Page 23 of Shadow Undercover

“If you do, then you understand why I’m desperate to find my sister. I don’t want to lose her.”

Two weeks without talking to Ruth had seemed like a lifetime. She’d missed her. To not have the opportunity to talk to her sister again didn’t bear thinking about, especially knowing what she most likely endured.

Brent was silent a moment. “My wife and daughter were kidnapped a while back. I didn’t know if I would find them in time to save them.”

Her eyes widened. “How did it turn out?”

Satisfaction filled his eyes. “My family is safe. The enemy is dead and his organization no longer exists.”

Wow. These guys didn’t mess around when they took on those who preyed on the innocent. Good. If they targeted Hugo Torino, they might destroy his plans. “I’m glad they’re safe.”

“Thanks. Do you want to rest?”

“It’s pointless. I slept on the flight here. Trace didn’t, though. Will he have a chance to sleep before he and his team are assigned another mission?” If they deployed, what would happen to the search for Ruth? Would Trace hand off the responsibility to another team?

Bridget trusted him and Shadow to do what they promised. She wasn’t sure a different team would be as invested in finding Ruth.

“Finding Ruth is Shadow’s next assignment.”

She relaxed. Thank goodness. By the time Trace and his team were through, Hugo would be toast. Wouldn’t hurt Bridget’s feelings if one of Trace’s bullets ended the creep’s life. Feeling that way might make her a bad person, but she wanted Ruth safe and she wouldn’t be as long as Hugo viewed her as the one who got away. “Thank you,” she choked out.

He gave a short nod. “What do you do for a living, Bridget?”

“I’m a librarian at Freeport High School.”

“What made you choose that field?”

“I love to research. The more miniscule the information and the more difficult to find, the better. You don’t know how frustrated I was when I tried to find Ruth and found nothing. I knew then that something was wrong and my only hope was Hugo’s father.”

“You flew to another country to confront a dangerous man.”

“Hey, I didn’t know he was a criminal at the time.”

His eyebrow rose.

Bridget held up a hand. “All right. I confess. I suspected he brokered shady deals, but he was my best shot at getting information. I’m persuasive when I need to be.”

“You planned to charm the information from him. If you had succeeded in seeing Hugo’s old man, you’d have gotten more than you bargained for. Pedro wasn’t known for his kindness to women and children. You’re lucky you didn’t meet him.”

“All I needed was a sliver of information. I would have chased the lead until I found Ruth or another lead. I won’t stop until I locate her.”

More silence as he studied her. “Are you interested in a better paying job with terrific perks?”

She blinked. “Are you offering one?”

“If your references check out, I could be. I always need more researchers. Although Zane is a whiz at research, I need more researchers as good as he is to help carry the load.”

“Why do I have the feeling checking my references isn’t all you’ll do if I express interest?”

Brent smiled. “Because you’re a smart woman. We do extensive background checks. By the time we’re finished, you won’t have any secrets left. Before you agree, be sure you’re prepared for that invasion of privacy.”

She spread her hands. “My life is boring. No secrets worth having.”

“Except for your connection to Roxanne.”

“Except that.” People didn’t bother to dig into her sister’s background, content with the fluffy tidbits the paparazzi tossed into the news rags about Roxanne’s eating and exercise habits, her beauty secrets, and the latest potential boyfriend. To the disappointment of reports everywhere, Roxanne hadn’t dated anyone until Hugo. Since news of their dates hadn’t hit the media, Hugo must have engineered a media blackout.

When Ruth had first told Bridget of her association with Hugo, she was grateful her sister was spared the unrelenting media coverage. Now, however, Bridget wondered if the careful blackout was the first sign of Hugo’s possessive tendencies.

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