“Tell me everything you know.” She felt breathless with urgency.

  “Unger started our conversation by saying Sotos has been arrested and is in a secure Mexican prison. And that he won’t ever be released. So I asked him how it happened, and he said he wasn’t at liberty to share the details.”

  “But he did tell you something, right?”

  “This is the hypothetical part. He said suppose someone high up in the DEA paid a visit to a high-ranking official in Mexico’s federal police. An official like the one you caught in your picture. And suppose this official was told to turn on Sotos and arrest him or they’d expose his connection to Sotos and the official could be sure he’d never leave a Mexican prison again.”

  “So the DEA went to Maceno and convinced him to turn on Sotos.”

  “Hypothetically.” He grinned.

  “This is all over, then. I don’t have to go into witness protection. I’m free to be with you and Natalie, and Sotos will never come after me again?”

  “Never again, Jen.” He ended with a cute crooked smile that sent her heart racing.

  Thank You, Father. Thank You.

  She jumped up and threw her arms around his neck. He held her close and spun her around. “Now nothing can stand in the way of our happiness.”

  Natalie. Her daughter came to mind. She’d be here any minute and she could still reject her.

  Jennie slipped out of Ethan’s arms. She tried to keep her worry from her face as she looked toward the door.

  She caught sight of a girl whose face resembled the one Jennie stared at every day in the mirror and threatened to stop her heart. She wore a fashionable dress and heels, her blond hair cut stylishly.

  Jennie pushed away from Ethan. “She’s here.”

  He turned.

  Jennie bit her lip. “What if she doesn’t like me? Or what if she’s coming here to tell me off?”

  “There’s nothing not to like about you.” He took her hand. “And her parents told me she wants to meet you as much as you want to meet her.”

  “But this is so public.”

  “Only for the initial introduction. Then you can move to Madeline’s conference room and see all the photo albums I asked Natalie’s mother to bring.” He gave her a quick hug.

  It didn’t help. She was so afraid Natalie wouldn’t like her, or worse would hate her.

  “Think of it like dating,” he continued. “Didn’t you ever go out to lunch instead of dinner because it was less threatening and easier to get out of?”

  She nodded, but nervousness still had her nails biting into her palms and she stared at his chest.

  He tipped her face up. “This is the same thing. If it’s overwhelming for either of you, you can excuse yourself.”

  Natalie came closer with graceful steps that Jennie could never manage in heels so high.

  “Natalie.” The name whispered out of Jennie’s mouth, taking the last of her breath away.

  Her daughter stood before her. At long last. The tiny infant she’d held only for the briefest of time had grown into a beautiful young woman. More beautiful than Jennie could’ve imagined. And Jennie had missed the transformation. Tears mounted.

  “Hi,” Natalie said sweetly then looked at the floor.

  She’s looking away. Maybe Ethan was wrong and she really doesn’t want to meet me after all.

  “And you must be Natalie’s parents.” Ethan held out his hand to the striking couple standing behind Natalie and introduced himself. “Thank you for being so open to this meeting.”

  Natalie’s father smiled warmly and offered his hand to Jennie. “I’m not sure if you remember me. Bill Young. It’s good to see you again.”

  Mrs. Young stood back, seeming more ill at ease. Jennie could fully understand her trepidation, so she smiled at her old English teacher and waited for her to make the next move, but she simply looked away.

  “You remember my wife, Grace.” Bill put a hand on her back and seemed to force her forward.

  She quickly shook Jennie’s hand and gave her a tight smile then eased back.

  Natalie looked up at Jennie, flashed a tentative smile and looked away again.

  Jennie had to say something. Had to break the ice. “I’m happy to meet you, Natalie. I’ve thought about this day for so long. I can’t believe it’s happening, and I finally get to see what a beautiful young lady you’ve become.”

  Natalie’s face colored, but she smiled in earnest now. “I’m happy to meet you, too.”

  An uneasy quiet descended and time ticked slowly by.

  “Have you all had a chance to look at Jennie’s photos yet?” Ethan jumped in.

  “We just arrived,” Bill answered.

  “Maybe you want to have a quick look around and then we’ll meet in, say, fifteen minutes in the conference room.”

  Bill nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

  “No, wait,” Natalie said, her eyes wide. “You do want to meet with me, right? I mean, you asked, and I’m here and I want to talk.” Her words tumbled out on top of each other.

  Jennie moved closer and took Natalie’s hand. “I think Ethan was trying to let us catch our breath. But I don’t need a break. I’ve been waiting for this day since I had to give you up, and I want to know all about you.”

  “Me, too.” She laughed, a sweet, high melody. “I mean since I was old enough to wonder about you.”

  Jennie heard Grace draw in a sharp breath.

  Natalie went to her mother. “It’s okay, Mom.” She took Grace’s hand. “You’ll always be my mom, and I can’t do this without you.”

  Grace smiled, but it didn’t blossom into a full-fledged grin.

  “You can follow me to the conference room.” Jennie turned and led the way.

  Ethan caught up to her. “You have a very lovely daughter, Jen. I can’t wait to get to know her and make her part of our family.”

  She shot a quick look at him.

  “What? You are planning to have a family with me, aren’t you?”

  “Of course, I just haven’t thought that far into the future yet.”

  “You better start thinking about it. If we’re going to have a house full of kids, we don’t have a lot of time to wait.” He gave her a mischievous grin. “I mean, at your advanced age we have no time to lose.”

  She gave him a playful punch to his shoulder, and he grabbed her hand then twined his fingers through hers.

  She heard the tight clicks of Natalie’s heels on the rough brick floor behind them and the sound overflowed her heart already full with happiness that Ethan brought to her life. At the door, she and Ethan paused, letting Natalie and her family go into the room before them.

  She was standing here, the only man she’d ever loved warmly clasping her hand, and after so many years of crying over and wondering about her daughter, she was now here, too. Jennie would never let either one of them disappear from her life again. Never.

  * * * * *

  Questions for Discussion

  Jennie lives with condemnation for a mistake she made years ago. Have you ever lived with such condemnation? If so, how did you handle it?

  Jennie and Ethan have both been rejected many times and fear trusting another person with their heart. Have you ever experienced such fear? What can you take away from this story to help you in that relationship?

  Why do you think it took Jennie so long to believe that she is worthy of love?

  Which character in the story do you relate most to and why?

  Jennie had a difficult childhood, but it has given her a heart for helping children. Is there something in your past or even something you are going through right now that you can use to help others in a similar situation?

  Jennie is terrified of letting anyone see the poverty she grew up in. Do you have anything in your past that you are embarrassed about and are hiding from others?

  Ethan forgave Jennie for leaving him because he knew that he couldn’t harbor resentment toward her. Is there someone you are withholding forgiveness from? If so, can you embrace God’s forgiveness and let the pain go?

  For many years, Ethan didn’t believe his mother gave him up for adoption because she loved him. Has there been a time in your life when someone did something out of love, but you are still struggling to believe love motivated it? If so, has Ethan’s story helped you see it differently?

  After reading Double Exposure, are you able to look at the misery in your life differently and see it as a way to help others?

  When Jennie was young, she ran from Ethan because she was afraid to tell him about the baby she gave up. Have you ever run from something that you should’ve faced head-on? How would it have ended differently if you’d stayed and hadn’t run?

  Families are wonderful and Jennie is thrilled to become a part of the Justice family, but we all know families can also be complicated. If you have siblings as Ethan does, can you see some similarities in your relationships? Have any of your siblings tried to protect you as fiercely as Kat tried to protect Ethan?

  After the loss of their adoptive parents, Ethan and his siblings decided to work together to help others. This was a major change in their lives. Have you ever suffered a loss that profoundly changed your approach to life? If so, what changes did you make?

  SPECIAL EXCERPT FROM

  Love Inspired® Suspense

  Be sure to check out the first book in the exciting new CLASSIFIED K-9 UNIT series, GUARDIAN by Terri Reed.

  When widow Alicia Duncan witnesses a crime, the perpetrator is dead set on silencing her. It’s up to FBI K-9 agent Leo Gallagher and his trusty chocolate-Labrador partner to keep her and her young son safe.

  Read on to get a glimpse of

  GUARDIAN.

  PROLOGUE

  The daylight broke over the horizon of the Los Ange­les industrial district and muted morning light slashed through the high windows of the large two-floor ware­house. FBI agent Leo Gallagher pressed his back to the wall inside the cavernous structure’s south entrance. The air was cool, but heavy with a mix of anticipation and vigilance.

  His heart rate increased, not much, but enough that he took a calming breath. He tightened his hold on the leash of his canine partner, a chocolate Labrador named True.

  The open floor plan of the bottom level was filled with containers and pallets that provided too many hid­ing places. That could be a problem. Shadows lurked above and in the recesses of the corners. No one said this job was easy. Far from it, and sweat beaded on his forehead behind his helmet.

  Almost time? Leo glanced at fellow FBI agent Jake Morrow and his canine, a Belgian Malinois named Buddy.

  Behind his tactical face guard, Jake nodded and sig­naled for Leo and True to proceed into the murky depths of the purported hideout of the notorious Dupree syndi­cate, the criminal organization that the elite FBI Tactical K-9 Unit had been working around the clock to bring down for months.

  But every time the team got close, the crime boss, Reginald Dupree, and his uncle and second in com­mand, Angus, managed to escape.

  Not going to happen again. The first time could have been coincidence, but after the second and third in­stances, he knew something else was going on. That was why Leo’s boss had been tight-lipped about this raid. No one outside the tight circle of the team knew of today’s operation in case there was a leak somewhere in the Bureau.

  The Tactical K-9 Unit was a special, classified branch of the FBI that had settled in a nondescript building in downtown Billings, Montana. The secret nature of the team’s cases needed anonymity to function. They worked across the country, under the radar, to solve tough crimes and deliver swift justice.

  The thought of someone they knew and trusted double-crossing them burned, and Leo hoped that wasn’t the case, but lives were at stake, either way. He took a silent step. True stayed at his side.

  Eerie silence scraped along Leo’s nerves. The anon­ymous tip they’d received, sending the team to this lo­cation, had guaranteed them that Reginald and Angus would be here. Plums ripe for the taking.

  Across the expanse of open space, Leo saw fellow team member Harper Prentiss, along with Star, her Ger­man shepherd, and their boss, special agent in charge Max West and his canine, a boxer by the name of Opal, slip through another door and climb a staircase to the second floor.

  A strange itch at the back of Leo’s neck had him tensing. He’d been in this situation many times before, but this didn’t feel right.

  Glancing upward at the second-story balcony that rimmed the edges of the warehouse, he narrowed his gaze on the office doors. That itch worsened. Were Reg­inald and Angus Dupree up there? Waiting? Planning an ambush? If so, his team members would be in trouble.

  Needing to provide his boss and fellow agent cover, Leo gestured to Jake. Morrow gave him the thumbs-up sign. In tandem they carefully moved farther into the warehouse, not wanting to draw attention to their presence.

  True’s ears perked up. The scruff of his neck rose. A deep growl emitted from his throat.

  Breath stalling, Leo paused as he scanned the perim­eter for whatever threat his partner sensed.

  Then total pandemonium broke out.

  Four men with automatic weapons appeared from around the sides of the two containers. A barrage of gunfire erupted. The deafening noise bounced off the walls.

  Leo’s heart revved into overdrive. Adrenaline surged. His pulse pounded in his ears as he dropped to one knee to return fire.

  “Down!” Leo shouted to True. The dog dropped to his belly.

  “Take cover!” Jake yelled.

  Leo grabbed True’s collar and tugged him behind a large container.

  Something metal hit the concrete floor and a hissing filled the air, followed by a cloudy haze. Leo gritted his teeth and fought past the stinging in his eyes and nose from the pepper-infused smoke sneaking beneath the face shield on his helmet.

  The sound of a dog’s yelp jolted through Leo. His heart slammed against his ribs. True! He quickly checked the dog’s taut body for injury. None.

  It had to be Buddy. Leo searched the gloom for Jake and his dog. He couldn’t see either one. Had they re­treated? Was Buddy hurt? Jake?

  Leo flattened himself on the ground next to True, then tapped the canine on the flank. Together, they scuttled backward toward the door, keeping their heads down and out of the line of fire. A squad of Los Angeles police officers, dressed in tactical gear, filed past them.

  With the arrival of backup, relief flooded through Leo.

  Outside, he found Buddy lying on the ground, blood oozing from a wound in his hindquarters. Leo’s stom­ach dropped. He knelt beside the dog, tore off his glove and used it as a compress against Buddy’s injury. The dog whimpered.

  “Where’s Jake?” Leo rasped, wishing the dog could speak.

  The whir of rotors close by had him jerking to his feet.

  Buddy barked and, in a burst of energy, jumped up and took off, leading Leo and True around another building just as a black helicopter with no markings lifted from the ground. Buddy whined and continued to bark, his agitation clear as he sniffed a puddle of blood near where the helicopter had sat. Jake’s blood?

  A vise tightened around Leo’s heart. He shaded his eyes but couldn’t see inside the tinted windows of the bird as it disappeared from view. This wasn’t one of theirs. That meant…

  “Gallagher!”

  Leo turned to see his boss escorting Reginald Dupree from the warehouse while other officers brought out sev­eral of Dupree’s henchmen.

  Agent Harper Prentiss jogged over. “Angus Dupree escaped but we got Reginald.” She tilted her head. “You okay?”

  “No.” His voice sounded ragged, the way he felt in­side. He glanced at Buddy. The dog’s distress tore at Leo. “Jake’s been taken.”

  The team had captured the head honcho of the Dupree crime syndicate, but they’d lost a good agent in the process.

  Guilt ate through Leo’s gut like acid. He’d failed his team. He’d failed Jake. With fists clenched, Leo vowed he’d track down Angus Dupree and rescue his comrade, if it was the last thing he did on this earth.

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Mommy, where are the fishies?”

  “Hey, be careful, buddy. Don’t slip off the rock.” Heart lurching, Alicia Duncan grabbed her son, Charlie, by the back of his green life vest. If he leaned over any farther, he would go headlong into Wyoming’s Black­thorn River. His fishing pole clattered against the out­cropping of smooth rocks, where they’d plopped down to fish. The exact place she’d fished from as a kid and teen. “Hang on to your pole, sweetie.”

  Heat bounced off the stones and reflected off the river water from the unseasonably warm April morn­ing sun, making perspiration break out at her nape be­neath her long dark hair. It was a beautiful spring day for spending time outdoors with her son in the middle of Wyoming’s northwestern mountain range. The clear, smog-free air smelled sweet with the scent of ponderosa pines. So different from city life. A welcome change.

  Alicia had always loved the river. About five miles downstream, the lazy flow of water cut a path through the rural town of Settler’s Valley, where she’d grown up. There was something soothing, comforting even, about the way the mountain runoff filled the riverbed.

  Especially in this particular area, where the river pooled into a deep canyon with high cliffs across the bank and more cliffs a little ways upstream. The water was deep enough here that she and her friends would jump off the cliffs into the river. Those had been the days when her husband had been her boyfriend and had promised her the world.

  She sighed wistfully, as the bittersweet memories washed over her.

  The summer after high school she’d married local football hero Jeff Duncan. She’d believed his promise. She’d believed him.