Page 75 of Lethal Game

"Good, because I don't regret it either." How could he feel bad about what happened? The passion between them was off the charts, but it was also the conversation they'd shared, the laughs, and the feeling of being completely in sync that had been more than he'd expected. The only thing he was sorry about was that the night was over. "You didn't betray your love for your dad by sleeping with me or laughing at a silly movie. I know how much you love him and how worried you are about him. There was nothing you could do last night to affect anything."

"I don't know what I can do today. I feel helpless, Jason. And I'm really scared about what's coming next."

"I'm worried, too. But all we can do is keep moving on. Today is a new day. We start again."

"You always tell me what I need to hear, thank you."

Her words gave him another reason to be wary of the connection developing between them because he had never really thought that much about wanting to make someone feel better. But he always felt that way with her.

However, he couldn't let his feelings for Alisa distract him from finding the man who had killed his father and would kill hers, too, if he didn't stop him. It was time to get back to work.

Jason dropped her off at her mother's room around ten, and while she waited for her mother to wake up, Alisa re-read the letter her father had left behind in the motel room. She needed to share it, along with everything else she'd learned, and she hoped her mom would be well-rested for the conversation because she was going to need some strength to get through it.

Her mother opened her eyes and stretched, giving her a happy smile. "It's good to see your face. You look better today, Alisa. You must have gotten a good night's sleep."

She really hadn't slept more than an hour or two, but she wasn't going to tell her mom about that. "How are you feeling today?" she asked as she got to her feet and walked over to the bed, leaving the letter on the chair. She wasn't quite ready to get into that.

"Much better. I woke up around six, and the nurse took more blood from me. But I was able to stay awake for two hours. I had breakfast, and I watched a movie on the television. I was going to look at my phone, but I don't seem to have it."

"It's with the nurse so she can bring it to you when we need to talk to you."

"Oh, well, I'll have to get that back at some point. Have you heard from your father?"

"In a way."

Her mother's brows narrowed with worry. "What does that mean? Please tell me he's all right, Alisa."

Her mother's anxiety was suddenly very, very real, and she had to stop it from escalating. "I think he's all right for now," she said carefully. "Jason and I found the motel where he was staying,and he had started a letter to you and me. I have it." She turned around and picked up the letter.

"Let me see it," her mom said, pushing herself into a sitting position.

She didn't immediately hand over the letter. "Before you read this, I have to tell you I know Dad's secret. I know who he used to be, and I need to tell you about that because then the letter will make more sense."

"Then tell me."

"Dad grew up in Eastern Europe, maybe the Soviet Union, I'm not entirely sure, but I do know he wasn't a teacher. He was a chemist. At some point, a terrorist tried to use him to advance a chemical weapons attack. Dad was able to stop it, and in doing so, the US gave him asylum. He was given a new identity and was told he could never work as a chemist again, so he became a teacher. From that point on, he lived a normal life with us as Dan Hunt."

Her mother stared at her in shock. "That sounds crazy, Alisa. Your father isn't Russian."

"I think he is, Mom. The terrorist he worked for, and the people he used to know, they're all Russian. But when he told you he was changing his life for the better, he wasn't lying. He was telling the truth."

"I always knew that. Where is he now?"

"I don't know. But during the last year, Dad confided in Henry. Henry was having trouble with his therapies, and Dad wanted to help him. He wanted to use his brilliant mind to further the cure for cancer, so he told Henry who he was, and he started helping him on the weekends."

"They weren't playing golf or going fishing? He was working in Henry's lab?"

"Yes. Which probably would have been fine except that, by some random coincidence, someone from Dad's past saw him there and told the people he ran away from where he was. Now, Dad is on the run from the same terrorist he was forced to workwith in Russia, and the FBI thinks there's an attack in the making. They're working hard to find Dad and to stop whatever is being planned."

Her mother's face had now lost all of its color. "Is your father all right?"

"The FBI is convinced he's alive."

"Because this terrorist needs him?"

"Yes."

"I want to read the letter." Her mother put out her hand. "Give it to me."

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