"She refuses to lure him here, and going to him isn't an option until we get clearance. We have eyes on him, but we can't just move in, Joey luring him was our only option."

I was sitting next to Rob facing the pool, when I heard footsteps.

"She's not your only option, you have me." We turned and saw Serenity standing behind us.

"Serenity? What are you doing sneaking up on me like that?" Rob said.

"You're a really shitty CIA agent if you let a sixteen-year-old girl sneak up on you."

I almost laughed out loud.

"What are you going on about now, kid?" Rob asked.

She sat down on the edge of a lounger facing us.

"When we lived in France, I used to hear Mom screaming for help at night." She said.

I looked up and saw Joey approaching, and hearing that made me sick.

"Mom, give us a minute, please. I need to speak to Uncle Rob and my father alone." She said.

What the fuck? She knows?

"Oh, don't look at me like that Mr. Engle. I know you knocked my mother up."

Jesus Christ, she's Chloe all over again.

"As I was saying, Dad would hurt my mom a lot. He would leave after that, and I would crawl into her bed when she slept. She used to cry in her sleep for someone named Hudson, then Dad told me a long time ago that I'm not his daughter. Mom thinks he doesn't know, but he does. He is obsessed with both of us now, and if I stop taking his calls, he will come here for us. Mom hasn't taken his calls for a few days, so he has been calling my phone like crazy. All I ask is that you don't kill him, he is still the man who raised me." She looked over at me. "No offense intended."

I just shrugged, my daughter scares me.

"I'm not sure I want you mixed up in this mess. You're a child, not an agent." Rob said what I was thinking.

"Well, I think we have a trip to D.C. to discuss?" She looks at me. "I don't want my little brothers mixed up in this either."

Her brothers..plural.

"Sounds like a plan," Rob says.

"Alright, it's settled then, and I hope you're not expecting some tender father-daughter moment, because Riley will be here soon, and I need to get ready." She looked at me, but I didn't know what to say. There's no doubt this beautiful creature is my daughter.

"Maybe some other time?" I asked.

"Sure, anyways, be careful with Mom, we all know she's a bit crazy." She walked away, and I wanted to laugh. Yep, that's my kid.

"I guess I should call your dad. My father has a private jet in Dallas you'll take to D.C. We don't need their names on a manifest. I'll arrange it too."

Rob walked off.

Joey walked back out and sat next to me. "The kids are just too damn smart."

I laughed. "Serenity reminds me of Chloe," I said, and Joey laughed.

"I can't believe I didn't see that till now. How is Chloe these days?" She asked.

"An unsuspecting victim from Arizona became her husband, and she has two boys about Jakes age, and she still talks like a sailor." I said.

She smiled. "Who wouldn't love that girl? She's always was the life of the party."

"If that's what you want to call it." I rolled my eyes.

"How's your mom?" She asked.

"Good. She thinks dad retired, but he didn't, he's on the case here. He claims he will retire when this is over." I said

"Dad! We found a salamander!" Jake came running up.

"Awe, let me see." He held it up, and Joey petted it with her finger as it struggled to escape my son's grasp. "Just don't play with the spotted ones, okay? Make sure you wash your hands too. Mason, why not get him a jar, but poke holes in the lid." She said

Wow, she's always on mommy mode.

"I need a cage, Dad!" Jake said.

"No, it's okay to admire it for a little while, but it'll die in a cage. You'll have to let it go." I disappointed him.

"Okay, Dad."

He looks disappointed.

"Hey, we have to go back to D.C., but what do you think about Joey and the other kids coming with us? You can help me give them a tour." I asked.

"I don't want to leave." He pouted.

"I know, but your mom is expecting you home, don't you miss her?" I asked.

"Yeah, I guess so." He answered.

"Okay, we leave tomorrow." I said.

"Fine." He walked away toward the house with Mason.