Page 21 of 2nd Strike
Damn, Charlie and her pride.
Just as JJ swings out the front door Charlie steps into the hallway with Carl on her heels. She meets my gaze then jerks her head toward the conference room. If I thought she was pissed a few minutes ago, I don’t dare open my mouth now.
I step back and wave them through. As he passes, Carl stares straight ahead. The skin on his carved cheekbones is firm, but not tight. Years of honing his craft at the anchor desk have made him an ace at neutrality.
I’m surrounded by people who hide their emotions for a living. It must be exhausting.
I follow behind them, avoiding the chairs by leaning against the wall.
Charlie stands at the head of the table. “Matt, Taylor, this is Carl Havers. Ethan’s father.”
From where I’m standing, all I can see is Carl’s back and the twitch that followed Charlie’s introduction. For the first time, his composure seems to slip and who could blame him? The man has raised a son who, based on the yelling we just heard, isn’t his.
“Carl, this is Matt Stephens and Special Agent Taylor Sinclair from the FBI.”
Carl whips his head in Charlie’s direction. “FBI? Who gave you the right—”
“They didn’t call me, sir. Matt and I are…involved. I offered to help.”
Charlie gestures to the empty chair in front of Carl and he sits. “Taylor runs the cold case unit for the FBI. She’s a friend and here in an unofficial capacity, as a favor to us.”
“Fine. I need answers. Where the hell is my child? You gave us the wrong goddamned kid back! What kind of idiot gets that wrong?”
Oh, ouch. A sharp stab pierces my chest and I steal a glance at Charlie, standing at the end of the table, head high and taking Carl’s wrath. She may be built for this, but it’s not altogether fair.
Before I think too hard about it, I move closer and tap a finger on the table. All heads swing to me. “Carl, this has to be devastating.”
“Goddamn right it is. And don’t defend her.”
Oh, now he’s pushing it. “Her?At the time of your son’s kidnapping, Charlie was one member of an entire team. TheFBIled this investigation. Don’t youdarelay this on Charlie. She worked tirelessly for you and doesn’t deserve to be your punching bag. I assure you, she feels bad enough.”
“Meg.” Charlie touches my arm. “It’s all right.”
Ha! My ass. “Uh,no. It’s not. We’rehelpinghim. And he doesn’t get to call you, or anyone here, names. Anger is one thing, but that’s unacceptable. I don’t care who he is.”
By now, Carl, clearly unaccustomed to a solid set-down, is fuming. The color of his face has moved well past red. He’s in eggplant territory now, leaving me to wonder if I’ve, as usual, gotten too impulsive.
But…oh well.
My sister may have screwed up with JJ, but Carl doesn’t get to abuse her.
No.
Way.
Taylor rises from her chair and holds her hands up. “Let’s all take a breath, okay? Mr. Havers, have a seat. Let’s talk a few minutes.”
“I can’t talk to the FBI. My wife doesn’t even know yet.”
Taylor sets her hand on the table and leans in. “Right now, I’m simply a friend who happens to work for the Bureau. I do think, however, if you’ve confirmed Ethan is not…”
The room goes silent. No need to actually state the obvious.
“He’s not ours,” Carl finally says, his voice barely a whisper. “I got the results this morning. Lily didn’t want to do the test, but I sent mine and Ethan’s out. I didn’t tell her. I had to know.”
Taylor offers a perfunctory nod. “In that case, I think it’s time to bring in the FBI and find your biological child.”
Beside me, Charlie eases out a breath. This has to be killing her. The last thing she wanted was for this to go public. We’d all hoped, Charlie more than anyone, the test had been wrong.
