Page 51 of Taylor’s Warrior

“I agree,” Nick chipped in. “Rachel knows what she’s talking about.”

“Hey, Rachel’s right here, and she does know what she’s talking about. I called Cruz to give him some background in advance of the meeting. Just bear in mind he has a job to do, to get to the bottom of this and decide what crimes have been committed. He’ll listen to what you have to say, including all your concerns. He’ll be tough but fair.”

“It’s the tough part that worries me,” Taylor confessed.

“Don’t. Worry, I mean,” Rhys elaborated. He didn’t want her to worry about anything for the rest of her life. “We’ll be there with you. It’s not as if he’ll be interrogating you with a view to charging you. You’ve done nothing wrong. You trusted your father to do the right thing—it’s not your fault that he…”

Turned out to be a deceitful, lying, thieving son of a bitch, but he couldn’t really say that. Not yet, at any rate. Everyone was innocent until proved guilty.

“It’s my fault that I let it run for so long.”

Rhys shook his head. “You did what any daughter would do—you trusted the man who brought you up, loved you, and cared for you. It’s only natural you’d want to give him the benefit of the doubt and every chance to do the right thing.”

“Maybe so, but if he loves me, why has he treated me the way he has?”

A good question, for which Rhys had no answer, but he knew who should. “When the opportunity arises, put your father on the spot and ask him, face to face.”

“I know this is crazy, but part of me isn’t sure I want to,” Taylor admitted. “If I’m honest, I’m afraid of what he might say.”

Rhys wrapped his arm around her shoulders and drew her against his body, as if by doing so, he could protect her from her fears. “Then I’ll ask him for you, and if I don’t like what he has to say… Let’s just say, I could make it a valuable learning experience for him.”

He meant it, too.

“If it comes down to that,” Nick said dryly, “I’ll provide you with an alibi.”

“You see,” Rhys said. “We’re all on your side.”

Her smile was a little uncertain, but at least it held a hint of levity. “Thanks. Good to know.”

When they finally came off the interstate they were only minutes away from their destination. After finding somewhere to park, they reported in at reception in the imposing building that housed the FBI field office. They were given visitor’s badges, and were told that Special Agent Livingston would be apprised of their arrival.

“So, I guess we wait,” Nick murmured as they took their seats in the public section of the lobby, separated from the rest of the floor by an access-controlled barrier. People came and went, but none of them showed any interest in their group.

“I wonder how long he’ll be,” Taylor muttered.

“It’s okay,” Rhys reassured her. “We arrived early. He’s not going to forget we’re here.”

“You sure about that?” Taylor asked, clearly not convinced.

“Not one hundred percent,” he admitted, “but as good as. We’ll be in for an hour, if that, and on our way home before we know it.”

He liked the sound of going home with Taylor.

“Don’t forget—it’s just a meeting,” he added.

Taylor shot him a skeptical look. “I’ll let you remind him about that.”

Rhys glanced at his watch—three more minutes, and the agent would be running late. He scanned the lobby again, and this time, his senses went on alert at the sight of a man approaching the barrier, whose gaze seemed to be fixed on them. “I think we’re about to get some company.”

The man was tall, well over six feet, with black hair and dark eyes, physically fit, undoubtedly an asset if fighting on the same side… and a formidable enemy if not. He swiped his ID, passed through the barrier and approached them. “Ms. Markham? Good afternoon. I’m Special Agent Cruz Livingston.”

All four of them stood as he extended his hand to Taylor. “Special Agent Livingston. Thank you for seeing us.”

“Thank you for coming in so promptly. Rachel, good to see you again.”

“You too, Cruz.”

Once the introductions were complete, he led the way to the barrier. “If you’d like to come with me to my office, we’ll get this meeting underway. Rachel gave me some of the background, but I’d like to hear it straight from you, from the beginning.”