“Where’s your mom?” Faith turned left out of the subdivision, and pointed the car in the general direction of downtown Raleigh.
“Tyler, Texas.”
“Is that where you’re from?”
“I’m from Plano, just outside of Dallas. My mom and stepdad moved to Tyler a few years ago.”
They drove in silence for a few moments. “Is your dad in the picture?”
Luke watched the lights flash across the reflectors in the highway. “No.”
He couldn’t explain why he insisted on being so disobliging. It’s not like he could keep her from finding out. It made more sense to tell her. But how could he explain? He never talked about his family. She kept her own family issues close to the vest, but she had no idea just how much he understood why she did it. He had his own reasons, and he’d bet that many of them were similar to hers.
Except in one very big way.
The phone rang and “Hope Malone” flicked onto the panel set in the dash. “Do you mind?” Faith asked at the same time Luke said, “You’d better get that.”
She smiled a thank-you and answered through the Bluetooth. “Hey, Hope.”
“Fai—” A sound that had a distinctly breathless quality was all that followed.
“Hope! Hope! Are you there?”
“Go!” Luke hadn’t meant to shout, but he had.
“I’m on the way!” Faith’s last word was almost a sob.
“Where does she live?” Luke reached for Faith’s radio. “I’ll call it in.”
“Don’t. She’ll kill me.”
“He could have come after her.”
Faith’s grip tightened on the wheel. “We’re five minutes away.”
Luke ignored Faith as he flipped her police radio to the correct settings. Faith grudgingly provided the address to the dispatcher.
“The homeowner is a paraplegic. It’s possible she’s had a fall or is somehow incapacitated, but she’s the sister of an FBI agent working a high-profile case, so proceed with caution.”
Faith was proceeding with no caution whatsoever. She careened through the streets and skidded into the driveway three and a half minutes after they got the call. She slammed the car into park and grabbed the door handle.
“Wait.” Luke reached around her and gripped her wrist.
She pulled away with an elbow into his chest. “Let me go.”
“You don’t help her if you run in there and it’s an ambush or a trap.” Faith’s arm fell into her lap.
“I have to get to her.”
“I know, but let’s be smart about it.” Sirens blared from multiple directions. “Backup is almost here.”
“Luke.” The panic in her voice was a vise around his own lungs. “Hope.” And with that, she was gone. Out of the car and running straight for the front door.
So much for a stealth attack.
Luke limped hard after her and caught up as her key twisted the lock. She had her weapon out, and he mimicked her as they entered the home.
“Hope!”
