Another time or place and Rafe would’ve taken more time to appreciate the view. There had been something about Alice that captured his attention. She wasn’t his usual type. He liked his women tall, busty, and blonde. She didn’t fit any one of those.

If it hadn’t been for overhearing her comment, he likely would’ve taken the time to introduce himself and find out who she was. It’d been obvious she’d been close to his sister, enough to know what Phoebe’s favorite flowers were at least, but there was something not right. Phoebe had been gone for three years. Not a day went by without feeling the loss, but she was his baby sister. Why would this woman be so distraught? Who were you to my sister?

Not knowing Phoebe’s friends was a reminder that he’d been distant from her. He could come up with a million reasons why, from being deployed more often than not to the difference in age. The truth was, Rafe had built walls around himself intentionally. It was how he’d been able to focus on what he’d been trained to do. Close personal connections might have made him second-guess himself. That could’ve been detrimental to him as well as to his team. The price was losing a sister he barely knew.

That probably explained why he was so angered when he overheard Alice talking. The anger hadn’t been meant for her as much as for himself—until Alice’s unusual behavior. She hadn’t just been surprised by his presence; she’d been in sheer panic mode. Her bloodshot eyes had jumped wide open as though she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t have done.

If he’d had more time, he was sure he’d have figured it out. Granted, he wasn’t known for being the friendly type, but her reaction had been over the top. Alice had practically run from him. The way she’d hauled tail as she peeled down the road told him she’d been trying to hide something.

With the faint smell of rubber still in the air, Rafe stood there calmly. By the look on her face, she’d anticipated him chasing after her. What she seemed to have forgotten in her distress left him with more than he could’ve gotten out of her by detaining her further. With a slight grin, he bent down and retrieved the purse laying amongst the flowers. He’d seen it even before she bolted out of there and easily could’ve mentioned that fact. It would’ve been the gentlemanly thing to do. I’ve never been accused of being one of those.

He felt a slight twinge of guilt he normally wouldn’t have. But this woman cared enough about Phoebe to have been crying at her grave. Snooping through her things because his gut told him something was off didn’t feel right. He could easily drop the purse off at a local police station and let them rummage through it. But this wasn’t about doing the right thing. She somehow had been connected to Phoebe, which meant she knew his family. He didn’t like the fact he knew nothing about her. Anyone this close to his family wasn’t someone he wanted keeping secrets. And yours is about to be revealed.

He wasn’t beyond going through someone’s personal belongs whether it be their home, auto, or computer. He did whatever he needed in order to obtain necessary intel. That’s what people paid him to do. He wasn’t hired because they didn’t want to get their hands dirty, but because he knew what to look for, what didn’t belong. Therefore he and his team were highly sought after, but he wouldn’t work for just anyone or any cause. Rafe turned down many offers others in his field would’ve jumped at. He wasn’t motivated by money; there was no honor in that. For him, it’d always been about doing what was right. The only thing that had changed was how he went about it. Since starting Turchetta’s Promise, he wasn’t bound by the orders of a commanding officer. The only orders he was concerned with were the ones he gave to his team.

He had to admit he would be disappointed to find anyone working for him doing what he was about to do. But this was personal and definitely illegal. There had been a time when such things had mattered to him, but before anything else, protecting his family was what mattered most to him now.

As he fished through her purse, he pulled out what caught his eye first. Flipping open her passport, he confirmed the name matched the one she’d given him. Rafe also noticed it was newly issued. The world had changed, and more people were choosing not to travel outside the country. Wish Phoebe had been one of them. Something inside of him was glad there wasn’t a stamp in her passport. She was tiny and looked fragile. A woman like that should be home. Safe.

Rafe quickly squashed any thoughts about her except the one at hand. Opening her wallet, he pulled out her driver’s license. He didn’t like what caught his eye. Issued on the same date? Even the pictures were identical. He’d learned long ago not to believe in coincidences. I knew it.

She wasn’t Alice Wilcox, but who was she and why the heck was she crying over Phoebe’s death? Pulling out the remaining contents he came across plane tickets. Moreira. It felt like a knife twisting in his gut. That’s where Phoebe was when she’d been killed. What in the world are you going there for?

Rafe jammed everything back inside the purse and sprinted to his Jeep. Her plane was due to leave in less than an hour. He knew she wasn’t boarding without her ID and passport, but he didn’t want her to leave the airport either. I bet your address is just as phony as you.

As he sped down the highway, he called Gabe. There was a time difference, and it probably was the middle of the night there. He didn’t care. This was important, or at least it was to him.

“What’s wrong, Rafe?” Gabe said in a groggy voice.

“I need you to do a search for me. I want everything you can find on Alice Wilcox. I’ll text you a picture of her passport and license.”

“Wilcox? I thought the next job was with the Noble family? What does Wilcox have to do with that?”

Nothing. “Gabe, just get me the information.”

Gabe’s grumbling echoed over the phone. “Sure thing. Not like I don’t have my hands full already.”

Rafe didn’t like the sound of that. “I thought everything was under control.”

Gabe chuckled. “You spent the last six months in Tabiq. What gave you the impression this place would ever be civil?”

He wanted to believe Bennett had all the manpower he needed to keep the scumbags from taking charge again. It was sad that it probably came down to money tipping the scale, just as it had in the past. “Who else is there?”

“Stone has his entire team here, and Alex Henderson arrived last night with his brother Dean.”

The Henderson name carried a lot of power in Tabiq. Mostly out of fear. He’d never met Dean personally, though rumor had it the guy wasn’t one to take being pushed around lightly. But he’d come to know Alex, and he’d proven to hold to his word. Rafe was convinced the Hendersons were dedicated to doing whatever needed to be done to right the wrongs their father had done there. It’s going to take a lot more than money. Maybe a miracle.

He hated thinking like that, but he’d seen too much in the Air Force. Changing learned behavior took years. And when it came to people who had nothing to lose, it was nearly impossible. Rafe had to hand it to the Hendersons. They were moving one of their manufacturing plants to Tabiq. Giving the people of Tabiq a place, an opportunity, to make an honest wage was a good start. The question was, could they convince other businesses to take such a chance? It takes more than one man to move a mountain.

That’s exactly what went wrong in Moreira. Phoebe and the others had been trying to support a country whose economy had crumbled. There was only one legal source of income remaining: the Literacy Corps who had been trying to bring attention to what the people faced. They got attention, just the wrong kind.

He hoped that wasn’t going to be the case for Tabiq. But to so many people Tabiq, like Moreira, was considered small and inconsequential. Not to Stone or the Hendersons, and definitely not to us. Rafe knew Gabe’s attention needed to be on Tabiq.

“Keep your head down and let me know if you think the team is needed.”

“Will do. I’ll send the information once I have it,” Gabe replied before ending the call.

Rafe pulled over and sent a group text to his team. “Keep your bags packed and ready.”

His brother Renzo, who was second in command, responded. “Roger. Tabiq?”

There wasn’t anything definitive to tell. If his gut was right, there might be trouble in Moreira that no one knew about yet. I hope not.

He knew his brothers, as well as the rest of the team, trusted him. Rafe never reacted without taking everything into consideration. Anything less would risk lives, including his own. “Undetermined.”

“On standby,” Renzo replied.

Pulling back onto the freeway, he headed toward the airport. Looking at his watch, he knew he was running out of time. Rafe knew the other members of the team would drop everything with a moment’s notice. He hated thinking about pulling them away from their families again so soon. Until the Turchettas, they’d seemed to have found a way to have a life outside of their service. That’s not me. Family came with a complication he didn’t want. A distraction he couldn’t afford.

That’s exactly how he viewed women: a distraction. The brief encounter with Alice, or whoever she was, reiterated that fact. Rafe had enough going on already. There was a job waiting for him that was going to have to wait longer now. His plate was overflowing with things in crisis. He wanted to head back to Tabiq and back up Stone, but his gut was telling him he was going to be headed elsewhere.

He didn’t need to hear back from Gabe about Alice. Just the knowledge that she was heading to Moreira troubled him. It wasn’t fear that felt like a knife to his gut, but guilt as he thought about the place his baby sister took her last breath. The place where she needed me most, and I wasn’t there.

The only thing that had prevented him from rushing to her aide had been his duty to the Air Force. Neither he nor his brothers had been allowed leave in order to do what the government wouldn’t do. Hearing the words diplomacy or negotiations ticked him off. There was no reasoning with these people. They were out to make a political statement. There was only one way to settle it. Show them they messed with the wrong people. That’s what they’d been trying to do since leaving the service.

It sickened him knowing Phoebe and the other women could’ve been saved. Yes, it would’ve required breaking some international laws. Who the heck cared? The evil jerks that entered their camp, killed unarmed men, and then held the women in some sick ploy to get media attention hadn’t thought one iota about the rules of engagement. If anything, they intentionally used the rules to their benefit, knowing dang well the United States would abide by them. Because we have honor and respect for human life, and they have neither.

Rafe wished there wasn’t a need for services like Turchetta’s Promise provided. It’d be nice to hang up his guns, but that wasn’t reality. He didn’t need to wait for a call. Any time he turned on the television it slammed him in the face. It was going to take people like them to stand up for justice. Without the concerns of being court-martialed for disobeying orders.

He had nothing but respect for his brothers-in-arms. What they did wasn’t for glory; it was for love of country. They made no grand effort in front of cameras for the tabloids. Those politicians who never served a day ticked him off. They didn’t get it. Heck, we don’t want recognition. Just respect.

In spite of the results they got, there were those who accused them of being nothing more than hired guns. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, they were paid for what they did, but there were no price tags on lives saved. What they’d come to learn over the years was once someone had their mind made up to do evil, there wasn’t any changing it.

Rafe pulled into the airport parking lot and intentionally left Alice’s purse inside his Jeep. It was the one advantage he had right now. If she wanted it, she was going to have to come and get it. Although he couldn’t picture her making a scene inside, it wouldn’t be good if she did. His goal was to locate her and get them out of there so he could ask questions. He didn’t need TSA agents and armed security coming down on them. They’d ask questions, but not the ones I need answers to.

Once inside, he went to the terminal indicated on her airline tickets. He scanned the crowd in line for international flights but didn’t see her anywhere. Snap. He hoped he wasn’t too late. Just when he was about to give up, he saw a woman at the counter, bent over and rummaging through her bags. Bingo.

Although people had a few choice words for him, Rafe pushed past people until he came to stand beside her. She was kneeling down with most of the contents of her bag now on the floor. The TSA attendant was saying, “Miss, you need to do this elsewhere. People are waiting, and you’re holding up my line.”

“I know I had it all with me. Just give me a minute and I’ll find it,” Alice responded.

“If you’re looking for your purse, it’s not in there,” Rafe said, standing behind her.

She turned so quickly to look up at him that she almost toppled into her open suitcase. He was good at making his presence known only when he wanted to. The look in her eyes said she was confused. Who wouldn’t be? I’m probably the last person you thought you’d see again. Mistake number one, darling.

“What . . . what are you doing here?”

If she heard what he’d said earlier, he was sure she’d have figured it out. “Your purse. It’s not there.”

He watched as Alice looked one more time in her suitcase, refusing to believe him. When she came up empty-handed, she turned back to him. The surprised look had vanished, and frustration burned in her eyes. “You have my purse?”

He nodded.

She huffed and held out her hand to him. “Then give it to me, please.”

Rafe shook his head.

Alice gasped, then half growling she stood up, planting her hands on her well-rounded hips and looked him directly in his eyes. He found it hard not to laugh at her sweet attempt to intimidate him. His life depended on being able to read someone, and she probably couldn’t kill a spider, never mind anything more.

“I don’t know who the heck you think you are, but I’m about to miss my flight.”

“You can thank me for that later. So grab your bags, and we can discuss this outside.”

Alice turned to the TSA agent who probably believed they were having a lovers’ quarrel and didn’t want to be involved. “Yes, I think outside would be a better place for you two to have this conversation.” He didn’t want any drama holding up his line either.

Alice threw up her hands in defeat and, letting out a heavy sigh, snorted out, “Fine.”

He watched while she picked up a few articles scattered on the floor and tried stuffing all the contents back inside. He could’ve been a gentleman and helped her, but right now the only thing he knew about her was she wasn’t Alice. Struggle. Take all the time you want. I’m not going anywhere until I know why you were at Phoebe’s grave.

---

After she had her belongs crammed back inside her suitcase, she followed him outside then stopped abruptly. “Well, where is my purse?”

He turned to her and said, “In my Jeep. Face it. You’re not making that flight.”

She had no idea why this man thought he had any right to prevent her from doing what she wanted. Did Dad hire you? Have you been following me all this time and this has been the plan all along? It was the only thing that made any sense. Anyone else would’ve either stolen the contents or just returned her purse.

“Am I going to have to scream? Because I’m sure that police officer over there would love to know why you won’t give me my belongings.”

She watched Rafe take in their surroundings. To her shock, he waved his hand, calling the officer over to them.

“What are you doing?” She couldn’t believe he called her bluff.

“I thought you wanted him here?”

A chill ran through her as his eyes stared coldly into hers. He held all the power. She not only didn’t have any identification to show who she was, but she didn’t have anything to show she really was Deanna Glenn. The last thing she wanted was to end up in jail to avoid having to explain to her father why she was doing this. “Really? Why?” she asked softly, but he didn’t answer.

When the police officer arrived, he asked, “Is there something wrong, sir?”

Rafe never took his eyes off hers as he asked, “Alice, is everything okay?”

She couldn’t let the officer see her fear of this man because everything would begin to unravel from there. Deanna needed to think quickly. “Yes. I . . . lost my ticket and passport and . . . can’t go on my trip.”

It sounded weak even as she spoke it. The police officer looked at the two of them and asked, “Do you believe they’ve been stolen?”

No. Taken. Shaking her head, “I think I dropped them somewhere. I guess if someone finds them they’ll turn them in, right? I mean no one would hold onto them for no reason, right?”

“Ma’am, I’d like to think people wouldn’t do such a thing, but there are a lot of questionable people out there. You might want to stay close to this guy here if you’re concerned.”

Deanna almost choked. That last thing she wanted was to be told to cling to that man. He was the reason she wasn’t on that plane right now. He’s the one standing between me and where I need to be.

“Thank you, officer,” the stranger said flatly while still looking at her.

The policeman walked away, and Deanna waited until he was out of earshot before talking. “You can tell my father I’m a grown woman, who can do as she wishes.”

“I’m not here about your father,” he stated.

That shocked her. Although he was intimidating, he didn’t appear to be some crazy stalker. But she had to remember where they met. If he wasn’t there because of her father, then what was he doing at Phoebe’s grave? “Who are you?”

It was something she’d asked before, but he’d never answered. All she wanted then was to board her plane. Since that no longer was an option, she might as well get the answer now.

“I’m more concerned with who you are.”

Deanna huffed. “This again? I told you I’m Alice.”

“No, you’re not,” he said, practically growling at her. “All I know is that you’re a liar. Be grateful I’m giving you a chance to explain why before I call that officer back over.”

He really had her backed up against a wall. People say the truth would set you free, but that wasn’t always the case. If he knew who she was, and he told her father, then her wings were surely going to get clipped again. Only recently had her father begun loosening his control. She understood he did it out of love. But that didn’t mean it was right. If there had been any other way, she’d have taken it. Lying was the only way out from under his thumb. She knew he’d forgive her someday. This just isn’t that day.

“You’re correct. That’s not my name. But I have good reason to be using an alias.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

She looked around, and even though people weren’t standing close by, Deanna didn’t want to have this conversation here. Actually not anywhere. “Where is my purse?” He pointed to the parking lot across the street. “If you give me my things, I’ll tell you the truth.” Or some version of it.

He studied her for a moment then grabbed her suitcase and crossed the street. She reluctantly went with him. Any movie would’ve told her this was stupid. It was how a woman ended up in a trunk and was never seen or heard from again. Yet, here she was doing just that.

They stopped next to a black Jeep, and he opened the door and pulled out her purse. He held it but didn’t hand it over. She knew the only way she was getting it back was to start talking.

“What do you want to know?” Deanna didn’t want to give him control, but it seemed wiser than to start rambling and divulge things he might not care or need to know.

“What were you doing at Phoebe’s grave?”

That was not the question she anticipated. In fact, it threw her. How could she explain that without telling everything? After a few seconds, she answered, “Paying respects to an old friend.” There was a lot of lying that might commence, so it was nice to start with the truth.

“How did you know her?”

“We went to school together.”

“I don’t think she’d have associated with criminals.”

You have that right. Phoebe was by the book. “I’m not a criminal.”

“Then what would you call falsifying documents to leave the country? You’re running from something.”

“Not something. Someone,” she said and then realized how that must have sounded. By the look in his eyes, he must’ve assumed the same thing. It’s not that. There’s no abuse. Just need my life back.

“There are other ways. You could’ve gone to the police, or friends; anything is better than going to Moreira. Whatever nightmare you’re running from, you haven’t seen anything compared to that place.”

He spoke as though he’d been there. No one knew better than she what a vile place Moreira could be. How do you know? But there was another side to Moreira no one wanted to talk about either. The side of people who suffered and needed help. They were dying of starvation and no one was lifting a finger to change that. There was great risk in going, but her friends had already paid that price. It was up to her to continue what they had died for. Otherwise, their deaths meant nothing.

“I’ve answered your question. May I have my purse now?”

He handed it to her, and when she took it, she held it close. “I assume everything is inside?”

“I’m not a thief.”

“Yet you won’t say who you are.”

“I’m Rafe.”

That name didn’t mean anything to her. “And do you have a last name?”

“Turchetta.”

Oh, how could I not have realized who he is? Her heart ached. This was Phoebe’s oldest brother Raphael. Phoebe never referred to him as Rafe but said he was hard as nails on her when growing up. Out of all of her six siblings, he was the most protective. If a boy even looked at her wrong, Rafe gave him a talking to. One that meant she didn’t get to date much.

In a softer tone, she said, “I’m sorry. If I’d known you were her brother, I would’ve—”

“Told the truth?”

Being Rafe? Definitely not. “I wouldn’t have been so difficult. I’m really sorry for your loss.” She didn’t miss the slight twitch of his jaw as she spoke.

“Thanks.”

In these past three years, she so badly wanted to reach out to Phoebe’s family and tell them what an inspiration she’d been to her. How she loved her like a sister and missed her terribly. This was her chance, and she couldn’t say another word. Everything about that day was flooding back to her, and she didn’t want Rafe or anyone else to see her pain. I’m sure his is just as great if not greater.

Grabbing hold of her suitcase, she turned back toward the airport terminal. She might have missed that flight, but she wasn’t going to miss the next one. It’s just a delay, nothing more.

With each step, Deanna could feel Rafe’s eyes still on her. She refused to turn around and meet his gaze again. Knowing who he was, she was no longer afraid of him. So why couldn’t she get him out of her mind? A warmth filled her as she pictured his face, his brown eyes, and his strong jaw. His body, tall and lean. She could feel the power within him. He wasn’t a man to be messed with. The combination screamed stubborn Italian. But not he is not just any man. He’s a Turchetta. My best friend’s brother. And he has no idea who I am. If he did, he probably wouldn’t let me walk away right now.

She wouldn’t blame him one bit. There were plenty of days she couldn’t look herself in the mirror either. This is one of those days.