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It shamed him to remember. “All of us—my brothers and I—we kind of took our dad’s attitude. Don’t get me wrong, we loved Keira, just as our dad did. But we didn’t give her a lot of respect. Not then. It wasn’t until she followed us into the Marine Corps that we started seeing her as...well...as someone who deserved our respect.
“Then she went to work for the agency—the same agency McKinnon works for. And a few years back, she stepped in front of a man to take a bullet meant for him. Saved his life...but almost lost her own.” His face contracted in pain, the pain he still felt over almost losing his only sister.
Angelina reached across the table and touched Alec’s hand in silent comfort. “Why did you tell me this?” she asked softly.
“Because I didn’t want you to have any illusions about how easy women have it in the American culture.” His eyes held hers. “And because I didn’t want you to have any illusions about me, either. I’m not the man you think I am.”
“That is not true,” she contradicted. “Perhaps you do not see yourself as I do. Just telling me what you have told me, admitting it to me and to yourself—no Zakharian man I know would do this. That makes you unique, Alec. Unique to me.”
* * *
They walked afterward, both needing the exercise after the meal they’d eaten. From time to time Angelina pointed out some landmark of note, though mostly they just wandered through the central district in companionable silence.
“Drago is a beautiful city,” Alec said finally. “Unspoiled. I like that. It’s different from most European capitals.”
“Where else have you been posted?” she asked, unable to keep a touch of wistfulness from her voice. She loved her country, loved her city, but she had dreamed of traveling someday, dreams that hadn’t yet materialized. Except for her trip to the United States searching for Caterina. But that had hardly been a pleasure trip.
“I was in The Hague a few years back. The Netherlands. The International Criminal Court is headquartered there. That was an experience, let me tell you.”
“How so?”
He expounded for a few minutes, then said, “When I was in The Hague, Liam was stationed in Rome, which is about the closest we’ve ever worked to each other except for the six months when we were assigned to guard Princess Mara together.”
“But you are still close to your brother. That is what you said, yes?”
Alec laughed. “Yeah. Even though we’ve rarely seen each other since we left home, except for the occasional Christmas holiday.”
“My cousin was—” She broke off.
“You said the other day you had a cousin who was like a little sister to you,” Alec reminded her. “What happened to her?”
Angelina thought about it for a moment before answering, choosing her words carefully. “She disappeared more than eight years ago. She was only sixteen.”
Alec stopped walking, tugging her back toward him. “Oh, Angel, I’m so sorry.” He cupped her cheek with his hand, his dark brown eyes full of sympathy. “She just vanished? Did she run away, or...?”
Angelina shook her head. “She went to America to model—she was so excited about it. But from the moment she stepped on the plane, I never heard from her again.”
* * *
Alec saw Angelina safely home, his mind working furiously. He performed a quick electronic sweep as soon as he entered the privacy of his apartment, then got on the phone with Trace McKinnon. “Angelina Mateja,” he said abruptly. “Lieutenant Mateja. Queen’s security detail.”
“What about her?”
“She had a cousin who disappeared roughly eight years ago. A cousin who supposedly went to the US to model but was never heard from again.”
McKinnon cursed softly, making the connection. “You think this trafficking ring has been going on for that long?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out. Can you see what you can uncover on the cousin?”
“You got a name?”
“Nope. I don’t even know if she has the same last name as Angelina. All I know is she was sixteen when she vanished, so she’d be around twenty-four now.”
“I’m on it. I’ll let you know what I learn.”
“Thanks. And McKinnon?”
“Yeah?”
“I didn’t tell Angelina anything. I could have pumped her for more information, but she’s too intelligent, too savvy. I didn’t want to raise her suspicions.”
“Among other things.”
Alec bristled. “What the hell does that mean?”
McKinnon laughed, not unkindly. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”
