Luis finished the form he was completing and looked up to find a familiar figure entering the station house.
"Mike." Luis stood up and extended his hand. "It's good to see you."
"It's good to see you, too, Luis." Mike shook his hand. "I hope I'm not intruding, but Sheridan told me that you might be able to help me."
"You're not intruding at all," Luis said. "I'd be happy to see if there's any information I can dig up for you."
"Thank you, man." Mike bowed his head. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help."
"I'm happy to help you, Mike." Luis sat back down and motioned to the chair in front of his desk. "You deserve to know the truth."
Mike seated himself. "I just wish I knew more about who my birth parents are."
Luis frowned and rubbed his chin. "It must be horrendous not to know."
"It is at times," Mike admitted. "I mean—don't get me wrong—I'm proud of the life I've built, but, sometimes, I feel like I'm missing a part of myself."
"I can't even imagine how that feels." Luis crossed his arms over his chest. "My father went missing when I was younger, but at least I knew who he was."
"Yeah, I have so many questions in my head," Mike said. "Like who are these people who created me? What makes them tick? What led them to make the decisions they did?"
Luis frowned for a moment and then sat up. "Are you prepared for any possibility? I mean, given the circumstances, I'm sure you've thought about this—we may discover things you don't want to hear."
"It's all I've been thinking about since Sheridan called me," Mike said, "—and for years before that, honestly. I know this story isn't likely to have a happy ending, but I still need to pursue it."
Mike's eyes fell to the desk. "These missing pieces have been nagging at me for years." Gathering himself, Mike looked back up at Luis. "Even if the answers are not what I want to hear, at least I'll finally be able to move on with my life."
Eve checked her watch and then glanced over at the door she had used to enter the station house's meeting room. Sam said he'd be back here any minute now—what was taking him so long?
He said he had news to share about Alistair.
She could only hope that it was good news: This ongoing search for her son was already nerve-racking enough.
Eve closed her eyes and took a deep breath in.
Things were going to turn out all right. Everything was going to be okay.
She had finally made some progress with Whitney; there was no reason to think other situations in her life wouldn't start going her way.
"Eve?"
Eve's head snapped up. "Ju . . . Julian?"
Eve's heartbeat accelerated as Julian entered the meeting room, Sam right behind him.
Julian swallowed hard and bowed his head. "It's good to see you, Eve."
Eve's heart raced. "I . . . I thought Luis was joining us, too."
Sam put down the folder he was holding and closed the door behind him. "Luis just got tied up with something else."
Julian looked at the chair next to Eve and then at her.
A lump forming in her throat, Eve inched over her chair to give him more space.
"Thank . . . thank you." Julian gave her a quick smile and then seated himself on the chair.
Sam glanced back and forth between them and then sat down across from them. "Thank you both for coming here. I think you'll be pleased with what I found out."
Eve's heart skipped a beat. "Does that mean you really have good news?"
"Yes, it does." Sam smiled at Eve. "I heard from Hal earlier this morning: As soon as Alistair's awake and able to be moved, he'll be heading for a maximum-security, isolated cell where he'll be guarded twenty-four hours a day."
"What about all of the people he hires to do his dirty work?" Julian leaned forward. "Will they still have access to him?"
"No, they won't." Sam looked at Julian. "All of his visitors will have to be preapproved. On top of that, all of his interactions are going to be videotaped and monitored by someone from the FBI."
"So, he'll have absolutely no way of sending anyone out to foil our plans or hurt our son?" Julian's voice filled with disbelief.
"Yes, that's the plan." Sam nodded at Julian and turned to Eve. "If Alistair is scheming, then we're going to know it. You won't have to worry about your son."
Sam tucked the folder under his arm as he walked Julian and Eve out toward the station's main room.
"Thank you so much for everything you're doing to help us, Sam," Eve said. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."
Sam paused at the door. "I'll do whatever I can, Eve. Hopefully, now that Alistair's security plan has been finalized, Hal will be able to push even harder with his investigation to find your son."
"I hope so," Eve replied, following Sam and Julian into the main room of the station house.
Sam turned to Luis, who was rising up from the chair behind his desk. "Luis, when you're finished with what you're working on, why don't you catch up with us?"
Luis looked at them, his eyes freezing on Eve. "Eve? Julian? I didn't realize your meeting would finish up so quickly."
The man Luis had been meeting with turned around to face them.
Luis's eyes flew to Mike and then back to Eve and Julian. "Eve, Julian, this is Mike."
Luis shifted on his feet. "Mike," Luis continued, his eyes glued to Eve as she, Julian, and Sam crossed the room to his desk, "this is Sheridan's brother, Julian, and our friend Eve."
"Nice to meet you," Mike said, smiling softly at them.
"Mike runs a youth center down in Boston," Luis explained as Mike shook hands with Julian. "He's been helping us start a mentoring program with the kids here in Harmony."
"Oh, yes, Sheridan was telling me about that," Julian said. "My sister is so impressed with you."
"Thank you," Mike said. "She's doing some pretty impressive things herself. I really admire everything she's doing with those kids."
"Yes, Sheridan does have a really big heart." Eve shook Mike's hand, her eyes catching on his—her fingers going limp in his hand.
"Would anyone like some coffee?" Sam asked.
"I'll take some." Eve's eyes remained fixed on Mike's, her hand falling to her side.
"Eve?" Sam asked. "Don't you want some salt?"
"Yes—of course." Eve snapped out of her daze and accepted the coffee and salt packet from Sam.
Mike grinned as Eve tore open the packet and tapped some salt into her cup. "I thought I was the only person on the planet who puts salt in my coffee."
"Eve thinks my coffee is too bitter," Sam laughed.
Stirring her drink, Eve took a sip of the coffee and smirked at him. "That's because it is too bitter, Sam."
Luis's breath caught in his chest, his eyes widening.
Yes, maybe it was a coincidence, but he had never met anyone other than Eve who salted their coffee.
And Sam's coffee wasn't that bitter.
