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A receipt from the currency exchange at my dad’s bank. He’d changed US dollars into Polish Zloty. Nothing strange about that, he’d want some spending money for expenses he couldn’t charge to the company: beers, maybe gifts to bring home to us. Except…the receipt was for a hundred thousand dollars. Why the hell would he need to take that much cash with him? Had he bribed someone after all, maybe some Polish official? But—I checked the date—this was way too early for that. My dad was just looking at the site to see if a dam was even possible, they were still years away from trying to get planning permission. It was less than a year after my dad first went over there and had his affair with Maria.
I checked the date again…and my heart stopped.
It was just over nine months after my dad’s affair. And suddenly, I knew what I was looking at.
My dad had paid Maria off because he got her pregnant.
36
JD
I got in the shower, turned the spray on cold and stood there head bowed as the icy water hammered my body. I’d messed up. I should never have allowed myself to get close to Lorna and Cody. Now I’d hurt her, after promising Cody I wouldn’t. And I had no idea how to fix it, or if I could.
But there was one thing I could fix. I’d made another mistake, right back at the start, and it was time to put it right.
I got out of the shower, wrapped a towel around me and grabbed my phone.
Danny answered on the third ring, his voice tight with worry. “JD?”
“I need you,” I told him. “I need all of you. Here. Right now.”
Just six hours later, they trooped in, laden with bags and flight cases. I introduced them to Lorna as they came through the door. Gabriel, our reformed thief, looked smart and smoothly charming in a black shirt. Colton, pushing a huge flight case, could have passed for a roadie with his beard, muscles and band t-shirt with the sleeves torn off. Bradan followed, quiet and watchful, his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. Our giant sniper Cal, in his plaid shirt, had to stoop to get through the door. Then, from behind him, there was a scuffle of paws and—
Cal’s big German Shepherd, Rufus, shot through the open door, jumping and licking at my face, fluffy tail wagging so hard it swept a vase off a side table. As Gabriel neatly caught the vase, Rufus bounded over to Lorna and jumped up at her: new person! New person! She shrieked in delight and ruffled his fur. Rufus pushed the side of his head towards her and she got the message and scratched behind his ears. Rufus pounded a paw on the floor in ecstasy.
“Figured it didn’t hurt to bring him,” said Cal.
I nodded, pleased. The big guy always missed Rufus when we were away on missions so it was nice they didn’t have to be separated for once. Plus, Rufus would be useful: if you want security, you can’t beat a big dog with sharp ears and a protective streak.
Last through the door was Danny. He gave me the sort of hug only a best friend can. “What have you got yourself into now, you pillock?” he muttered.
I said nothing, just hugged him back, a lump in my throat. I hadn’t realized just how much I’d missed him, this last week. How much I’d missed all of them.
I went to close the door…and almost got hit in the face when my sister, Erin, threw it open. She hugged me, too, and I patted her back, staring in shock. “What are you—It’s great to see you, but—”
“You want security, right?” She showed me her electronics toolkit. “This is what I do.” She looked at Lorna and pushed her glasses up her nose. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but you could use an overhaul.”
I ran my hand through my hair, frowning. “It’s that bad?”
Erin looked embarrassed. “How do you think we got up to the penthouse just now? You didn’t buzz us up. I bypassed the keycard system in the elevator in thirty seconds.”
Lorna went pale.
“Don’t worry,” Erin told her quickly. “I brought cameras, motion detectors, the works. Give me twenty-four hours and this place will be Fort freakin’ Knox.”
I went to close the door again but it pushed open again. I blinked at Kian. He usually stayed behind a desk because he had to keep his name out of the headlines: the price of dating the President’s daughter. “You’re here too?!”
“Well, for once we’re not leaving the country so it shouldn’t ruffle any feathers. Emily’s here, too.”
“Stacey’s here as well,” said Bradan. “We all checked into a hotel down the street.”
Kian pulled me close as I shook his hand. “I think the two of them were going stir crazy in Mount Mercy. They’re both city girls at heart. And Stacey’s stressed because she still doesn’t know what she’s going to do for work in Mount Mercy. They’re going to binge on shopping and cocktails. If this job takes more than a few weeks, they may bankrupt us.” He looked at Cal and Gabriel. “Their other halves wanted to come, too, but Bethany’s got med school classes and the hospital couldn’t spare Olivia.”
