Targeted (Firebrand Book 1) by Sandra Robbins

shouldn’t ask questions like that.”
    Ash chuckled and waved his hand in dismissal. “It’s all right, Lainey.” He cleared his throat and extended his hand. “Only in battle. I’m glad to finally meet you, Max.”
    Max placed his hand in Ash’s and smiled. As he closed his fingers around the boy’s, Ash felt a quick surge of something like an electric shock race through his body. He’d never felt it before, and he couldn’t explain it. It was as if his brain had fired a synapse that triggered an immediate bond between him and his brother’s child. Maybe that’s what Richard had felt for him when they were children and why he had always been there for him.
    He studied Max and frowned. The brown eyes, the dark hair, the athletic stance that was already evident in Max, none of it resembled Richard nor Lainey. Max reminded him more of his father who Ash had always taken after.
    “You look a lot like my father. Have you ever seen his picture?” Ash asked.
    Max nodded. “Mom’s showed me pictures of all my family. I don’t remember my dad so I look at them to remind me of him.” A sheepish grin pulled at his mouth. “I look at your pictures a lot, too. I sure am glad you came home, Uncle Ash.”
    Ash blinked at Max’s sincere tone. This boy had touched a nerve deep inside him, and for the first time he wished he’d come home years ago. “I’m glad I came, too.”
    Lainey who’d been quiet ever since Max entered the room walked over and put her hand on her son’s shoulder. “Why don’t you go wash up?” She turned to Ash. “Millie is still the cook, but I gave her the day off. I have some food in the kitchen, and we can all sit down for brunch.”
    “Okay. I’ll be right back.” Max turned and charged from the room.
    Ash listened to his footsteps as they pounded up the stairway before he turned to Lainey. “He’s a great kid, Lainey. You’ve done a good job with him. Richard would be pleased.”
    Her chin trembled, but she smiled. “Thank you, Ash. I’m glad you two hit it off. Max has been very excited about your coming home. In fact he has something he wants to ask you.”
    “Oh, what’s that?”
    “It has to do with a school function. I’ll let him ask you when. . .” The ringing of the telephone interrupted her, and she walked to the desk, picked it up, and frowned. “Caller ID says it’s an unknown number.”
    It rang several more times before she finally answered. “Hello.”
    Her frown grew deeper as she listened to the caller. “Yes, he’s here. Just a minute.” She held out the phone to him. “Someone wants to talk to you.” 
    Ash took the phone and held it to his ear. “DeHan, here. Who is this?”
    “It doesn’t matter who I am. I wanted to make sure you made it home all right.”
    He didn’t recognize the voice, but he felt like he’d encountered the accent somewhere before. “What do you want?”
    “I want many things, Mr. DeHan. Right now I want you to remember.”
    Ash frowned. “Remember what?”
    “Lugar de la Vergüenza, You remember that, don’t you?”
    Ash gasped and gripped the phone tighter. “Yes, I remember.”
    “So do I. You’re going to pay, Mr. DeHan. You and your brother’s pretty wife and that good looking kid. You’re all going to pay.”
    “Why are you. . .” But Ash knew it made no difference what he’d intended to ask. The caller had already disconnected the call.
    He slowly lowered the phone from his ear and stared down at it in his hand. The question of why someone wanted him home had just been answered, and he didn’t like what he’d found out. Movement behind him caught his attention, and he looked over his shoulder. Lainey, a worried expression on her face, had stepped up next to him.
    “Who was that?”
    “Someone who just gave me a lead on who who might be behind this plan to get me home.”
    When he didn’t say more, she stepped closer. “And?”
    “Somebody from one of my missions down in Mexico.” A slight