If You Only Knew

Chapter Seventeen



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RAYNA WENT BACK inside and stood near the door, arms crossed, watching until Sean’s car disappeared down the long driveway. Nate and Ty followed him in the Jeep, probably to check on Joe and Walker’s repair job and make sure the gate closed and locked behind Sean. She couldn’t shake the nervous jitters the man gave her, but the bad feeling she had about this wasn’t only because of Sean Phillips.


Bree’s soft footsteps entered the kitchen and went immediately to the coffeepot. When Rayna turned, Bree studied her from over her cup. Walker and Joe sat at the table and talked quietly. Their surreptitious glances swept from Bree to Rayna, leaving her with the creepy sensation they were comparing Ty’s women. Did they know something that should be obvious to her?

There was clearly history between Ty and Bree, but what kind was uncertain. He’d been upset when he learned Sean Phillips was her husband. Rayna couldn’t interpret the expression on his face when he reached toward Bree and then dropped his hand. That could have been a jealous reaction, or possessive, or it could have had nothing to do with Bree and everything to do with the animosity between the two men. Without a doubt, Ty thought the world of that little girl, and his feelings would naturally extend to the mother.

Rayna hadn’t expected him to agree to help Bree find Andre. He’d gone out of his comfort zone to align himself with her, in spite of Bree and Sean stealing onto Nate’s property and holding her and Ty at gunpoint. Maybe Rayna should have seen it coming. He’d made no secret of the fact he was going after Andre, whatever the cost. He’d wanted Bree’s help from the very beginning. Still, the moment when he said he wouldn’t turn his back on Bree burned like a hot poker in her heart.

Bree dropped her gaze and took a sip of coffee, clearly feeling out of place. How many times had Rayna felt exactly that? Trying to fit in after Charlie died. Waiting for something or someone to make her feel like she belonged. It didn’t matter what this woman’s relationship with Ty was. She didn’t deserve to be treated like a leper.

Rayna pressed a smile in place and stepped toward Bree, her hand outstretched. “Why don’t we start over? I’m Rayna Dugan.”

Bree let out her breath as though she’d been holding it. Her handshake was warm and confident. Rayna couldn’t help the admiration that took root for the strength of this woman.

“These two characters are Walker and Joe Reynolds.”

Bree shook their hands. “Joe Reynolds—you’re the one who found out where I was with surprisingly little trouble. Mind telling me how you did that?”

“No mystery. Ask the right question to the right person and you can learn anything… and I’ve met a few of the right people over the years.” Joe shrugged.

“Mommy, Mommy!” Seven-year-old Madison burst into the room and rushed to her mother’s outstretched arms as Bree knelt to catch her. The little girl was as cute as could be, but she didn’t take after her mother in the looks department. Bouncy, brunette curls framed her round face where dimples appeared when she smiled. Brown eyes, the color of dark chocolate, sparkled with childish glee. Bree’s hair was brunette, but obviously dyed. Rayna should know. She’d had enough bad hair jobs in the last year. Judging by Bree’s fair skin and blue eyes, she’d bet her natural hair color was much lighter—maybe even blond.

The petite Hispanic woman followed the child into the kitchen. “I’m sorry, Se?ora. She’s hungry. Mr. Sean said no one would mind if I fixed her something to eat.”

Bree gave Madison a hug, then set her on her feet. “Maria… Madison… this is Ms. Dugan.”

Rayna stepped forward and stuck out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Maria. Please call me Rayna.” She knelt down in front of Madison and offered her hand. The young girl took it with a surprisingly firm grip. “What are you hungry for? Do you like grilled cheese?”

“Mac and cheese, please.” The girl smiled, showing a gap where one front tooth had been.

The sound of Joe’s chair scraping across the floor distracted her, and for a moment, Rayna thought the child might hide as he walked to within a few feet of her.

“Hi, Madison. I’m Joe. It’s very nice to make your acquaintance. I’m kind of hungry too. What do you say you, Rayna, and I go check out the pantry? There’s bound to be some mac and cheese in there.”

Madison hesitated for a moment, glanced at her mother, then offered her hand to Joe.

“Mommy can come, too, if she wants.” He met Bree’s gaze.

“Yes, why don’t you go, Bree? Maria and I will stay here and figure out where the dishes and pans are.” Rayna turned and stepped toward the cupboards.

By the time Joe, Madison, and Bree returned with three boxes of macaroni and cheese, Maria had water boiling on the stove. Under her experienced direction, the food was ready to eat in short order. She’d just dished up generous helpings for both Madison and Joe when Ty and Nate returned.

Ty was in a surprisingly good mood. He and Nate laughed as they walked in. Ty reached for Rayna, slid his arm around her waist, and gave her a quick kiss. They stood facing the others, her back against his chest and his arms laced in front of her. She couldn’t quite discern the look that flickered across Bree’s features, but surely she was just being paranoid. The woman was married, for heaven’s sake.

Everyone opted for mac and cheese for lunch, even though it was only mid-morning. Without her front tooth, Madison proclaimed the food to be de-wicious, and they all laughed and agreed with her.

“Walker, what’s the verdict on Ribs?” Rayna experienced a stab of guilt for not having checked on the dog earlier.

“You couldn’t hurt that dog with an AK47. He’s a tank on legs. These aren’t the first wounds he’s gotten, either. He has scars all over his body. I’m betting he was a fighting dog at some point in his life. Anyway, I cleaned the dirt from his scratches, but you’ll have to keep him clean. He’ll be fine.” Walker turned his attention back to his plate.

When everyone had finished, Maria and Nate stayed to help Rayna clean up and do the dishes. She would have preferred to be by herself, but it appeared Nate was trying equally hard to stay away from Bree. Whatever reason he had for disliking her, it evidently ran deep. Rayna got the feeling Maria stayed because she assumed cooking, cleaning, and serving others was her place in life. The idea rankled Rayna, and she mentally made a little hash mark in the con column below Sean Phillips and Bree Knight.

“Where are you from, Maria?”

The woman glanced uncertainly at Nate, then dropped her gaze. “Mexico City.”

Rayna met Nate’s glance and knew immediately what he was thinking. Illegal… and Maria knew Nate was a cop. No wonder she was nervous. Of course, Sean was FBI. Obviously, she wasn’t concerned he’d find out—or maybe Sean and Bree already knew.

“Nate, we’ll take it from here.” Rayna held his gaze until he nodded, tossed his dishcloth into the sink, and turned to leave.

Maria seemed to relax the moment he left. The Hispanic woman was no more than five-foot-three and in her early thirties, with flawless brown skin and a waist no bigger around than a fence post. With big, brown doe eyes, long, silky black hair, and a shy smile, she was an attractive woman. She spoke with a heavy accent, although once Nate left she was much easier to understand.

“How long have you worked for Bree?” Rayna was determined to draw her out.

Maria glanced toward the door as though checking to make sure they were really alone. “Mr. Sean hired me two years ago.”

“I can tell Madison is quite fond of you.” A warning niggled at the back of Rayna’s mind. Something about the woman’s response hinted at fear. Was someone coercing her? Was Mr. Sean abusing this slight woman? The thought turned Rayna’s stomach.


“Si. The child is precious. I love her and care for her like one of my own.” Maria smiled wistfully, clearly very attached to Madison. She finished with her dish towel and hung it over the oven door.

“Oh? You have children?”

The woman started and glanced toward the door again. The air seemed to crackle with her tension. Rayna furrowed her brow. What about that question made Maria so nervous?

“I don’t mean to pry, and I certainly won’t repeat anything you tell me.” Rayna would let it go if Maria felt so strongly, although the possible reasons for her reticence caused that nagging sensation in her brain again.

“Si, se?orita. I have a son.” Maria’s voice was almost a whisper.

Surprised and pleased the woman had trusted her enough to answer truthfully, Rayna had to remind herself not to make a big deal about it. Maria evidently didn’t want everyone to know. “That’s wonderful. How old is he?”

“Five. His name is Marco.” She smiled proudly.

“Where is he?”

That furtive glance toward the door again, and Maria’s voice hardened as she spat out her answer. “Family takes care of him so I can work.”

The devastation on the woman’s face was almost more than Rayna could stand. How long had Maria and her son been apart? The entire two years she cared for Madison? Surely Bree wouldn’t knowingly separate a mother and her young son. With righteous indignation, Rayna opened her mouth to impart her opinion… but this was none of her business. She swallowed the words that burned within her.

“I… I’m sure you miss him terribly.” What a stupid thing to say. Of course Maria missed her son. Rayna couldn’t shake the feeling she’d let Maria down. She was saved by Ty’s appearance in the kitchen doorway.

“Hey.” His smile was almost back to normal.

“Hey, yourself.” She allowed Ty to fold her in his arms. She desperately needed his warmth and encouragement right now. From his raised eyebrow, it was obvious he could tell something was bothering her. She shook her head slightly in answer to the question in his eyes, and he let it go.

“Nate said you were about done in here. We’re going over the plan, and I’d like your input.”

It meant everything to her that he wanted her there. For a moment, she was afraid the unshed tears stinging her eyes would give away just how much, so she buried her face in his chest. The clean and spicy scent of him filled her senses.

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “You okay?”

“Mmmm… I am now.” She raised her head and took a step back. “You go. I’ll be right in.”

“You sure?” His gaze flickered to Maria, her back turned, a few feet away.

“Go—stop hovering.” She stepped close again and rose to her tiptoes to give him a hurried kiss.

His hands slid down her back until they rested on her bottom, and his lips formed a suggestive grin.

She laughed. “Later, Whitlock.”

“Promise?”

Rayna nodded and pushed him back a step. “Go.”

After Ty left, Rayna faced Maria again. “I’m sorry Marco isn’t with you. Is there anything I can do? Talk to Bree?”

“No, please don’t mention this to Bree. Very soon Marco will be with me again. Very soon.” Sorrow shone in her eyes, in direct contrast to the hopeful smile she turned on Rayna.



WHEN RAYNA ENTERED the living room, Ty motioned her to the chair next to his. She walked into the room of ex-military, ex-law enforcement, and Nate with a natural confidence he remembered well. The last couple of days had shaken her, but she was holding her own.

Joe took the podium created by a card table covered with maps. “My sources and Nate’s agree that Andre is in Portland and there’s a lot of activity around him. He’s short two key people, thanks to Ty and Nate. He’s not happy about it, but it hasn’t slowed him down. I’d say there’s no question the hunt is still on for Rayna and Bree, and probably Nate and Ty are on his list as well.”

“Let him try,” Nate growled.

Walker snorted and broke the tension. “What do we know about him?” He directed his gaze to Ty.

“He’s ruthless, he has unlimited resources and manpower, and he’ll do anything to get Bree.” Ty’s gaze locked on the brunette who sat beside Walker.

“Why?” Joe shook his head. “If this was revenge for shooting him and sending him to jail, it’d be simple to send a hit man. Problem solved. This is personal.” He turned toward Bree. “He wants to see you… talk to you face-to-face. Why?”

Bree studied her hands. “He’s an evil man. He doesn’t need a reason for the things he does. I got the best of him eight years ago when I went undercover, and he’s never forgotten. He murdered my first husband—Madison’s father—but that apparently wasn’t enough. He seems to think I took something of his, and now he wants to take Madison from me. It’s what he wanted Ty to do six years ago, and that’s why I agreed to help with his investigation. I’d hoped, with Ty’s help, to keep Andre from harming my daughter.” She made eye contact briefly with Ty, then glanced at Joe. “That’s always been his plan, and that’s why she’s here.”

No one spoke for a moment. Ty tried to wrap his mind around what she meant.

Finally, Rayna broke the silence. “Are you saying you’re using Madison as bait?”

Bree’s face paled as the silence grew heavy with disapproval. Ty couldn’t believe what her lack of denial implied. If there was one thing he knew about her, it was how much she loved that little girl. She’d never purposely put her in danger.

“Bree?” Ty wanted to hear her deny it.

She returned his gaze defiantly. “Judge me if you want, but Sean and I have lived with Andre’s threat a lot longer than you have.” She looked at her hands again, then met each set of eyes staring at her. “He wants Madison, and he won’t come out of hiding unless she’s part of the deal. That doesn’t mean he’s going to get her. I’d never let that happen.”

“And Sean… would he let it happen?” Nate sat forward in his chair, skepticism etched on his brow.

Anger hardened her face. Ty had never seen her so defensive and nervous. Something was wrong here. She was either lying or not telling the whole truth. Either way, considering how their last encounter ended, neither was acceptable.

Joe stepped around the table and caught his eye. “Ty, this is your game. What’s our plan?”

“We get the word out that Bree is here.” Madison would play no part in this. “He’ll contact us and want to meet. When he does, we need to spring a trap.”

“How far are you prepared to go with this? Sending Andre to jail didn’t stop him before.” Rayna turned her soft gaze on Ty.

“Nate’s working on that. He’d rather it didn’t come to cold-blooded murder, and so do I, but if that’s all we’ve got to make sure we don’t have a repeat of the last few days… I’ll deal with that when the time comes.”

“I may be able to help with that. Friend of mine with the FBI is interested in making Andre’s acquaintance. Nothing certain yet, but if he gets back to me, he might be the solution to our problem.” Joe walked the length of the table, then turned back.

Walker chuckled. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”


“Nate, can you spread the rumors we need?” Joe leaned on the edge of the table.

“Got it handled.” Nate didn’t look up.

“One more thing, Joe.” Ty stood and stepped toward him. “I’d like to bring in a couple more guys from Montana… to guard the house.” Ty’s concern was Madison, and he could tell from Joe’s quiet nod he understood.

“Let me know who you want. I’ll make the call.”

“Steve and Sanchez.”

Joe took out his cell phone. “Okay, that’s all for now. We’ll work on the end game when we have a location.”

Everyone stood and straggled out as Ty crossed to Bree. “I want to talk to you, outside, right now.”

Her eyes darkened dangerously, but she didn’t argue. He led the way out, forgetting momentarily about Rayna until he saw her talking to Walker just outside the living room door. They both strode toward the kitchen, so Ty led Bree out the front door.

He continued down the road toward the gate until he judged they were far enough away they wouldn’t be heard before he stopped. “No surprises this time, Bree. What aren’t you telling me?”

She drew herself up straight and her expression shuttered over as though closing the door to her soul. “You already know I want Andre Komarov dead, so that shouldn’t come as a big surprise to you. Madison deserves to lead a normal life.”

“I agree, and I don’t want Rayna to have to look over her shoulder, either, but we’re going to work together on this and we’re going to play it just like we script it. If you’re not willing to do that, say so and you’re out of it now.”

Confidence wavered in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it.

Why did he get the feeling she’d almost confided in him? “Goddammit, Bree…”

“Chill, Ty. I can play nice when I have to. You just worry about finding Andre.” Bree backed away, swung around, and continued down the drive.

Ty shook his head. What was she hiding behind that bravado? She needed their help—Madison needed their help. Hopefully, Bree would realize this was her best shot. He didn’t owe her a thing, but the unfinished business that hung between them had reached out and touched Rayna, and for that reason, he couldn’t let it go.

Joe was waiting for him outside on the front lawn, a baseball cap shading his eyes from the intermittent sunshine. He fell in beside Ty as he approached the house. “Trust her?”

“Not completely.”

Joe nodded and clapped him on the back. “Every good plan has a contingency.”

Ty couldn’t shake the sense of déjà vu that snuck in under the radar, but he wasn’t about to let his previous life destroy the hope that had taken root in his heart. He had another chance with Rayna if he could only unwind this mess and keep them both alive in the process.