LITMIR.BIZ

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ma’am. Love you, too.” He pocketed the phone and stared up at Matt.

      “I’m supposed to tell you you’re grounded.”

      “A given,” Caleb said with a shrug. “I thought I’d have a few hours at least before she had a chance to say that. The truancy calls don’t go out until the evening.”

      Matt didn’t know anything about truancy calls. His thoughts were tied up with the realization that it wouldn’t be too long before he was looking his son in the eye. He’d missed out, been held back, from so much.

      “So,” he began, worried about making the wrong move here. “This wasn’t a school-sanctioned field trip. Did you have a plan?”

      Caleb’s narrow shoulders slumped. “Sort of.”

      “You were going to navigate Washington, DC, on your own?”

      “To find you and meet you? Yeah.” He bumped one heel against the toe of his other foot. “I really thought we’d have some time to talk before she realized I wasn’t where I was supposed to be.”

      What had motivated him to take this kind of chance now? “How did you even know to come looking for me?” Matt asked.

      Caleb turned away, hefted his backpack. “Mom told me you—”

      “Try again.”

      Caleb’s head snapped up. “What?”

      His mother would have corrected him, but Matt wasn’t going to mark this first hour of parenting with discipline and lessons in manners. “I know your mom’s never told you my name.” Matt watched a glint of battle fire in Caleb’s eyes and braced for an argument, but he subsided with another shrug. “She invited me to dinner tonight so we could tell you together.”

      “I knew it,” he muttered. “Greek chicken is always for company.”

      Matt wasn’t sure he followed that topic change, chalked it up to the communication deficit. It had been a long time since he’d dealt with kids this age.

      “Come on, let’s walk.” He resisted the urge to put his arm around the kid’s shoulders.

      “Do you really work in the Pentagon?” Caleb asked. “Can I have a tour?”

      “Not today.” Inexplicably uneasy, Matt glanced around. “Where did you get your information?”

      “I got a snap with your name and rank. A picture,” he added.

      Matt knew which cell phone app Caleb was referring to. Typically the messages disappeared within a few seconds of being opened by the recipient.

      “And you thought I sent it?”

      “No,” Caleb said.

      “The sender have a user name?” Matt asked when Caleb didn’t volunteer more information.

      “Does it matter?” He hefted the backpack again. “He double-checked who I was and then more stuff came through. Stuff about you. The information was real, obviously.”

      “Obviously.” Matt didn’t like the way this was shaping up. “When did you get the messages?”

      He cocked his head, thinking. “The first one was about two weeks ago.”

      That would fit the likely timeline as the compromised information was being sold off. “There were more?” At the boy’s nod, Matt asked, “Did you save the messages?”

      Caleb’s lip curled. “Like I wanna pay for a free app? I made notes, though.”

      “Good.” An itch had cropped up between his shoulder blades. Instinct drove him to get away from the terminal and into a safe space that was out of the public eye, as fast as possible. Rather than pick up the Metro here and head straight for the Pentagon or his condo, he decided to be less predictable. “Where did you keep those notes?”

      “The hard copies are at home. I have a file on the cloud, too.”

      “All right.” That would give investigators something to work with. As soon as he decided which law enforcement agency might consider a few random snaps as a crime.

      “The snaps were clues sort of,” Caleb was saying. “Like I’d get a name or place, maybe a picture. Then I would start digging around online. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

      “Except skip school, take a train alone to a city you don’t know and lie to your mom about it.”

      “She’s lied to me, too,” Caleb shot back, his gaze full of hurt. “All. My. Life.”

      “Well, life’s about to change,” Matt said, wincing. That didn’t take long. A dad for ten minutes and he was already quoting his father’s wisdom. He kept Caleb close as they moved along the sidewalk, sidestepping tourists. “And three lives are permanently changed now.”

      “You’re mad at me.”

      Matt had to slow down as Caleb began dragging his feet. They weren’t safe yet, though Matt couldn’t point to any specific reason why he felt they were at risk. “I’m not mad at you.” He was aggravated with whoever compelled his son to take these risks. And he wasn’t exactly thrilled with Bethany for keeping him out of Caleb’s life this long.

      He gripped Caleb’s shoulders lightly, waiting for him to meet his gaze. “You were resourceful and smart right up until you skipped school and made your mom worry. Moms don’t like that kind of thing.”

      “You worried your mom?”

      “More than once,” Matt confessed. “You think I was hatched in this uniform?” Caleb snickered. “That’s how I know.” Bethany and Patricia had similar standards about child-rearing. No wonder he loved her still.

      Whoa. Love? That had to be some transference effect of being around Caleb. Regardless, he’d pick it apart later. Right now, they needed to keep moving. He was sure someone was watching them, although he couldn’t spot the tail.

      If Caleb reached DC without any trouble, only to get hurt on Matt’s watch, on his first day of parenting, he’d never forgive himself. Nor would he ever be forgiven. He ducked into the next storefront, pleased to discover it was a deli. “Hungry?”

      They moved to the counter and ordered a couple of sandwiches and soft drinks. It was early for the lunch rush, so they had their pick of the few tables. Matt guided Caleb to a two-top near the back wall and took the seat that gave him a view of the door and sidewalk out front.

      While they waited for their food, Matt sent a text message to his office, offering to bring back lunch for everyone. It would give them a place away from prying eyes to regroup and make a plan.

      “You look mad,” Caleb said.

      “I’ve been told that. It’s my thinking face,” Matt explained. He wouldn’t lump fear or worry onto his son’s shoulders. “Your timing is crazy,” he said, trying to smile. “We really were going to tell you tonight. Your mom was convinced the acting out would start tomorrow.”

      Caleb dragged the drink straw up and down through the hole in the lid, making an annoying noise. Matt didn’t react. His little brothers, twins, were five years younger. He could teach master classes on how to ignore annoying moments and get even later.

      “How is your soccer season?” he asked.

      The noise stopped suddenly. “Now you want to be a dad?”

      He’d wanted that from the beginning. “I’d like to get to know you.” He would not blame Bethany for the estrangement. “You came to me.” He sat back, spreading his hands. “Now’s your chance. Just you and me. I’m an open book.”

      Caleb’s eyes narrowed as he judged the offer. “Did you not want me?”

      “Of course I wanted you,” Matt said.

      He

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