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Nate tilted his head toward the entryway leading out of the kitchen. With apprehension creasing her brow, Dorcas stood, set her mug on the table, and walked with him down the long hall to the bedroom they’d slept in. Knowing the guys wouldn’t intrude, he didn’t bother closing the door.

He sucked at bearing bad news. When nervous, he tended to laugh or crack bad jokes, and that kind of shit never went over well in a high-stress situation. Hoping for the best, he took a deep breath, dug his nails into his palms, and met Dorcas’s worried gaze.

“I asked Nina to run a background check on Rita in the hopes of figuring out why your sister took off and why somebody’s after her. She just sent me the results.” He decided to start with the easy shit. “On the day she called you, Rita withdrew five hundred dollars from an ATM in Winter Park. Since then, there hasn’t been any activity on her debit and credit cards. She hasn’t accessed her email accounts, and her phone’s been quiet as well. But up to that date, there’s a pattern of activity that’s...well, the only way I can describe it is troubling.”

Dorcas’s eyebrows knitted together. “Troubling how?”

“Did she ever say anything to you about her trips to Miami?”

“Miami? No, she never mentioned it.”

“She’s been going there once every week or two for the past three years.”

“What?” Confusion spread over Dorcas’s features. “That—no. That doesn’t make sense. She would have told me if she was involved with someone in Miami.”

“That’s not what it is.” Nate fought back a nervous laugh. His nails dug so far into his palms it was a wonder he hadn’t drawn blood. “You said before that your sister had a full ride at UCF. That’s not quite true.”

Now she looked at him as though he were crazy. “Of course it is.”

“No, it’s not. She had a full ride for the first two years, but there’s no record of her receiving any type of financial assistance during her junior and senior years. No record of student loans either. Her tax returns show income from a part-time job, but the amount listed isn’t nearly enough to cover tuition and living expenses.”

A lick of temper narrowed Dorcas’s eyes. She propped her hands on her hips. “Cut to the chase. What are you implying?”

He swallowed hard, bracing for her response. “Based on what I’m seeing, your sister was involved in something shady to afford the last two years of college, and it appears her involvement has continued post-graduation.”

“That’s a lie.” The words came out in a low, angry hiss.

“I wish it was, but it’s not.”

Time seemed to stretch as she glared at him, her eyes hot with indignation. But little by little the anger faded, first replaced by doubt, and then desperate denial. “No. It can’t be.”

Nate dragged a hand through his hair. He felt like an ass for doing this to her, but what else was he supposed to do? For better or for worse, she deserved the truth. “I’m sorry, Dorcas, but the numbers don’t add up. You know how much tuition costs. Not to mention books, rent, food, and everything else. There’s no way she could afford all that on a part-time job paying minimum wage and without any student loans. Whatever she’s been doing for extra money has never showed up on her tax returns. Do you honestly think she earned that money legally?”

“I don’t know...there has to be a reasonable explanation. Maybe she had a second job that paid under the table. Hell, maybe she worked as a stripper and was too embarrassed to tell me.” She shook her head. “No, that’s not right. She’d never do that. It’s not who she is. But she’s also not a criminal.”

The doubt—and hurt—in her voice squeezed Nate’s heart like a vise. “It’s possible; it’s just not likely. Look, I’m sorry for telling you this, but it’s something you have to keep in mind. From all appearances, especially considering what happened at the hotel, your sister’s involved with some dangerous people. They’ve already made one attempt at your life because of it, and I’m sure they’ll do it again.”

“We don’t know that for sure. They could have—”

“People with good intentions don’t kick down doors in the middle of the night. And they sure as hell don’t shoot at people. Best-case scenario, they either wanted that flash drive or they wanted to kidnap you so they could use you as bait for your sister. And if that happened, I seriously doubt they’d let you walk away.” He paused to let the full weight of his words sink in. He gripped her arms and dipped his head so their eyes were level. “You can’t go home, and you can’t go back to work, not until we figure out what’s going on and find a way to keep you safe.”

She blinked a few times, her lips pressed tightly together. “What about Shailene? She’ll be home from her cruise in five days.”

Shit, in all the excitement he’d forgotten all about her roommate. “Maybe she can stay with her boyfriend for a while. If not, we’ll find someplace safe for her.”

“And my job?”

He gave her a look. “Is waitressing really that important to you?”

“No, but I have this thing called rent. If I don’t pay it, I’ll get evicted, and I’d rather not live in my car.”

He understood her concern, but having a home didn’t count for squat if she wasn’t alive to enjoy it. “I can front you the money.”

“Are you going to front me a job? ’Cause if I don’t go in, I’ll get fired. And if I get fired, I won’t have a reference to get another job.”

“Can’t you take a leave of absence or something?”

“For a waitressing job?” She scoffed. “You’re kidding, right?”