“You expected me not to?” she asked, aware of the two maids moving around just beyond the entry hall.
He seemed to read her mind and glanced at them, then smiled at Rosa. “They’re not going to snitch.”
She tilted her head to the side, silently asking how he could be so sure.
“Do you ever think that Pedro or Joanna will rat you out if they’re discovered?”
Rosa flinched but conceded the point. “Okay then. It looks as if Agent Reis took me at my word.”
Charles raised his eyebrows, then his eyes narrowed. “While I am glad that whoever is steering this ship isn’t going to manage to be shot of the FBI, I want to know exactly what you told him.”
Rosa sighed,” Sure Di…Charles,” then followed him into the kitchen, her mind still having trouble calling him Charles, not Diego.
Once they sat, he propped his head on a fist. “It is probably better that you don’t break the habit of calling me Diego or Mr. Melbourne. At least for now.”
Rosa squirmed in her seat but nodded. Part of her was happy to stop trying to reconcile the stranger before her with some long lost relative. Sill, at the same time, she felt a little more secure knowing that her unexpected ally was also a Kay.
Slowly she went over her nighttime visit and conversation with Agents Reis and Boone.
“I don’t know what he did afterward, but he’s keeping the police in the dark. He already knows that the knife they found at Frank’s place is not the murder weapon.”
Her uncle nodded, his face set in thought. “Your Dr. Fell is proving to be a useful contact, but he will be in danger if he is discovered.”
Rosa sighed. “He knows what’s on the line. If he is willing to risk his job, then...”
“His job? Christ Rosa, you’re supposed to be the smart one. What do you think your father’s enemy will do once they discover his involvement?”
Rosa looked up, equal parts fear and defiance in her gaze. “How can I tell him that his life is on the line without saying why?”
“I’m not sure he’d ask for an explanation from you.” Charles Kay rose and took a few steps away, then came back. “I don’t like involving others, but your father proved that going it alone was no good either. So my compromise was simple, to use only people already in the crosshairs.” His eyes flashed to hers, and she felt a chill run up her spine. “But now, with the FBI already drawn in, that’s no longer possible. So I have made a new compromise, one I hope you will share. That we only bring in exactly those that are necessary, and that they know that they are risking their lives, even if we can’t tell them why.”
Rosa swallowed hard but nodded. “Okay. I will warn Mark tomorrow.”
He nodded, retook his seat, a big grin flashing across his face and his voice coming out in a tone that made him sound like a door-to-door salesman. “So tell me, Rosa Kay, can I interest you in a job?”
Rosa remained mute, unsure whether he was joking, mad, or both.
Charles sobered. “I’m serious. As we get into the thick of things, we’re going to need to see each other more often. It will arouse suspicion rather quickly if I break the trend and start passing through town or if your constant nighttime excursions are noted. Of course, the latter could simply be passed off as an affair, but I’d rather not draw that kind of attention either, besides which, it may well make Mark Fell less willing to risk everything for you.”
Rosa shot him a glare. “I have a job. How do I justify quitting it to work for you?”
He smiled, flicking back a wave of hair. “Four of my staff members have middle school-aged children. They all get homeschooled, and I have put out an advert for a tutor. It is about double your current salary, with less pressure and more time off to deal with your family’s bookstore.”
She laughed. “I suppose that’s believable.”
He gave her another smile. “So, can I count you in? Interviews are this Friday.”
Rosa nodded even as a wave of sadness swept through her for the secrets and lies in which the Kay family seemed mired. She had guessed at much of it when she was younger, but now, without her father or Lucia to act as a buffer, she was shouldering the stark reality alone.
Charles rose and patted her hand. “I’ll bid you good night then.”
She gave him a tiny smile, looking at his eyes, remembering them without the contacts that shielded his identity. Not alone.
“Where have you been?” Camelia asked as Rosa stepped inside.
She swept her jade eyes over her younger sister. The latter had her arms wrapped so tightly around herself that she seemed in danger of dislocating her shoulders. “What happened?”
“They’ve been here for almost an hour,” Cam hissed, sounding close to tears now. “Where were you?”
Rosa didn’t need to ask who ‘they’ were because Agent Reis had just appeared in the doorway to the sitting room. “Good evening, Ms. Kay. Busy day?”
Rosa met his eyes calmly. “Yes. There was a new order of books to deal with,” she said, hoping fervently that they hadn’t gone there first.
“I see. Well, if you have a moment, we’d like to talk. Alone.”
Rosa felt Cam stiffen beside her and turned to face her sister. “It’s okay, Cam. Why don’t you go up to bed? Didn’t you say Mrs. Goodwin wanted you there by seven?”
“You sure?” Camelia asked, casting a suspicious glance at Reis. Rosa nodded firmly, and Camelia went up the stairs, leaving her to follow Reis back into the sitting room.
Boone was there, once again perched on the ottoman. Rosa greeted
