Page 18 of Duplicity

She wouldn’t have recognized it, most likely. Though it was possible since his father had been a local criminal involved in trafficking until he was killed not even two years ago. His sister had been a local EMT, and his brother-in-law was a detectivein homicide, or major crimes, or whatever they called it. Their family was intricately connected to Vanguard.

And why did the idea she might have an opinion about him or his family make him nervous? Simon needed the chance to prove to her he was a good guy, not a disaster who cried at hearing about a cop who got shot.

“What’s going on, Cat?”

She frowned and looked as if she was going to ask him to call her Officer Alvarez. Instead, she said, “One of the female students at the school has gone missing. It’s a possible abduction.” She looked at her phone. “I’m going to go talk to the mom.”

Simon nodded. “I’ll go with you.”

He could ride with her in her car, and they could talk. He could explain more about giving her a fake name, and even though his back was way up against the wall on this one, it would give him a chance to do what Rebecca said. Find some good in the situation.

Cat was like a beacon in the night.

A hero, shot in the line of duty. Now, she worked with teens, keeping the next generation safe. What wasn’t to like about this intriguing, fiery woman who was not at all pleased with him right now?

She only frowned deeper. “Why do you want to come?”

“I might be able to help.”

She glanced at him, then turned and walked to the front doors. His bike was parked beside the entrance in a spot meant for bicycles, but in this neighborhood, no way was he leaving a nice motorcycle in the parking lot with too many dark shadows between streetlights.

She stepped off the curb onto the asphalt. “Are you going to ride with me? I can bring you back for your bike later.”

“Sure.” He didn’t even know which gray compact was hers. Simon turned to his bike. Did he really want to leave it?

“Come on.” She headed into the parking lot, weaving between cars.

He jogged to catch up, adjusting his backpack on his shoulders as he ran. At the car, he touched the handle and immediately felt a shiver down his back. The same as he’d felt outside the hotel.

Had that been because some part of his awareness knew Jasper was in the room before his conscious mind became aware of it? Maybe he’d seen a familiar car in the lot but hadn’t placed it. Or he had spotted movement in the window and not registered it.

“Okay?”

“I don’t ride in cars much.”

Cat stared at him over the roof. “You can ride your bike and follow me.”

And both of them would know he’d done it because he couldn’t stomach being in a car. “No.” He cleared his throat. “I’m good.”

Simon pulled the door open and slid in. He spotted the other group members heading out of the community center building. Lonely, wounded souls that made him think of tragic country songs. Nothing he would ever listen to. When he did listen to music, it was a classical mix that didn’t detract from his thoughts and, in fact, actually helped him focus on whatever problem he was trying to solve.

He hadn’t listened to music in a while.

Not since…

Simon shook his head and buckled up in time for Cat to pull onto the road. “So you know this girl, or she just goes to the school? I don’t know the protocol with SROs.”

He could text his brother-in-law and find out, but just like Peter, his sister, Freya, and her husband, Lucas, both thought he was backpacking in Yellowstone National Park.

“I’ve met with Marianna a few times. She was on my radar of kids worth checking on.” Cat drove with an easy grace, not too crazy like his sister. Freya drove like her butt was on fire, which Peter said helped with his defensive driving training course since she’d taught them both how to drive.

The ache in his chest caused by thinking of his family wasn’t unusual, but it caught him off guard now, nonetheless.

He rubbed the heel of his hand across his chest.

His phone buzzed. He turned it over and looked at the new message.

“Who is Talia?”

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