London Frank.
He taps one that hasn’t responded. “I have high hopes for this woman. She’s the best hacker I know. And expensive. If your sister has any digital footprint, she’ll find it.”
“And if she doesn’t?” I ask, worried.
His expression gentles. “She will. I’m sure of it. And while I’m waiting for an answer, we have lunch with my brother before he goes back.”
“Goes back?”
“To the States. He has a… daughter, I guess you could say. An adopted daughter.”
“Oh, that’s sweet.”
“Right,” he says in a strangled tone. “Sweet.”
“So have you met his girl?”
There’s a weighted pause. “No. In fact I hadn’t seen my brother in years. Since before we met.”
“I thought that might be the case,” I say, touching the back of his hand. He’s helping me find my sister; I want him to know that I’m here for him, too. He may have his brother physically, but he’s been without a family emotionally for a long time.
He stands, pulling away from me in a brusque manner. “Listen, while we’re looking for London, I also need to wrap up loose ends with my commanding officer.”
“The diamonds,” I say, and he stops.
“What did you say?”
“I remember Adam asking where they were.”
“Right,” he mutters.
“You said you didn’t know, but you do know, right?”
He narrows his eyes at me. “Are you some kind of human lie detector?”
“No.” I give him a shy smile. “I think it’s just you that I can read.”
A knock at the door interrupts us, and we look down the stairs to where Liam peers up. “Lunch is ready if you two are hungry.”
Lunch turns out to be homemade ratatouille from a woman who lives onsite. I break the crusty bread to mop the delicious liquid and spices. I think I’m still feeling a little starved from going for days with very little food. When I can finally come up for air, I tell Liam, “I heard you have a daughter. What’s her name?”
He glances at Elijah with an unreadable look. “It’s Samantha. She’s a violinist.”
“Does she play at school?”
“Not really. She’s a prodigy. She’s played for the queen.”
“Wow. That’s incredible.”
“Yes,” he says, looking somewhat more at ease now. And very proud of this Samantha. “She’s an incredible talent. Once-in-a-generation kind of thing.”
“I’d love to hear her play.”
His smile gets more reserved. “She doesn’t perform much these days.”
“I’m glad I got to see you before you go. I really want to tell you how grateful I am for your help. I know you were doing it for Elijah, and we’re basically strangers, but I really do appreciate it.”
He nods. “I’m only sorry I couldn’t find your sister.”
“You had short notice.” I smile at Elijah. “He’s going to help me.”
“Don’t—” Liam says, then stops suddenly. It’s as if the word was torn from him against his will. It hangs in the air between us, harsh and foreboding.
“Don’t what?” I ask softly.
“Yes,” Elijah asks, his tone harder. “Don’t what, brother?”
Liam’s eyes meet mine, a deeper green than Elijah’s, somehow less tortured, though it’s clear they’re both haunted by demons from the past. “Don’t give up hope. You’ll find her.”
We see him off, and another black SUV takes him away.
One of his other men, someone named Carson Blum, stands guard at the door. A security system is required to open the door from both inside and out. Though it looks like a comfortable appartement, it’s clear this is a very secure location. That makes me feel even more relaxed. Adam won’t be able to find us, and even if he did, he wouldn’t be able to get in.
I watch from the window as the SUV pulls away. Then I turn back to Elijah, who remains at the kitchen table, watching me as he twirls a glass of wine. “Can we go check on those inquiries?” I ask, gesturing upstairs. “Maybe if they don’t find anything, we can go to the embassy? Try to explain what happened, why there’s a notice with Interpol.”
He doesn’t answer out loud, but he does stand and cross the room to me.
Something is strange about his mood right now. Ever since his brother said don’t—in that strident, almost worried way. It seemed like he was going to say something else, something more cautionary than not to give up hope.
“I’m going out,” he says, his voice gentle, as if he thinks I might object. “I’ll find out what I can about your sister. Can you trust me to do that for you?”
“Of course.” I put my arms around his neck. “I