Page 20 of True Valor
“From your uncle.”She snorted, shaking herhead.“And who else did you tell?”
“One of my teammates.”
“Oh, well, of course.And your mom and dad,too?”
“My mom’s dead, and my dad doesn’t know whatday it is.”Maybe that would shut her up.
“Both my momandmy dad are dead.”Julie turned her head away.“Apparently my sister, too.”
Score one for Julie.“I’m sorry” sounded soinadequate, but that was all he could think of to say.
“Why your uncle?”
“He’s a cop...”
The second it came out of his mouth, he knewwhat she’d think.
“Cops!Great, just great.”
“Julie, he’s a cop in Boston.We can trusthim.Well, actually, my uncle is retired.”
“Whatever.And your teammate?”
“Cruz?Well, he used to be in Air ForceIntelligence, and he’s a computer whiz.”
Like that explained it.
Julie’s face hardened.She didn’t speak againuntil they were a half hour outside of Tahoe.Nic stopped to gas upthe car.
“You want something to eat?”
“I want to go to their house.”
“Your folks?”
“Yeah.We still have the keys to the car,don’t we?”
“Well, yes.”
Julie turned toward him, alive with newdetermination.“Then, we likely have house keys, too.I want to seethe house.”
“You don’t just want to see the house, doyou?You want to go in the house.Julie, we could get caught.”
“Yeah, well, I’m giving serious considerationto releasing you from service as soon as we get there.”
“Releasing me from service, huh?”
“Yes, you called the cops after assuring meyou wouldn’t.”
“No, I calledfamily.”Nic pulled thecar from the pumps to the front of the store.He yanked the doorhandle, started to get out, then grabbed the keys and stalked intothe store.When he came back, she was reading the article.
They ate in silence and turned the car northagain, this time toward Susanville.
“Nic, if you won’t be completely honest withme, you might as well just drop me off at the house and go back toyour vacation.We can’t work together on this.”
“I said I was sorry.”
“Promise me that you won’t keep things fromme.That you won’t lie to me.”
