Lucy had just strapped on her gun when the doorbell rang. She pressed the security screen in the bedroom to see who was on the front porch so early. Sean was more than a little security conscious, especially after he helped the FBI catch a money launderer last month. Now, as soon as anyone crossed onto the property, the sensors alerted them. It took Sean a week to adjust them so every squirrel that scampered up a tree didn’t set them off. She’d turned off what she called the “hyper-alert” system when Sean left for the airport earlier that morning.
An impeccably dressed, attractive woman with long sun-streaked, dark-blonde hair swept up into a loose bun stood waiting. She had a large shoulder bag and a small suitcase. She looked familiar, but Lucy couldn’t remember meeting her. It didn’t help that she wore large sunglasses. A neighbor?
While the visitor didn’t look suspicious or dangerous, after the past month Lucy had become edgy. It didn’t help that Sean was nervous; he rarely showed any stress, but this last month had been even more difficult for him.
Lucy pressed the intercom speaker. “Who is it?”
“Hello? I’m Eden. Eden Rogan. Sean’s sister.”
Eden Rogan? Lucy stared again at the screen. She had only seen photos of Eden and her twin brother Liam, most of them more than a decade old. It could easily be her.
“I’ll be right down,” Lucy said. She grabbed her blazer and slipped it on as she walked down the stairs. She disengaged the alarm and unlocked the door.
Eden smiled and pushed her large dark glasses up to the top of her head. Immediately, Lucy saw the resemblance—the dark blue eyes that she shared with both Sean and Kane stood out the most. But there were other little things, like her smile and her strong jawline, tempered by her femininity, and the way she tilted her head, just a bit, as she assessed Lucy, that was very Roganesque. “So you’re the girl who tamed the wild beast.”
Lucy said, “Come in. We didn’t know you were coming.”
“My baby brother is getting married? Of course I couldn’t stay away!”
The wedding was still two weeks off—well, twelve days as Sean reminded her this morning. When they were going over the guest list this weekend, they’d taken Liam and Eden off—they hadn’t responded yes or no. Lucy had suggested that Sean call them—he said no.
“I haven’t seen either of them in years. Something bad went down between Liam and Kane. I used to want to know what happened … now? I don’t care. Especially since they couldn’t even RSVP. I’m staying out of it.”
“I’m glad you’re here,” Lucy heard herself saying, though she wasn’t sure she was happy. With everything that Sean had been dealt this last month, he didn’t need surprise guests.
Eden walked in and looked around the large foyer with a half-smile that was so much like Sean it was a bit unnerving. She openly assessed Lucy. Her face appeared open but her eyes were cool. Calculating.
Lucy needed to stop being so suspicious.
“So, you’re Lucy.”
Then she walked across the wide, open hall to the living room and stepped down the two steps. She surveyed the high ceilings, the furnishings, the multiple French doors that went out to the pool. “This place is really great. I never imagined that Sean would settle down, but well, stranger things have happened.” She put her bag down on the floor and dropped her shoulder bag. “It’s Kincaid, right?” Eden smiled and shook her head almost in disbelief. “Is that how you met? Because of your … brother, right? New partner at Rogan-Caruso.”
Lucy wouldn’t exactly say new. Jack had joined Rogan-Caruso Protective Services six years ago and they’d changed the name to Rogan-Caruso-Kincaid. Patrick had joined two years later.
“Not so new,” she said.
“Time really flies, doesn’t it? I haven’t been back to the States in years. No reason to, until now.”
“Do you have a place to stay?”
“Not yet—I wasn’t sure I could get away, so I planned this sort of last minute. I came here straight from the airport. I’ve been traveling nonstop for the last eighteen hours. Milan to Heathrow and then just waiting. Wishing I’d been as smart as Sean and got my pilot’s license. And then I was stuck in customs at JFK for hours. I’m not a good traveller. I hate flying.”
Eighteen hours of traveling and she couldn’t send Sean a message that she was on her way? Lucy wasn’t buying it, not completely.
That’s when Lucy saw it, the tension under Eden’s perfect makeup. She was a stunning woman—beautiful, really. But there were fine lines around her eyes, which were a little too bright. Either fatigue or fear or both. Lucy had a little sympathy for her, considering the transatlantic flight. Two years ago she wouldn’t have thought twice about inviting her to stay. But now, she hesitated.
“Where is Sean?” Eden asked. “He’s never been one for sleeping in.”
“He had to leave early. A case he’s working on.”