Free InTooDeep by Rachel Carrington Page A

she would have supported his
ways.
    Carley rolled to her back and stared up at
the ceiling. He’d shared more than just the tricks of his trade with her. It
wasn’t that he hadn’t thought he could trust the rest of his family, but Carley
knew as well as he had that the family wouldn’t be as open-minded as she was.
    Ben would have never even considered
telling Dani what he knew, the things he’d done, for she was always the
straight shooter in the family—the abide-by-the-rules type who usually admitted
what she’d done wrong long before the traffic cop even asked if she knew what
she’d been doing.
    Dani had been her father’s moral compass,
insisting he only use his skills to help the less fortunate, like some
modern-day Robin Hood. Otherwise, in her mind, he was nothing more than a
common criminal…which was exactly why Carley let Dani believe that her own work
was legit. She’d seen the look of disappointment on Dani’s face one too many
times when talking to their father, and she hadn’t wanted to disappoint her
little sister.
    Carley rubbed her aching eyes, remembering
the last conversation she’d had with Dani. They’d talked about Ben, how the
two-year anniversary of his death was less than two weeks away. And Dani had
told Carley how grateful she was that Carley had chosen not to follow Ben’s
example, and Carley had allowed the lie to continue.
    How well had that sense of morality served
Dani? If she had done what their father had asked, learned the necessary skills
to protect herself, she might not be in this situation now.
    Carley cursed at herself. Blaming Dani made
little sense. She’d chosen a different path in life, as was her right. She
loved being a schoolteacher, talked about her kids all the time and, up until a
few days ago, had little reason to worry about their father’s past.
    Now Carley had to wonder if the kidnappers’
knowledge was actually going to help her sister or hurt her. Would her captors
go easier on her, knowing what they knew about Ben Morgan, about her?
    As of now Carley still didn’t know if Dani
was dead, but she couldn’t give up. If Dani was alive she’d find her, but God
help those bastards if she wasn’t.
    Carley had taken everything her father had
taught her and added to it, gaining much more knowledge and skill over the
years. She’d crossed so many lines she didn’t know the right ones from the
wrong ones, but now it didn’t matter.
    When it came to her sister’s life there
were no lines. She’d do what she had to do to save Dani, and for the first time
in her life she was going to convince a cop to cross to the other side.
     
    “I can’t believe you didn’t bring her in.”
Dave took a slurp of the now lukewarm coffee then held up one hand. “No,
actually, I can. You weren’t thinking with your actual brain.”
    Hunt kicked his foot off the coffee table.
“Smart-ass.”
    “So what are you going to tell the
lieutenant?”
    The question tightened the muscles in the
back of Hunt’s neck. He didn’t want to talk about Franklin. “I don’t know.
Guess I’ll wing it.”
    “That’s the best you got?” Dave scooted
forward to the edge of the sofa. “No, no, no. When duping your superiors, you
have to have a game plan, preferably one that’s going to protect your ass as
well as other vitally important body parts. And those of your partner, who has
assisted you with the plan.”
    Hunt stared at him. “You’re telling me
you’re going to help me lie to Franklin?”
    “No. I’m telling you I’m going to help you
steer around the truth. Big difference.” He held up one bony finger. “Now, we
know we need to be able to use this information about Carley’s sister, and we
need to make every effort to find her. So we have to have a plausible way to
have discovered this information without the involvement of Carley herself.”
    “You’re stating the obvious.” But Hunt
liked the way his partner’s brain was working.
    “I’m just getting