Chapter 36

thirty-six

LIAM

At eleven-thirty the next day, I stood in the kitchen, flipping pancakes. It wasn't what I'd planned on doing, but it was better than worrying about my dad and everything else that was happening. After waking up far too early, I'd spent most of the morning checking Jacob's property, reading reports, and catching up on what was happening on other FBI cases.

While I kept myself busy, Amy and Paul had decorated the rest of the cookies and made a start on the cakes. Right now, they were in the living room, making Christmas cards for their friends.

I slid four pancakes out of the skillet. For someone who didn't rate his cooking ability all that high, the pancakes were a success. Paul's way of dealing with stress must be rubbing off on me.

Amy had wanted pancakes for lunch and I wasn't arguing. She could have chosen something far more complicated, like ravioli or chicken pot pie. At least this way, no one would leave the table hungry.

My cell phone rang. I checked the caller display and frowned. Dylan Holmes was still looking after Alex. It was unusual for him to contact me, especially in the middle of the day. "Hi, Dylan. What's happened?"

"Alex has disappeared. He went to a doctor's appointment in Boulder, but left the hospital before Matt and Connor could find him."

My heart pounded. "Do you have any idea where he's gone?"

"I checked his laptop. He emailed the terrorists and arranged to meet them at the ranger's cabin. I don't think Paul and Amy are in danger but keep them close. I need to go, but I'll contact you when I have more information."

Before I could reply, Dylan ended the call. My mind raced. Why on earth would Alex have contacted the terrorists? It was the last thing he should have done. Unless he had an ulterior motive.

I quickly turned off the stove. If Dylan didn't know what was going on, maybe Paul did. To the best of my knowledge, Paul hadn't spoken to his brother since the results of the DNA test had come through. But that didn't mean Alex hadn't called him.

Amy and Paul looked up as I strode into the living room. The coffee table was covered in glitter, colored card, and felt-tip pens.

"Look what we're making," Amy said excitedly as she waved a Christmas card at me. A shower of glitter drifted through the air. "Oops. Now I'm all sparkly."

Paul wiped the glitter off Amy's face. "You look like a fairy princess." He glanced at me, before wiping his hands on his jeans. "Amy, could you find Dolly? I think we left her in my bedroom."

"Okay. I'll be back soon."

As soon as Amy left, Paul turned to me. "What's wrong?"

"Have you heard from Alex since we received the results of your DNA test?"

"No, we haven't spoken to each other since then. Is he okay?"

I wasn't sure how to tell him that his brother had disappeared. "He went to the hospital for a doctor's appointment. While he was in Boulder, he disappeared. It looks as though he contacted the terrorists and arranged to meet them somewhere."

Paul's face turned pale, his eyes widening with fear. "Why would he do something like that? He was supposed to be keeping away from them."

"Did he say anything about the terrorists when you spoke to him?"

"Not that I remember. But he did say he was sorry we've been dragged into everything that's happened. You don't think he's been kidnapped, do you?"

I could see the panic rising in Paul's eyes. "I don't know. But it seems strange he would want to meet the terrorists."

"How well do you know my brother?" Paul asked, his voice shaking.

"I know him enough to realize how much pressure he's under."

Paul rubbed his forehead, his expression pained. "And finding out he has a brother would have added to his stress. Do you think he'll give the terrorists a copy of the program he's been working on?"

I couldn't imagine anyone handing over a program to a terrorist organization. From what I knew about Alex, it was the last thing I'd expect him to do. "I don't think so, but I'm not in his shoes. The terrorists have been threatening him for more than six months. They've already hurt people on his team. That's a lot for anyone to cope with."

Paul's eyes widened. "You said Alex had a doctor's appointment in Boulder. That's only an hour from here. Where is he staying?"

I sat on the edge of the sofa, my heart heavy with the truth I had to reveal. "I wasn't able to tell you where he was staying. When we were looking at safe houses, the FBI wanted to keep both of you in the same location."

"Alex is in Sunrise Bay?" Paul's voice was barely above a whisper.

"He owns a house about twenty minutes from here. After he was shot, he moved into town." I waited for Paul to ask more questions, but he sat silently beside me. "Someone has been leaking information about this assignment to the terrorist group. If they'd realized you were living so close to your brother, it wouldn't have ended well for anyone."

"If I'd known he was so close, I could have talked to him in person. Does he know Amy and I are living here?"

"No." I understood the sadness in Paul's eyes. If anything happened to his brother, he could have lost his only chance of meeting him. "We didn't tell Alex where you're staying for the same reason we didn't tell you."

"Is there anything we can do to help find him?" Paul's voice cracked, tears welling up in his eyes.

I shook my head, feeling helpless. "We're doing everything we can. I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything."

For the first time since I'd met him, Paul looked utterly defeated. I wanted to tell him everything would be okay, that his brother wouldn't get hurt. But I couldn't. Alex had made a decision that could cost him his life and no one, including the FBI, would be able to help him if they didn't know where he was.