pew. Kate hesitated as the little girl tugged on her mom’s sleeve to help her find the money and started crying.
The image of the girl opened a flood of emotions.
Was Sophie crying right now? Had they hurt her?
She finally took a seat beside him, feeling as if they were two people on a spiritual pilgrimage, trying to figure out who had tried to murder her sister. No one should be trying to discover the truth behind such a horror.
“You don’t need to know who they are, or get involved in this,” he began.
Kate leaned forward. “Are you kidding me? I’m already involved. In case you’ve already forgotten—”
He held a finger to his mouth.
She pressed her lips together, then lowered her voice. “They know who I am, and that I’m here in Paris. Tell me why.”
She’d only been able to come to one conclusion. Chad was clearly involved in something very serious and very illegal. Beyond that, she was certain they’d been watching her family. For leverage against Chad, perhaps they’d come after Rachel and Sophie. And if Marcus was right, these people had both connections and money. As for her involvement? Maybe they thought she was Rachel? Maybe they thought she knew more than she did, but the bottom line was that Chad was clearly involved in something that had just ripped his family apart. Which was why she had to trust Marcus...and find out the truth from Chad.
Chad folded his hands inside his lap and dropped his head. “Rachel...how bad is she?”
Kate felt a wave of anger seep through her at Chad’s question. As far as she was concerned, what had happened to her sister was Chad’s fault. Whatever he was involved in had trickled down and affected his family.
“I’m surprised you asked.”
“We might not have the greatest marriage, but I certainly don’t hate her. Besides, she gave me the best thing that ever happened to me. Sophie.”
“If you really cared about Sophie, it seems to me that you wouldn’t have allowed this to happen in the first place.”
“Just tell me she’s going to be okay,” he said. “Please.”
“The bullet missed any major arteries, but it’s still serious. She’s in ICU and unconscious. I’m waiting for another update from my mother.” She hoped her mother had gone home to get some needed sleep, but knowing her mother, she was still at the hospital.
Which was why at the moment there was really only one question that really mattered.
“Where’s Sophie, Chad?” she asked.
“I don’t know.”
“You’re telling me that you had nothing to do with Rachel’s shooting and Sophie’s disappearance.”
“Of course not.”
“Then who did? Someone used Sophie’s passport to bring her here. Who else would do that?”
He turned to her and shook his head. “I swear, I didn’t take her, Kate. You have to believe me.”
Kate pressed her fingers against the edge of the hard wood bench they sat on. Until talking to Marcus, it had been easy to believe that Chad had been behind Sophie’s disappearance. An unhappy father wanting custody of his daughter and deciding to take things into his own hands. Foolish, but common. And for her, a far easier scenario to swallow than believing terrorists were behind Sophie’s kidnapping. That was still something she wasn’t ready to accept.
“You’re telling me you’re not behind this?” she pressed.
He reached out and grasped her arm. “You think I took Sophie to get back at Rachel?”
Kate pulled away from his grip. “I don’t know what to think at this point.”
“You have to believe me. I didn’t have anything to do with it.”
“Then what do you know? Because the way I’m looking at things, because of you, my sister might not make it another twenty-four hours, Sophie is missing and apparently they’re after me as well, because someone thinks I know something, but I don’t know anything. I need to know the truth, Chad.”
He paused as a couple walked by, snapping photos of the stained glass
The image of the girl opened a flood of emotions.
Was Sophie crying right now? Had they hurt her?
She finally took a seat beside him, feeling as if they were two people on a spiritual pilgrimage, trying to figure out who had tried to murder her sister. No one should be trying to discover the truth behind such a horror.
“You don’t need to know who they are, or get involved in this,” he began.
Kate leaned forward. “Are you kidding me? I’m already involved. In case you’ve already forgotten—”
He held a finger to his mouth.
She pressed her lips together, then lowered her voice. “They know who I am, and that I’m here in Paris. Tell me why.”
She’d only been able to come to one conclusion. Chad was clearly involved in something very serious and very illegal. Beyond that, she was certain they’d been watching her family. For leverage against Chad, perhaps they’d come after Rachel and Sophie. And if Marcus was right, these people had both connections and money. As for her involvement? Maybe they thought she was Rachel? Maybe they thought she knew more than she did, but the bottom line was that Chad was clearly involved in something that had just ripped his family apart. Which was why she had to trust Marcus...and find out the truth from Chad.
Chad folded his hands inside his lap and dropped his head. “Rachel...how bad is she?”
Kate felt a wave of anger seep through her at Chad’s question. As far as she was concerned, what had happened to her sister was Chad’s fault. Whatever he was involved in had trickled down and affected his family.
“I’m surprised you asked.”
“We might not have the greatest marriage, but I certainly don’t hate her. Besides, she gave me the best thing that ever happened to me. Sophie.”
“If you really cared about Sophie, it seems to me that you wouldn’t have allowed this to happen in the first place.”
“Just tell me she’s going to be okay,” he said. “Please.”
“The bullet missed any major arteries, but it’s still serious. She’s in ICU and unconscious. I’m waiting for another update from my mother.” She hoped her mother had gone home to get some needed sleep, but knowing her mother, she was still at the hospital.
Which was why at the moment there was really only one question that really mattered.
“Where’s Sophie, Chad?” she asked.
“I don’t know.”
“You’re telling me that you had nothing to do with Rachel’s shooting and Sophie’s disappearance.”
“Of course not.”
“Then who did? Someone used Sophie’s passport to bring her here. Who else would do that?”
He turned to her and shook his head. “I swear, I didn’t take her, Kate. You have to believe me.”
Kate pressed her fingers against the edge of the hard wood bench they sat on. Until talking to Marcus, it had been easy to believe that Chad had been behind Sophie’s disappearance. An unhappy father wanting custody of his daughter and deciding to take things into his own hands. Foolish, but common. And for her, a far easier scenario to swallow than believing terrorists were behind Sophie’s kidnapping. That was still something she wasn’t ready to accept.
“You’re telling me you’re not behind this?” she pressed.
He reached out and grasped her arm. “You think I took Sophie to get back at Rachel?”
Kate pulled away from his grip. “I don’t know what to think at this point.”
“You have to believe me. I didn’t have anything to do with it.”
“Then what do you know? Because the way I’m looking at things, because of you, my sister might not make it another twenty-four hours, Sophie is missing and apparently they’re after me as well, because someone thinks I know something, but I don’t know anything. I need to know the truth, Chad.”
He paused as a couple walked by, snapping photos of the stained glass
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