Lifting the photo from her lap, he stared at his then two-year-old sister. His gangly eight-year-old self stared back. He’d just finished building the perfect Hot Wheels track and had lined up his cars—in anexactorder—for the big race. Sophia had plunked down in the middle of his track, demolishing his set-up, and grabbed two cars. Somehow, his mom had captured the annoyance on his face and the gigantic smile beaming from hers. Sophia had idolized him. Bugged the hell out of him, actually. Now he would do anything, give anything, to find her and bring herhome.
He didn’t talk about the abduction because he wanted to avoid the anger that burned in his gut. That kind of fury would land a guy in prison if he ever found the son of a bitch who took his sister. Peering into Alexandra’s eyes soothed his anger, but ignited a different kind offlame.
As she waited, determination, not pity, shone from her eyes and that, above all else, spurred himforward.
“Sophia was abducted on her way home from school, freshman year of high school. I was at college and didn’t find out until the next day. My parents were so frantic my mom had to be hospitalized for a short time. When my dad called, I was in class, so he told Colton. Broke down with Colton is more likeit.”
Feeling like his lungs were being crushed, Crockett returned the picture to the shelf. With his back to Alexandra, he said, “Colton was the one who toldme.”
“I’m sosorry.”
Leaning his rump against his desk, he faced her. “I wanted to drop out of Harvard to help my parents. They were a mess. But they insisted I focus on my studies. I couldn’t have gotten through that ordeal without your brother, plus a few other close friends.” He crossed his arms over hischest.
“The police had to do their job, which meant investigating all of us,” he continued. “Without question, we were cleared. When they refocused their energies, the trail had gone cold. With my permission, Colton confided in Kimberly. Your mom told me to never give up hope, then treated me no differently than before Sophia’s abduction. She has this amazing way of making me feel as if I’m one ofhers.”
A sweet smile touched Alexandra’s eyes. “She has a soft spot for you. Always has.” She paused. “Sophia has been gone a longtime.”
Their silence hungheavy.
“Thirteen years,” he said, finally breaking it. “I built Wilde Innovations around improving surveillance equipment in the hopes of finding her and bringing herhome.”
Alexandra’s eyes had misted. “I wish I’d known. My family has kept so much from me. Thank you for answering my question.” Clearing her throat, she fished a business card from her handbag and circled her cell phone number. “I would make your sister’s abduction the centerpiece of the story. It’s the driving motivation behind your company. How can you ignore the elephant in theroom?”
That was damned ironic coming from Alexandra Mitus. Wasn’t everything they’d once shared the realelephant?
Alexandra squared her shoulders and rose. “Bynotdiscussing Sophia, you’re missing out on an opportunity. Someone watching the piece might know something. People come forward for the strangest reasons.” She slung her handbag over her shoulder. “You might have won this tech contest, but it’s her story. And you need to tellit.”
Following a quick tap on Crockett’s door, Decker moseyed in with coffee. “Hey, oh, sorry.” With a nod to Alexandra, he set Crockett’s drink on his desk. “Nectar from thegods.”
“This is Alexandra Reed,” Crockett said. “She’s interested in doing a story on us. Decker Daughtry, my ChiefInnovator.”
The two shook hands. “If Crockett agrees to do the story, I’d like to interview you, too,” shesaid.
“Good luck with that, Ms. Reed. Crockett never grantsinterviews.”
Alexandra’s jaw clenched, her cheek muscles working overtime. Like a Mitus, she did not handle disappointmentwell.
Decker sipped his drink, then shifted toward Crockett. “A few of us are working late, boss. We’rehungry.”
Chuckling, Crockett pulled out his wallet. “That’s my cue.” When he tugged on a credit card, a different one slipped out and landed on thefloor.
Decker picked it up. “Silver Towers. Is this some kind of executive-only creditcard?”
After snatching back the card, he glanced at Alexandra. “Something likethat.”
She skewered him with a piercing stare and the air between them grew charged. Hunger and need poured into him. Something had shifted in her, but damned if he knew what. Though he wanted to ask her to dinner, he wouldn’t. Better to keep his distance and stick with her businessagenda.
Decker cleared his throat, severing their steamy connection. “Hey, man, do you want me to order you something? We’re gettingChinese.”
“I can’t stay,” Crockett said. “I’ll walk Alexandra out, then grab my credit card fromyou.”
“Hot date?” Deckerasked.
“Yes, with eighteen tiny tots who just graduated to yellow belts.” A brief smile crossed Crockett’s face. He couldn’t help himself. Those little ones brightened his spirits week in and weekout.
“Wow, you still study martial arts,” she murmured. “You must be like a what…twelfth degree blackbelt?”
“Sixthdegree.”
