“That I can say with confidence is a big never,” Chris replied. “I have a meeting in five minutes. We’ll recon later. Thanks, man. I appreciate the suggestion and the advice.”

  “Any time. Always happy to help the U.S. Marshal service,” Houston said before he ended the call.

  Chris had met Evan during his first case in Charlotte. Chris’s area of responsibility was missing children and human trafficking. Evan Houston practiced family law. A child had been abducted from his backyard by one of his relatives. Chris was immediately called into the investigation. Two days later, the child was fortunately found unharmed, and his uncle was arrested, charged, found guilty of child endangerment, and sentenced to five years in prison. The mother was terrified that she and her son would be in constant danger from her estranged husband’s family. The family wanted her boy, and she was sure they would also want revenge. She sought Evan’s help to represent her in an application for relocation, and Chris helped facilitate the request. Both men were fathers. Both men had boys the same age. There was an immediate kinship between them, as they imagined what it would be like having one of their own go missing. From that day forward, the two men were tight friends.

  When Chris told Evan about Lucinda’s indiscretions, Evan offered to represent Chris in his divorce, pro bono. Free of charge. Evan, too, had suffered a betrayal and knew exactly what was to come for his friend: Aggravation. Lack of cooperation. Empty threats. Blame. And a whole lot of B.S.

  Chris gathered his tablet, a pad, pen, and his cell phone and strode down the hallway to the conference room. He was breathing a little easier now, thanks to Evan.

  Chris’s appearance could be intimidating to some. He was just over six feet tall with a well-toned body. His gait was confident. His long black eyelashes surrounded deep blue eyes that demanded one’s attention. One wouldn’t say his eyes were steely, or cold either. But they had the ability to pierce the veil of anyone who attempted to lie. It was one of his best weapons. Then there was his smile. Warm. Inviting, if he chose. He had black wavy hair with a dash of gray at the temples that gave him the appearance of a man who packed a lot of experience for someone about to turn forty.

  He’d first met Luna Bodhi Bodman a few years prior during a search party for a little girl. Luna wasn’t the least bit daunted by his handsome looks or air of authority. He had been struck by her confidence and self-assuredness. She was quite different from anyone he had ever met, and it took a little time for him to become smitten with the quirky and eccentric free spirit. Luna had very few filters. Not that she was unkind, but if something was on her mind, or in her gut, she felt compelled to say it.

  The two developed a strong friendship while they collaborated on other cases involving missing kids. He appreciated her ability to “read” people and advocate for “doing the right thing.” After several assignments, Luna left her job with social services and opened a café in the Stillwell Center outside of Asheville. It was a two-hour drive away, but Gaines wanted to maintain the relationship. Perhaps even take it a step further.

  The grand opening of the art center had given him the perfect opportunity to show his face, and perhaps kiss hers before the night was over, but he’d almost missed the event. He had remembered sunflowers were her favorite and combed Charlotte until he found a florist who had them. He was running late and came close to breaking every traffic law between Charlotte and Asheville. Not only was his car racing, but so was his heart.

  He had handed her the flowers and profusely apologized for his tardiness, but the look in her eyes and the expression on her face made it all worthwhile. He let out the biggest exhale, realizing he might have been holding his breath the entire length of the interstate.

  His recollection of that night was broken by voices coming from the conference room. There were a half dozen people gathered around the long table.

  Chris’s boss, Frank, was sitting at the head of the table and began to speak. “People, I have some news. There are several positions opening up in the Witness Security Program. As some of you may know, the number of people in the program has grown considerably, thanks to prosecutors increasing the number of deals they cut. Unfortunately, our staffing hasn’t grown at the same rate, but we finally got more funding for more jobs. For those of you who wish to transfer, you have my utmost respect and support.”

  Questions were flying across the table. “Where?” “When?” “What’s the pay scale?”

  “Simmer down. I have the job description and details printed out.” Frank passed several sheets of paper to everyone seated. “The only downside, if there is one, is that most of the positions require relocation. It’s all outlined in front of you.”

  Chris’s eyes darted to the word Chicago. If Lucinda moved to Chicago, he could apply for that position, but he didn’t want to move. He knew Carter wouldn’t want to move, either. He had his friends, activities, and school here in Charlotte. And baseball. Chicago was no place for baseball. The Cubs winning the World Series was a fluke. It would be too much of an adjustment for a kid Carter’s age. He was on the verge of puberty. Moving would be much worse than breaking out in pimples, or trying to figure out what the rest of his body was doing.

  Then Chris saw the words CHARLOTTE—PENDING. The job was with the Western Division of North Carolina, covering territory from Charlotte to Asheville. His life was in North Carolina. His son’s life was in North Carolina. And what about Luna? They were getting so close. He didn’t want to lose her. He thought back to his conversation with Evan. First things first. Apply for full custody. He knew he had to talk to Luna about it. Get her take on it. Emotionally, intellectually, and of course, with Luna’s metaphysical superpower way of thinking.

  Just as Gaines was leaving the room, his boss took him aside. “Chris, you are my most senior marshal. As much as I would miss having you on my team, the position in North Carolina WITSEC comes with a promotion and a raise.”

  “The info says ‘pending.’” Gaines pointed to the paper in his hand.

  “It does. ‘Pending’ whether or not you take the job.” Frank rested his arms on the table behind him. “You’ve been an excellent agent. You handle people well. I won’t lie—this job is a mountain of paperwork and managing people, but it will also give you a normal schedule. You’d only go into the field under extreme circumstances. But we can discuss this more after you mull it over.”

  “Thanks, Frank. I appreciate it.” There was no mulling or thinking required. He’d ask for the job in Charlotte. If things got really ugly, and Lucinda got her way, he could negotiate a transfer. Maybe. But he wasn’t getting on that bus just yet. Not without a serious fight.

  Chris had started to leave when Frank called out, “I’ll hold the job here until you make up your mind. But don’t take too long. I’m getting pressure.”

  Chris made the decision right then and there. “I’ll take it.” The timing was actually quite perfect. More money. More stability. More ammo for his fight for custody.

  Frank smiled and held out his hand. “You’ll do great. There will be a lot more face time with bureaucrats, but I have no doubt you can handle it.”

  Chris shook Frank’s hand. “Thanks. This is exactly what I needed today.”

  Gaines stepped quickly down the hall, shut the door of his office, and started to punch in Luna’s number to see if they could get together for the weekend. It had been three weeks since he had seen her. Much too long. But before he had a chance to press send, a call from Cullen came through.

  “Hey Cul!” Gaines answered on the second ring. “To what do I owe this unexpected call?” Then he froze. “Everything alright?”

  “Yeah. Everything is fine.” Cullen cleared his throat, for he was about to embark on a clandestine operation to suss out the situation between the marshal and his sister. “I’ve been considering expanding into classic car interior refurbishing.”

  “That could be cool,” Gaines replied.

  “Yeah, so there’s a classic car show in Asheville this weekend, and I thought if you’re free, maybe you’d like to go?” Cullen felt like he was back in high school, plotting against or with his sister.

  “Carter has a game Saturday morning. Should be over by noon, but I wouldn’t get there until after three.”

  Cullen quickly referred to the calendar again. “The show’s open until ten. But, hey, if it’s too much of a haul, I totally get it.”

  “No, not at all. I’m just thinking it through. Carter’s mother is supposed to be at the game, and he’s supposed to go back to her place. That would save me some time.”

  “Cool. Let’s plan on grabbing a bite to eat in Asheville and then go to the exhibit. I don’t think I’d want to spend more than an hour and a half there. I might buy something I shouldn’t.”

  “That makes two of us.” Chris laughed.

  Cullen waited for Luna’s name to come up. Nothing. Then he had to say, “I was hoping for a guy’s night, but I don’t want to get Luna in a tizzy.”

  Gaines laughed. “No worries. I’ll let her know you invited me to a guy’s night, and she and I can meet up later.” Gaines was confident his plan would be acceptable to Luna.

  * * *

  Cullen didn’t want Luna to hear the news of their plans from Gaines. He didn’t want her to think he had gone behind her back—which he had—and then have to explain himself out of trouble. Or maybe not. Chi-Chi was correct. Gaines was his friend, too. But . . . but what if he told Luna he was just thinking of inviting Chris? That way, he would get a different reaction from the one he would receive if he told her he had already asked him. Yep, that was going to be his approach. He wiped his hands again and walked briskly into the café, hoping Chris hadn’t already called Luna. He heard her phone ringing and rushed into the shop just as he heard her say, “Hey, Chris. What’s going on?”

  Cullen thought he was going to throw up. Luna was going to kill him unless he could circumvent that call. “Luna! Can you come with me? Quick!”

  Luna looked at her phone and then back at Cullen. “Chris, I am going to have to call you back. Cullen needs me to look at something.” She ended the call.

  Now Cullen had to find an excuse for hauling her into his workshop so abruptly. He hurried ahead of her.

  “Cullen! What is going on?” Her dog Wylie echoed her question with a woof.

  He decided to deviate slightly from the truth. “Listen, I’m thinking about refurbishing classic car interiors.”

  “And?” Luna placed her hands on her hips.

  “And there’s a classic car show this weekend.”

  “And?” She leaned forward, probably hoping she would get a clear response.

  “And I was thinking of asking Chris to come out. Make it a guy’s night.”

  Luna eyed him curiously. “Okay. And?”

  “And nothing. I just wanted to run it past you first.” He wondered if Luna’s radar was up and she could tell he was lying. Lying about refurbishing cars, or his call to Gaines. Or both.

  “Whatever. He’s your friend, too.” She let out an impatient sigh. “So what was so urgent?”

  “That was it.” The color was leaving Cullen’s face.

  Luna threw up her hands, spun on her heel, and marched out of the workshop. “Men! Idiots!”

  Cullen quickly dialed Gaines’s number before Luna had a chance to get back to her phone.

  “Yo. What’s up?” Chris answered. Cullen could hear a beep, indicating Chris had another call coming through. That would be Luna calling him back. “Hang on a sec.” Gaines hit the call waiting button. “Hey, doll face. Can I call you back this time? Your brother is on the other line.”

  Luna gave her phone a strange look. That didn’t take him very long. Guys are so weird. “Sure. No prob.” Again, she ended the call.

  Gaines returned to the other caller, Cullen. “Hey. Sorry about that. But it was your sister. One cannot ignore your sister.” He chuckled.

  “You got that right.”

  “What’s up?” Chris repeated.

  Once again, Cullen was searching for another ruse. “What are you going to wear?” Cullen hit himself in the head with his phone several times. Now that was totally lame.

  “You alright, bro?” Gaines could not recall any man ever asking him what he was going to wear. But he answered, “Pants, shirt, shoes, socks. The usual.” He scratched his head. “Why?”

  “I didn’t know if you were going to wear a blazer or not.” Cullen was digging his mortification hole deeper.

  “Why? Are you planning on buying me a boutonniere?” Gaines chuckled.

  “As a matter of fact, I was thinking about it. What color do you prefer?” Cullen decided to go along with the joke instead of being defensive.

  “How about a red rose?”

  “Red rose it is,” Cullen replied. “No, seriously, I didn’t want to be over or underdressed.”

  “It’s a car show. Anything goes. But, yes, I will be wearing a blazer, since we’re going to grab a bite to eat afterward. Is there anything else you would care to discuss?” Gaines was grinning.

  “No. That about covers it,” Cullen answered, and then let out a huge sigh of relief.

  “Alrighty then. I’ll see you a little after three on Saturday.” Gaines ended the call.

  Cullen realized he still hadn’t covered the Luna part of the equation.

  Gaines dialed Luna’s number again. Perhaps they wouldn’t be interrupted this time. He had some important information to share with her, but it required an in-person conversation. Meeting up with Cullen would be a good opportunity to make a brunch date with her.

  Chapter Three

  Stillwell Art Center

  It took several minutes of phone chaos before Luna and Chris finally had a moment to chat.

  “Lu, your brother invited me to a car show this weekend.”

  “Yes, he told me he was going to. But boy was he acting weird about it.” Luna also thought to herself, That was kind of fast.

  “You’re not kidding. He actually asked me what I was wearing.” Chris chuckled.

  “Seriously? ‘What are you wearing?’ How bizarre. Maybe he’s been inhaling too much glue in his workshop.” Luna laughed.

  “I don’t want to assume I’ll be staying at your place, but I was already planning to call you to see if we could get together when Cullen beat me to it.” He cleared his throat. For a smart, strapping man, he was jelly when it came to Luna. “Sorry. I should have checked with you first.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I understand your bromance with my bro,” she teased. “Now if you said you were coming out to visit my brother and made no plans to see me, well, then we would have a problem,” she said. “You will be staying with me, correct?”

  He stuttered. “Yes . . . yes . . . of course.”

  “Unless you have a better offer?” she joked.

  “No. Not at all. We may not be back until after ten, and I don’t know what you have planned for the evening.”

  “Well, I can tell you that as of now, I have no plans, and if I did, I would most certainly change them for you.” She wasn’t lying or being patronizing. Any time she could spend with Chris, she would give up whatever else was on her agenda.

  “You are a doll,” Chris replied.

  “Since you and big bro are going out, I’ll check in with Chi-Chi to see if she wants to do something, and then we can all meet up later.”

  “Sounds good.” He paused. “Thanks for being so accommodating.”

  “Accommodating? Isn’t that a bit formal?” Luna peered at her phone. Something was up. She could feel it. But what was it?

  “I don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage of your good nature.” Chris winced, hoping he wasn’t digging himself in too deep.

  “Puh-lease.” Luna stretched out the word.

  “Sorry. Long day, and it isn’t even close to noon.”

  “No prob. Let’s touch base after I talk to Chi-Chi, and then we can finalize our plans for a sleepover.” She was almost blushing. So was he.

  “Great. See you Saturday. And tell your brother I want a turquoise boutonniere.”

  “Huh?” Luna asked.

  “Private joke. Talk later.”

  “Okay. Bye.” She ended the call but kept staring at the phone.

  After a few minutes, Luna got up, went back to the easel, and flipped her sketch pad to a clean page. She closed her eyes and began to draw. This time, it was two question marks. She stared at it. “Very strange,” she said to no one. She absentmindedly played with the large John Jay College of Criminal Justice ring that was hanging on a chain around her neck. Chris had given it to her when they went to New York on a wild adventure involving kidnapping, art, and deception. She smiled. It was always an adventure with him.

  Luna picked up her walkie-talkie. Every shop at the center had one so the proprietors could keep in touch without using their cell phones, and in case there was an emergency. Luna beeped Chi-Chi’s line. “Hey, girlfriend. Want to have dinner with me on Saturday?”

  “That would be lovely,” Chi-Chi answered.

  “Yeah, Cullen and Chris are going to a car show, so we are on our own. We can meet up with them later.”

  “Oh good—I am happy it worked out.”

  “What worked out?”

  Chi-Chi realized she was about to expose her and Cullen’s behind-the-scenes interference. “I was praying that you and I could spend some time together.” She held her breath, hoping it was a good save. She hated to lie.

  “Uh, okay. You know you never have to pray to spend time with me, just ask.” Luna looked at the walkie-talkie with a questioning expression. Is everyone acting weird, or is it me?

  “Thank you. I very much appreciate it.” Chi-Chi was cringing. Better to end the conversation before she stuck both feet in her mouth, and she wore a size ten. “I must go. Let’s speak later. Goodbye.”

  It wasn’t unusual for Chi-Chi to be abrupt. But this time, Luna felt an undercurrent. Her friend was hiding something. She was now convinced everyone was acting weird. She moved back to the sketch pad and ripped off the previous drawing. She was tapping her pencil against her cheek when Cullen walked in. “Now what?” she sneered.