Page 10 of The Last Promise You Made

HYPOCRITE

Performed by Alana Springsteen

Normally, I chased down every lead on the Lovatos with a fierce and unforgiving determination. But as I stared at the letter with Ryder Hatley’s name on it, I wanted to run far away in the opposite direction. It irritated me. It shamed me.

Still, I stared at the letter without opening it until the little girl had fallen asleep.

Then, I forced myself to break the seal, scanning the letter with a heart that banged so fiercely it threatened to escape my chest. A heart that fell, twisting and turning, as I read the contents. At least the letter explained why Ryder had never mentioned to a single human that he had a child—he hadn’t known. And yet, here was a girl, seven years old, named Addy according to the letter, who was his.

I didn’t know if I felt sorry for the man, angered on his behalf, frustrated I’d have to investigate him all over again, or a bit panicked at the idea of seeing him once more. No man had ever made me feel the complicated waves of emotion he had. Attraction so strong my body felt it might die of neglect the longer we went without touching. Lust that had burned me from the inside out when our lips had briefly met. Annoyance that he saw me as some meddlesome journalist. Irritation that he treated me—like all women who weren’t his family—as if I should come with a warning label.

I’d have to bottle up every single one of those emotions he caused to rip through me because I would definitely be seeing him—and sticking around because I wasn’t handing the little girl off to someone and walking away. I wasn’t letting Addy out of my sight until I knew exactly what she’d seen and how much danger she really was in. And if there was even a remote chance she had the information the letter insinuated her mom had left behind, that danger could be extreme. So, I’d stay with her until I was one-hundred-and-fifty-percent sure she was safe from the long reach of the Lovatos.

Anna’s letter had indicated she’d collected an insurance policy to use against the cartel that Addy would have. But the way the room had been ransacked, leaving nothing but a handful of clothes and the little girl behind, it meant the killer had likely taken whatever leverage Anna had gathered with him. Frustration bled through me. Every time we got a solid lead, it disappeared.

Beneath the blue emergency blanket Ramirez had brought in, Addy still wore her blood-stained clothes. We’d need to collect those and get her cleaned up, but it could wait until she woke, and until I could call my boss and figure out how to get the girl to the Hatleys and what exactly I could tell them about the situation.

I stepped just outside the door where I was still visible through the clear glass in case Addy woke and panicked. I wanted her to know she had someone here who would protect her.

To do so, I had to keep any knowledge of her and her whereabouts to the absolute minimum. I’d already stressed that fact to Officer Ramirez, asking him to pass the word along to the crime scene tech and lead detective at the scene—a message I’d also make sure extended to their chief.

I called Rory before my boss. “I’m sending you a photo of a woman who signed into a motel in Denver under the name Anna Smith. She’s had facial work done. We need to deconstruct it and get a clear image of what she looked like before.”

“Good evening, G. Long time no hear. How are you? I’m fine, thanks.”

I sighed. “I’m sorry I don’t have time for pleasantries, Rory. This is top priority.”

All teasing left her voice as she asked, “You actually found the elusive Anna?”

The woman who’d written the letter had signed her name Ravyn. I wasn’t sure that was her real name any more than Anna was.

“Too bad she’s dead,” I said, letting out a frustrated sigh.

Rory was silent for a beat before she said, “Well, hell. Are you sure it’s her?”

“While the name is common enough, the way she was murdered, the vicious cuts down her torso, is classic Lovato. Plus, she left a letter.”

“Damn. Does Leland know?”

“He’ll be my next call.” I hesitated, chest constricting as I debated telling Leland and Rory about Addy. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust either of them, but the only way to keep a secret was to tell absolutely no one. Everyone, even the best secret keepers, eventually told someone. Unfortunately, I needed my immediate team to know why I was heading to Tennessee in such a hurry, and I needed their eyes and ears listening for any talk of a child on the Lovato end. So, I took a deep breath and said, “We found a little girl in Anna’s room.”

Rory inhaled sharply. “Was she—”

“She’s alive. I think she saw it all while hiding under the bed. She’s not talking yet. Seriously traumatized and scared, but she was still savvy enough to pull out a hidden letter her mom had left in case of an emergency. Whoever Anna was, she’d sunk in to the child what to do if the worst happened.” I went on to explain what the letter revealed about Ryder and the information Ravyn had been collecting, but that it was probably gone along with Anna’s laptop. Rory swore under her breath.

“So, you’re taking her to Willow Creek?”

Rory hadn’t been with the NSA when I’d been in Tennessee last summer, but she’d been brought up to speed on every aspect of our case with the Lovatos, including the possible connection to the Eastern Dude Ranchers Association and my time exploring the five-star resorts. Nothing had panned out, but we still had task force members undercover at regular cattle ranches across the country and several undercover with Lovato street gangs.

“Yes. At some point, Child Protective Services will need to get involved,” I answered. “But that means paperwork and a shit ton of people who would know about her. I don’t know how Anna Smith…or Ravyn…or whoever she really is kept the girl off the Lovatos’ radar, but she did. We need to do the same until we know exactly what Addy saw. I don’t even want to tell the task force. You, me, Leland, and the couple of local cops who helped me sneak her out of the hotel are it. I’m hoping that taking her to her father and helping her feel safe might get her to open up about what happened.”

“The poor little thing,” Rory said softly. “Legal is going to have a fit once they find out you took her without notifying CPS.”

“Hopefully, everyone will be so happy we’ve brought the Lovatos down that it’ll slip through the cracks.”

“Good luck with that.”

My chest tightened another notch. Doing this, keeping her hidden, could end up costing me my job if it went wrong, but I knew with an instinct that had kept me safe many times before that we needed to conceal her for a little longer. I’d deal with the consequences later. “Keep me updated on any progress you make with Anna’s image.”

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