Page 9 of Lost Without You

Ethan tapped away on his phone as Rachel’s heart raced even faster.

“This is crazy. What does this mean?” Tina covered her mouth with her hand and fresh tears rolled down her face. Rachel rushed over to comfort her mother.

“Please sit down, Mama,” Rachel hugged her mom and felt her own tears threaten. “We don’t know what it means, but I’d bet anything that it’s important.”

Tina shook her head. “Dios.If he felt the need to hide, whatever that is, it must mean something bad. And I didn’t know. Why didn’t I push him to tell me what it was?”

Rachel continued to hug her mother tightly and rocked her in her arms, much like her mom had done for her as a child. As excited as she was to finally have a breakthrough, her mom was in shock. This was a lot to take in.

“Ethan, we need to call it a night. It’s been a long day and my mother needs to rest.”

“Of course,” he replied and tapped his phone, then placed it in his pocket. “I’ve got a rideshare on the way. Tina, it was nice to meet you. I wish it were under happier circumstances and I’m sorry if I upset you. I promise I’ll do everything I can to find out what happened to your husband.”

“Thank you, Ethan,” Tina whispered, but she didn’t make eye contact.

Ethan grabbed his briefcase and his jacket as Rachel guided him back to the door.

“I’m going to stay the night. She’s in shock. Hell, I’m in shock.” Rachel leaned against the doorjamb and sighed.

“That’s understandable. We have a meeting with the PI at 9:00 tomorrow. I’ll pick you up at 8:15?”

“I’ll be ready.”

“And what we found here tonight, for now that stays between the three of us only. No word to the PI, your brother, no one. Not until we know what’s on that disk.” Ethan’s hardened tone reflected the seriousness of the situation.

“I understand. I’ll remind my mother.”

“Okay. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Goodnight, Ethan,” Rachel murmured, reaching out and giving him an impulsive hug.

Ethan’s body jolted and then he leaned in and returned the brief touch. He was so warm, and solid, and she barely resisted the temptation to lean in further. When she pulled back, she glanced up at his face and a look of understanding passed between them. The air around them suddenly felt thick and heavy. His dark brown eyes all but consumed her and she couldn’t look away.

Ping.

“That’s my ride. Goodnight,” Ethan said as he back away, cutting off their contact.

She watched him saunter down the hallway until he disappeared around the corner. It was for the best. Much as she wanted to continue to talk to him, they were both overtired, and Rachel was emotionally charged. She needed distance—from him and the unexpected feelings he provoked.

She had to stay focused. Nothing could distract her from her goal.

She closed the door and flipped all the locks, then went in search of her mom. She found her in the main suite, sitting down on her bed, a picture frame in hand. It was the family portrait that was always on her nightstand. The one they’d taken in the summer, a few months before her dad disappeared. The look on his face could only be described as happiness personified, his smile so wide and his eyes so bright Rachel felt the love in it, like he was right there looking at her.

“You need to lie down, Mama,” Rachel urged as she took the photo gently from her mother’s hands and placed it back on the table.

“I’m fine, querida. I just can’t believe your father hid something and I had it all this time. All these years. Why didn’t I…”

She stopped speaking and shook her head, the tears flowing freely down her face.

Rachel sat down beside her. “You did the best you could. I looked through his belongings just like you did and I didn’t notice anything. Ethan is trained for this, that’s why we need him. He’s gotten farther in the past few days than I have in years.”

“I need to be alone.”

Rachel nodded and gave her mom a side hug. “One other thing, Ethan has asked us not to mention the disk. To anyone, including Ryker.”

“But he has a right to know,” Tina whispered.

“I agree and we will tell him, but for now, the less anyone knows, the better. Until we find out what it means, if anything. Please.”