"But it's true."

"So? Smith is an asshole. He had hundreds of child porn videos on his computer. I don't regret what I did."

"But you were arrested!"

"Probation. That's it. Well, and the university didn't really like the fact that I didn't tell them first."

"I-Sean, I-"

"Hey, I'm going to be okay."

"Where are you going?"

"Duke pulled strings and got me into MIT. Banishing me three thousand miles away. What do I expect?"

Sean had probably complained to Madison far more than she wanted to hear about Duke and his heavy-handed ways. His brother had been his guardian for nearly four years-ever since their parents were killed-and Sean couldn't wait until the end of the month when he'd be eighteen and finally on his own. Control of all his money-most of which he'd earned himself, but couldn't access. Control of his inheritance. Control of his life.

He'd give MIT two weeks, but if it wasn't for him, he'd walk. Liam and Eden would take him in. They were living in London now, and Liam was always telling Sean that he could use someone with his skills. Sean hadn't even seen his brother and sister since their parents' funeral, though Liam called him all the time for tech help.

"You don't have to go. You can stay here."

"Maddie-I care about you so much, you know that. But I can't stay. Stanford expelled me. Being on the East Coast is probably a good thing. Get away from here, away from my brother."

"But didn't you say you hated college? That you could get a job at a start-up company in the Silicon Valley?"

He had said that, but he didn't really hate college. He didn't like some things about it. But he'd started school a year early. He wasn't even eighteen yet. He had never really fit in-he'd been younger than nearly everyone, and smarter-and maybe he'd acted it. It was hard to deal with the pompous jerks on a campus filled with smart people when he knew he could run rings around most of them.

But Madison had helped. When he started dating her six months ago, she'd kind of legitimized him, in a way. He'd made friends. Found a place to belong.

Until he blew it.

"After this, I don't know if anyone would hire me."

And he didn't want to work for anyone else. If he was going to work for a start-up, he was going to start it himself. He had plenty of ideas, plenty of smarts, and could raise the capital necessary or write another video game. He didn't particularly enjoy writing game code, but he was good at it, and he could sell the code for a small fortune.

But not now. Not when he was shy of eighteen, expelled from Stanford, and on three years' probation.

He would never forgive Duke for cutting this deal.

Madison started crying. Sean ached-he didn't want to hurt her. He hugged her tightly. "Hey, I'll visit."

"You know it's not the same. You'll be there, I'll be here-it's over, Sean."

He'd known it would be, but it still stung. "Maddie, don't say that-"

She jumped up. She couldn't look at him. "I love you, Sean. But it's over."

His heart stopped. Love? She loved him? Oh, God, he'd really hurt her. He never wanted to hurt anyone, especially Maddie.

"Maddie-"

"Don't say it. I don't want to hear it, because you won't mean it."

He wasn't going to say it. He liked Madison a lot, he cared about her, but love? He was seventeen. His life was fucked up. He was moving to Massachusetts. Love? Really? He didn't even like himself half the time, how could he love anyone else?

"Let's just see how it goes, okay?" he said. "You don't know that we can't make this work."

"Good-bye, Sean."

"Maddie-don't leave like this."

She left.

He didn't go after her.

Sean hadn't seen Madison since that Sunday afternoon. Until now. Almost thirteen years later to the day.

CHAPTER NINE.

What the hell was Madison McAllister doing on his doorstep?

The bell rang again, forcing Sean to his feet. He strode out of his den and opened the front door.

"Madison."

She smiled at him, a perfect smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. Madison McAllister had been unattainable. He'd thought ... well, what had he thought? He'd been two weeks shy of his eighteenth birthday when he was expelled; Madison was two years older. They'd had fun, which was all he'd wanted at the time. It was all she wanted. That was a lifetime ago.

"I should have called first, but I wasn't certain you'd speak to me."

"How did you get my address?"

"I can be persuasive."

"That isn't an answer."

"May I come in?"

He hesitated, just a fraction. She sensed his indecision and said, "I would never have flown out here if it wasn't an emergency. I need your help, Sean. You're the only one who can help. You're the only person I can trust."

A bit melodramatic, but his curiosity was piqued. He had cared for Madison once upon a time. They'd spent the better part of his freshman year together. She'd been a sophomore when they'd met in a French literature class. Sean hated French, but it was better than the alternative language requirement. Madison loved French. It was the only class Sean had ever struggled in, but he'd ended up with a B largely because of Madison.

"Come in," he said.

She looked around, her back to him. "You have a lovely home."

"Yes, we do."

She was surprised. "You're married?"

"Almost." He closed the door behind her.

When she turned to face him, tears leaked from her eyes. He hated seeing tears; it always hit him in the gut. The last time he'd seen Madison she'd been crying, too.

"My husband is in trouble-but I wouldn't come to you if it was just about Carson. It's my son, Jesse. I didn't want Carson to take him to Mexico-I told him no, it's the beginning of the school year. But he talked me into it, said he'd only miss one day of school. They flew down Thursday afternoon. He promised me they'd be back Sunday."

"Yesterday?"

She nodded.

"And he wasn't."

"I called Saturday because he didn't tell me what flight he'd be on, but he didn't answer. An hour later he forwarded me his itinerary. They were supposed to be in at eleven fifty Sunday morning. They weren't on the plane! And the airport said they never boarded. I tried calling, no answer. I haven't spoken to him or Jesse in forty-eight hours. Jesse's phone goes straight to voice mail. I'm terrified."

Madison was panicking. Sean steered her to the living room and she sat on the couch. Though she was dressed impeccably, with perfect clothes and makeup, she was playing with her fingers, twisting them around. Her fingernail polish had been nearly all scraped off, and all of the nails had been bitten to the quick.

"They may have lost their phones," Sean said. "And I won't lie to you-Mexico can be very dangerous. Depending where they are, they could have had their luggage stolen, or been pickpocketed; Carson could have lost his wallet."

She was shaking her head. "I called the resort and they would not tell me whether they were registered! Said it was against policy, but I'm his wife! I flew down to Acapulco and finally the manager told me the truth-they'd checked out on Saturday. Saturday. Not Sunday. I've been calling and calling and sending emails and..." She took a deep breath and reached for Sean, squeezed his hand. "Sean, I called Carson's employer. He works for a start-up in Orange County. They said he'd taken vacation time. That he wasn't in Mexico for their business. I didn't know what to do. I know your family rescues h-h-hostages."

"Stop. You don't know what's happened, do not assume the worst. Did Duke give you my address?"

Why would his brother just share that information? And not tell Sean about it?

She shook her head. "I called Quentin. Told him I wanted to mail you some pictures I'd found, asked if he had your current address."

Of course Quentin would give it out. The guy was as honest as the day is long and the least suspicious person Sean had ever met. He was the only friend from Stanford that Sean had kept in touch with, they'd worked on some computer systems together-he'd even invited him to the wedding.

Sean was going to have a talk with him. He worked for one of the biggest computer gaming companies in Seattle. He should be more security-conscious.

"Madison, you don't know-"

"Yes, I do. Something is wrong and I need you to find them."

The last thing Sean wanted to do was go to Mexico to find his ex-girlfriend's husband and son. Yet ... they could be in trouble. Kane was itching for work. If this job seemed tame enough, Sean could ask Kane to do it. But he needed more information.

"How is your marriage? Are you separated? Divorcing? Any reason for Carson to leave the country with your son?"

All standard questions Sean would ask any potential client-even if he had no intention of taking the job. Kane would ask him, and he needed the answers.

"No, we're fine."

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Yes! I'm positive."

"Why are you coming to me? Your father can hire the best PI in the business."

"Rogan-Caruso is the best."

That was certainly true, but Ronald McAllister hated Sean, and he would never let her hire RCK. Still, there were a couple of other firms RCK could refer her to.

"Truthfully, if it's a kidnapping, you need to talk to my brother Kane. He works south of the border. The best way to reach him is through JT Caruso. I'll call him for you, but I don't work for RCK anymore."

Her lip quivered. "But I need you."

"Madison, this just isn't something I can do." He wasn't going to work for his ex-girlfriend six weeks before his wedding. Not only because it was awkward, but because he had a wedding to organize. And a honeymoon. He wanted-needed-to be home at night for Lucy, especially when she was working a difficult case like the one in Laredo.

Madison scraped off the last of the nail polish on her left thumb. "I think Carson got involved in something he can't get out of, and now my son is in the middle of it. I'll die if anything happens to him."

Against Sean's better judgment, he asked, "What exactly did your husband get involved in?"

She knew, he could see it in the way she avoided looking him in the eye.

"Madison, you need to be completely honest with me."

She stood up and paced. Madison had always been a beautiful woman-the kind of beauty that was graceful, classic, almost like a porcelain doll. Age had improved her.

But he also knew her tells, the way she avoided his gaze, the way she wrung her hands, the scraping of the polish, so discreet, as if no one would notice.

She had a secret and she didn't want to tell him.

Sean walked to the door. He didn't have time for games. "I'm sorry you came all this way, but we're through."

She spun around, a flash of anger in her vivid green eyes. "Do you think this was easy for me? Coming here, asking for your help?"

"Then why did you?"

She tilted her chin up. "Carson is a lawyer for a start-up. But he made some bad investments a few years ago and refused to go to my father to bail him out. He has a strong sense of pride-a lot like you, Sean."

That grated. Their breakup had been more or less mutual-he'd been expelled, after all, and moving cross-country. Long-distance relationships rarely worked, especially not as teenagers. And then there was his anger-that Madison's father had forbidden her to see him and they snuck around, that he'd been expelled in the first place even though he'd done the right thing, that his brother Duke had made an agreement Sean didn't want to sign, but had no choice because he was still a minor and Duke was his legal guardian. Sean had a lot of anger buried under his happy-go-lucky, partying lifestyle.

"Don't compare me to your husband, Madison."

"He took a freelance accounting job-before he went to law school, he was an accountant. He didn't lie to me-he told me he was going to Mexico on business. I just think it wasn't for the start-up-it was for this other business."

"What other business?"

"I don't know! I'm telling you the truth, Sean. I never asked. Maybe-I didn't want to know. Carson is a good man, but over the last couple years he's become sullen. We had more money than ever before, but it didn't seem to make him happy."

"Money doesn't make anyone happy."