Summer Lovin' (Costas Sisters 2)

"Ryan, I'm so sorry."

"For forcing me to see the truth about my uncle? Someone had to shed some light for me." His laughter sounded harsh and gritty to his own ears.

"Could she have made things up?" Zoe asked of Faith.

"Don't try to protect my feelings now," he said wryly.

"It's possible, isn't it? Faith might have blamed your uncle for being thrown out of the house and left these notes, hoping your parents would find them when they found her."

He shook his head. "These sound more truthful than anything I've heard in quite a while."

He was beyond angry that his uncle would betray his sister. He was even more furious that the man would feign such ignorance over the years. Faith had left a thorough diary of her experiences and Uncle Russ's role in her running away. In fact, if his sister's words were to be believed, and Ryan did believe her, his uncle had every reason to want to get his hands on the keys. He'd want to see what Faith had left behind, if for no other reason than to cover his own ass.

"What's next?" Zoe asked.

"It's time I pay a visit to Uncle Russ."

She nodded. "Feel free to drop me off sat your parents' while you go."

Considering how much she disliked his family and their home, her offer meant a lot. "Actually since this revelation is a result of your persistence, you deserve a front-row seat at the confrontation."

"I never wanted to find anything incriminating on your uncle. For your sake, I hoped I was wrong," she said, her eyes huge, her voice imploring.

"But you aren't surprised."

She shook her head.

He rose and extended a hand, pulling her to her feet. They started for the stairs when suddenly he turned and she bumped into him. He grabbed her around the waist to steady her, then lowered his head and kissed her hard. Though he'd taken her by surprise, she responded. Her tongue tangled with his and as he pulled her closer, a soft moan escaped the back of her throat.

He'd needed this, needed her and the reassurance of something good and trustworthy in his life and she seemed to understand. He deepened the kiss, slanting his mouth first one way, then another, their mutual desire building with each passing second.

Slowly he pulled back with immense regret. He hadn't had his fill, not by a long shot, but he had gotten the fortification he needed for what lay ahead.

"What was that for?" she asked, her tongue dragging over her lower lip, taking in the moisture he'd created.

"It's been too long and I needed sustenance."

She laughed. "That's a unique excuse."

Despite it all, he grinned. "I didn't know I needed one."

"Well, I can't have you thinking I'm yours for the taking, now can I?" She patted his cheek and strode past him up the stairs.

He appreciated her sass and the way she didn't treat him with kid gloves or pity. Another reason this woman was a keeper, whether she knew it or not.

* * *

BALDWIN'S DEPARTMENT STORE was located in downtown Boston. With traffic and construction hampering them, the trip took over an hour. A silent hour that left Ryan alone with his thoughts and Zoe with hers.

Faith's words had been a bombshell, Zoe knew, one big enough that Ryan wanted her by his side when he confronted his uncle, a man he'd always trusted and loved like the kind of parent he should have had. The kind of parent he'd deserved, she thought.

Finding out his idol and mentor had feet of clay had obviously hurt him badly. Zoe saw the pain in his eyes, the disappointment in his expression. She'd even felt the desperation in his kiss. She couldn't deny him what he needed and she would be there to see him through this difficult time. Then she would put her plan in motion and begin the painful process of separation— Zoe and her family from Sam— and Zoe from Ryan.

She let Ryan walk ahead of her and, acting on a hunch, placed a quick call to Quinn. He'd been looking into the Baldwin family during the years right before and after Faith had run away and she wanted to know what he'd found out. Sure enough, the guy in custody in Boston who'd been following Sam was connected to the mob. The son of a man who'd been involved in the hijacking of the Baldwin's trucks years before. Zoe was certain Uncle Russ had hired the man to stalk Sam. Anger, fury and pain for Ryan all surged through her.

Uncle Russ had a lot of explaining to do and Zoe knew it would take all of her restraint to allow Ryan to deal with his uncle without her going after him on her own.

They entered Baldwin's from an underground parking structure and took the elevator to the main floor. Since they hadn't yet taken Sam on her promised shopping trip, this was Zoe's first excursion into one of their stores and she was impressed with the upscale establishment.

They made their way to a bank of private elevators that led to the office level, and once there, Ryan asked to see his uncle. He was granted immediate access and Zoe followed him down a long hall to a corner office. He knocked once and walked inside.

Since Russ's secretary had called ahead, the other man was standing when they entered. "Well this is a nice surprise." His gaze shifted from his nephew to Zoe. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Zoe merely waited.

Ryan shut the door behind him. "It's time we talk."

She heard the strain in his voice and her heart went out to him, but all she could do was stand there and listen.

"I always have time for you, but we talk all the time. Why the visit to my office?" Russ glanced from the closed door to his nephew's severe expression and grew suddenly wary, shuffling papers on the desk for no apparent reason.

When Ryan didn't answer right away, Uncle Russ gestured to the chairs circling his desk. "Shall we sit?"

"I'd rather stand." Ryan rolled his shoulders and Zoe could only imagine the tension sitting upon them. "You know, when Zoe told me she thought you had an unusual interest in the keys around Sam's neck, I told her she was crazy."

Maybe it was Zoe's imagination, but she thought the older man lost some of his ruddy complexion, paling at Ryan's words as he eyed Zoe with barely concealed anger before shifting his gaze back to his nephew.

"Even when I agreed to look into the keys, I was humoring her. I figured best-case scenario, Sam finds out a little more about her mother, and worst case, I waste an afternoon. Not once did I believe you'd been involved in Faith's disappearance. Not you, the man who'd undertaken his own investigation to find her." His voice rose with all the hurt, anger and betrayal he must be feeling.

Zoe sensed the power behind Ryan's words. Her stomach jumped with equal doses of anticipation about what his uncle would admit to, and empathy for Ryan's obvious pain.