Page 109 of Ultimate Justice

“Yes,” she said from behind her hands, then clasped his face and kissed him so thoroughly, he not only didn’t doubt her answer, but his cock started doing the happy dance all over again. “Yes! I’ll marry you.”

He’d thought his heart couldn’t swell with any more happiness. He’d been wrong. He plucked the ring from the box and slid it on her left ring finger. “I can think of another way to seal the deal, Mrs. Soon-to-be-McGarry.”

He pushed her back to the bed, intending to make the most of what remained of their time alone. He’d been about to press his lips to hers and slide back into her warm, wet body, when his cell phone blared from the side table.

“Hold that thought.” He snatched up the phone, intending to silence it, but stopped. MC3. The FBI’s Major Case Contact Center. He took the call. “McGarry.” He listened to the dispatcher, hearing the words but not quite believing what she was saying. When she was done, he could barely draw a breath. “Text me the address.”

Before he’d even ended the call, the text came in. He stared at the screen, still disbelieving.

“Evan?” Marlie touched his arm. “You’re scaring me.”

Still, he couldn’t answer, couldn’t speak.

She shook him gently. “Is it Noah? Did something happen?”

Finally, the worry in her tone got through to him. “It’s not about Noah.”

“Then what is it? Your face is as white as a sheet.”

“That was the FBI hotline. A woman just called, said she’d seen the news story on TV about the camp. She said she was one of the girls in the photos.”

“Which one?”

His throat was so constricted, his voice came out choked. “Gracie.”

After driving for nearly four hours, Evan parked at the curb in front of a small white ranch house in Grand Junction, the same address the MC3 dispatcher had given him. He shut off the engine but couldn’t move. All he could do was stare at the house, with its small garden and brick walkway. The driveway was empty, which made sense, given Lisa Johnson had no driver’s license.

Yesterday, after getting over the shock, he’d gone into the office and run the background check himself. Not only did Lisa Johnson not have a DL, which was unusual, but the woman barely existed on paper or anywhere else.

Without a DL, there was no photo of her in the system, nor was there one available anywhere online. In fact, there was nothing about her online. In this day and age that was a sign of someone who didn’t want to be found. So why had she called in at all?

“Are you sure you don’t want to call her first?” Marlie asked.

He’d wanted her with him. She was his rock, his base of sanity to which he could cling if things went to shit.

“I’m sure.” He needed to see for himself.

Before heading to Grand Junction, they’d dropped Noah and Crystal at his parents’ house for the day. They’d already told Noah, and his folks had been thrilled about his engagement. While Marlie kept them busy chatting about wedding plans, he’d secretly gone upstairs and into an old trunk filled with Gracie’s clothes. Given that it had been locked up tightly for years, he prayed the hoodie now sitting on the center console still had lingering scent particles for Blue to pick up on.

He twisted the hoodie in his fist, a spurt of resentment rolling through him. If this woman was really Grace, why hadn’t she contacted her own family before now? How could she have done this to them, and why?

“Evan, don’t.” Marlie covered his fisted hand with hers. Her touch alone was a soothing balm to emotions he barely had a grip on. “If it is her, give her a chance to explain. Whatever happened to her, there’s no doubting she’s been through a lot.”

“I know.” He unclenched his fist. The children they’d rescued from the camp bore witness to the kind of brainwashing Elsa and Neil could do.

Behind him, Blue stuck his head between the headrests and nuzzled Evan’s cheek. He scratched his dog’s neck, drawing strength and support from him, too. “Let’s do this.”

Outside, he leashed Blue up, then gave him the hoodie to sniff. “Find her.”

His heart galloped as Blue pulled him up the brick walkway directly to the front door of the house. His dog sniffed the crack between the door and the doorjamb, much as he’d done when he’d discovered Noah locked in Manello’s basement. Blue sat, the telltale sign he’d hit on the scent Evan had given him.

Dear God. Was his sister really on the other side of that door?

He raised his hand to push the doorbell but yanked it back. Maybe he should have called first. Maybe—

“No matter what happens,” Marlie said, “you’ve got this.” The same words he’d used on her after Deck had announced Tori was pregnant.

“Yeah.” No matter what happens. He pushed the doorbell, and a gong sounded. Out of tactical habit, he peered to each side of the door, checking the windows. Sure enough, a curtain moved. Seconds later, he heard a deadbolt being thrown open. As the door cracked open, he held his breath.