—or can find out, if I want to. The point is, the contractor where Gavin made most of his money is involved in some shady stuff. I don’t think he’d betray you or me. But Jasmine? Leila? If he had any idea who they were, if there was something in it for him…?”

“How are you going to hide them from him?”

“I’m not. But they’re going to get the same story the rest of the public gets. Leila and Jasmine are Iraqi immigrants who’ve been living in Germany for years. But if he sees Jasmine and Rabie… I just don’t want him digging.”

“He’s Dad’s brother, man. Do you really think⁠—?”

“I’m just telling you what’s what, bro. I trust our cousins. I mean, we can’t tell them the truth, but I trust them.”

“How magnanimous of you.”

“You get a thesaurus for your birthday?” Michael was trying to make a joke, but Derrick wasn’t amused.

He started pacing. He hadn’t had a workout in days, and all this sitting and worrying was grating on his nerves. He stalked from one end of the long great room to the other. “I think you’ve been a spy too long. If you distrust your own uncle⁠—”

“I’ll have a car delivered this afternoon.”

“A car?” Derrick stopped in the middle of the living area. “We just need a ride back to the airport. We can fly anywhere you want us to go.”

“No flying. I think those guys at the airport were waiting for you.”

“How?” This was news. New…news. He started moving again. “How could you possibly⁠—?”

“Security footage,” Michael said. “There was a guy just inside the door. When you drove by, he ran out and jumped into an SUV waiting at the curb.”

“It was at the curb?” Derrick hadn’t seen where the car came from, but… “That doesn’t make sense. How could he possibly have known⁠—?”

“I don’t know.” Michael sounded worried. “I don’t know, and I don’t like it. I sent Leila and Sophie to stay with Mom and Dad, just to be on the safe side. But if those guys knew who you were and where you lived, there’d be people in Shadow Cove already, and there aren’t. As far as I can tell, it’s safe. We fudged the records at the airport, so your tail number isn’t recorded properly right now, but if somebody saw you head to the plane, if somebody saw what plane you got into⁠—”

“They could see its history, see where I’m based. I get that. But still… How do you know Shadow Cove is safe? You’re not even there.”

“I’ve got people watching. You think I’d ever leave home if I wasn’t sure? There’s a reason I keep telling Leila and Jasmine to stay close.”

“Who?” How many people did Michael have…watching? Who were these people?

“I’ve made friends with local law enforcement and hired some security.”

“Did you come into money I don’t know about?”

“Sam’s helping. He insisted. You know how he is.”

Oh. Their brother had made a fortune in his business, and he was generous with it.

“The point is,” Michael said, “I know what’s going on in town. If there were strangers hanging around, I’d know it. It’s safe.”

“Except Leila isn’t there.”

“Well…I’m almost positive. Until this blows over, and until I’m back there, I want her to hide.”

This was all too much for Derrick. He wanted to go back to when their lives were simple, before terrorists were more than just an over-there kind of problem.