Dakota stared at the photo. “What are you talking about? My dad was a civil engineer.”
The silence was deafening.
“I’ll give you two a minute,” Providence murmured.
“Stay,” Dakota bit out.
Luther’s heavy sigh set the tone. “That was his cover, Dakota. Your dad and I went through Quantico together. Then, we were undercover with the FBI. Years later, we both worked as ALPHA operatives. Your dad ran the group for over five years.”
What the hell?Muscles running the length of his shoulders turned to lead. “Why is this the first time I’m hearing about this?”
“Your dad couldn’t tell you. As close as he and your mom were, she never knew the truth. After he was killed on a mission, I replaced him as head of the organization.”
“I thought he died in a car accident.”
“That was the story I was forced to tell you.”
Another fucking lie.“Tell me the damn truth, Luther.”
“We were on a mission and it went bad. Your dad was killed and another operative was critically wounded.”
Dakota needed the pounding in his head to stop. He was struggling to wrap his brain around the words he was hearing. His dad, an ALPHA operative?
“Who are these other two men in the photo?” Providence asked.
“The one behind your dad is Brady Kilpatrick. The three of us worked well and went on a number of missions together.”
“Where is he?” Providence asked.
“He retired in California near the grandkids.”
“And the fourth man?” she asked.
“He’s looking down and I can’t tell who it is,” Luther replied. “I’ve asked around.”
Providence continued probing. “Who took the photo?”
“I’m guessing this was a training class and the instructor took it.”
“Can you find out who that fourth person is?” Providence asked.
“I will,” Luther said. “Dakota, I know this is a shock. Once we get past this—and I know we will—I can tell you more about what a brave man your dad was.” Luther wished them a good night and hung up.
Struggling to process the truth, Dakota rasped out, “One more fucking lie to add to all the others.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “He couldn’t tell you, just like you can’t tell Sammy. It’s the life we’ve chosen. We keep the secret to protect the ones we love.”
Too angry to respond, he said nothing.
“If you get arrested, you’ll lie to your daughter, because you need to protect her. Our truth is complicated. You know that. So, we create lies and we live with them.”
He dragged his fingers through his hair. “My parents kept my adoption from me. My birth mother was a lunatic who separated Sin and me because she could make more money by splitting us up. I thought my dad was a civil engineer. Nope, wrong again.” He glared at her. “You lied to me. Are you still lying to me? Is this relationship a lie? Is your love a damn lie, too?”
“Dakota, I—No. My love is real. My love for your daughter is real, too.”
He needed to burn off this hostility. “I feel like a caged animal. I can’t leave my house without Marcus or someone from his team detailing me all over the damn place. Most of the time, I’m holed up here chasing an invisible fucking killer.” He huffed. “I’m going to run on the treadmill.”
“Don’t shut me out. Let me help you through this.” She grasped his hand and led him upstairs and into his bedroom.
