Page 93 of Fatal Betrayal

On the other hand, if the baby store was a front for some illegal operation that involved Burnett, maybe it wasn't that unlikely that Hannah would have been there. But he was making as many leaps in logic as Andi was.

"Maybe we just want that girl to be Hannah," he said aloud. "We were both changed by her disappearance. Her kidnapping drove us into the jobs we have now. You've spent your life bringing other kids home because you couldn't bring her home. And I've wanted to find her to prove that my brother didn't hurt her. We both have a lot of reasons to want Natasha to be Hannah."

"I'm aware that I'm acting on emotion right now. It's not the way I like to operate. And I will pull myself together. I just need a minute."

He respected her self-awareness and realized she didn't need him to rein her in anymore. She wasn't a wild, reckless fourteen-year-old with a big imagination, she was a federal agent who knew how to handle herself.

He also needed to get a grip, because he wanted that girl to be Hannah, too. Then he could finally find out what had happened to her. He would know for sure that his brother was innocent.

That thought stole the breath out of his chest. He already knew that. Didn't he?

He hit the brake a little too late and came within a few screeching inches of the car in front of them.

Andi braced her hand on the dashboard. "Do you want me to drive?"

"No. I've got it," he said tersely.

As the traffic surged forward again, he chased the other troubling thoughts out of his head. He had one focus now and that was not losing Natasha. If she had any answers, he desperately needed to know what they were.

CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE

They followedNatasha to a park in Venice Beach. It was a small city park across from a cannabis dispensary, tattoo parlor, and a bookstore about a block from the beach. Natasha parked in a delivery spot in front of the bookstore and then got out. Cooper slid into another loading spot down the street as parking was extremely limited. But a parking ticket was the last thing on his mind.

"She's getting something out of the trunk," Andi said, checking the rear view through the makeup mirror on the visor in front of her. "Let's get a little closer."

"She's going to run if we get too close."

"Then we won't get too close," she said.

He knew there was no stopping Andi in the mood she was in, so he was going to follow her lead and be ready for any problems that might arise.

They walked across the street, keeping plenty of people between them and Natasha as she moved away from her car. She didn't seem to be concerned that anyone was following her as she walked quickly down the street, the duffel bag in one hand, her phone in the other. At one point, she stopped to type something into her phone, probably texting someone, and then she moved into the park. A few moments later, she stopped by a bench in front of a small children's playground and set the duffel bag on the ground. She seemed to be waiting for someone as she checked her phone again.

They moved behind a tree about twenty yards away.

His heart began to race. He felt like something was about to happen, but he didn't know what. He wanted to be ready. After the explosion at Andi's condo and the attack at the safe house, he needed to expect the worst, but he didn't know how to prepare for that. He also didn't know how he could protect Andi when she was the only one with a weapon.

Andi put a hand on his arm. "It's going to be fine," she said.

"That's usually my line," he replied, looking into her confident brown eyes. "I'm the calm one, remember." It had been easier to be the calm one when they were kids, when the biggest consequence was getting grounded or losing phone privileges. This was so much bigger than that.

She gave him a small smile. "That's true. You were always my North Star. When you were around, I felt safe. I knew everything would be all right."

"Well, you shouldn't feel safe now, because you have the gun, and I can't protect you."

"Then I'll protect you. You have to trust me, Cooper. I know I broke your trust, once, and I'm probably asking the impossible, but I'm still asking. Because we need to be confident in one another. That's the best way for us to survive."

"I trust you," he said.

"Thank you."

"Someone is coming," he added, as he saw a figure moving toward Natasha. The person wore dark joggers, sneakers, and a sweatshirt with a hoodie pulled up over their head. Sunglasses covered their eyes, but there was something familiar. When the person sat down on the bench by Natasha, he saw a glint of gold hair under the hoodie.

"Oh, my God," he murmured. "I think that's Kristine."

"It's all coming together," Andi breathed.

Was it?The two women didn't speak. Natasha continued to stare at her phone, while the other person's gaze was on the playground. Then Natasha suddenly turned and walked away. Kristine grabbed the backpack and took off running.

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