Page 60 of 2nd Strike

The two have long faces and droopy eyes and I wonder what it must feel like to know your history has just been rewritten.

Lord, they’re just kids.They don’t deserve this.

They exchange a look, then turn toward the door.

“Thank you,” I tell the older woman behind the desk as we all cruise by her.

We pile into the BMW and everyone buckles up.

“Where are we going now?”

This from Ethan.

A good question. We have two boys, one of whom has been raised by the other’s biological parents and those parents don’t even know their kidnapped son has been rescued.

I’ve been in a lot of strange situations. This one?

Trumps them all.

It’s almost lunchtime and my stomach actually rumbles. At a loss for what to do next, I point to the burger joint down the road. When all else fails, eat.

“Let’s grab some food. Get these boys fed.”

Charlie meets my eye for a quick second. “I agree. After that, I think you should take them to your place. The office will be crawling with press. Grey is sending Mitch and Tony to help control it, but I’d like to keep the boys out of sight.”

“That works. What about Carl and Lily?”

The minute the words leave my mouth, I regret it. Damn. I shouldn’t have even brought them up. The boys don’t know the DNA results yet and even mentioning Carl and Lily adds tension that sucks oxygen from the confines of the car.

Or it might just be me because my chest is all locked up. It’s as if my respiratory system has imploded.

All I know is I’m strung out and not thinking straight.

“Crap.” I force a hard breath, releasing some of the pressure. “It’s been a long week today.”

I peer out the passenger side window and spot Ethan’s reflection in the mirror. He’s mouthing something to Jon. What’s that about? I whip around and give them a hard stare.

“What are you two up to?”

They exchange another glance, both wearing the wide-eyed look of guilt.

Ethan, always the brave one, lifts his chin. “We know.”

I give Charlie a little side eye but she’s busy navigating traffic.

With no help coming from my sister, I focus on Ethan again. “What specifically?”

“About the DNA test.”

My pulse throbs sending a burst of energy zipping from my head to my heels.

They know.

Impossible. We left them in the lobby when we spoke to Chuck and there was no way they’d learned the results while we were in there.

They might be playing me—us—to see if we’ll fall for it. They’re resourceful. And sneaky.

No matter how much I like Ethan, I wouldn’t put it past him to con me for intel.