he said anything, that he meant those words for whatever sizzled but fizzled between the two of them. Secrets kept her family safe but put him on the outside fringe.
“I can’t help you if I don’t have more detail,” he said.
Her head popped up, her eyes glossy with emotion he couldn’t read. “Where do you want to start?”
“Who are you? Where do you come from? Why are you here? What did Cael show Chase? Why wouldn’t he already know? What does he know about you guys? Is he like you guys, for example?” Wyatt asked.
James’s silent entry surprised Wyatt. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
Behind him, Cael rushed in. “Charley!”
They all turned to him as Wyatt banked the need to pull at his hair. At every turn, he found interruption.
Cael moved to Charley’s side. “Something’s going on.”
“Of course it is. I have to meet the-” She stopped, Chase’s wide eyes, trained on her. “Little ears don’t need to be a party to this conversation, let’s go down to the office.”
“Can I have some lunch?” Chase blinked a few times as the dust and dirt from his hair settled into his eyes.
Lily rushed over to him, picked him up and spun him in a circle. “You can have all the lunch you want after you have a bath.” She carted him up the stairs to fits of giggles.
“I’m really sorry, Charley,” Sophie’s tired voice came from the couch.
Charley knelt at her head. “It’s not your fault, and I will make these people pay for what they did.”
Sophie closed her eyes, snuggling further into Stuart’s lap.
“Now then, let’s go to the office, and we’ll figure out what to do next.” Charley pushed them all down the hall.
The moment they entered the room, she moved to the center, her hands on her hips. She emanated pure determination if ever Wyatt saw it on display.
“Before we begin, let me just say that I will do whatever it takes to get back at them. I also think they are total idiots because they don’t seem to know he’s missing.” Her hands shook in the air.
Cael walked to her, stopped her hands, his back to Wyatt. “We all will.”
“I don’t know about that,” Wyatt said.
“What?” She spun out of Cael’s hold.
“What if they know and are just playing along?” Wyatt shrugged as if the question were obvious and she should have already figured it out.
Cael moved to the desk, tapped a few keys, and glared at Wyatt over the edge of the monitor. “Can we get back to the call?”
Wyatt nodded him forward.
“By the way, the Detectives have it. Anyway, the caller’s voice… it changed. Still masked by a computer-”
“I figured that,” Charley said in a huff.
Cael’s smile reflected Chase’s youth, an excitement borne of news. “I know, but the best part of it was the tone. The lack of confidence.”
“I didn’t hear anything like that.” Charley’s statement came out flat as if she chastised herself for not picking up on it.
“You wouldn’t because you weren’t listening for nuance. Your focus was on playing the part-which you did like an Oscar winner, let me tell you.” Cael stopped. “It’s these little problems, these little clues that are going to help us kick their ass. I’m jacked Chase is back and ready as hell to see them fry for it.”
“Keep going,” Wyatt waved him forward. “And careful what you say.”
“You’re going to toe the line on this, Wyatt?” Charley’s accusatory tone threw him.
He jerked back, crossed his arms over his chest.
“Listen to this again.” Cael pressed play on the mini-recorder.
Wyatt stepped closer to the group. “Hesitation. There’s more than one. The voice started to say ‘us’.”
“Yes.” Cael slapped the desk with his hand. “Now listen to this.” He played another piece of the conversation back.
“This is personal. Completely, absolutely and without a doubt,” Wyatt said, but didn’t alter his stance.
“Exactly,” Cael agreed. He tilted his head up to Wyatt and twisted back to Charley. “They want you, Charley, like we already surmised, and whoever is behind it has a history with you, or us. That’s the frustrating part.” Cael knocked his fist against his forehead.
“We need to prep for Friday’s little mystery visit.” James shifted in his chair.
Wyatt held out his hands. “Whoa there, guys.”
Each of the three faces mirrored different expressions. Charley’s filled with anger, James’s with humor and Cael’s with curiosity.
Charley moved first. “What do you mean, ‘whoa’?” She took another step toward Wyatt.
James shifted back.
“I mean, you asked me to get involved, and I have, so we’re going to do this right, which means you three will not play a part in this.”
“Like hell we won’t.” Charley stood at his toes.
Wyatt wanted to wrap her in his arms. Instead, he maintained his stance. “We’ll find an agent to be you and send them to the park. That’s the safest thing once-”
“No,” Cael said. “One of us is going to have to do it. If these people know about us, they’ll know what we’re capable of.”
Wyatt glared at Cael, willing him to disagree again so he could bring his confidence down a notch or two. “It’s not safe for any of you to get involved at this stage.”
Cael stood, bringing himself to his full height. James moved to flank Charley.
“We’re trained for this, Wyatt. This is the kind of job we do each and every day,” Cael said.
“And I am now your boss. So what I say, goes.” He met Charley’s gaze as he spoke.
What had been simmering in her eyes boiled over. She poked Wyatt in the chest. “Cael’s right. This is what we do. I have to be the one to go, but I think we can probably go as a team-”
Wyatt shook his head.
“Get out, Wyatt.” Charley pointed to the door.
“Excuse me?”
James and Cael shifted behind Charley.
She closed her eyes as if she had to think to make the motion. “I said leave.”
“No.”
She glared at him-as if her look could have been any more of a death-warning. “If you would afford me this professional courtesy, I would appreciate it, Mr. Moreland,” she said in a crisp, polite tone Wyatt had only ever heard when a superior dismissed him.
He spun on his heel and walked out.
Charley staggered back as Wyatt stormed his way out. The front door slammed a moment later. It rang through the entire house, right down to their office.
“Ouch,” James said.
Charley spun, offered James the same look she’d provided to Wyatt. “What?”
James leaned into her face. “I said… ouch.”
The tension in her shoulders radiated down her arms, adding a pain and vibration worse than some of her body changes. Charley stared at her best of all friends. “Why?”
James snapped his fingers at her eye level. “You screwed up.”
“What?” Charley shook her head as if to jostle her thoughts into proper order. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“You know he still loves you, right?”
