Secrets Collide (Bluegrass Brothers)

even yearbooks at the high school with my real high school pictures in them.”
    “And you have no idea who the people are who were asking about you at home?”
    “Oh, I have a very good idea. They’re the same guys who are after you.”
    “Me? Why would they want both you and me? That doesn’t make sense. Wait. Were you in the alley for a reason tonight?” Gemma buried her head in her hands. “Oh God, you are an axe murderer.”
    “I’m not an axe murderer. The guys who are after you are the same ones after me. See, one of my brothers is the sheriff of Keeneston. He busted a dog-fighting ring recently. When I looked into it, I connected it to a group known for trafficking kidnapped women. When I dug around further, I connected it to a group that sells weapons and everything else on the black market. They’re real bad people. I've caught a couple, including a group trying to sell chemical weapons out of Russia just a while ago.
    “The only connection I've found is that these men all have a Roman numeral X tattooed on their wrist. The boss man, Mr. X for lack of a better name, has never been caught on camera at any of these fights, trades, or deals. No one knows a name, a description, nothing. But Mr. X is powerful enough to have many connections in governments and law enforcement all over the world.” Cy leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees as Fred crawled over the seat and back onto her lap.
    “It sounds as if he has enough power to find out who you are. Could've been someone at the CIA even.” Now this was something Gemma could think about. Her investigative reporter side jumped to attention and she wanted to know more.
    “Yes. They could have. I think it was Russia, though. With the threat of a weapons sale, I dug around a little more than normal and really pushed some contacts. I must've thrown up a red flag somewhere. I was so worried that the bust wouldn’t go down, I beat the other CIA team members to it. They could have followed me afterward and have seen who I was.” Cy rubbed his hands over his face as Gemma’s thoughts raced forward.
    “Then why are we going to the one place they've been looking for you?” Gemma drummed her fingers on her sister’s notebook as she thought about the situation.
    “They’re not there now. Ahmed will have taken care of that. Also, as you’ve pointed out, my cover is blown and it could've been by one of my own. Keeneston is the only place I can think of where I can trust every single person.”
    “Who is this Ahmed? And how can you possibly trust the whole town? That’s just naïve.”
    “I might not have mentioned all there was about Ahmed in the car. Yes, he’s the prince’s head of security. But he’s also one of the most feared and respected soldiers and interrogators you’ll ever find. Shoot, he’s a legend at Langley and he’s only a couple of years older than I am. That should tell you something right there.”
    “And you’re trusting this guy?” Gemma knew her eyes were round, but this was just too much.
    “Yes. He’s very good friends with my family and I’ve worked with him before. My sister was testifying in a large corruption case and he was guarding the other witnesses. But, he’s not the only one there. My older brothers were all in the military and the town as a whole is the nosiest group of people you’ve ever met.” Gemma didn’t smile along with Cy.
    “Then how can you trust a bunch of gossips? I mean, I should know. I do it for a living.”
    “They only gossip about what’s going on in town. I’m telling you, the town will be our biggest protector. They have an information network—well, a church phone tree—that is better than any government agency could ever dream of. The added benefit of a town so small is that we’ll know the second someone who isn't a resident comes into town.”
    Cy couldn’t help but feel excited to be going home. It had been too long and there was definitely no one he trusted more to help him than his family: three brothers in Special Forces, his sister-in-law, Annie, a former DEA agent, and his brother-in-law, the head the FBI’s Lexington office.
    “If you say so. Have you come up with a plan yet?” Gemma teased.
    “Yep. Find them before they kill us.” He may have sounded sarcastic, but that was really his plan. Sometimes simple was best.
    “You should get some sleep. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.” Cy heard his voice soften as he fought the urge to