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Chapter One
Caitlyn had been warned never to come near this place Gutsy or foolish, she didn’t knohich category she fell into, but it was too late to worry about that now She had arrived
Her rental car’s headlights illuminated a smooth, black-topped driveway Tall trees arched over the road, their skeletal branches grasping like gnarled fingers at the starlit sky She suppressed a shudder and focused instead on the patches of bright yellow daffodils scattered over the grounds
Looking for the positive, she would call it Foolhardy, so the unknown, she’d learned in her twenty-six years that keeping a good attitude was critical The fact that the grounds appeared well-uard at the entrance had see her with a smile
Think of this as an adventure You love adventure
Even so, her grip tightened on the steering wheel as she watched the heavy wrought-iron gate swing shut in her rearviewechoed around the barren trees and vibrated through her bones
She was locked in
Dad had to be wrong This place couldn’t be dangerous She’d looked it up on the Internet before co Romatech Industries manufactured synthetic blood, then shipped it to hospitals and clinics around the world The CEO and inventor, Ro thousands of lives every year Who could object to that?
She proceeded down the long driveway that snaked through extensive grounds Maybe Dad was referring to the boo, though, and nothing dangerous had occurred since then She was perfectly safe, she assured herself, as a di caes lined the wings that spread fro’s center Overhead la lot, while insects buzzed in each lalanced warily at the entrance
Dad was being overly dramatic, that was all But ould he want to keep her away from her sister? Was he concerned that a reunion would cause her emotional distress? Caitlyn had to admit she didn’t knohat to expect from a sister she hadn’t heard from in six years
She’d been shocked when two days ago she’d received a card froanesti Was she married to the CEO of Romatech? When had that happened? Shanna had included a photo of her son and daughter, and she’d invited Caitlyn to a birthday party for Constantine, as turning four in late March
Caitlyn had stared, dumbstruck, at the photo for five minutes She hadn’t known she had a nephew and niece Mo about their grandchildren? The invitation had arrived at the extended-stay hotel where Caitlyn had found a roo to the States a week earlier How had Shanna knohere she was?
The last communication she’d had from Shanna was a birthday card in July 2004 Shortly after that, Shanna disappeared without a trace Almost a year later, Dad had announced that he’d located her She’d been given a new identity through the Witness Protection progra that she was lost to them forever They must all stay away froed She could no longer be trusted She was to be avoided at all cost
She’s still my sister Caitlyn had to know the truth She cliift for Constantine Dad would go ballistic if he knew she was here He was already pissed by her recent fiasco The fact that she’d ood reasons didn’t matter She was still screwed Her career ruined Blacklisted from the State Depart a here to see Shanna could be another mistake, but dammit, she wanted her sister back And she’d never been one to shy away fro situation She slammed the car door to accentuate her rebellious determination, then marched toward the entrance
She was about twentyturns She knew her way around Minsk, St Petersburg, Bangkok, and Jakarta, but White Plains, New York, was a foreign land to her She could hear shouts and laughter in the distance, so hopefully that
Her stride slowed as a nagging question returned, one that had bothered her since she’d first opened the invitation Who would throw a birthday party for a four-year-old at nine o’clock at night? Granted, she didn’t have any experience with raising children, but still, didn’t kids usually go to bed about that ti open A colue ravelly He ht and becauard, Caitlyn assumed, since he ell over six feet tall and looked as indestructible as an army tank He was dressed in the saate
"How do you do? I’m Howard Barr" He motioned to the open door "Come in"
"I hope I’lanced around Potted plants, nice artwork on the walls, a glea marble floorand no Shanna No one there at all
She sed hard as the huge security guard shut the door and locked it "Shanna’s here, isn’t she?"
"Sure The party’s in the cafeteria I’ll take you there in just a etic look as he stepped behind a table "I have to check your bags first Standard procedure, nothing personal"
"I understand" Caitlyn placed her bags on the table "Is there still a proble Roed through the silk handbag she’d bought in Singapore "It’s been calm lately"
"It seems like an odd place for a child’s birthday party"
He shrugged "Shanna set up a nursery next to her office, so the little ones spend a lot of time here"
"Oh" Shanna had an office in a scientific research facility? "I thought my sister was a dentist"
"She is She has a dental office here" Howard slid her red silk handbag to her with a puzzled look "You didn’t know that?"
"No I’ve been out of the country andout of touch I didn’t know she had children or that she was even married until I received the invitation to this party Her husband is Roanesti?"
"Yes" Howard frowned as he plunged his large beefy hands into the gift bag "I can’t believe you didn’t know"
Caitlyn winced The blue and red crepe paper she’d carefully arranged was being crushed "For some reason, htened, suess I ht as well tell you Your dad’s not very popular around here"
"He doesn’t seerunted and pulled out the fire engine she’d bought for Constantine "This is cool I had one of these when I was a kid"
He was changing the subject, as if she wouldn’t notice "Do you think Constantine will like it? I didn’t knohat to buy for hiht all sorts of stuff - a book, a DVD, a dinosaur, and the fire engine - hoping that if she hit all the bases, one would result in a home run
"Yeah, he’ll love this stuff" Howard ja, then frowned at the led crepe paper He atte the paper "Da it worse Mom always said I was a bear in a china shop"