Redemption Read Online Free

prompted him to do a name search through The Portland Tribune home page.
    He actually got three hits off the name Rebecca Swift. The first, an engagement announcement for a couple in their fifties. He discounted that one because the voice he had heard was much too young. The second Rebecca Swift, had placed as the runner up in the Miss Teen Portland pageant the previous year. Too young.
    The third was an article about an FBI agent named Rebecca Swift. She was the lead on a federal murder case that had taken place at the Portland facility of The Manchester Group. Bingo! That was the same company that Lily had worked for in Boston.
    He logged onto The Manchester Group homepage. He had never questioned Lily about her job, as she never thought it was that exciting. He had no idea the group had seven offices in the States and several scattered throughout the globe. This just brought on a whole new plethora of questions, ones he didn’t know if he wanted the answers to.
    He didn’t know Rebecca; therefore, she must be able to help him. Lily had said, after all, that he didn’t know anyone who would know where she was. Ian decided to make a list of all the things he did know about Lily. Which ones were true though?
    She had told him that she was an only child. That she had lost her parents while she was still in college. She was left a substantial inheritance, but liked having a career. He never really understood what an investment banker did, but she seemed to enjoy it, so he never questioned it. She loved working for The Manchester Group because she was able to travel, one of her favorite obsessions. She had friends located all over the world. Her flexible schedule and large amount of funds at her disposal gave her the opportunity to travel often. Yet, since meeting Ian, she had never planned another trip.
    As far as past romances, he only knew of one. She only ever talked about one; Ryan. She said they had met while she was visiting an old family friend in London. Ian assumed that that meant he was British. They had a short courtship, as she called it. They became engaged, but soon after, her parents died and she had to return to the States. After trying a long distance relationship for a while, she was settling the estate and trying to finish school, it just didn’t work out. By the time she was done with school, it was too late for them. Very vague. He knew that wasn’t the whole story, but didn’t want to push it for fear of reopening old wounds.
    Most of their time was spent in each others arms. Dancing in the moonlit garden behind the townhouse. Making love that was intensified by the soundtrack of her favorite composer, Vivaldi. Talking about adventures to Italy, France, Spain, Egypt, and of course there was London. She would sit, content, to just listen to him play for hours.
    Then to the things he didn’t know. He had never asked where she was born or what her parents’ names were. Where she grew up or what schools she had attended. They just didn’t seem that important at the time. He knew none of her childhood friends, but perhaps Rebecca was one of them.
    He could hardly grasp the phone between his fingers as it rang. When he finally composed himself, he checked the caller ID. Rebecca.
    “This is Ian,” he answered before holding his breath.
    “Ian? It’s Rebecca Swift.” A soft woman’s voice beckoned him from the other end. He noticed how soothing it was and seemed to relax as he began.
    “Thank you for getting back to me so quickly.”
    “Not a problem. I knew if it was about Lily, it must be important.”
    This intrigued him. Lily must be very important to Rebecca. “I needed to get a hold of Lily. She’d given me your number…”
    “No she didn’t. Lily would never give out my number,” she replied, cutting him off.
    He was completely busted. She must have talked to Lily about him and now he had no idea where to go next.
    “She did say that if you found my number, you would call. Is that