Deadly Disclosure

TWO

Could there be any further surprises today?

Hannah shook out her ruffled turquoise skirt and tugged at the hem of her black cardigan with trembling hands as she turned down the hallway and headed toward her desk. A nervous perspiration stuck to her like humidity on a muggy August day, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Maybe she should apply for a gun permit. Her brother had one, and her father certainly kept firearms in his safe room at their home. But a McClarnon woman with a little pink pistol in her purse? Then again, after heading off to law school, would a concealed-carry permit really be that shocking to her father?

Hannah drew in a shuddery breath, still trying to process the fact that she’d almost been killed today. If it wasn’t for Derek Chambers, of all people, who’d jumped into the fray on her behalf, who knew what might have happened. It was a blessing that he’d made an appointment to see her, though she still had no clue why. She never thought she’d see him again, especially considering the way he’d ditched her almost ten years ago.

She sighed, desperately wishing she could dash out for a few minutes alone and collect her thoughts, but the expectation to appear professional and get through whatever it was he needed to tell her weighed on her.

Before she could reach her desk, Mallory stepped out of her office and enveloped her in a warm hug. “Reid told me to stay here but I was desperate to come down and see if you were okay. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. A little shaky, but unharmed.”

“What a relief! No ambulance arrived, so I figured no one was hurt, but I still couldn’t help worrying.” She glanced behind Hannah.

Hannah turned to include Derek in the conversation. “This is Derek Chambers, FBI. Derek, this is my employer, Mallory Callahan. Apparently, he’s our six-o’clock appointment?”

“Yes. The timing of your appointment seems to have been rather fortuitous. I’m glad you were there for her, Derek. Thank you.” Mallory motioned to her office. “Shall we get started?”

“I think I ought to talk to Hannah first, and then we’ll proceed from there.”

“Fine. Take all the time you need.” A quizzical look crossed her boss’s face, but then she smiled warmly and returned to her office.

Hannah continued to lead Derek down the hall. She spotted his reflection in the glass of a framed print on the wall, and couldn’t help noticing how fine he looked in his khaki cargo pants and his navy button-front shirt, which hid his shoulder holster. He wasn’t a thin and gangly teen boy anymore, but a well-muscled and self-possessed man. Still, though, his law-enforcement position wouldn’t fit with her parents’ high-society world, no matter how much strength and self-command he exuded. They appreciated and supported the work of men in uniform, but guys like him weren’t exactly a part of the high-powered board meetings and fancy dinner-party circuit.

The muscles around her smile spasmed as she pointed Derek toward the chair next to her desk. “Have a seat. Will this take long? I have a few things I’d like to get done before I go home tonight.” And it probably wasn’t best if he stuck around any longer than absolutely necessary anyway. Even with another disappearing act, it would be difficult to tuck the memory of Derek Chambers into the recesses of her mind now.

Without an answer, he graced her with another subtle grin, the dimples in the corners of his mouth slanting into pleasant lines, like he was remembering a good joke or a fond occurrence.

Hannah sighed. What had happened to her day that she had so carefully planned out? Could her heart take much more?

He seemed at a loss for words as he pressed his lips together and looked everywhere but at her. This couldn’t be good, although she couldn’t fathom what this could be about. Sure, she had her difficulties, but nothing that would warrant the appearance of an FBI agent. “So, you said you’re with the Bureau? Is that why you’re here?”

“Yes.” He cleared his throat and met her gaze. “I actually just graduated from the academy, and have been given my first assignment.”

“And what is this first assignment?”

“You. My supervisor thought it best to send an agent you already know and, I hope, trust. I know it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other, Hannah, and I realize what I’m about to tell you is going to come as a huge shock. But I need you to believe me and trust me.”

She crossed her arms over her middle and waited for him to continue.

“The FBI’s organized crime division has an agent on the inside of a crime family out of Chicago, and he discovered that a long time ago, one of their family captains had a baby with his girlfriend. When that little daughter was about a year old, the girlfriend and the baby went missing. Agents found her car. It had gone over a precipice and crashed in the field below. There was blood and hair in the car, but no bodies. She and the daughter had just disappeared, and local law enforcement ran out of leads. Case closed, or so they thought.”

“How terrible.” A million sympathetic thoughts and questions raced through Hannah’s mind, all left unspoken as Derek continued the narrative.

“Apparently, this captain had his suspicions about his family and this mysterious car crash. I don’t know what he knew or suspected, but our guy on the inside just recently got intel that he has been looking for them. Now, we have information that he has found the mother.”

“She’s alive? Is she all right?” What this had to do with her, Hannah had no idea. But it was an interesting story. She uncrossed her arms and leaned on the desk, anxious to hear the rest of the tale.

“She’s alive, and we have agents looking for her. Through the mother, we believe, that captain has also found the daughter. As you can imagine, we’re not anticipating a happy family reunion. Both of them are in danger.” Derek leaned forward in his chair, an intensity lighting his brown eyes, and enveloped her small hands in his. “Hannah, you are the daughter.”

“I’m what?” Her heart seemed to stop for a moment as she scrambled to process what this would mean. The huge upset it would cause to her world. But it couldn’t possibly be true. She was a McClarnon. Wasn’t she? She shook her head slowly, keeping her eyes closed to lessen the dizziness that threatened her, and pulled her hands away. “That can’t be right. You’re thinking of someone else.”

“No. You are the daughter.” He spoke slowly as if giving her time to breathe in between each word. “You’re adopted.”

“And how do you think you know this? I haven’t seen you since high school, and now you show up out of the blue to tell me that I’m not the daughter of my parents? How dare you!” She moved to pound a fist on her desk, but Derek grabbed her hand.

“I’m sorry, Hannah.” He held her hands in both of his once again as he recounted all the pertinent details of this child’s birth—the place, the date, the time.

With each statement, Hannah wanted to tell Derek it wasn’t possible, that the little girl couldn’t have possibly been her. But her throat had choked each time, like trying to swallow a pill that was too big for her. “So, Mother and Father are...” If all this was true, what were they?

“They’re still your mother and father. Your relationship with them hasn’t changed and doesn’t need to change. But now you know they are your adoptive parents. Your mother didn’t give birth to you.” He looked around the cubical as if trying to give her a little space. “So you had no idea you were adopted?”

“No, assuming that what you’re telling me is even true, which I doubt. They’ve just always been my parents. Why would I think anything else?” She paused as his words sank into her consciousness. Her mind could barely absorb it all. Didn’t want to absorb it all. “You said the mother and daughter were in danger. So, that’s why that guy shot at me? He knew who I was even before you told me what you know? I thought I knew who I was, but now I’m not so sure.”

“You are still the same person, Hannah. But yes, he was here for you. That’s why I’m here. To protect you. I just didn’t think they’d find you so fast.”

“So, was that the man who you say is my birth father? Do you think he’ll be back?” She fluttered her hands to her neck, but it didn’t soothe her like she had hoped.

“No, most likely it was not your birth father. He may be in the area nearby, but he would have sent one of his men. And yes, that man will be back.”

“What else do you know? I need to know everything.”

“There’s not much more, I’m afraid. We’ve never had enough evidence to arrest him, so our knowledge is limited. I’ve just been brought on the case recently because of my—” he cleared his throat “—friendship with you. My supervising agent believes that your birth father thinks you may know something or have something that would incriminate him. For that reason alone, he would be willing to eliminate you.”

Hannah’s stomach flip-flopped at the word eliminate. “As we have already established, I didn’t even know I was adopted. That is, if it’s even true. How could I possibly incriminate him? I have several favorite things from when I was a child, but they all came from my parents.” She took a mental inventory of her old belongings. Her father had encouraged her to clean out some things from her childhood, but she couldn’t bear to part with them. Sentimental, he’d called her. A pack rat. But she hadn’t seen the harm in keeping a few boxes of mementos in the back of the closet. “I honestly can’t think of anything.”

“Perhaps there’s nothing, but my mission right now is to keep you safe.”

“So far, you’ve done a fine job.” Hannah forced a smile. She might not trust Derek any longer with her heart, but she would trust him with her life. “I think I better talk to Mallory and fill her in.”

“I’ll wait outside the door if you’d like some privacy.”

She stood and Derek followed suit. “For now, yes, I’d appreciate that.”

As she made her way toward Mallory’s office, Hannah shot a glance back at Derek and mouthed thank you, then whispered a prayer for calmness and wisdom as she knocked on her boss’s door. Surely, she was safe here in the building. The shooter had left. But it was still a comfort to know that the broad-shouldered, strapping FBI agent would be nearby with his trusty weapon at the ready. Just in case.

At Mallory’s call to come in, Hannah opened the door and stepped inside. Her boss sat behind her desk and pointed Hannah toward a floral upholstered chair. She clutched her skirt in her fists and teetered on the edge of the chair. “Do you have a few minutes?” She licked her dry lips.

“Of course.” Mallory came around the desk and sat in the other client chair, waiting for Hannah to continue.

Hannah pushed herself back into the upholstery. She wasn’t really sure what she was asking for, if anything. After all, she’d only been working there a few weeks, and now she was apparently causing a threatening situation to the office. Mallory didn’t seem upset about it, but could this cost her the summer job? Who would want an intern who brought danger to the premises?

After law school, it would be back to her parents’ mansion and the life of a spinster, pro bono attorney. At least she could practice law, after a fashion. She and her father had reached a truce, and she was determined to keep her end of it for the sake of her family. But for now, this was her freedom. “I’m not quite sure how to approach this, but you need to know. Derek is here to protect me. It seems the FBI is investigating a crime family with which they think I have some connection.”

Mallory’s eyebrows lifted slightly, but otherwise she maintained a neutral lawyer’s expression.

Hannah clutched her skirt more tightly. “It turns out that I’m adopted. At least, that’s what they say. Derek says my birth father is with the Mafia, and he’s looking for me.” She let out a long breath, which she’d been holding, seemingly since Derek had broken the news.

“Wow. That’s some big news.” Mallory leaned forward and laid a hand on Hannah’s forearm. “Why does the FBI believe you’re adopted?”

“Details of my birth. Adoption records. Derek’s just recently become involved.” She raced through a dozen different memories from her childhood, but no clue emerged about her adoption. “I have my birth certificate, and Father and Mother are listed as my parents, but I can’t say I’ve ever read it thoroughly.”

“Your birth certificate wouldn’t show that you were adopted, except for the discrepancy in the dates. Your parents would have a court-issued decree that finalized the adoption.”

Hannah furrowed her brow. “What do you mean by a discrepancy in the dates?”

“The firm has copies of your birth certificate and your driver’s license in your personnel folder from when you began employment here. I can pull it up if you’d like.” Mallory returned to her desk and her computer. Soon, a printer on her credenza was spitting out a copy of Hannah’s birth certificate, which her boss handed over.

Hannah stared at the dates but had no idea what she was looking for. Her heart thumped, but she didn’t move so she wouldn’t betray her anxiety. “What should I see here?”

Mallory leaned over the desk. “Your birth certificate has definitely been amended. See? Here is your birth date.” She moved her finger down the paper. “And here is the issue date. It’s over a year later. There’s no reason for it to be any more than a month or two after the fact unless the time was needed to finalize an adoption.”

The pounding of Hannah’s heart moved to her head until the edge of the room turned fuzzy. “So, it could be true. My birth certificate proves it.” Tacky sweat inched through her blouse and the fuzziness stood at the edge of her vision, threatening to consume her.

“Whatever is going on, it’ll be fine. Trust in the Lord to reveal whatever you need to know when you need to know it. And from the looks of it you have a valiant protector in Derek.” Mallory’s lowered tone fought through the haze. “It doesn’t change who your parents are or who you are.”

Hannah gulped in breaths that didn’t seem to reach her lungs. The fuzziness marched in on her like a swarm of grasshoppers. Through the haze, she saw Mallory come back around the desk and sit in the other client chair. Her warm hand covered Hannah’s, her smooth, reassuring touch a rhythmic call back to the present.

“I need to talk to my mother.” She forced a strong tone, one she didn’t feel but desperately needed to push away the dark cloud that threatened to envelop her. “And my father.” Oh, her father. What would he have to say about this?

“Yes. Talk to them. And at some point, you may want to search for your birth mother.” Compassion flooded Mallory’s voice, and Hannah appreciated her delicacy. “But I want to warn you. If you do search, you may not be happy with what you find. Or you may not find anything at all. We don’t know how much the FBI knows about her past, her circumstances or even her location.”

The surrealistic nature of those options settled on her shoulders like a heavy cloak, and Hannah couldn’t force out an answer.

Mallory patted her hand. “Talking to your parents is a good place to start. But whatever news they may have, if any at all—” she paused for emphasis “—try to stay calm. Now, I will help you in any way I can if this turns out to be true. I’m willing to talk anytime, and now you have my personal phone number.” She scribbled on the back of a business card and pressed it into Hannah’s hand. “Go now, if you feel you need to, and the job is here whenever. A lot has happened, so take whatever time you need.”

After flashing her boss a grateful look, Hannah focused on the seven digits on the card until she could stand steady. “What a day.” Her stomach flip-flopped. Her parents had some explaining to do. She knew what her next move was—to get some answers and, hopefully, to stay safe.

* * *

“Are you two all right?”

Derek accepted the firm handshake of his old pal Reid Palmer. “We’re fine. Thanks for your help down there.”

“No problem. You’ve got a lot going on.”

“Yes, but not as much as Hannah. She just found out she’s adopted, her birth father is a Mafia boss and I’m the one who had to tell her.” He crossed his arms over his chest and touched his fingers to the thumb break on his shoulder holster. “Hannah’s really shaken up, understandably so. But she’s resilient. Tougher than she used to be. She’s going to need to be, with the danger she’s in.”

From his vantage point down the hallway, Derek saw the door to Mallory’s office swing open. But no one emerged.

He hadn’t let down his guard since the attack less than an hour ago, despite the fact that he saw the shooter speed away. But surely they were safe up here. There were only two doors to the suite of offices. The back door was locked, and Derek and Reid stood within view of the front door. No one had come or gone.

He moved to the window at the end of the hallway that overlooked the parking lot. The truck had not returned. But the office only faced out one side of the building, so he had no way to check all entrances and side streets. Wherever Hannah thought she was going next, Derek would not leave her side.

Voices filtered down the hallway, but he couldn’t make out any words. He nodded toward the open door. “What do you make of that?”

Reid shrugged. “They’re almost done.” Apparently, his friend wasn’t on alert, despite his own little difficulty a year or so ago with his wife, Samantha. At the time she had been on the run from a thug who had tried to kidnap her adopted daughter, Lily, and had crashed into Reid’s car. The end result was a harrowing two days and eventually their wedding. “Congrats on your graduation from the FBI academy, by the way. You were one of the best officers on the Heartwood Hill PD to work with, but sometimes we move on to other things. This your first assignment?”

“Yes. Quite a start, don’t you think?”

Reid raised his eyebrows. “Is there a history here? With Hannah?”

“Yes.” Derek jammed his hands in his pockets. “That’s why I’m here. My supervising agent thought it best if the FBI sent someone Hannah knows. What they don’t know are the details of our past.”

“And?”

“We dated secretly in high school our senior year. Her family is super wealthy and upper class. My aunt and uncle were most definitely not upper class. We knew her parents would never approve, so we kept it a secret. Nearly every Friday night, we would go to the library to study. She just didn’t tell her parents that she was with me. We would drive in to the Indianapolis library, where no one knew us except the librarians, and they didn’t care.” Images of a seventeen-year-old Hannah contrasted in his thoughts with the Hannah he had rescued today. She had only grown more beautiful. More compelling.

“Let me guess.” A frown creased Reid’s brow. “Someone found out.”

Derek nodded. “Her father.” He shrugged, but tension made it difficult to relax his shoulders again. “I don’t know how. I just know that one day we were planning on attending college together, and the next, I was summoned to the McClarnons’. Her father told me clearly that I was to leave her alone. What else could I do? Mr. McClarnon was—is—a powerful man. I didn’t want to get on his wrong side. I knew I wasn’t good enough for her anyway. We had been naive to think that a relationship could work.”

“So you didn’t see her again?”

“I saw her at graduation a couple of days later. I never got close enough to talk to her. That was it. She went away to college. Her parents moved from Heartwood Hill to Lafayette, an hour away. The end.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” She wasn’t his Hannah any longer. Never would be.

“Does she know her father forbade you from seeing her?”

That was the toughest part. “No.” Mr. McClarnon had also strongly suggested that Derek not tell Hannah anything of their meeting. As far as she knew, he had just abandoned the relationship.

Derek prayed for the strength and tenacity to complete this first assignment for the FBI. He was over her, right? The fact that there had been no one else in the intervening years simply attested to his devotion to his job. But he couldn’t help wondering if his superior had known the specifics of their romantic past, would he have assigned someone else?

It didn’t matter now. He was here, standing in the hallway waiting for the beautiful and sweet Hannah McClarnon to emerge from a meeting with her employer. This mission had no close alignment with his heart. It was just the first in what would hopefully be a long line of successful missions in his future.

Reid shifted to lean against a doorjamb, pulling Derek’s focus from his inner thoughts, and nodded toward the office where Hannah was. “So what about her birth family?”

“I don’t know a lot.” He jammed his fists in his pockets as if that could release some of his pent-up frustration. “The short version is that we have an informant on the inside of a crime family operating out of Chicago. One of their so-called captains has been looking for a former girlfriend and their daughter that disappeared over twenty years ago. Now, he’s found the girlfriend. We believe that the girlfriend was forced to give up information about the daughter. That daughter is Hannah.”

“And the birth mother?”

“I don’t know. That’s not part of my mission, but I do know the FBI hasn’t located her yet.”

“I don’t know how much help I could be, but if there’s anything, don’t hesitate.” Reid clapped him on the shoulder. “Even though we’re not on the force together any longer, we’re a part of a brotherhood. And after the way you saved my bacon last year, you know I’ll do whatever I can to help you out.”

“Thanks.” Derek appreciated the vote of confidence. He nodded toward the voices coming from the office. “You have any read on her?”

“Hannah? She hasn’t been here long. Just started a few weeks ago, and she works primarily with Mallory. But I’ve heard both Mallory and Samantha say that she’s smart and reliable, both excellent qualities for a future lawyer.”

“Yes, she was the same in high school.”

Hannah stepped out of the office, followed by Mallory. Hannah’s stunning beauty made Derek’s mouth feel like sandpaper, and he swallowed hurriedly to cover the effect she had on him. He couldn’t let that get in the way of his mission. Get it done and move on. That was his mantra.

But he couldn’t look away. She still seemed stricken. Upset. Whatever had been said in that meeting didn’t appear to have lessened the sting of receiving life-altering news that had rocked her to the core. He wanted to go to her, fold her in his arms, stroke her silky hair and whisper to her that all would be well. But not only did he not know if that was true, especially considering what she had just learned that afternoon, but it also wouldn’t do either of their hearts any good to follow the inclinations that would undoubtedly only lead to more crushing despair.

He clenched his fists in his pockets, working valiantly to shift his gaze to the floor, to the window, to anywhere but at her. Reid’s lowered voice sounded near his ear. “She does have a certain quiet beauty, but that’s all I’ll say. I’m a happily married man, late for supper with my wife and daughter.”

Derek shook his hand and watched his buddy leave through the back door. He stared at the closed door for a few moments, forcing his thoughts back to the assignment. It was time to move on.

Hannah thanked Mallory and then motioned Derek into the tiny break room. “Would you like a cup of coffee? I can’t imagine I need the caffeine after the news you just dropped on me. But maybe holding the warm mug would help?” She turned to grab the canister of coffee and kept her back turned slightly to Derek, but he could still see that she fumbled for a paper towel from the roll on the counter and then dabbed her eyes.

He cleared his throat gently. “Sure, coffee sounds good. Why don’t you sit down and I’ll get it?”

She sniffled and pushed the paper towel in her pocket before she turned to him. A tentative smile flickered on her lips. “If you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it.”