“I’m not certain the little Amesport airport can accommodate that many private jets,” she said with a levity she wasn’t feeling, trying to calm her agitated nerves.
Jared grinned at her. “Then we’ll make it bigger. That’s one good thing about having a lot of billionaires in one town. There will be plenty of money around to help with improvements.”
Mara could think of plenty of benefits, the most important one being that Jared would be in Amesport often. She opened her mouth to answer him, but her attention was taken away from Jared as Hope sat down on her husband’s lap in a recliner and spoke more quietly. “Since we’re all here right now, there’s something else I need to tell you. I hid some things from all of you, and I’m sorry.”
Mara saw Jason’s face change instantly, his expression immediately concerned, his eyes growing dim as he ran a hand up and down Hope’s back. “Sweetheart, maybe now isn’t the best time . . .” Jason started to speak gravely.
“It is,” Hope interrupted. “We’re never all together, and I want them to know the truth. We’re going to be close again, living in the same place. I need this for closure, Jason. I don’t want to go on living a lie with my family. I love them. It’s time.”
Mara watched the interplay between Hope and Jason as they looked at each other, so much communicated without words, before Jason finally nodded his handsome blond head reluctantly. It was a signal that he was standing beside Hope no matter what.
The beautiful, auburn-haired Hope opened her mouth to speak, but her voice was weak and tremulous. “I lied. I’ve been lying to all of you for years until recently.”
“Why?” Grady asked, sounding confused as Emily slipped her hand into Grady’s from their place on a love seat.
“How?” Dante questioned gruffly as Sarah wrapped an arm around her fiancé’s shoulders from her place in his lap in another chair.
Mara reached for and clasped Jared’s hand, sensing that whatever Hope was going to say would impact the Sinclair siblings emotionally.
Tears sprang to Hope’s eyes, and she tried to continue. “I-I hid things,” she said in a voice heavy with sorrow.
Evan’s voice boomed from his position in another recliner across the room from Hope. “She went to school for photography, a fact that none of us really knew. We all thought she was getting a useless degree, but in fact she graduated as a very talented photographer and started making her living traveling around the globe on risky assignments as an extreme weather photographer. She never shared what she was doing or where she was going because she knew we’d stop her.” Evan turned his ice-blue eyes toward his sister as she gaped at him. “And damn right we would have if we had known. She would have had protection around the clock.” Evan’s voice was matter-of-fact, but his eyes never left Hope. “While she was in India chasing a cyclone, she was kidnapped, tortured, and . . .” Evan coughed into a fisted hand before he got out the last words. “She was repeatedly beaten, assaulted, and raped.”
For the first time, Mara heard a note of anguish and remorse in Evan’s usually ice-cold voice as he spoke the last sentence. His face was still neutral, but he hadn’t been able to hide how he felt about what had happened to Hope. Mara squeezed Jared’s hand as she saw the disbelieving, tortured look on his face.
“How did you know?” Hope asked Evan flatly, lowering her eyes to her lap.
“I didn’t know until after you were involved with Sutherland, or I would have done something to prevent your dangerous activities. I only sent investigators on your trail when you disappeared in Colorado. I got the sense that everything wasn’t quite what it seemed,” Evan replied, his voice stern and angry.
“I was found the same day,” Hope argued.
“I didn’t give a shit,” Evan snapped. “You’re my baby sister, and I wanted to know what the hell I was missing.”
“What the fuck happened after you were kidnapped?” Jared growled.
“Who the hell did it?” Dante asked angrily.
“We’ll kill the bastard,” Grady interjected furiously.
“He’s dead,” Hope explained quietly. “He was a political radical and crazy. Our Special Forces were already tracking him in a top-secret mission because they knew he was hiding in India. They saved my life, and they killed him when they stormed the remote building he was using for cover. He was holding me there.” Hope took a deep breath before adding, “I’m sorry I lied to you all. After the way we were brought up, I just wanted to be free. You’re all overprotective, and I love that about all of you, but I needed to live my own life.”
Hope answered all of her brothers’ rapid-fire questions, trying to smooth over all of the hurt feelings. The women all backed up Hope’s decision, pointing out to their men that they were all overprotective, and that Hope had a right to her own life. Even if meant that she had to lie to them to get her independence.
“I admire your work, Hope,” Mara told her during a rare period of silence. Hope had mentioned her professional name of H. L. Sinclair while everyone had been arguing. “I’ve never seen any of your extreme weather pictures, but I have actually seen some of your nature shots. I wanted some prints to put on my wall a while ago, and I came across some of your photos. They’re extraordinary.” She looked around her, noticing every set of eyes in the room was on her. “Hope is incredibly talented. Have any of you actually ever seen her photographs?”