Page 72 of Max's Mission

“Only what we know so far. That you found his car and a body up in North Dakota and that you called Margot in to make an identification. I also mentioned Conroy. He clammed up at that. That’s what made me dig a little deeper into Tad’s connections, which is how I found out Conroy was a patient. Anyway, he asked a few questions about Margot and the girls, then thanked me for telling him what the marshals wouldn’t.”

Max bit back a grin at the subtle dig.

“Then what?” Marchand asked.

“Then I went home.”

Marchand muttered a curse.

“Do you have eyes on Tad?” Max glanced at Marchand.

“No. There’s a marshal in the area in case he needs someone, and we have monitors on his credit cards and bank accounts as well as a GPS tracker in his car, but no one follows him around twenty-four-seven.” He lifted his phone. “I need to make some calls.”

“You do that.” Max resisted the urge to roll his eyes. There were so many ways Tad could elude WitSec. All it would take would be a sympathetic friend or co-worker to give him a ride. Or even some cash. He could steal a credit card too. He’d already proven adept at covering his tracks. He could have another identity the marshals didn’t know about.

Still frowning fiercely, Marchand went out the back door.

Max turned to his friends. “Asher, do you have any idea where Tad is?”

“No. But my best guess is he’s on his way down there to you. I saw the panic in his eyes when I told him Margot was involved. Berry scares him.”

That’s what Max had been afraid of. Tad was bringing the danger to them. “All right. We’ll keep an eye out for him.”

“Good. I’ll keep digging too. See if he pops up anywhere.”

“Sounds good,” Dean said. “Thanks.”

“Yep. Talk to you later.” Asher hung up.

“I don’t like this,” Sam said as soon as the line went silent. “It feels like everything is coming to a head. With Margot and the twins right in the crosshairs.”

Max’s jaw worked.

He agreed.

Thirty-One

Water droplets sprayed Margot in the face as Em leaped off the diving board once again. She smiled and clapped her hands when the girl broke the surface and paddled her way toward the steps. Some of the stress perpetually plaguing her had evaporated watching the girls play. Their giggles and shouts of “Watch me, Mommy!” had filled her happiness well high enough to push back some of the negative emotions.

Legs appeared next to her, then a glass of tea with ice cubes clinking against the sides as Annabeth sat down on the pool deck.

“Here.”

“Thanks.” Margot accepted the glass and took a sip. It was warm today, even this early, so the cold tea felt delicious sliding down her throat.

“You’re welcome.” Annabeth took a sip from her glass, then watched the girls for a moment before speaking. “I couldn’t help but notice that kiss you laid on Max. Things have changed between you two, I take it?”

A shy smile formed on Margot’s face. She swiped at the condensation on her glass. “Yeah. Quite a bit.” She glanced at her friend. “We, um, got a little carried away and, well… Imight be pregnant.” Saying it out loud to someone else made it more real. And made her want it even more. If she wasn’t, well, she and Max needed to have a discussion about making that a reality.

Annabeth’s eyes grew round. “What? How certain are you?”

Margot tipped a hand back and forth. “The timing was right. I guess we’ll know soon enough.”

For several long moments, Annabeth stared at her. “You don’t seem too concerned about it,” she finally said.

“I’m not.” A slow smile spread over her face. “We recognized the slip-up right away and talked about it. Surprisingly, we both hoped it would result in a baby. I’m ready, Annabeth. I want to move on. With Max.”

“It’s about damn time!”

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