Read Online Forgotten Secrets by Robin Perini - Free Book Online Page A

could call, he would and did.
    But now, even after countless phone calls, he had to admit, his nerves reminded him of the last few seconds on a Blackhawk before a big op.
    Was she everything he remembered, everything he believed her to be? Without any evidence, could she really do more than what they were doing already? She possessed the skills, but Thayne knew a thing or two about unrealistic expectations . . . he’d lived with them his entire childhood.
    He didn’t have to glance at his watch to know they were coming up on twenty-three hours since Cheyenne had disappeared.
    Time was running out to find his sister alive.
    The plane stopped, and he strode toward the aircraft. The pilot hit the ground to meet him.
    “Thanks for doing this, Mac.” Thayne shook the burly man’s hand.
    “Anything to help find Cheyenne,” he said. “That girl’s a gem.” He frowned and pulled a duffel and computer bag from the cargo hold beneath the plane. “You haven’t found her, I take it.”
    “Not yet.”
    “I’ll top off the fuel and hit the skies again to join the search. Since we’ve got daylight until eight thirty or so this time of year, I can give it several more hours.”
    “The whole family appreciates it. Let Brett Riverton know.”
    “He’s got his own problems, but family feuds don’t mean much when one of our own is in trouble.”
    The door of the Cessna opened. Riley jumped to the ground, her gaze pinned to Thayne. His mouth went dry. A year apart had been too damn long.
    His deployment and her cases had kept them apart. Now she stood a few feet away from him, and his feet didn’t move. She unnerved him. Should he hug her like he wanted or let her make the first move? His mind whirled with an uncertainty he rarely experienced.
    “Hope the ride was smooth enough, Special Agent Lambert,” Mac said.
    “We arrived fifteen minutes early.” She shifted a satchel over her shoulder and smiled at the pilot. “The ride was perfect.” She took in a deep breath and turned. “Hello, Thayne.”
    His name on her lips acted like a caress he couldn’t ignore. Thayne moved to her side, so close all he had to do was lean in and she’d be in his arms. He swallowed. For the last year, when he’d needed someone to vent at, to talk to, she’d been at the other end of the phone, her voice surrounding him.
    He lifted his hand to brush his finger down her cheek. He hadn’t touched her in so long. Riley clasped his hand and squeezed, lifting her cinnamon gaze to his, full of sympathy.
    “Riley,” he said, his voice strangely deep, even to his own ears.
    She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m so sorry about your sister,” she whispered, her lips brushing his ear.
    Thayne closed his eyes and embraced her, enveloping her warm body in his arms. He hadn’t realized how much he’d needed her.
    She tightened her hold, and he simply let himself feel for a moment, relinquishing the tight control he’d kept on his emotions. He didn’t know how long they stood together. All he knew was that she’d come.
    Mac cleared his throat. “I guess introductions aren’t necessary.”
    Riley stiffened and pulled away from Thayne, leaving a chill and jerking him back into reality.
    Thayne grabbed her bags from Mac. “We’ve met.”
    The pilot raised his eyebrow, eyes gleaming with speculation. “I’ll leave you to it, then. I’ll radio in if I find anything, Thayne.”
    “Thanks, Mac.”
    He disappeared into the airport office.
    Thayne stared at Riley. His heart tightened in his chest. “I didn’t think you’d be able to come. You’re in the middle of a big investigation. I thought perhaps you could put in a good word—”
    “The case is finished. We got the guy. He’s dead. I was too late.”
    Damn. Shorthand for a huge cluster. He could relate. How often had achieving the mission come with too high a price? He wanted to hold her, comfort her, but he recognized the set of her jaw, clinging to control. He forced