Kelly froze as another orgasm tightened her muscles. Heart hammering against her chest, she concentrated on the exquisite pleasure.
Sam went still as she screamed his name. And then he threw back his head and answered her cries, her name on his lips.
Lost deep inside her, wanting to forget.
Much later, they ate the sandwiches Sam had picked up at the local deli. After, he cleared the table in silence.
Sensing he needed a little space, she went into the living room and picked up the abandoned, sad teddy bear from the sofa. Sudden insight struck her.
“Sam, where did you say the bear was found?” she called out.
“Your offices at Sight Finders.” He appeared at her side, drying his hands on a dish towel.
“That’s impossible.”
Tossing the towel on the cocktail table, Sam joined her. “My father claims you took it.”
“I did take the bear. But after I found the bear, I put him in our secret hideout.”
Struggling to speak past the lump in her throat, she pressed on. “I wanted to put him in a safe place. I thought if you returned, you’d see the bear and remember the good times you shared with Pete.”
“I never went back inside the tunnel. I nailed the door shut when I returned to Tennessee, before I joined the navy.”
Their gazes met, his filled with firm resolve.
“Whoever found this bear found it inside the bunker...” she began.
Grabbing the toy, he turned it over in his hands. “Look.” He pointed to a thumb-size bandage on the bear’s scorched paw. “Did you do this?”
Kelly frowned. “No. I wouldn’t bandage a toy. And not this one, because it belonged to Pete. I know how special it was. Maybe Pete did?”
“No, the bandage is new.” He examined the bear. “Pete did like to bandage his toys, it was something he always did as a kid...”
“And he’s probably not the only one. The bandage is fresh, Sam. Which means another child did it.”
Sam bolted off the couch. “That’s where they’re holding the missing kids. Dammit! Right under my nose. Curt must be in on it. His double, I mean.”
Cutting through the hope racing through her was a chilling thought. “You couldn’t tell if your CO was a doppelganger?”
Clutching the bear, Sam paced the room. “He didn’t act like Curt, but there’s no way to tell. Only if we find the real Curt’s body...”
“Not necessarily. Sam, you had a doppelganger. All it takes is a touch to absorb your DNA. If an Arcane stole a Phantom’s powers, he could imitate you, Curt, anyone, as long as he had your DNA.”
Crazed hope flared on Sam’s face.
“If the doppelganger killed Curt, he’d have a Death Mask.”
He scowled. “No way in hell am I taking you near the base. They’ll toss you into prison, or worse.” Sam rubbed his chin. “What about video?”
“Live stream if possible.”
“You haven’t seen even a fifth of what’s possible to a SEAL.” Sam pulled out his cell phone. “Yo, Dakota, I need a favor...”
An hour later, Sam opened his laptop and clicked on an internet link. “Live stream from ST 21’s base. Courtesy of Greg.”
He grinned. “Tiger boy likes toys. This one’s a jacket button that’s actually a small camera. It transmits through a wireless receiver hidden in the next room. Then Tiger did something guaranteed to bring him into Curt’s office.”
They watched a red-faced Lieutenant Commander Curtis yell at the camera.
“What did Greg do?” she asked.
“Soaked Renegade’s underwear with juice.” His grin widened. “I believe the juice of certain distinct jalapeno peppers.”
Kelly laughed. “Wonder where he got that idea?”
Sam spread his arms wide, looking surprised. “I’m innocent.”
“Poor Renegade, taking one for the team.”
She concentrated on the feed, the furious commander yelling at the SEAL.
“That’s not Curt. He never loses it. Let’s us fight our own battles.”
Her heart beat faster. “He’s an impostor, but I don’t see a Death Mask.”
At her nod, he shut the laptop. “There’s a chance Curt’s still alive.”
Sam dialed a number. “Admiral Keegan Byrne,” he stated quietly.
He waited, tense and grim, and then his expression smoothed out. “Admiral. Sir. It’s Shay.”
Shay. No titles, not even his full name.
Sam flashed a boyish grin. “Yes, sir, I was on that op, three of us. Cakewalk. No thanks are necessary. Just doing our jobs.”
He glanced at Kelly. “Admiral, we have a sitch here. I need to know why you gave those orders for my team to deploy to an LZ south of the base in Honduras to deliver Kelly Denning to Mage authorities.”
No change in his expression.
“I see. One of us will be in touch. And, Admiral, watch your six. I can’t say right now, sir, but soon as I have more intel, someone will be in touch.”
He thumbed off the phone.
“The admiral didn’t give that order. Which means Curt’s double did.”
Sam nodded, his spine tensing.
Kelly squeezed his forearm. “Your CO has to still be alive. Don’t lose hope.”
His steady, reassuring gaze gave her strength. “Hang tight. I’m calling Dakota.”
Time to call in the troops.
“I remember the tea parties your mother hosted. She loved dressing up,” Kelly mused as she looked down on the grounds of Sam’s estate.
With their clipped hedges and brightly colored flowers blooming in cultivated beds, the gardens were well. Visitors had come for miles in the spring to admire the blooms, which had been carefully coaxed to life by her father’s loving hands. Annabelle Shaymore had held themed teas in the Chinese pagoda, enlisting Kelly’s help to pour. Sam’s mother had worn a crimson kimono with a bright yellow sash, the waves of her soft brown hair pinned up with sticks. Kelly had tottered around the glassed table in a plain white kimono, serving bite-size cucumber sandwiches while Mrs. Shaymore’s guests had chattered.
And even though Sam’s mother was kind to the motherless girl living on her estate, Kelly had been a servant. Those celebrated tea parties made it clear, for no one acknowledged her. She was invisible.
Sam now scaled the massive stone wall ringing his family’s estate. Shunning the rope, Kelly found familiar footholds and then dropped down to the other side. Sam whistled.
“Impressive.”
She shrugged. “Did it quite a few times. Sometimes when your mother scheduled a tea party, I’d sneak off the grounds. If she couldn’t find me, she couldn’t ask for my help.”
Amused, he shook his head while coiling the thin rope. “Why didn’t you say no?”
She stared at the sugar maples and hemlock trees. This estate had been the only home she’d ever truly known. “I kept hoping she’d invite me to the party, treat me as a...daughter, not a servant.” Her voice cracked. “My mom died giving birth to me. I never had a mom. Guess I hoped your mom might fill the role. Stupid. All she did
