how loud she screamed that it could be a trap, it was still her info and her fault those men walked into that cabin.
After last year, she was surprised they’d gone in at all. Two years, two traps. But what about now? What about her communication with Trask? Would they…could they…believe her?
And Trask had to know she’d sent the FBI that tip about the island. He’d had it rigged. He’d given her the false coordinates on purpose. From the beginning, he’d been monitoring her every step. He knew what she had done, who she talked to, where she had sent them. Trask would be expecting the cavalry when she showed up wherever he sent her. Unless he was orchestrating this charade all along. Feed her data, she cries wolf, the feds go in… nothing. Or a trap. And the girl still dies. Eventually her people would stop believing her.
Her mind was going in circles, but one thing was for sure: she couldn’t tell Dillon about his brothers. It would tip her hand that she’d been in communication with Trask. And how could she explain that? Not until she knew more about when and where he wanted to meet, and what she could do to protect Lucy.
“You’re under just as much stress as I am. Perhaps more.”
“I’m okay.”
He looked at her oddly. “Maybe you are, maybe you aren’t. Right now I need to find my sister. What is your program telling you?”
“It’s still working.”
Frustration crossed his face and it took all of Kate’s willpower not to tell him about her conversation with Trask.
“You’re a computer whiz. Can you break into the Stonebridge Academy ’s computer system?”
“I don’t know.” She wanted to look at her data at the time stamp Trask had just told her about.
“Would you try? I think Roger Morton went to school with Trask. Maybe there’s something in those records that will help us find his true identity. At the very least, we can capture the names of everyone who was at Stonebridge the same time as Morton.”
How could she not? She bit her lip, torn.
She’d have to find a way to do both at the same time without Dillon noticing.
FIFTEEN
JACK CAME INTO KATE’S ROOM an hour later and Dillon looked up from the reports he was reviewing.
“I think I have him,” Dillon began. “Not his identity, but where he went-”
“I have some news,” Jack interrupted solemnly.
“What happened?”
“The cabin was wired-a magnesium burn. Fast and hot, but what really did the damage was the dry wood and accelerant in the corners.”
“My God.” Dillon shook his head. “Was Lucy there?”
“No, another girl, already dead. Unidentified.”
“And Patrick and Connor, are they on their way back?”
“Back to San Diego.” Jack sighed, showing a rare flash of helplessness. “Connor has some burns, but he’ll be fine. Patrick is in a coma.”
“Patrick?” Dillon couldn’t imagine his little brother immobile. “How long has he been out?”
“Three hours. The feds have arranged for transport to the States. He’s alive, but needs surgery.”
Lucy missing, Patrick in a coma, Connor burned. Dillon glanced at Kate, her face pale. She quickly looked the other way, avoiding eye contact.
“And Trask?”
“They’re no closer than we are.” Jack stared at Kate. “Are they?”
Kate shrugged. “They have good people working for them.”
“Few are as good as you,” Jack said. “I think you know where they are.”
Kate spun around in her chair. “If I knew where that bastard was, I’d be there. Do you think I’m holding out on you? Do you think I would jeopardize another innocent girl’s life? Do you-”
Dillon put up his hand. “Jack, that was uncalled-for.”
“Oh?”
“Do you have a basis for accusing Kate of keeping information from us?”
“Instinct.”
Dillon looked from his brother to Kate and back. He was in a room with two people he didn’t really know. The brother he’d shared the womb with, and a woman he’d just met.
“Jack, give me a minute.”
Jack shrugged, left the room.
“You can’t believe that I-”
Dillon put up his hand. “Kate, you are under intense stress right now. You’re acting like Lucy is your own flesh and blood, and that means a lot to me. You’re doing it because of duty and guilt and revenge-because of Trask-but you’re also compassionate. You feel for my sister, and I won’t forget that.”
He took a step toward her, put his hands on her shoulders while she sat in her chair. She swallowed but didn’t take her eyes from his.
“I also believe you will do anything you think is right to stop Trask from hurting Lucy or anyone else. Even if that means lying. To me, to anyone.
“Don’t lie to me, Kate. I’m on your side.
“I’m not,” she said, her voice cracking.
Dillon ached for Kate, but not half as much as he hurt for what Lucy had already endured. What Lucy would suffer in twenty-four hours if they couldn’t locate Trask’s island.
“Trust me, Kate.”
Her blue eyes searched his, full of agony and conflict. Any other time, Dillon would work on her, using his special talent to get her to open up. He wanted to, but he didn’t have the time or energy to worry about Kate’s mental health until after they rescued Lucy. He only needed her to trust him.
Kate diverted her eyes and Dillon suspected that she wanted to tell him something. Instead she said, “Before the colonel came in, you said you found something.”
“Colonel?”
“Your brother. Jack.”
“He’s a colonel? How do you know?”
“The pin on his jacket.”
Dillon had missed it, or if he had seen the pin, it hadn’t registered that Jack had the same rank their father had had when he’d retired.
“Trask?” Kate prompted.
Though he felt like he was being manipulated away from a conversation he needed to have with Kate, his discovery was important.
He showed Kate the files he’d been working with. “Roger Morton’s classmates. I pulled all students in his class, the year before, and the year after. Since Roger and Trask have been together for a long time, and since Roger didn’t attend college, I suspect they were in high school together. Stonebridge Academy is an elite boarding school for the rich and privileged.”
“Logical, but that’s a long way to look back.”
“Not that long. Roger graduated high school in 1989. Eighteen years ago. A few years later, Trask Enterprises formed and a twenty-three-year-old was at its helm. No college education. The FBI couldn’t find a prison or military record on him. Where was he for those five years? Apparently from these files doing absolutely nothing and living at home in Massachusetts. He wouldn’t have had to work; his family is worth tens of millions.”
“So why even start working at Trask Enterprises?” Kate said, beginning to follow Dillon’s line of reasoning.
