took everything. Her purse, her car, and the small trailer she was towing with her stuff in it.”
Lanie squeezed Cin’s hand and smiled up at him. “It was still worth it to be here. Everything I lost is almost all replaced already.”
“We’re going to need your fingerprints,” Mackey interrupted. “Both of you.”
“Of course,” Cin smiled obligingly. “Should we follow you to the Sheriff’s office?”
Mackey took an oblong case from his jacket pocket and pulled out a small device. Once it was opened, it was apparent that the agent would collect their prints himself.
“You put your fingers on the appropriate square, and it will collect your print,” Mackey ordered, watching the couple to see who would go first.
Lanie leaned forward first, looked at the device, and then placed the fingers of her right hand on the spaces provided. She was more than a little surprised that she wasn’t scared but weirdly calm and angry.
After a few seconds, the machine dinged, and Lanie followed the instructions to remove her fingers, then place her thumb on the pad. It only took a few minutes before Lanie finished both hands and smiled proudly at the two agents.
“That’s some cool technology! It’s got to make your job so much quicker and easier too.” Lanie’s smiled didn’t waver when the agents just stared at her blankly.
Both agents turned their attention to Cin and watched him go through the same fingerprinting Lanie had just finished. When he was done, Cin handed the device to Agent Johns, who immediately sent the prints off for verification.
“While we wait on the fingerprints,” Mackey began. “What do you know about the explosion that happened last night?”
Cin turned to Lanie for a second and shrugged before looking at the agents in the eyes. “We were grilling on the deck when it happened.”
“It shook the whole cabin!” Lanie said with false excitement. “I thought it was an earthquake until I saw the sky was on fire. As fast as it flashed, it was over, and just a faint glow remained in the distance.”
“We figured a cabin caught on fire,” Cin shrugged. “It happens a lot out here in these lesser populated mountain communities.”
“And neither of you bothered to turn on the news or call the Sheriff to find out?” Agent Johns appeared incredulous.
Cin squeezed Lanie’s hands and stared at her lovingly while she did the same with him.
“Alaina was on her way to me when I nearly lost her. After the carjacking, she’s lucky to be alive.” Cin turned to look at the two agents and smiled. “We haven’t left the cabin since I picked her up from the airport.”
Lanie blushed and smiled down at her hands in her lap while the agents stared at the two in disbelief until the fingerprint device dinged. Johns scrolled through the information on the screen and didn’t seem pleased by what he saw.
Moments later, Johns handed the device to Mackey and stood. “Thank you for the coffee, Mr. Miles and Ms. Morrison. We need to be leaving.”
Cin and Lanie stood and walked with Johns to the door while Mackey still sat in the living room, reading the fingerprint verification of Cindrac and Alaina’s identifications. He was angry when he stood and strode over to the door. Johns was saying goodbye when Mackey breezed right past them and down the driveway.
“Thanks again,” Agent Johns said with a forced smile before he followed his partner to their car.
Cin closed the door and immediately started going through the communications between the federal agents, ATF, the Sheriff, and the fire department.
“Are they gone?” Lanie was trembling with hope. “Is it really over?”
Cin wrapped his arms around her and sighed. “You’re safe. They have no reason to come back and no reason to bother a woman that, according to US Government and state identifications, isn’t the one they’re looking to find.”
“What if they find out the documents are fake?” Lanie was still worried that even in death, Jason and his family would keep ruining her life.
Cin laughed. “There’s no way. Those documents are perfect, so is your history, including social media accounts. Besides, they have to believe the fingerprints that just came back as valid. You’re safe now.”
Lanie pulled away from Cin and nodded her head, trying to calm her panic before it could take over. In her mind, she knew Cin wouldn’t have gone across the universe to find her, only to bring her back and let the FBI screw her over.
The problem wasn’t with her trust in Cin. It