Page 46 of Taylor’s Warrior

For Rhys, she managed a half-smile. He already knew the answer, he wasn’t stupid—it was his way of testing to see if she was ready to talk. “I was just thinking about Caroline. It was so thoughtful of her and Wolf to come and see us off.”

When the SEAL had called to find out what time they planned to set off, neither of them had guessed it was because his wife wanted to see them before they left. Wolf had accompanied her, of course, and Taylor had been as surprised as Rhys by their invitation to return for a more leisurely visit at a less critical time, so they could take in the sights and truly relax.

“It was,” Rhys agreed. “They’re good people—all of them.”

“I know we’ve known them barely any time at all, but I’m going to miss them,” Taylor admitted. “Would you… Their invitation—do you think we might take them up on it sometime? I know it’s a long way, especially for a Brit.”

She wasn’t sure where the attempt to tease him came from, but the smile he flashed in her direction told her she’d somehow hit the right tone.

“That’s Welshman, if you don’t mind,” he protested, exaggerating both his indignation and his accent. “It’s not that far if we fly. Unless you want to make it another road trip?”

“Either way works for me.” Because whichever way they traveled, they’d be together.

There was so much packed into what he’d said, and all of it helped to lift a little of the weight from her heart. Most of all, though, she liked that he saw them doing something together, in a future where the current situation no longer applied.

She couldn’t help but wonder when that day would come. The onslaught of all the thoughts spinning and twisting in her head was a special form of hell, and now, without her even being able to pinpoint why, it was even leading her to question everything about her childhood and upbringing.

Rhys was both her sanctuary and her anchor, holding firm while she navigated her way through the turbulence caused by what they’d discovered about her father. Her feelings for the man beside her seemed to be growing stronger and stronger, to the point where she couldn’t avoid the comparisons with Charity and Nick, Rachel and Brand—even Sasha and Rocco, so far away, making a new life together in Sicily. For each of them, meeting their soul mate had changed their life for the better.

Was Rhys her soul mate?

She sneaked a glance in his direction—and even though his gaze was focused on the highway, he proved he was still aware of her almost immediately.

“So, would you like to tell me what’s really bothering you?” he asked. “Maybe I can help.”

A boulder suddenly formed in her chest. She wanted to—no, needed to share but how? That was the question. “I’m not sure where to start. Even if I did, I’m not even sure I know the words to explain it.”

“Why don’t you start with what’s weighing you down most?”

Guilt was the short answer. “I can’t help thinking I should have just taken this straight to the FBI. I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve involved you all in something that could end up being dangerous—maybe even life-threatening.”

“Do you really think Charity and Nick would have let you face this alone, even if you had decided to go straight to the FBI?” Rhys asked. “Maybe that would have been the better option, but hindsight’s a wonderful thing. You’re only human, Tay, and you wanted to give your father a chance.”

“More fool me.” It was difficult not to be bitter. “I mean… he’s been living in Vegas with a girlfriend. It’s like he’s turned into a stranger. Part of me is even questioning if we’ve got the right man. While I was growing up, I don’t think he ever even dated.” She gave a short, sharp snort of humorless laughter. “How could I have been so naive?”

Rhys reached across for her hand. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You weren’t necessarily naive. Maybe he didn’t date when you were younger; if he did, though, he was probably very discreet about it.”

Taylor took a moment to process the implications of what Rhys had said. Maybe he was right. “Changing the subject, what I don’t understand is this: if Pops has been kidnapped, then the kidnappers must want something in exchange for him. I guess the contents of the parcel. The thing is, who are they going to contact for it? They don’t know who has it, and even if they find out it’s me, how are they going to contact me?”

Rhys was silent. The longer he remained silent, the more disquieted Taylor became. When he finally spoke, she wasn’t going to like it. Not one bit. She could feel it in her bones.

“This is just speculation on my part,” Rhys began, “and I could easily be wrong.”

“Tell me what you think.” She braced herself.

“Okay. I’m going to assume there’s a relationship between your father and this woman, that she’s his girlfriend. We have no idea how long that relationship’s been going on, or how much she means to him. They could have met last week—in which case, she’d likely mean next to nothing.”

“But if he went to Las Vegas straight after leaving New York, and met her soon after arriving, she could mean more to him than⁠—”

Taylor’s voice broke. What she was thinking was a gigantic smack in the face. She swallowed the lump from her throat. “She could mean much more to him than I do. That’s what you’re thinking, right?”

“It’s a possibility, that’s all.”

“Okay, then. How likely do you think it is?” With a grim sense of fate, Taylor was convinced she already knew the answer.

“Worst-case scenario, he chooses her over you. Taking her means they can use her for leverage.”

“And with enough leverage, he’ll tell them everything he knows,” Taylor concluded. “All he knows, though, is the address of the mailing service I gave him. Surely, they won’t give out any information about me, or where they send the mail to?”