Free Fatal Truth: Shadow Force International by Misty Evans Page A

when I come home from work and I’m sure I can feel her in my apartment, as if she just left. I check my phone constantly for messages that aren’t there. There’s this big, gaping hole in my life right now. I don’t know if she was a spy or sleeping with the president. All I know for sure is that I have to find her. She’s always been there for me and now it’s my turn to be there for her. If you have siblings, I’m sure you understand.”
    A muscle in his jaw moved.
    She was getting to him. Making Parker a real person, not just a list of facts in a file folder.
    “I’ve done dozens of stories on families. Stories about twins and other siblings who are extremely close. I tried once to debunk a theory my sister had on how not being your mother’s favorite could make you a more successful person. Ended up becoming a believer. Parker did a lot of that, studying people and how their brains work. I do it, too, just on a different platform. By the way, I was never our mother’s favorite. Parker was just trying to make me feel better about it.”
    His nostrils flared a tiny bit. His gaze flicked to her and then away.
    Yep, definitely getting to the tough guy.
    Desperation ate at her, yet she knew when it was time to ease up on the direct, in-your-face investigator body language and just be a person in need of help.
    Not easy for her. She didn’t like needing anyone’s help.
    “If you don’t like me or my show, I understand.” She went to stand against the wall on the other side of him, keeping some distance as she mimicked his stance in what she hoped was a non-confrontational posture. “But I hope those feelings won’t predispose you to disliking Parker or refusing to help me. And I do need help, Coldplay. I hate admitting that—I’m very independent and have been that way since I was eight years old and returned to gymnastics—but it’s true. I can’t do this alone. I need an expert like you to find my sister.”
    His chest rose almost imperceptibly, but she caught the movement out of the corner of her eye. “It’s possible Parker wasn’t sleeping with Norman,” he said brusquely.
    She snorted, looking at his profile and finding she liked it. A lot. The square jaw and the smooth skin of his cheek made her fingers itch to touch him. “Well, that’s good news.”
    “She may have been on a black op—something he ordered her to do, and that no one knows about except him—and got caught or…”
    Savanna’s mouth went dry. “Or what?”
    He didn’t answer.
    “Or killed. Just say it. I know I freaked a little earlier when you started laying out your theories, and I apologize, but you have to be straight with me on all of this. I may not like it, but I will handle it better from now on. I promise.”
    Her admission didn’t seem to phase him, garnering nothing more than a nod.
    “What kind of black op do you think Parker might have been working?” she asked.
    His eyes slewed to her, that dangerous panther surfacing. “Be warned, Ms. Jeffries. You have no idea what we might uncover.”
    She swallowed hard. “I’m aware it could get messy.”
    “ Messy ?” His hard gaze turned on her full force. His eyes burned with intensity. “You pursue this and things will get more than messy. It could be deadly. You’re dealing with the most powerful man in America. Possibly in the world. Are you willing to die for this information?”
    A lump formed in her throat, as if she’d tried to swallow a peach pit. “You think he’d have me killed?”
    “If he’s hiding something that he knows could get him impeached and/or imprisoned and he believes you could blow the whistle on him, definitely. He’ll silence you without hesitation. So I’ll ask you again, are you willing to die over this?”
    Conviction was an emotion that got a lot of people in trouble. She’d seen it time and time again on her show. People threw out logic, made false assumptions, and filled themselves with bravado when all else