Authors: Wendy Byrne
B
efore she could struggle back to a standing position, the hotel phone rang. He pulled her to an upright position and grabbed it.
"
Kane Travis," he spoke into the receiver, then nodded. "You have the right number. Let me get your daughter."
He handed the phone to
Caitlyn. "Mommy, are you on your way?" Tears dribbled down Caitlyn's face as she spoke. "I'm…all right…thanks to Sabrina…and Kane." She hiccupped as emotion ebbed through her body in a violent torrent, ripping the words from her throat. "Sabrina's boyfriend." Rather than say anything else coherent, she only nodded and grunted. "Uh huh," Caitlyn managed to say before handing the phone to Sabrina.
Caitlyn
flung herself at Kane. He enveloped her within his arms, allowing her to release all the emotion until she was spent. With one hand, he patted her back, while he whispered that everything would be okay.
Sabrina longed to have someone give her that sense of security even though she knew she would never be willing to give over that amount of control.
"I'll make sure the FBI meets your plane in Zurich in the morning," she told Martha Collins. Sabrina jotted down their flight information. "I'll pass that on."
"
Will it be safe for Caitlyn?" Martha asked, her voice filled with fear. "Will you be coming back with us? I'd feel much better if you were with us on the plane." Sabrina wasn't surprised by the irrational fear. They'd been through a lot in the last six weeks or so.
"That won't be possible right now." She eyed Kane. "But the FBI will be ensuring everyone's safety. And I have total faith in them."
Kane didn
't even bother to hide his laughter.
Sabrina
glanced at the clock. She'd slept for nearly twelve hours. While Sabrina and Caitlyn shared the bed, Kane took over the pullout couch in the sitting area for the night.
With sounds of CNN in the background, she heard
Kane moving about outside the door. She threw off the covers and tiptoed out of the room, closing the door behind her.
He
had already ordered coffee and a slew of pastries from room service. "Good morning." He smiled and poured her a cup of coffee. "Snag a pastry and let's talk out on the terrace. I don't want Caitlyn to overhear." He grabbed his laptop on the way out.
She sat down at the bistro table, as did he.
"What's going on?"
"
Ponci's dead. It looks to be a professional hit." He stopped and let her digest that information before he continued. "They're closing in on Trinity. One of the men who was taken in for questioning on human trafficking charges decided to exchange information for immunity. He's given us an address in Paris for a man by the name Pierre Lennard, who is alleged by this man to be Trinity. As we speak, the FBI is doing due diligence. They're looking into the guy's financial situation, his website activity, and searching for a connection to Marco."
She sucked in a breath.
"Did they make a positive ID on Ponci?" She grabbed his arm. "I mean a hundred percent."
"
He has a couple of scars that match up positively."
"
What do you know about this Pierre Lennard guy?"
"
He's a wealthy businessman who has several homes throughout Europe. Also owns a condo in New York."
"
What kind of business is he in?" Maybe she was suspicious by nature, but something seemed a little too convenient. Then again, maybe she was ready for the challenge and having this all over with so easily and being left out of the action annoyed her.
One step at a time. That meant that her journey with her brothers would get easier.
Finding the man and getting the charges to stick were entirely different things.
"
Here's a picture. Does he look at all familiar?" Kane pointed to a picture he pulled up on his computer.
She examined the face for signs of familiarity, but the middle-aged man with blond hair and blue eyes didn
't ring any bells. "Don't know him. When will you hear something definite?" She let the question hang in the air. Something about this seemed a little too pat.
He eased out a smile as he examined his watch.
"Not sure when I'll hear something. But since Caitlyn's parents will be here in a couple of hours, would you mind if I went to Paris to see this settled?"
Maybe she was a control freak and wanted to be there when it happened. Maybe she felt
worried they'd let the slimy bastard slip through their fingers. Maybe something about the scenario didn't click into place for her.
"
No problem." She sucked in a breath, "But are you sure this is for real this time? It all seems a little too convenient."
"
Anybody's fair game when it means a few less years in prison."
Sabrina bit at the nail of her index finger.
"But it doesn't make sense. From everything we found, nobody knew who Trinity was. Even Marco. Why would this guy know?"
How did it go from nobody knowing the real identity of Trinity to suddenly some guy turning over on him? Smelled of a decoy
to her.
"
We'll know soon enough if he's the right guy." Kane fidgeted a bit before he spoke again. "And if he is…this is over."
"
Let's hope."
"
And we both go back to the States. Alone?"
Sabrina paused, trying to read Kane
's blank expression. "What are you trying to say?"
"
I'm trying to say we didn't make a half-bad team."
Sabrina snorted, trying to cover an unwelcome tide of emotion pooling in her stomach.
"We made a terrible team. We fought the whole time."
Kane took a step toward her, his fingers lightly grazing her cheek.
"Not the
whole
time," he said, infusing the words with a meaning that made Sabrina's face heat. "But you and I need to talk."
Sabrina bit at the corner of her lip, feeling a different sort of sensation rid
e along her spine. She trounced it down, narrowing her eyes as she stared back at him. "I don't do relationships."
Kane shrugged.
"Right. Neither do I." But he took another step forward, so close that Sabrina could feel his breath on her cheek. Was it her imagination or was it coming faster? Stronger. As if emotion was backing up in his chest as well.
She forced herself to take a step back, feigning indifference that was completely at odds with the feelings tingling up and down her spine.
"There's nothing between us. It's the emotional intensity we've been under. Come on, you know how the scenario works. It's Stockholm syndrome or something."
"
That's about captors and their victims."
"
Whatever. You know what I mean. It was adrenaline. Intensity. Sex. That's it."
"
That's it?" Was she crazy or did she detect a note of disappointment in his voice?
She shrugged, allowing the unease building inside her to ooze out. "Look, you're off the hook, okay? I'm not the romantic type. I'm not the type of gal a guy brings flowers. I'm more the type they buy a beer, talk about their bitchy girlfriend, wife, lover, or whatever and hope to get laid."
Kane
's eyes narrowed, but before he could respond, Caitlyn poked her head out of the door. "This is where you guys are hiding. Come on inside. It's too small out on that patio, and I'm starved." Taking a bite of a croissant, she ushered them inside and plopped down on the couch. "Hey, what's going on? You two seem weird."
If Sabrina didn
't have this visual popping through her head of reaching across to shake some sense into Kane, maybe she could have thought of something clever to say at the moment. Something that would make this awful feeling inside her go away. But nothing came to her.
Push. Pull. Push. Pull.
"Are you two fighting?" While Caitlyn's voice held optimism, panic rode along Sabrina's spine. The word
conspiracy
hinted at the edges of her awareness as Caitlyn and Kane exchanged looks.
"
No, Caitlyn. It's not that—" Sabrina looked at Kane. When he nodded, she continued, "Ponci is dead."
Tears twittered at the edges of her Caitlyn
's lashes. For a moment, Sabrina was envious of the emotions lying below the girl's surface. It made her who she was—a capable, loving young women. "Are you sure?"
"
Positive," Kane responded. "He can't hurt you anymore."
"
That's good." She sucked in a deep breath. "Do the other girls know?"
"
I'm not sure, but I'll make sure they're contacted if they haven't been already."
"
Then you two should be happy. Why do you look all stressed out and scared?"
"
It's complicated," Kane offered.
"
I thought you two were…you know…together." Caitlyn looked first at Kane then Sabrina, as if trying to figure out what was going on.
"
We're not," Kane quickly said.
Too quickly. Something about the words hit Sabrina harder than they should. She should be relieved, right? So what was the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach at the finality in them?
"What else?" Caitlyn asked, clearly unwilling to let the subject drop.
"
I've got to leave for Paris in a few minutes, but don't worry. The men outside will see you and your parents safely to the airport. I guess this is goodbye, Caitlyn." He wrapped the girl in a hug. "When I'm in the States, I'd love to check on you and see how you're doing."
"
I'd like that." She kissed him on the cheek.
Sabrina grasped Kane
's hand in a handshake. He brushed off her touch and wrapped her in an unexpected hug, bringing with it security, safety, and a solidarity that caught her off guard. Despite her inability to feel, she found herself hugging him back. Fiercely. She drew in a breath, but she had to work at it as his embrace crushed her chest, robbing her of breath. Or maybe that was the elusive emotion clawing at her.
He hugged her and
whispered, "I'll find you, Sabrina."
Right then she couldn
't say if it was the words that startled her or the feeling of his peppermint-tinged breath wafting around her nose. But the accompanying shiver was born of something foreign.
He winked at
Caitlyn and left through the door. For the first time in her life, Sabrina felt the terror of being alone, even though that had been her preference for as long as she could remember.
"
Kane seems mad. What's going on?"
Sabrina shrugged
, trying to lighten the mood. "You know how men get some times. And they say they don't get PMS. Ha."
Caitlyn
laughed, as Sabrina knew she would. But then she stopped abruptly as something on the TV riveted her. The only station broadcasting in English was CNN, which Kane had left on for background noise.
Caitlyn
started pointing to the set, her voice mute, as tears rolled down her cheek. "It's him. Trinity."
Sabrina stopped the broadcast and hit rewind. The broadcast continued.
"Ambassador Quarto is in Venice during Carnivale, sponsoring a benefit for the Children's Hospital. He's very active in helping children get free cancer treatment in many of the clinics he's established throughout Europe. He utilizes his own private jet to ensure they get sent to the best hospitals throughout the world."
She turned toward
Caitlyn. Her one hand trembled as she pointed, while the other covered her mouth. "He's close by."
"
Are you saying Ambassador Quarto is Trinity?" Sabrina asked while a different kind of fear set up low in her belly. That was not the same man Kane had showed her a picture of. That meant the FBI was on the wrong track, and the man she was after was more powerful than she could have imagined. An ambassador, with the power and privilege that went along with that.
"
That's him." Caitlyn's voice shook, and tears started to flow down her face.
Sabrina blinked
, unable to comprehend what Caitlyn was saying. It all seemed too unbelievable.
"
How do you know?"
Caitlyn
nodded. "There's proof." Two little words that made all the difference in the world. "I heard Ponci mention something about having insurance in a safe deposit box, but I'm not sure where it is."
Nothing ever happened this easily. But apparently Sabrina
's luck was about to change. She knew this for certain when Caitlyn spoke again.
"
Don't let him get me again, Sabrina." She shook so hard, her body a mass of jumbling nerves, that Sabrina ushered her over to the bed, urging her to sit on the mattress.
Of course. It was the only thing that made sense.
A diplomat. A big shot who used the guise of helping sick children to continue his sick plan. How he was able to get the girls out of the US unnoticed always bothered her. But now it all fit together. He drugged them and claimed he was sending them to Europe, where he'd set up his own charity for children needing cancer treatment, for medical services. The slime ball. Now Sabrina knew she wouldn't have to go too far to find him. He was virtually in her backyard.
Game changer. Should she call Kane and let him know? But how could she do that when she couldn
't be sure herself?
She brushed
Caitlyn's hair as she pulled her in close. "Do me a favor? Don't mention any of this to anybody. Nobody can know."
Caitlyn
whimpered. "He'll find me."
"
He's a sewer rat. He'll want to keep his reputation in tact. With all the buzz around his benefit and the Carnivale over the next couple of days, there'll be reporters dogging his every move."
Caitlyn
tugged at her arm. "You've got to come with us. He's dangerous, Sabrina."
"
I need to stick around and make sure he pays."
Caitlyn
drew her into a hug. "He came one time…I pretended to be asleep. He and that creep, Guillermo Ponci, went to some fancy school together. They were tight. Anyway, Guillermo complained I was difficult." She giggled, more out of hysteria than mirth, as evidenced by the tear sitting on the corner of her eye.
"
You don't have to talk about this, Caitlyn." Sabrina felt torn between wanting to know and not wanting to know.
Caitlyn
brushed at the tear. "I'm a lot stronger than you think." She huffed out a breath. "Besides, it helps to talk, doesn't it?"