Page 67 of Taylor’s Warrior

“You can ask me anything.”

“Are you sure you’re ready for that conversation with Markham? It won’t be easy.”

Her breath sighed across his chest. “I know, but I have to do it, and tomorrow’s my only chance. Cruz said the judge is likely to order him to be detained without bail and then removed to New York, and once that happens…”

There would be a trial, and unless his defense worked a miracle, Markham was likely to be found guilty and given a serious term in federal prison.

“I thought I had a father,” she continued. “Turns out I didn’t. I need to know why. I need to know what happened. He’s the only person who can tell me, or point me in the right direction to find out who I really am.”

She met his gaze with trepidation in her eyes. “I don’t want that conversation. Ever. I’m not ready for it, but I have no choice. I have to do it. Please tell me you understand.”

He did. Courage wasn’t being brave—it was being afraid and facing that fear head-on, just as Taylor planned to do. He hugged her close and kissed her. “I do, fy nghariad. I do.”

CHAPTER 20

“Are you sure you’re ready to go through with this?”

Rhys. Oh, how she loved him for asking. The man had put his life on the line to save her at the airfield, acted as a buffer between her and the FBI, and now he was her knight in shining armor, ready to slay the dragon.

The dragon being the man on the other side of the two-way mirror, already dressed in an orange jumpsuit, in preparation for his expected transfer to New York. He was seated at the table, his hands cuffed to a ring bolted into it. All Taylor could do was wonder about the stranger behind that familiar façade.

Because that was what the man who’d brought her up now was—a stranger. One who’d torn apart her sense of personal identity. Where she would have been without Rhys, she had no idea.

“I still don’t know,” she replied with brutal honesty. “I do know I have no choice. Special Agent Livingston went to the trouble of facilitating this, and on a Sunday too. You brought me here, and Charity and Nick came along for support. I can’t not go through with it.”

Rhys gathered her to him, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her forehead. “We’ve done what we came here to do. Livingston has our statements. If you want to walk right out of here and go home, all you have to do is give me the word and we’ll go. You don’t owe anyone anything, and after what you did at the airfield yesterday, Livingston owes you big time.”

Maybe Rhys had a point. Maybe, deep down, she wanted to go back home and hide. It would be so easy to give in, but she’d only be kicking the can down the road—one day, she’d want answers and would kick herself for not taking advantage of the opportunity that now presented itself.

“Maybe he does owe me, but he’s repaying me by letting me speak to my… to Charles when he didn’t need to.”

The door beside them opened, revealing the federal agent in question. He spared a glance for the mirror and the man on the other side of it, his expression betraying nothing. “Are you ready, Taylor?”

“I guess so.” On tiptoe, she kissed Rhys on the cheek. “It’ll be okay, I promise.”

“If you’re sure. One thing before you go—if I see any sign of it going sideways⁠—”

“You’ll come to my rescue?” Taylor wasn’t going to argue. She smiled. “Thank you.”

She turned to Livingston. “Thank you for facilitating this. I would guess it’s not something you would usually do.”

“You guess right.” He shrugged. “You’re lucky it’s the weekend; any other time, we’d have held him overnight and he’d be escorted to the courthouse the next day. That’s not happening until tomorrow. But… I owe you for the assistance you gave us yesterday, and in the circumstances, I figured you could use a chance to try to get as much information about your family out of him as possible.”

Whatever that information might be. Speculation made her stomach churn with anxiety. She could only hope Markham wouldn’t be vindictive enough to withhold vital information from her. Without it, she had no idea where she might start piecing together her real history.

“I appreciate it.”

Livingston gave a curt nod. “You’ll be in there on your own with him. He’s restrained, so he can’t harm you, but don’t go around to his side of the table or otherwise get too close. Dalton and I will be monitoring the conversation, and if we have any concerns regarding your safety, the meeting will be terminated. You should also know everything will be recorded.”

Her stomach turned somersaults. Not because the conversation would be recorded, but on account of all the potential reasons for recording it. “Understood.”

“Also, as this isn’t exactly in the handbook, I can only give you a limited amount of time.” Livingston stood back and gestured toward the open door. “Shall we?”

Taylor wiped her palms down the side of her jeans. “The sooner we start, the sooner we can all go home.”

“One more thing,” Livingston added. “If at any point you feel uncomfortable, just walk out. You owe him nothing. You don’t need to explain anything to him. And while we’ll be watching from in here, if you need us to come in, just hold up your right hand. Got that?”

“Right hand.” She managed a nervous smile. “Got it.”