Chase choked out.Could it be possible? Who else could it be, in my home? If she had survived, she would have perfect motive to set up a checkpoint. No one would better understand the need for a safe house.She’s alive. She doesn’t know I’m alive. She’s looking for me. She’s putting herself in danger.She needs me.My hands covered my mouth, as though I’d been speaking my stream of panicked thoughts aloud. I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t make them real. Hope was a dangerous thing. Too much hope in a time like this could destroy a person. Set up unrealistic expectations. Yes. Best to proceed with caution.“It’s a trap,” Sean said. “Think about it. Why else would a checkpoint in her name come up now, while the Bureau’s hunting for the sniper? They’re baiting you.”My heart sank like a stone. Sean’s assessment seemed far more likely than the alternative that my mother was actually alive.“The Chicago carrier had us look up the name and address a week ago. Before they framed you,”
