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She knew her brother well.
Jacob had several plans scheduled to commence at specific times. The first one had already taken place when he’d blackmailed a nurse into helping him escape from the infirmary. He had threatened her child, and there wasn’t anything a mother or father wouldn’t do to protect their children. Which was why her brother had targeted Senator Cary’s son, but how had Jacob known that he would be a perfect match for the little boy?
Brook quickly made her way back around her desk and headed for Bit’s office. She had been so focused on preventing Jacob’s next scheme to escape federal prison that she’d almost missed a crucial piece of information that could put a complete stop to the transplant surgery.
If Jacob was a living donor match to Jonah Cary, then there was a good possibility that she could be, too.
Chapter Four
Brooklyn Sloane
November 2023
Thursday — 9:21pm
Thesmallpieceoftape at the top of Brook’s apartment door had been removed, but she wasn’t too concerned about the breach. Faint hints of basil and oregano hung in the air. The delicious aromas only became stronger as she entered her apartment.
Brook had gotten into the habit of securing a piece of tape to the entrance of her home a long time ago. It was more for peace of mind than a security system.
Over the years, Jacob would randomly stop by to check up on her. She’d noticed little things at first, such as her key bowl being moved a few inches to the right on the entryway table or her empty coffee cup placed in the sink after she’d left it on the kitchen counter. Initially, she’d thought that she’d done those things herself. It wasn’t until she’d decided to place security cameras inside of her home that she’d come to the realize that her brother had been keeping tabs on her all along.
Even with Jacob in federal prison, she’d found it hard to part with her old ways.
Brook paused in the entryway of her condo to hang up her coat. She then quietly placed her keys inside the wooden bowl on the entryway table that her father had made her mother one summer. She took her time depositing her briefcase and purse on one of the dining room chairs. Only her workspace now had two place settings with beautifully lit candles to give off an intimate ambiance.
The fact that Graham understood her need to have a murder board covering the entire width and length of her dining room wall was a testament to his belief in her. All her files had been shifted to the right side of the table. He always made sure that everything was put back in place after they’d enjoyed their meal.
There were still many questions that she needed to find answers to about Jacob’s childhood. The main one always weighed heavily on her mind—how could two siblings who were raised by the same parents in the same home in the same town turn out so different? It wasn’t about the typical variances in personalities, but more so about the levels of sanity.
Brook wasn’t ready to be drawn back into the spiral of doubt that always seemed to be on the cusp of her existence. Jacob had hinted quite often that they were more alike than she wanted to admit.
Then again, he’d always been good at mind games.
Maybe that was why she relinquished her briefcase and purse in one of the other chairs before leaning against the refrigerator to observe Graham putting the finishing touches on what looked to be chicken parmesan.
He embodied the military.
From Graham’s straight posture to his short-cropped hair, every single characteristic represented his way of life. His demeanor alone commanded a room, and his physical appearance drew the gazes of every woman of every stature in life. Yet he had a way of making her feel as if she were the only woman in existence.
“I thought they needed you in Somalia?”
“They do,” Graham replied as he reached over a small pot of sauce and turned off one of the burners. She could still make out the delicate tendrils of steam rising from the larger pot of water. The delectable scent of zesty flavors was much stronger near the kitchen, almost like an olfactory embrace that her stomach approved of very much. “I’ll fly out at zero dark thirty.”
Graham stepped away from the counter. Using the dishtowel that he’d hung over his right shoulder, he wiped his hands as he casually closed the distance between them. Once he was standing in front of her, he gently framed her face with his warm hands and leaned down for a leisurely kiss. Their simple exchange had carried with it the weight of their shared history and unspoken understanding. There was solace in such familiarity, and she didn’t deny that he was a refuge from the chaos that often consumed her life.
“Look at that,” Brook whispered after he’d pulled away. “I’m no longer that hungry for food.”
Graham slowly smiled in agreement, but the shake of his head told her that they wouldn’t be retiring to the bedroom anytime soon.
“Since you were at the hospital and allowed them to deplete your body of your life source, I thought it best to make sure your glucose stayed at a healthy level.” Graham stepped back far enough that he was able to place the dishtowel on the counter in exchange for the two plates that looked as if they’d come from a five-star restaurant. “Grab the basket.”
After Brook had collected the garlic toast, she turned and followed Graham to the dining room table. A casual glance to her left revealed that Graham had laid his suit jacket over the arm of her couch. She loved that her condo had an open layout, with the exception of the bedroom and bathroom. The floor-to-ceiling windows afforded her the same beautiful view as her office two blocks down.
“You think that I’m making a mistake.”
Brook had waited until she was seated to make the statement. She’d called Graham right after she’d instructed Bit to initiate a deeper background check into Senator Cary’s immediate and extended family. While it was possible for a complete stranger to be a living donor match to someone else, it was rare. Too rare, which left her to believe that the Walsh and Cary family had an ancestral link.
Graham didn’t immediately respond to her assumption, and he even retreated into the kitchen for her bottle of Moscato. He couldn’t understand why she insisted that he not purchase her a more expensive sparkling wine, but she’d gotten used to the cheap corner store brand. He made sure her wine glass was appropriately topped off before he claimed his seat.
