Page 110 of Cole

As he drove to the airport where Duncan had told him his private plane would be waiting for him, Cole was torn between happy thoughts about seeing Annie again and worried ones over this latest revelation.

It wasn’t until he was settled on the plane that he looked over the information Eve had given him.

The woman had given her name as Angela Reynolds, which he knew wasn’t Annie’s sister’s name. But that didn’t mean that it wasn’t her. Presumably, if she’d been kidnapped, they would have changed her name. The name Angela might have been less confusing for a little girl, since it was close to her original name.

He wanted to call Duncan and let him know what was going on. However, since he couldn’t make a phone call while in flight, he had to settle for using the email address that Duncan had used to send him the flight information.

It was only after he’d typed out an entire message that he realized that perhaps Duncan wasn’t the only one reading his email. There was no way he was going to put Annie at risk of being revealed if someone else read the message.

He erased what he’d written, then typed out a more generic email.

Someone has been trying to contact me regarding my date at the November gala. I have contact information. Is this email address the best place to forward it to you?

He pressed send, then looked up as the flight attendant approached him, a friendly smile on her face.

“Can I get you anything to eat or drink?”

Cole was hungry, since he never ate a large meal before a game. “Do you have any pasta?”

“Yes. We have a Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli.”

“Perfect. Give me a big plate of that, please.”

“Certainly. I’ll have that for you once we’re in the air.”

He was glad that the plane had Wi-Fi, so even though he couldn’t place a phone call, he could receive emails. The response from Duncan came within minutes, just as the flight was taxiing to the airstrip.

This email is secure. Give me the details, please.

The man might have tacked apleaseon the end, but Cole knew a demand when he saw one. Not that he blamed the man. The information he had could be the best or worst news.

Cole hesitated, his thumb hovering over the screen. This information could change everything for the Burke family—for Annie. If there was even the slightest chance this woman was Angelica, Duncan needed to know. But what if it was a trap?

Figuring that Duncan would take that all into consideration when he made his decision about what to do with the info, Cole typed a quick reply, attaching the contact information Eve had given him.

Her name is Angela Reynolds. She’s called the team office several times, wanting to speak with me, asking specifically about “the woman from the gala.” She said she thinks she could be Annie’s twin. I haven’t spoken with her directly.

The plane sped down the runway, pressing Cole back into his seat. As they lifted into the air, his thoughts raced even faster than the aircraft. Should he tell Annie about this? Would it give her false hope? Or was it his place to tell her at all?

His phone pinged with Duncan’s reply before the seatbelt sign had even turned off:

Do not contact this person. Do not mention this to Annalisa yet. I’ll have my team investigate immediately.

Cole frowned at the screen. He understood the caution, but keeping this from Annie felt wrong. They’d promised honesty with each other after everything that had happened.

The flight attendant returned with a glass of water and his pasta, the rich aroma momentarily distracting him from his dilemma.

“Anything else I can get you, Mr. Halverson?”

“No, this is great. Thank you.”

As he ate, Cole weighed his options. Following Duncan’s directive would start their relationship off on solid ground. The man was finally accepting of him in Annie’s life—antagonizing him now seemed unwise. But if Annie discovered he’d kept this from her…

His phone pinged with a notification of another email.

My security team is already running background on her. If there’s anything legitimate, I’ll tell Annalisa myself.

Cole sent back a reply.

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