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“Shit.” Ryan stopped working. “How far away are you?”
“Five minutes, once things open up.”
“Then stick it out. Brando and Jimmy Colone have a lot to discuss. If you get lucky, they might still be there.”
“Doubtful. But I’ll let you know.”
Offices of Forensic Instincts
11:55 a.m.
Claire punched the entry code into the Hirsch pad, and Emma opened the door, holding it ajar so that Gia and Dani could follow them in. Both girls were eager and unnerved. And the delayed go-ahead call that Claire had received from Casey—resulting in John Nickels having to circle the block five times—had only escalated their already heightened emotions.
“Was she waffling about whether or not she wants to meet us?” Dani asked, glancing around as if, by doing so, she could spot Lina.
“Quite the contrary,” Claire replied, determined to convey Casey’s message that Lina was adamant about meeting her sisters. “She’s anticipating this meeting as much as you are. It just took a while for her to digest everything that was thrown at her.” A pause. “I didn’t mention it on the ride in, but I think if you know this you’ll better understand. Lina had no idea she was adopted. She was raised to believe the Brandos were her natural parents. So she has even more to take in than you did.”
“Wow.” Gia’s brows rose as she absorbed this new and vital piece of information. “That’s more than I could have withstood. At least Dani’s and my parents were honest with us from the start. The poor girl.”
“That definitely would have broken me,” Dani agreed. “Although I guess I can comprehend the Brandos’ logic. They probably felt that keeping Lina in the dark would make her feel more theirs or more loved. Instead, it’s backfiring. It’s causing her inexplicable pain.” Dani gave an empathetic sigh. “You’re right, Claire. This is worse than anything Gia and I went through.”
Claire gave a sad nod, simultaneously gesturing toward the small meeting room across the hall from Emma’s desk.
“You both have a seat and let Emma and me pave the way,” she said. “I want Lina to know you’re here and that this meeting is about to happen. Then, I’ll c
ome and get you.”
* * *
Lina was seated on the settee, her back ramrod straight, with a glass of wine sitting, untouched, on the side table next to her, when Claire and Emma walked in. Her head shot up, her body went rigid, and she stared past them, searching the empty doorway.
“Where are they?” she asked.
“In the waiting room,” Claire replied. “We wanted to check on you first—to make sure you were okay and to let you know that all of us have arrived.” Claire placed a gentle emphasis on the words all of us.
“I’m hanging in there—thanks.” Lina’s dazed and haunted look contradicted her claim. “I really want to meet my sisters.”
Claire exchanged glances with Casey, and Casey gave an affirming nod. Lina might be hanging on by a thread, but she was as ready as she’d ever be.
“And they really want to meet you,” Emma assured her, having intercepted the look between her teammates.
With that, Claire turned and retraced her steps. “I’ll show them in.”
“Thank you.” Lina continued to stare at the empty doorway after Claire had exited. She took a quick sip of wine to fortify herself and then set down her glass, interlacing her fingers tightly in her lap.
“It’s going to be okay, Lina,” Emma told her. “Better than okay. I promise.”
Lina gave her a thin smile. “Thank you—all of you—for your moral support.”
Approaching footsteps interrupted them, echoing through the hall, and then Claire reappeared in the doorway.
This time she wasn’t alone.
CHAPTER 34
Lina gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as she gazed, unblinking, at the two mirror images of herself. Prepped as she’d been, there was no real preparation for this.
Dani and Gia were nearly as shaken as she. Tears filled their eyes as they got their first glimpse of their sister.
