Free Whatever It Takes by Christy Reece

frame his son. Adam had been their father’s confidant and co-conspirator for years. And in the end, he’d been his scapegoat.
     Eli shoved his fingers through his hair. No use going back and confronting his brother with the truth. He blew out a sigh, releasing the tension that had built over the last hour. “So we’re set for tomorrow night?”
    “Yes.”
    “And you’re sure she doesn’t know who I am?”
    “Yes, but are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
    Eli knew he was taking a risk. Seeing him again would bring to mind one of the most painful and traumatic times in her life. Not that it would ever be far from her mind, he was sure. But it was time, in more ways than one.
    “I’ve waited as long as I can. And with the most recent events, it’s imperative that it happen now.”
     “Agreed, but…” Amusement entered Justice’s voice. “You do know that she’ll have a gun, don’t you? I’ve seen her use it. Damn impressive.”
    “That’s what I’m counting on.” 
    His smile grim but determined, Eli ended the call. 

Chapter Eight
     
    Kathleen stood several yards away from the most impressive mansion she’d ever seen. Even while her expert eyes assessed the job, the surroundings, she couldn’t quite quell the shiver of excitement that she’d get to see inside. She’d always been a sucker for castles, and this one, in Dallas, Texas, for heaven’s sake, was incredible. 
    Standing at least four stories high, it was a humongous structure of rock and brick, with a classic fairy-tale design complete with turrets and towers. The only things missing were the handsome prince and princess. What kind of family lived in such an extravagant home?  
    She’d been getting ready for bed when Grey had called and given her this assignment. Said it had to be done tonight, immediately. Even though she’d done numerous jobs for Justice over the past three months, having a half hour’s notice was unusual, even for him. There hadn’t been time to do more than plug the address into a search engine to discover the homeowner’s name. Not that it mattered for her to be able to do the job, but a little more information would have been nice to have.
    She sighed. “Expect the unexpected” should be Grey Justice’s company slogan. 
    When she had agreed to work for Grey, she had been an emotional wreck. No matter that he’d promised her access to unparalleled resources to help her exonerate Alice, making a decision of that magnitude without careful study and contemplation had been unheard of for Kathleen. How odd that it had turned out to be one of the best decisions she’d ever made.
    Her official title was freelance security operative. Grey had given her carte blanche to reject any assignment she wasn’t comfortable taking. She appreciated the autonomy but so far hadn’t turned down any jobs. The assignments had been as eclectic as they were unusual. One day she was shadowing a known drug dealer to discover his supplier, the next day she might be leaving incriminating evidence on a prosecutor’s desk to help convict a pedophile. Yesterday, she had spent hours flirting with a Swedish businessman thought to be in cahoots with a Spanish crime boss. For three hours she’d giggled and batted her eyelashes just to discover whether or not he’d been in Memphis at the same time a union leader had been assassinated.
    She didn’t always know the reason the information was needed. Her first day on the job, Grey had explained that a single thread could unravel the most tightly knitted of alibis. Her job would often require that she find that one single thread.
    Grey’s need for secrecy was of utmost importance. The cases his people were involved in were news stories all over the country. In just the few months she had worked with him, she’d seen legal battles won, cases thrown out, innocent people released from jail, and vile, evil criminals arrested, most of them never knowing that a small group of