Theo was twenty-five when he discovered something that would change his life -- his adoption certificate, with any information about his birthmother other than her given names, Lilliana Nichole, blacked out. His father is dead and his mother away on business, so he can't ask them why they hadn't told him he was adopted ... and why the certificate had been defaced. He decides his only recourse is to hire a private detective agency to search for Lilliana.<br><br>It doesn't take long for Ric Baron of Moore Investigations to determine that locating Lilliana might be impossible. But he's more than willing to give it his all for the interesting young man who asked for the agency's help.<br><br>Soon after Ric begins his search, he receives a threatening email from someone who wants him to stop looking for Lilliana. From there, things escalate as Ric and Theo deal with the aftermath of the threat and their growing interest in each other. Can they learn the man's identity before he discovers Theo is Lilliana's son and goes after him? Only time will tell.

A Secret Uncovered

“You can have a beer, or whatever,” Theo told him. “I’m sticking to coffee because I need a clear head on the drive to the airport.”


“Coffee’s fine. I’m not much of a drinker.”


The waiter left, at which point Theo looked at the menu. He was glad there were burgers. His stomach was too nervous to handle anything more.


When the waiter returned, Theo ordered a plain burger while Ric opted for the sautéed chicken breast with green chili. While they waited for their meals to arrive, Ric gave Theo a recap about what he’d learned so far.


“You would think, with a name like Lilliana, finding her wouldn’t be hard,” Ric said in conclusion.


“Maybe she changed it?” Theo suggested. “If she didn’t want anyone to know about the adoption…Well, if it were me, that’s what I’d do. There must have been a pretty strong reason there was a cover up, and why my parents were involved in it.”


Chapter 13