Page 33 of Night Watch
Surprised, Kennedy tilted her head and studied the woman more closely. She wore a black suit with glinting gold buttons. The sharply tailored blazer and the way her hair was perfectly twisted up in back brought to mind the words timeless elegance—a look Kennedy couldn’t pull off even if she had a personal stylist. Her look was more flats, comfy knits, and jeans.
Kennedy shook hands with Malone. “I know he called you about the dive. Is that what this is about?”
Sierra shook her head, her hair brushing the baby’s face. “He said it was about the reason you two broke up. That you might want to discuss whether sharing that information was legal or would get you into trouble.”
She hadn’t thought that there would be any legal issues with telling someone about her parents’ WITSEC, but if Erik sent Malone, maybe there was something Kennedy didn’t know. “Okay, sure. Come in, and I’ll run everything past you.”
Malone trained her gaze on Sierra. “You want to wait with us, or should I call you to come back and escort me to the door?”
“Oh, wait. For sure.” Sierra looked at Kennedy. “That is, if you don’t mind me hearing what’s going on.”
“All of your brothers know. What’s one more person?” Kennedy forced out a laugh and stepped back for them to enter.
The pair went straight to the sofa and settled down as if they’d been there many times before. Kennedy wasn’t surprised by Sierra, but what kind of a relationship did Malone have with Erik? Friends? Family? Girlfriend?
Kennedy doubted the last one, as he’d said he didn’t trust women enough to have a relationship. He hadn’t said that he didn’t date, though. She glanced at Malone’s perfectly manicured fingers but found no wedding or engagement ring.
Uncertain under the attorney’s watchful gaze, Kennedy dug up a smile. “I don’t know what Erik has to drink, but I can offer you some water.”
“Nothing for me.” Sierra shifted the baby, who had chubby cheeks just begging for a squeeze. His dark hair was thicker on the top and shaped like a baby mohawk.
“Me either.” Malone took a notepad from her expensive leather briefcase. Her shoes and suit looked pricey, too, but then that wasn’t surprising for a lawyer.
Kennedy took a seat in a well-used leather recliner. “What do you need to know?”
“Start at the beginning of your story, and I’ll ask any questions I might have along the way.”
Kennedy gave Malone as many details as she knew about her father’s criminal past and her family’s time in WITSEC, including sharing their WITSEC inspector’s name, Deputy Tyrone Kruse.
Malone jotted down notes, and Sierra’s already large eyes grew rounder.
She shifted the chubby baby in her arms, who looked up at her with large blue eyes. “And this is why you broke up with Erik?”
“Yeah. It suddenly felt like I’d been lying to him—to everyone—my whole life.”
“Wow. Just wow.” Sierra jerked, and the baby startled with her movement. She lifted him to her shoulder and shushed him as he rested his head in the crook of her neck. “Erik had no idea. Poor guy.”
“I know I hurt him, and I would give anything not to have been in that position, but if I had a do-over, I still would end things.” Kennedy lifted her chin. “I couldn’t live that lie any more today than I could’ve back then.”
Sierra gently patted Asher. “I’m not blaming you. Just understanding why Erik was so impacted. He’s never really recovered from it. He says he has, but his sporadic and awkward dating history says he hasn’t.”
“Maybe knowing the reason will bring him closure now.” Malone tapped her pen on her notepad.
Kennedy hoped so, but he still seemed hurt and distrustful. She focused on Malone. “So, am I in any kind of legal trouble for telling people about WITSEC?”
“You’re definitely in violation of your family’s agreement with the agency, which is just cause to boot you from the program.”
“With both of our parents gone, I don’t even know if there will be any residual danger to me or Finley. I’m sure Tyrone will do an assessment, and then we’ll have to decide if we want to remain under their program. I’m definitely leaning toward leaving it.”
“Here’s the thing you’re forgetting,” Malone said, her tone all official and lawyerly. “If you leave and continue to use your name, and Finley stays in the program, she’ll have to be relocated under a different name and sever all ties with her past.”
Kennedy’s heart skipped a beat as the implication sank in. “That includes me. She’ll sever ties with me, and I’ll never see my sister again.”
Erik took his time going through Wanda’s things while the image he was taking of her phone completed, but she had very little to search, so he was back at the condo by lunchtime. He planned to discuss what he’d found with Kennedy over a meal. Hopefully the relaxed setting would soften the blow when he told her what he’d discovered.
He reached for the knob, but his phone rang. Seeing Sarge’s name, Erik answered.
“Thought you should know.” Sarge’s gruff voice came through loud and clear. “We’re forming a task force with all the appropriate agencies for the potential deadly toxin at the lab. You need to keep the investigation to yourself for now. We’ll be requesting the prints and DNA from the break-in at Ms. Walker’s home as well as any other evidence, including those food containers. We’d appreciate it if the Veritas scientists provided their findings as well. And Detective Frank Johnson will be calling you to get a statement from both of you on what transpired on the night of the break-in.”
