Page 16 of Vision of Truth

“Isaac has been briefing me on the updates your family has been providing.” Rowan sat, feet planted wide. “I know they suspect someone on the inside leaked your location before the car crash. It very well could’ve been this Dale character, or Mr. Vesey himself, although why would he arrange for both his daughter and her teacher to be in an accident and possibly killed? It could also be someone from the outside, making it look as though there’s a mole within the agency, so everyone’s attention is focused somewhere else.”

Julie sighed and swept a hand through her hair. “I keep hoping for news on Mr. Vesey. I can see how much it’s hurting Sabrina not to have him here. As much as I love her and would take care of her in a heartbeat, I want her to have a happy ending. She already lost her mother. Losing both her parents would be such a blow. It’s such an isolating feeling to suddenly have no adults in your life to keep you safe. To care about you.”

“That’s something we have in common. Something all four of us have experienced in some way or another.” Rowan said, face blank of emotion. “Isaac always talks about you on missions. I should’ve put it together that there was something different about your relationship. He told me what a breath of fresh air you were. That after losing both of your parents you still gave him and the others strength to move forward. I have never seen him so much as look at another woman while we’ve been on leave. I knew he must be tangled up with someone. I just had no idea it was you.” He smiled now, and the expression lightened his blue eyes. “Trust me. I would’ve reminded him that you weren’t related by blood and told him to go for it.”

She couldn’t help but smile back. “It feels like he’s really going to give us a chance this time, but part of me can’t help but worry that he’ll get cold feet again. Think he’s doing something wrong by being with me.”

“I don’t think Isaac has ever had cold feet when it comes to you. He feels a moral obligation to keep you safe—even from himself. I know we just met, but I feel like I know you from all the stories Isaac has told me, so I’m going to be honest with you. There will probably be a time, maybe several, that Isaac will be reminded of something that happened in his past and draw into himself, but you’ll be there to stop him. Isaac would die for you—make no mistake. He loves you. A weak woman wouldn’t be able to handle that insecurity, but you’re anything but weak. You’re Isaac’s perfect match. The person who can lift him up. In exchange, he’s going to give you the world. You know that, right?”

Julie nodded, not trusting herself to speak with the lump currently wedged in her throat. She didn’t want to tell Rowan that she had given up on Isaac mere days ago. That was the reason why he came after her. The reason he decided to stop dragging his feet. Maybe he eventually would’ve gotten there, but it might’ve been too late for them. She took a breath in through her nose, then exhaled. “Let’s make this call.” They both turned toward the desk, now hip-to-hip instead of facing each other, and Julie picked up the phone. She dialed the number from memory as she usually did when they called. The phone was picked up on the second ring.

“This is Easton.” She could picture him straightening his glasses. His short hair mussed from repeatedly raking his hands through it as he tended to do when he was stressed.

“Hey. It’s Jules, and Isaac’s friend who has been helping us is here, too.”

“It’s okay, you can tell them my name.” Rowan leaned in closer to the speaker. “This is Rowan, Isaac’s teammate.”

“Heard a lot about you, man. Thanks for everything you’ve done. Where is Isaac?” The concern in his voice was audible. She might be in danger, but her entire family was living this chaos together. “Is he okay?” His voice was a whisper that barely hissed past his teeth.

“He’s fine. Sabrina was clinging to him like a monkey, so we decided to make the call. Julie has something she wanted to share. “

“Sabrina mentioned a hiding spot. Her father told her to hide in the closet when Uncle Dale came to the house.”

“Do you know if she has an actual uncle?” Easton asked.

“Not to my knowledge. When I first started, I suggested making a book with familiar faces of all Sabrina’s family members and teachers. Mr. Vesey said it had only been him and his wife before she passed.”

“We have a Dale working at the bureau working your case. He was there the night they were going to drive you to the office for questioning. It might also be a different Dale either within the Bureau or the brotherhood. This is something good to work with. Thanks, Jules.”

Even though the information could lead to a dead end, she wanted to help. “Any updates?” she asked.

“Yeah, actually. They found the car, but Vesey was not in the trunk. There was blood on the exterior and on the ground. Looks like he might’ve been able to drag himself out of the car. It’s also possible someone else dragged his body, but the way the ground was disrupted, it looks more like the first scenario.”

Julie’s breath hitched. “So he might be alive.”

“He might be.” Easton’s voice held less hope. “Either he was at one point or he managed to get out of a tough situation. Still, we don’t know if he’s involved with the mafia beyond his duties with the bureau. Don’t trust anyone.”

“What about Agent Nilsson?” Rowan placed his elbows on his knees and loosely steepled his hands. “Has she been found?”

“No. Her trail is colder than Vesey’s.”

Rowan’s forehead wrinkled. “Could they be working together?”

“I would say anything is possible at this point. I’m going to look into Dale Mancuso. Have my tech team explore other deals within the agency and the brotherhood. Thanks for giving this to me.”

By the time they said their goodbyes and hung up the telephone, Julie’s head was spinning with possibilities of who might’ve betrayed who and why.

Chapter Twelve

Isaac had just put the last plate from dinner into the dishwasher when Julie entered the room. Her thick caramel hair was loose around her shoulders, nearly touching her elbows. God, the thought of fisting his hands into that hair had him hard as a pike. Whether she was in sweats and fresh faced or dolled up in a dress and heels she never failed to steal his breath. Despite her undeniable beauty, shadows had settled under her eyes. The stress of the situation and the lack of new intel was weighing on her, just like it was on all of them. The difference was that Julie wasn’t a trained SEAL and wasn’t used to living with prolonged stress from the possibility of imminent danger. Add in nearly a week spent inside, and it was enough to make someone stir crazy, no matter how nice the accommodations were. Luckily, he had a surprise so they could both get some fresh air and relax under the stars for a bit.

“Sabrina out?” he asked, sliding the rack into the dishwasher.

“Yeah. Didn’t take long tonight. She was asleep before her bedtime story was done.”

“Been a long week for her.” Isaac reached under the cabinet and withdrew a dishwasher pod. “She’s holding up so well,” he added, putting the pod into the correct compartment before closing the door.

“I know.” Julie’s arms came around her waist. “I just wish we had some good news for her.”

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