Free The Pregnancy Plot (Brothers In Arms: Retribution Book 2) by Carol Ericson Page B

him the anchor rope.
    “I should hope so. I spent five years in the navy.”
    Nina drew in a breath. “Simon was in the navy, too.”
    “I know that.” He looped the end of the rope around the post. “That’s how I was able to get some info on him.”
    With his back to the bay, Chris surveyed the island. “This sure is pretty. Simon spend much time here?”
    “None at all. We had a busy life in LA. When he managed to get time off, we’d spend it in Hawaii, mostly.”
    “One of my favorite places, too.” He snapped his fingers. “It’s sort of like twins separated at birth, except Simon and I were two years apart.”
    They got the boat docked, and Chris helped him carry the supplies and groceries to Moonstones. Jase watched Nina closely, wondering if and when she planned to tell Chris he was going to be an uncle.
    But so far, her lips were sealed.
    Maybe Jack and Prospero had been wrong for once. He didn’t doubt that his agency had discovered Nina’s pregnancy, but maybe she’d lost the baby.
    A knife twisted in his gut and he almost doubled over. He wiped a sudden bead of sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. He had to stop taking this whole assignment so personally. From accessing her medical records, Prospero had no indication that she’d lost the baby.
    “You okay?” Chris slapped him on the back after dropping off another load of soil next to the porch.
    “Low blood sugar. I haven’t eaten in a while.”
    Nina stood on the porch, hooking her thumbs in the pockets of her jeans. “I think we all need something to eat.”
    “Is there someplace we can meet for dinner?” Chris pointed to the bend in the road. “I think I’m headed that way into town. I’ll check into my motel and we can meet up later.”
    “Mandy’s. It’s on the main street. You can’t miss it, or ask a local. Six okay?”
    “Fine with me. Thanks, Nina, for humoring me.”
    “I understand completely. I’m sure it’s what Simon would want.”
    “So, where do you think he is?”
    She shrugged. “He had a job with the government. They sent him places, sometimes for a long time.”
    “Six months?”
    “I can’t help you with that part of it, Chris.”
    “I understand. Dinner is enough. I just want to find out everything about my brother, or as much as you can tell me.”
    Nina joined Jase at the fence to watch Chris follow the road to town.
    She murmured under her breath, “No, you don’t.”
    “A few little white lies won’t hurt. Then if he ever does find Simon, he can make his own judgments.” He smacked the top of the post. “Let’s put this stuff away. You can do the groceries, and I’ll take care of the yard supplies. Still don’t trust a store where you can buy fertilizer along with five-gallon jugs of milk.”
    Nina disappeared inside the house, and Jase hoisted a bag of soil onto his shoulder and walked to the back of the B and B.
    He lifted his work cell phone from the inside zippered pocket of his jacket and placed a call to his boss.
    “What do you have to report, Jase?”
    Jack knew agents didn’t use these phones for social calls.
    “A twist.”
    “Is the subject okay?”
    “The subject.”
    “Ah, Nina Moore.”
    “The subject’s fine, but her ex-fiancé’s long-lost brother showed up on her doorstep.”
    “Simon Skinner doesn’t have a brother. He has no family. That’s the way Tempest prefers its agents—rootless, alone.”
    “Skinner was adopted, right?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Well, he had a brother who was adopted out, too. The brother is older and remembered having a younger sibling.”
    Jack’s voice sharpened. “You’re sure? Could be a Tempest ploy.”
    “Don’t think so. Apparently, the guy’s the spitting image of Simon Skinner.”
    “Name?”
    “Chris Kitchens.”
    “We’ll look into him.”
    “Nina’s flaky sister made an appearance on the island, too.”
    “This is getting more complicated than we’d bargained for. Keep the players straight and keep the