Chapter 10

ten

PAUL

Two hours later, I placed the phone on its receiver and left my office. That was the last call I had to make to my customers. Most of them were disappointed I wouldn't be making their Christmas cakes, but I couldn't change what had happened. I only hoped they didn't think I was unreliable.

When I'd asked Liam why we were going to Colorado, he'd told me the house was the safest he could find. It was in Sunrise Bay, a small town on the shore of Willow Lake. Hopefully, the house had central heating. Milwaukee was cold in the winter, but Colorado was worse.

At least the terrorists wouldn't get to us if the roads were closed and the house was buried under a thick blanket of snow.

I walked upstairs and peeked inside Amy's room. My niece was asleep on the bed, curled in a ball under the blankets. The sound of her gentle breathing made me sigh. For such a little girl, a lot had happened in her life.

As I tiptoed into the room, I took Amy's ski jacket off the dresser, then knelt beside the bed. With gentle fingers, I brushed a strand of blonde hair off her face.

Next week, my niece was turning six. My sister would have been so proud of Amy. For three years, Christine had loved her daughter with a depth that I hadn't understood. Now I knew just how special the bond between parent and child had been, because I felt it too. There was nothing I wouldn't do to keep our little girl safe.

I kissed Amy's cheek and left the room.

With a heavy heart, I walked into my bedroom and lifted the handle on the last suitcase that needed to go downstairs. As well as winter clothes, I'd packed my photo albums and a few sentimental items. If someone broke into the house while we were gone, they wouldn't find the things that meant the world to me.

I gently slid the suitcase down the stairs and stacked it beside the other bags and boxes I wanted to take with us. Tomorrow would be a big day.

When I walked into the kitchen, Liam was making a cup of coffee.

"Would you like one?" he asked.

I shook my head. "If I have caffeine at this time of the night, I won't sleep. I'm looking forward to boarding the plane tomorrow."

"You aren't the only one." Liam sat on a kitchen stool. "Is Amy still asleep?"

"She is. It would take a herd of elephants to wake her." I sat beside him. "I don't know how you can be so calm. I'm terrified someone will hurt us."

"We're doing everything we can to keep you safe."

"Is that why you're still wearing your gun?"

He nodded. "Have you ever used a gun before?"

"I went to a shooting range once with my father." My throat tightened when I thought about the man I'd called dad. I was still having a hard time believing I was adopted. Why hadn't my parents told me? It wouldn't have made any difference to how I felt about them.

"When we arrive in Sunrise Bay, I'll give you a lesson on how to use a handgun."

If that wasn't enough to scare me, nothing was. "I don't know if I could shoot another person."

"If they were attacking Amy, you might change your mind."

I bit my bottom lip and looked at the back door. All the locks had been clicked into place. "What did you do before you were a special agent?"

"I worked in the Chicago Police Department."

"Why did you change jobs?"

Liam focused on his cup of coffee. "I wanted to try something different. The FBI was recruiting for more agents, and it seemed like a good fit. I moved to Boulder a few years ago."

"Do you have family there?"

"No. My closest relatives are in Chicago."

"I lived in Dallas for two years." I clamped my lips tight. Liam already knew that. The profile the FBI had compiled covered every aspect of my life, including the years after I'd graduated from college.

Liam's eyes softened. "We had to look into your past. Someone was leaking information about Alex's project to the terrorists. We wanted to make sure it wasn't you."

"I didn't know anything about the project or even that I had a brother."

"We didn't know that until we spoke to Alex."

I frowned. "When did you realize I was adopted? "

Liam shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "The timing doesn't matter. What matters is that you and Amy are safe."

My eyes narrowed. "You've known I was adopted for a long time. When did the FBI start investigating me?"

"In October."

"A month ago?" I said more loudly than I'd intended. My gaze shot toward the hallway. Waking Amy wouldn't help anyone. "What did you expect to find?" I said in a quieter voice.

"What we didn't want to find was a terrorist." Liam's cell phone beeped. He read the text message and frowned. "An agent will arrive soon with a DNA kit."

I rubbed my temples. In two hours, I'd gone from baking Christmas cakes to being a wanted man on the run from terrorists.

"How does the DNA kit work?"

"All you have to do is spit inside a tube. The lab will do the rest."

I sighed. At least he didn't want a sample of my blood. Fainting at the sight of the needle would be the perfect ending to a horrible day.