Free Exposed by Kaylea Cross Page A

she stopped and looked back at her niece. Vero was bent over her books, a tiny frown of concentration creasing her eyebrows.
    Marisol smiled. That little girl had her auntie Soli wrapped so hard around her little finger it wasn’t even funny. She might not have come into this world under the best circumstances, being born to a single mother struggling to make ends meet, but she was loved by all four of the Lorenzo women.
    Her eldest sister Ynez had shocked the family by getting pregnant in her junior year of high school, then dropped out of school and nearly ruined her life. Finishing high school while taking care of a newborn hadn’t been easy, but Marisol and the others had refused to let Ynez give up.
    Their mother had taken care of Vero while Ynez worked and finished her schooling, and Marisol and their other sister, Bianca, had helped out where needed. Ynez had gone to college part time for years until Vero was old enough to be in school full time. Now she was a hard-working single mom with an accounting degree, a shining example of perseverance for her daughter.
    But it hadn’t been easy. Marisol had learned an important lesson from that cautionary tale. It was why she’d decided not to have sex until she was out of law school. She just hadn’t gotten around to doing anything about it yet.
    “I’ll call you about dinner tomorrow when I get a better sense of my workload tomorrow,” she called out to her mother.
    “That’s fine, dear. Say hello to Ethan for us.”
    “I will.” The late afternoon sun was warm against her skin as she shut the front door behind her. She had on a sleeveless white-and-turquoise print summer dress that skimmed just below her knees, and a pair of white strappy sandals. The outfit made her feel feminine and pretty and the soft cotton material breathed well in this humid heat.
    She started down the concrete steps, past her mother’s potted collection of zinnias and Gerbera daisies lining the edges. The big black truck Ethan had driven the other day was parked at the curb in front of his parents’ house. Nervous butterflies took flight in her tummy at the thought of seeing him.
    For a split second in her office she’d been seriously thinking about kissing him, wondering what he would do if she tried. Thankfully she’d come to her senses and put distance between them instead. Ethan wasn’t the kind of man for someone as inexperienced as her to experiment with. He had a reputation for loving and leaving, at least back in the day, and that’s not what she wanted for her first lover.
    “Marisol.”
    She whipped her head around to look behind her. A well-built man stood twenty feet away on the sidewalk. She squinted to see him better. He was tall, dark-haired, wearing a ball cap and sunglasses.
    He started toward her. An instant of fear grabbed her. He was a stranger, knew her name. The FBI didn’t know who’d sent her the message. She’d been so careful on her way here, making sure no one was following, but what if…
    Instinctively she took a step back. The heel of her right shoe caught in a crack in the sidewalk. She bit back a gasp as she stumbled, tried to keep hold of the dish as she tipped over.
    Strong hands grabbed her by the shoulders, stopping her fall. God, he moved fast.
    Heart thudding, she straightened and whipped her head up to look at him. And stilled. She couldn’t see his eyes but the shape of the face, the set of the mouth was familiar.
    Recognition hit her an instant later and she berated herself for ever being afraid of him. “Miguel,” she said with a startled smile. He was three years older than her but they’d gone to school together.
    He nodded and stepped back, giving her space. “Been a long time.”
    “A really long time,” she agreed, letting her eyes run over the length of him. She hadn’t seen him in years and years. “Wow, you’ve changed.” He’d filled out big time, his thin physique now hard with muscle.
    A wry smile curved his mouth.