Witness in the Dark (Love Under Fire #1)(70)

Maybe it was because the other man had called her “daughter,” vividly reminding her of the happy family she had always dreamed of—and never had—as a child. And that the closest she’d ever come to it was a Christmas spent with a stranger in a borrowed house.

Whatever it was, the fight went right out of her.

She didn’t care what happened to her anymore. She had no one. What was the point?

She pushed both their hands away and stood on her own, glaring at Garrett as she followed Thorne into a glass-enclosed office. She flopped down in the chair by the desk. Garrett stayed outside the door and closed it, blocking her exit. What did it matter? She had nowhere to go.

“I have to say, I’m impressed you took down two of my best deputy marshals.” The older man smiled.

She didn’t.

She just stared at him. At his graying hair and the creases by his green eyes.

Her own eyes were green. Her mother had always told her she had her father’s eyes.

She thought about the photo that had hung in their living room. The young man with his arms wrapped around her mother. He was strong and tall. Like this man.

She glanced down at the watch he wore. It was identical to the one on her own wrist.

“Are you noticing the similarities?” he asked. His voice had gentled from the harsh orders he’d given in the other room.

“My father’s name was Samuel Hutchinson. He was killed in a car accident before I was born.”

“Sam, you also supposedly died in a car accident. Yet, here we both sit.”

“Yes, but…”

But what? The whole idea was so insane, she didn’t know what to think.

He spread his hands. “Are you not willing to entertain the possibility that I’m still alive?” He smiled.

And with that smile, her doubts faded away. His smile was the same as the one she saw when she looked in the mirror. The same one on her face in every school photo and selfie.

It was her smile. And this man…

Could he really be her father?





Chapter Fifty-Six


Sam’s head was spinning. Was it really possible?

She’d demand a DNA test, of course. She needed more solid proof than a smile. But in the meantime…

“Tell me about the watch.” She held up hers and looked at his matching one.

“Garrett told me you were upset about him taking it, but it was needed to help prove your identity in the explosion. I tracked down a duplicate to use instead.”

“How do you know Garrett?”

“I’m in charge of Task Force Phoenix, it’s an elite team of marshals who—for different reasons—were forced to start over much like you will. Only they chose to use their fresh start to protect others. Garrett is the top senior inspector on my team. Or at least he was, until I found out he took advantage of you.” He frowned.

Sam was suddenly worried about Garrett. She doubted Thorne would actually kill him. But he might get fired. His boss seemed seriously pissed off.

She suddenly felt the need to protect him. “He didn’t take advantage,” she said. “That’s all on me. He didn’t do anything wrong.”

Garrett had gotten her this far, he deserved credit for his efforts, even if he had lied to her. And she’d told the truth. She had been the one to relentlessly pursue him. He’d simply given in to her advances.

“There’s no future with him,” her father said.

God, it felt so strange to think of this man as her father.

“So he told me. He was very upfront about that.” She narrowed her eyes at Thorne. “Which is a lot more than I can say for you.”

He sighed. “I didn’t know your mother was pregnant when I took a job on a black ops undercover team in the CIA. Our marriage was already failing because I couldn’t tell her what I did, just that I worked for the government. I was gone all the time, and she was always suspicious and angry. Things weren’t good between us.” He looked down at his hands.

“So you took the easy way out and faked your own death?” Sam said incredulously. “Who does that?”

“The CIA. All the time. And back then, well, I was a much different person, with much different priorities.”

“What about when you found out Mom was pregnant? Did you even care?”

“By then it was too late. I was already signed up, and officially dead.” He shook his head. “The CIA doesn’t allow their people to change their minds. Trust me when I say, I wish I’d handled things differently. It’s the biggest regret of my life. For what it’s worth, I never married again, never had any more children, even after I left CIA and started Task Force Phoenix.”

She stared at him. “You think that makes up for it? For me having to grow up without a father?”

“Of course not. But believe me, it works both ways. There have been times when I watched you and it was all I could do to sit in the same restaurant and not walk over and introduce myself. But I did try to be there for you, behind the scenes, when I could. Your scholarship, for instance.”

She gasped in shock. “I didn’t earn that?”

“I wanted you to go to Georgetown so I could be close to you. I just added to the scholarship money you were already granted, so you’d come to D.C. Besides, it was my responsibility to pay for your schooling. Anytime you’ve ever needed something, I’ve tried to provide it for you. Having someone show up with another life insurance policy your mom didn’t know about, giving you a good deal on a car.”