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It was something they all did to protect each other, something Kate was getting used to: Declan skirting the details with Kate and Kate skirting them with her mom and Aiden, all of them trying to minimize the criminal exposure of everyoneelse.
It wasn’t sustainable, and she was suddenly overwhelmed with exhaustion. She just wanted her life back, wanted Neil to pay for what he’d done, wanted to get on with her life withDeclan.
That much was still true, even if she was terrified that it would all fall apart like it had with herparents.
“And… nothing on Beth?” Her mom’s voice was hesitant. She was all too aware that it was a sore spot withKate.
“No, Mom.” Kate didn’t even try to keep the annoyance from her voice. “Nothing onBeth.”
“Don’t take a tone with me, Kate.” Oh, now she was Kate again. Katie was reserved for when she was in her mother’s favor. “Beth is my daughter, just like you’re my daughter. And she’s still yoursister.”
“I know that. I’msorry.”
“It’s okay. I just…” Her mom’s voice trailedoff.
“You just what?” Kateprompted.
“I just need to know that you’ll be careful with Beth if she turns up,” her mom said. “That Declan will becareful.”
“No one’s planning to hurtBeth.”
“I’m sure that’s true. But I know things can get out of hand when people start shooting, so I’m just asking you, Kate. Asking you to watch out for yoursister.”
Kate wasn’t surprised by her mom’s reference to shooting. As far as she knew, no one had come out and explained MIS’ real business to her, but Annie Walsh was no fool. She’d more than likely done her own research, uncovering the details of MIS’ brush with the Attorney General’s office and comparing them to what she knew about Declan now that he was back in theirlives.
“I’m not going to be there when they go in,” Kate said. “But I’ll talk to Declan. I’ll do what Ican.”
Her mother’s sigh of relief was audible over the phone line. “Thank you, Katie. And you be careful too. I know you said you’re not going to be there, but this is all feeling a lot more dangerousnow.”
“It’s always been dangerous, Mom. We just didn’t know it. I thinkwe—”
She stopped as something thunked against the door in the foyer. No one was home and she’d been looking out the window during the conversation with her mom. The Rover hadn’t pulled upoutside.
Her heart hammered in herchest.
“What?”
“I have to run, Mom,” Kate said. “I’ll check in tomorrow. Give Griff a kiss and a hug forme.”
She disconnected the call before her mom could protest and then stood, listening for the sound torepeat.
When it didn’t, she crept toward the door, her phone still in her hand, the blood racing through herveins.
The door loomed in the foyer like a monster waiting to come to life. She eased toward it, her eyes on the frosted glass. Did she want to know what was on the otherside?
She slowly disengaged the locks, then reached for the handle, half expecting the door to fly open. She hesitated for only a second before she pulled itopen.
The stone porch wasempty.
She let her eyes travel over the fields leading to the sea, combing the area for anything out of order, but it was just the long yellow grass and the rolling hills and the stretch of water that looked like a cloudy mirror from adistance.
She closed the door and leaned against it, exhaling the tension that had built up in her body. She was being ridiculous. No one knew they were here. And even if Neil did know, if by some miracle he’d been able to track their movements while remaining in hiding, what would he do aboutit?
She thought about her Uncle Neil, the man who’d been a fixture in her life since she’d been born, attending every birthday party, every holiday, every graduation. He was in his sixties, still fit but old enough that it was impossible to imagine him storming the house, successfully overpoweringher.
Beth had been a pain in Kate’s ass since she’d been born. They’d been at odds more often than not. But they were still sisters, and Kate refused to believe Beth would try to hurther.
Then she realized it wasn’t about Neil or Beth at all. Neil was smart, even wily, but he was no mastermind. And Beth could barely hold down ajob.
