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“That’s better than I feel,” Ethan muttered before sending another look Taryn’s way. She could see that he wanted to know if she was all right and she honestly couldn’t answer. With everything that was happening she wasn’t sure how she felt, but she gave a small smile anyway. “I’ll see you later.”

Ethan took his leave while Crest remained, closing the door. When he turned back around, she had to grit her teeth at the scrutiny in which he looked her over. She knew that he was just doing what Ethan had done, wanting to see for himself that she could handle what was coming her way. She could. She actually found herself wondering what Fallon wanted Ethan for and hoped to God that he wasn’t stupid enough to get back involved with her. The woman was nowhere near good enough for him.

“You don’t need to keep checking in with me,” Taryn said, finally awaking her last monitor. The machines were whirring to life, creating a small humming sound that filled the air. She wished it had enough power to drown everything else out, but that wasn’t the case. “I’m fine.”

“I treat you no differently than I do the men on this team, Taryn.” Crest slowly walked around the tables and pulled out one of the extra chairs she kept in case the guys needed to go over video feeds. He made himself comfortable, even crossing one ankle over his knee. She sighed in resignation and sat back in her chair, knowing he would stay as long as he needed to in order to convey his thoughts. “Fallon could have chosen her words better. She didn’t mean that Ryland could be redeemed, just that there was still enough emotion left within him that we could use it to our advantage.”

“See, that’s where you’re wrong,” Taryn pointed out, finally asking the question that had been on her mind for way too long and now her patience had run out. “Do you remember when we took Ryland down at the train station? Right before everything came to a head, Ryland mentioned that my picture had been wiped from several databases and that you were the one responsible. Why? Do you know something that you’re not telling me?”

Crest rubbed his chin, as if contemplating how much to tell her. Taryn knew that he had the team’s best interests at heart, but there were times that he overstepped his bounds. There were things he couldn’t protect them from, regardless that he felt responsible for them. She maintained eye contact, needing him to know that she wasn’t backing down this time.

“At the time we discovered that Ryland was after Emily, we didn’t know have vast knowledge of his background. I took precautions and had what information I could regarding both you and Jessie secured.” Crest held up his hand as if he were surrendering, which was ludicrous. The man didn’t know how and if he did, it was an action that he would never procure. “Call it sexist, call it whatever you like, but my first priority will always be to the team.”

Taryn inhaled and allowed the tension to release from her shoulders. She thought that maybe he had known something about her past that he had withheld. It wouldn’t be the first time that Crest omitted facts based on judgment, whether good or bad. She also knew that he was a man of his word.

“I agree with Ethan,” Taryn said, changing the subject. She wouldn’t reprimand Crest for doing his job. She set her glasses on top of her head. It looked like she wouldn’t need them for a while. “Fallon’s profile is bullshit. Ryland looks out only for himself and is fascinated with this game of chess he’s started. He wants to take our king, which is you. He wants to see the entire kingdom burned to the ground. This became personal to him the moment we cornered him at that train station. I’m one of the pawns, just as the other team members are. He’s moving us into position.”

“And yet you’re still willing to go to Houston.” Crest said his words as a statement rather than a question. “You’re nevertheless going to do what Ryland wants you to do.”

“Are you saying I shouldn’t go?” Taryn asked, surprised that Crest would feel that way. “You can’t sit there and say that you wouldn’t if you were in my position.”

“Of course I would. That goes without saying.” Crest rested a hand on his knee and a glint of light shined off of his Marine Corps emblem ring that she knew he’d personally had handcrafted out of white gold. The eagle, globe, and anchor gave credence to his time served and the pride he felt for having served his country. Taking Ryland down would be another notch on his belt, but it was a needed one. “We just need to keep one step ahead, which is why I brought Fallon in. She can draw up an adjusted profile so that we can get a bead on Ryland. We need to know what makes him tick in order to cut the right wire.”

“I wouldn’t mind letting Ryland implode,” Taryn muttered, suddenly feeling as tired as Ethan obviously was. Again she wondered what Fallon had wanted to speak with him about. Taryn waved a hand toward her makeshift desk. “Do we have anything outstanding that I need to do before Ethan and I leave tomorrow? I know you have a secondary technical team from the Bureau that you’re going to use, but they like to follow protocol.”

Crest stood up and shook his head, apparently not wanting to know all the little back doors and holes that Taryn used when absolutely needed. She covered her tracks well and always made sure that the trail didn’t lead back to CSA. Sometimes rules were made to be broken. It could tilt the battleground in their favor and that was essential in their dealings with Ryland.

“Taryn, I hired you because you’re the best at what you do. I don’t need to know the details.” Crest made his way to the door. “We’ll keep working on our end, but I want you and Ethan to stay in touch twice a day. That’s an order that I expect you to follow or I’ll yank both of your asses back here, regardless if you’ve found the information that you’re looking for or not. Understood?”

“Understood.”

Taryn breathed a sigh of relief when she was finally alone. She quickly grabbed one of her various notebooks and turned it to a blank page. She wrote her father’s name on the top of the sheet, underlining it twice. Penning in the family tree, she also included her aunt and several cousins. It would be easy to seek them out, although Taryn couldn’t remember the last time she spoke with that side of the family. It had to be at her father’s funeral. Trying to remember that day, she couldn’t recall anyone mentioning anything about another woman or a child.

Her mother Sharon had been born and raised in Wisconsin. Taryn’s parents had met while Sharon had been on vacation with her family. The two of them had been in their early twenties, so it was doubtful that her mom would remember any of George’s friends. That didn’t mean Taryn wouldn’t follow up, but the one person who would be able to recall that far in the past was her Aunt Lisa.

“You know something, don’t you,” Taryn said softly as she circled her aunt’s name. The woman had always run with the more elite crowd, thinking she was too good for the likes of their blue collar family. Taryn’s grandparents had long since passed and George and Aunt Lisa had only kept in touch at the holidays. Was there more to the family separation than social status? “I’ll find out, one way or the other.”

Chapter Three

“S
o what did Fallon want to talk to you about?” Taryn asked, sitting in the passenger side of her Pathfinder. She refused to drive in Ethan’s POS when they could ride in the comfort of her vehicle. They always argued over who would drive and she always caved. Truthfully, she’d rather be in the passenger side this time so that she could tune out the distractions and try to resolve the mystery that was her father’s life…her life. It was hard to comprehend that the fine upstanding man she had always loved and respected might have betrayed her mother. It would do Taryn no good to ponder it now when she and Ethan were almost to his parents’ house. “She try to hit you up for a one-night stand?”

“Believe it or not, she apologized.”

Ethan made the turn onto his parents’ road. Mrs. Chambers had invited Taryn to dinner many times before and she loved the familiar and relaxed setting. It wasn’t that she hadn’t had a wonderful childhood. She had. She always knew that her parents had loved her, but her father had passed away a couple of years ago due to a massive heart attack and her mother had withdrawn into herself, and nothing Taryn said or did seemed to help. Her questions regarding her parents’ past didn’t make things better either. It was nice to feel as if she were part of a family again, surrounded by people that loved one another and showed it. Ethan turned into the drive and she realized that he never expanded on the apology thing.

“What did she apologize for?” Taryn unfastened her seatbelt but didn’t get out of the SUV. She couldn’t picture Fallon being the type of woman to say she was sorry. “Ending things the way she did or being a bitch? Wait. That’s the same thing, isn’t it?”

“She’s not technically a bitch,” Ethan said, giving Taryn another pointed look. “She apologized for making it seem that she sympathized with Ryland. Look, I’ve never been a fan of profiling. Let’s face it…it’s always a male in his thirties who had mommy issues. It tells us nothing that we don’t already know. Did you run into her today after I left?”

“No,” Taryn answered, opening her door. For once, something had gone her way. She hadn’t really wanted to get into a conversation with Fallon Canna. “I stayed in my office most of the day mapping out a family tree. I concluded that Aunt Lisa is the first person we need to speak with when we arrive in Houston. I’m not so sure the cousins will have any useful information.”

Taryn hopped out of the vehicle and shut her door. Meeting Ethan around the front of her Pathfinder, they slowly walked up the gravel lined river rock pathway that led across the large front lawn together. She swore she could smell the food from out here and her mouth watered. It was the end of April and although the snow was gone, there was always a potential for one late storm to hit. The air still held a chill but she didn’t mind. She was warm enough in an old comfortable Navy sweatshirt which made wearing her side holster easy as it covered it nicely. She never felt comfortable being armed in Ethan’s parents’ house, although he walked around as if he’d been born with a leather holster attached to his chest. It wasn’t as if their home lacked weaponry. There were old Sharps carbines displayed above the fireplace mantle and she knew of at least two other weapons cabinets.

“We can discuss our strategy on the drive to Houston tomorrow.” Ethan stopped Taryn from entering the house by placing a hand on her arm. She faced him standing on the old fashioned wraparound porch of a two-story home that transported a person back to a time when the whole family spent their evenings discussing the rural news as they watched the natural wonders of nature drift by. Mr. and Mrs. Chambers were very easygoing people who didn’t stand on ceremony. They discouraged her from knocking before she came in on the nights she was invited to dinner. It was obvious Ethan wanted to say something that he didn’t want his parents to overhear. “Let’s enjoy tonight. I’m not going to lie. I’m worried about you, Squid. You’re not eating right, not sleeping enough, and you haven’t been talking to me lately. This is a lot to take for anyone and I want you to know that I’m here for you.”

Taryn didn’t consider herself an overly emotional woman. Her parents had loved her and no matter how many times they tried to lead her down the prom queen path, she’d always been somewhat of a tomboy. The Navy only continued to lead her in that direction. She could handle anything thrown her way. One couldn’t change facts and that’s what she was faced with. It was either accept what she discovered about her family or ruminate in the unfairness of it all. She would just have to condition herself to look at things in black and white. She’d forced herself to be dispassionate about difficult details in cases before and now was no different.

“I’m fine, Ethan.” Taryn looked around the neighborhood, automatically checking to make sure there wasn’t anything amiss. She brought her eyes back to him and found him studying her much like Crest had this morning. She didn’t want him to worry about her. He’d been spending too much of his private time with her and not enough at Masters or having a personal life. After this case was wrapped up, she swore to herself that she would see to it that her best friend concentrated on himself. “Whatever we find out, it’s already taken place. Nothing I do will change that. Let’s get to Texas, figure this out so that we can force Ryland’s hand, and get on with our lives.”