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Dear Son,
I don’t know if you’ll ever read this letter, but I’m going to write it in the hope that your parents will share it with you one day should they feel the need. Giving you up for adoption was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. If I could keep you, I would in a heartbeat. At first, when I found out about you, I was terrified. Not so much at the thought of being a mother—although, at the age of nineteen, there was some of that—but that your birth fatherwould find out about you. I hate to admit it, but I made some pretty stupid choices. I’m not a stupid person, but my choices have not been good. As a result, I’m on the run from the man who fathered you. Oh, my dear boy, giving you up is killing me, but I’ve picked out a couple who will cherish you and raise you to know only love. They love Jesus and they’ll share that love with you. You’re going to grow up strong and brave and amazing and I’d give anything to see it happen. But it’s not possible and because your safety, your very life depends on me being willing to give you up, that’s the decision I’ve made. I will think about you and miss you every day of your life. I love you.
Mom
With shaking hands, Michael folded the note and tucked it into the pocket of his snowpants. Time to be brave and strong and amazing. He walked over to the window and raised it, thankful they were on the first floor.
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As Raina nursed a third cup of coffee, staring out the restaurant’s wall of windows, Vince reached over to give her hand a quick squeeze. “You ready?”
She gave him a tight smile and set down her mug. “I’ve had enough caffeine to keep me up the whole day.”
They pulled on their parkas and headed out to the deck overlooking the slope, Vince a little more slowly than she. He pressed a hand to his shoulder and looked around.
The place was packed with eager snowboarding fans, the media, and more tourists. A team of vans shuttled people from the parking lot to the lodge every few minutes. From there, they would make their way to a location where they could watch the fun.
“Where do we even start?” she asked.
“The security team. The guy I’m looking for is Joseph Helms. He’s the sheriff here and will be working with the FBI. He’ll be able to get us clearance and a badge that will allow us to move in secure locations if we need to.”
Vince led the way with Raina beside him. He noted her eyes studying the faces she passed.
It didn’t take long for the crowd to shift and the mood to swing into an energy-laden atmosphere. Spectators lined the slope behind the barricade that had been set up to keep them separate from the competitors. He tried not to compare it to crime scene tape.
“Okay, well, I guess the boarders are up there and getting ready to practice,” she said.
“And our condo is right up there too.” Vince pointed just as his phone vibrated. He pulled it out and glanced at an incoming text. “Joseph said Michael and his family were already here. They’re allowing him to watch, but not participate.”
“Wow. At least that’s one less worry for the moment.”
“I know. Anyway, Joseph said he’d meet us at the entrance here, so let’s head over there. Just keep your eyes peeled for Kevin.”
“I have been, but everyone is all bundled up. Hats, sunglasses, heavy coats. Kevin doesn’t need a disguise. He just has to dress weather appropriate. I’m never going to be able to find him. Not this way. We’re going to have to figure out a way to lure him out.”
“No luring. At least not yet. Let’s talk to Joseph and see where we go from there.”
Vince and Raina met with Joseph and got two earpieces that would allow them all to be able to stay in touch with one another. They even had badges pinned to their coats identifying them as part of the security team. They’d have access to any area they needed. And as soon as Raina saw Kevin—assuming she spotted him—she would alert them and they would closein. Raina caught the sheriff’s eye. “You’re sure Michael’s not participating.” It was a statement, not a question.
“That’s what they said.”
She nodded. “Okay then. Good.”
“You want to go see him?” Vince asked.
She bit her lip. “I want to, but not just yet. The first priority is to find Kevin. As long as Michael’s safe, I can concentrate on that.”
“He’s safe as long as they stay put,” the sheriff said. “I’ve got to get moving. Stay in touch.”
They thanked him, and once the sheriff left, Vince led her to the lobby of the condo complex and up to their unit. While Raina was in her room down the hall, he stood in the galley kitchen and tried once more to call John Tate, only to get the man’s voice mail yet again. “Call me back, please. I’ve got questions that only you can answer. Thanks.”
He hung up and tucked the phone into his pocket, then headed out to the balcony. The crowd had grown and was dispersed along the run the snowboarders would use.
Raina joined him, her gaze scanning the people.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tugged her closer, gratified when she didn’t pull away. His shoulder throbbed in time with his leg, but he’d put up with it all as long as he could hold her close. “They said he wasn’t.”
“But he’s still on the program, so Kevin—or whoever he is—probably thinks he’s here.”
