Free Operation Reunion by Justine Davis Page A

wondered why he hadn’t left her to find somebody without all her baggage. She’d never dared speak it, for fear it might make it really happen. But now that it had, she felt compelled to speak the words.
    Now she had to live up to them.
    * * *
    Dane leaned back against the pillow he’d tossed on the end of the sofa in his living room. He’d given up on the bed around eleven, laughing ruefully at himself.
    “Can’t live with her, can’t sleep without her,” he’d muttered just before his phone had rung. He’d grabbed it, needing to hear her voice, answering before he remembered he’d sworn not to jump right back into the life he wasn’t sure yet had changed at all.
    Amazing how one phone call could make everything feel so different. She’d been different, sounded different. And in a good way for him.
    ...there is something worse than my old nightmare.
    He couldn’t even begin to describe the feeling that gave him. When he’d walked away he’d been afraid that she would simply go on, filling in whatever empty place he left behind with her quest, perhaps even welcoming his absence so she could focus on it completely.
    When it came right down to it, he’d never been sure how big a place he had in her mind and heart. If it was bigger than Chad. Selfish, maybe. But true. He knew she loved him; the question that had always nagged at him was how much.
    At the same time, he’d felt he was being unfair. What was she supposed to do—just go on with her life as if her brother had never existed?
    He rolled over, punching the pillow with more force than was necessary. He wished now he’d stayed. But the part of him that had been ripped open when he’d finally walked away was still raw, and his fear was real.
    He only realized he’d finally fallen asleep when his cell rang and woke him. His pulse jumped, but when he looked at the screen before answering it wasn’t Kayla’s number.
    “Dane? Quinn Foxworth.”
    “Oh.”
    He sat up. The crazy thought hit him that they’d already found Chad. He glanced at the time on his phone. Nine-fifteen. The realization that they’d been on the ten-year-old case barely twenty-four hours steadied him.
    “I woke you?”
    “Sorry. Rough night.”
    “I can call back—”
    “No, no. It’s okay. What did you want?”
    “I needed to ask you about something. On your list, you said Chad used to hang out with a chop shop guy.”
    Dane rubbed at his eyes. “Yeah. That’s where he met Rod. Rumor was the guy had a place over on Raccoon Bay, an old barn he used. Can’t remember his name, but when Chad got nailed for joyriding, I thought maybe it was more than just that.”
    “You thought maybe he was stealing the car?”
    “I wondered.”
    “Did you tell the police?”
    “Not that I suspected Rod. I told them Chad was friends with the guy. They went from there. But they said later they couldn’t find any proof Chad had meant to actually steal the car.” He felt compelled to be fair and added, “And he was heading back toward where the car had been when they stopped him.”
    “Did Kayla know?”
    “I don’t know if she knew Chad hung with the guy sometimes. I never said anything to her about it—she was already touchy enough.”
    “She truly loves her brother.”
    “Yeah.” Dane hesitated, then asked, “You have any brothers or sisters?”
    “One.”
    “I don’t. I figure maybe that’s why I don’t get it. Maybe I really don’t understand.”
    “It’s like any family thing,” Quinn said. “Different depending on the people. I’ve come across some siblings who hate each other fiercely. And some who merely coexist without much interest in each other.”
    “What about you?”
    “I’d die for Charlie,” Quinn said simply.
    No, Dane thought after he disconnected the call, maybe he just didn’t get it. He tried to picture what he’d do if Kayla was accused of something he was certain she hadn’t done, but it was a different kind of thing. He thought of