Chasing Lies

by Sara Claridge

  Kate could feel the credit for all her hard work slipping through her fingers. “There’s no need. I have a contact in the French government. He’s meeting me there. If anything should go wrong, he’s my back up. Once I’ve got it confirmed, then we can take action.”

  Her phone beeped with an incoming text. “That’s him. I’ve got to go. I’ll call as soon as I know more.”

  Kate hung up quickly before she had to disobey a direct order.

  THE TRAFFIC WAS light as the taxi made its way to the portside address. Etienne turned his head to study the driver for a moment before dismissing him as being of little consequence. He might make some money by telling someone where he’d dropped off a fare, but it was unlikely that he was waiting for an opportunity to kidnap or kill him.

  Etienne leant back into the seat and relaxed a little. He should be elated that Mercier had invited him to a private meeting. But everything felt wrong. Not least because he was riding in the taxi alone. He let out a sigh of frustration.

  Kate might hold one of the key pieces in this puzzle, but she was too innocent to be caught up in this. She didn’t understand the danger, or the risk.

  He’d seen the thrill in her eyes after the taxi ride in Avignon. It scared him that he was introducing her to another world. A world she wasn’t prepared for, where people would as soon kill you as persuade you they were your best friend.

  A grimace crossed his lips as the irony of his thoughts sank in. People just like him. She’d think he’d double crossed her again. He could picture her anger. Perhaps it was a good thing. She’d move on. A little more cynical, a lot wiser as to the lengths criminals were prepared to go. Maybe she’d even add a note to his file.

  Better that than chasing criminals across the four corners of the earth. Except that look in her eyes just before she said she wanted him held a strange appeal. One that made him wonder what could be if only things were different.

  The taxi swerved to the left and came to a halt outside a brick warehouse. Etienne ran a hand through his hair. Now wasn’t the time for distractions.

  He paid the driver and reached for the door handle, his mood lighter than it had been a few moments before.

  In some respects the building was exactly what Etienne had been expecting, and in others it was a far cry from the sort of exclusive galley event Mercier had intimated. Then again, if there were only one or two paintings available perhaps his clientele would prefer the low profile aesthetics.

  He knocked on the metal door positioned on the right of the brick warehouse and glanced up at the camera so they could see his face. The door opened and a man as tall as him, but much more muscular, filled the gap.

  “Oui?”

  “Etienne Castel. I’m here at the invitation of Andre Mercier.” The guy stood to one side and he stepped in. Another guy searched him for weapons while the door closed behind him with a resounding thud.

  “Suivez-moi.” The doorman spat out the words in a guttural tone that would make a normal person want to run in the opposite direction, not follow him into the dimly lit warehouse.

  But the rush of adrenaline coursing through Etienne’s blood was the familiar high that gave him focus. Everything he’d been working on since the summer was about to reach its climax, and it was hard to say how it would all play out. Madame Morrier’s warning rang in his ears, but dying wasn’t on his agenda today.

  The doorman led him up a metal staircase to a mezzanine level that overlooked the warehouse on one side and a series of doorways on the other. The end door was closed, and the metal grid walkway came to an abrupt end. Etienne glanced back down the stairs. Only one way in and out. Not the best of scenarios, but he’d been in tighter spots.

  The first two rooms they passed were dark and empty. At the third doorway, the guy rapped his knuckles on the doorframe and peered in. “Castel is here.”

  Etienne couldn’t hear the reply, but from the way the guy stepped aside he presumed he was supposed to enter. The windowless room was almost as empty as the ones they’d passed, except for a couple of uncomfortable looking chairs. No paintings. No works of art. No one else in the room beside Mercier. As he’d feared, this was a setup.

  “Monsieur Castel, how good of you to come, and punctual, too.” Mercier walked across from what Etienne could now see was a rectangular object hidden in the shadows of the corner.

  “I hope I’m not too early,” he said casually. “I was expecting more people.”

  “They’ll be arriving a little later. I thought we could use this time to have a little chat.”

  Etienne glanced at his watch. “I’m not sure I can spare the time. I have another appointment later on. Perhaps you can just give me a preview of the exhibits.”

  Mercier smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Let’s stop playing games, shall we?”

  “Okay. I believe you have something that I would be very interested in purchasing.”

  “Castel, cut the crap. We both know you are here for one reason only, and that is to steal my painting.” Mercier walked towards the open doorway before turning back to Etienne. “You know it’s really irritating that people like you have all the wealth in the world, and yet you still want things for free.”

  Etienne refrained from pointing out that the painting was stolen. It might not make it technically free by the time Mercier had paid people off, but it would certainly give him a record return on investment.

  Judging by Mercier’s body language, this situation was going downhill fast. He’d hoped that he’d have more of an opportunity to confirm the painting was there before having to show his hand. Perhaps he could keep Mercier talking for a bit longer. “So why invite me?”

  Mercier sneered. “Because I knew it would be too much for you to resist and that it would be the easiest way to get rid of you.”

  Etienne ignored the threat. “I think you’ll find my money as good as anybody’s.”

  “Surely you didn’t think that I would be naive enough to believe that you were actually going to buy the painting from me?”

  “How else would I obtain it?”

  Mercier’s brow furrowed with incredulity as he shook his head. “Your name is not exactly unknown in my circles. Naturally when you introduced your assistant the other night, I drew the obvious conclusion that you were in fact here to relieve me of my painting.”

  What the hell did Kate have to do with Mercier thinking he was going to rob him? “You shouldn’t listen to gossip. I haven’t done a fraction of the things written about me.”

  “Come now. You’re too modest. I hear you had quite an interesting summer.” Mercier smiled to himself. “No, Monsieur Castel, I’m not interested in your money. I have a different proposition for you. Take a seat.” He indicated to the chair behind Etienne.

  “I’d rather stand, thanks.”

  Mercier pursed his lips and shrugged. “Georges.” Immediately, the guy who’d shown Etienne into the room reappeared, filling the doorway. “Show our guest to a chair.”

  No more words were needed. One glance at Georges’ muscles was enough to convince Etienne that now was not the time to put up a fight. He might end up injured when he sensed he’d probably need all his strength later.

  He sat on the chair and immediately his hands were thrust behind him. The action held his arms stretched taut, but he made sure to keep his thumbs facing each other before the familiar sound of a cable tie being zipped tightened them together.

  “Rather than you take the painting, how about you give me the necklace and the chanson? The real one. Not some fake you passed off.”

  Etienne smirked. “I’m surprised it fooled them for so long.”

  “Those idiots!” Mercier raised his hands in disbelief. “I sent them away for wasting my time. I don’t think they were very impressed by you off-loading a duplicate onto them.”

  “That’s what you get for working with thieves. I prefer a more honest route. What price are you asking?”

  A glint came into Mercier
’s eyes, and Etienne’s gut clenched in warning. Perhaps he should have resisted earlier.

  “I have a far more persuasive bargaining chip than cash.” He turned to Georges. “Please show in our guests.”

  Etienne could hear a commotion in the room next door. His heart sank as he recognised Kate’s defiant tone refusing to go anywhere without further explanation. She should have known better.

  He mentally kicked himself. He should have known better than to think she’d have stayed away.

  Footsteps clanged on the metal walkway. Etienne swung his gaze to the doorway. Kate’s face held a mutinous expression as she met his gaze, and he forced down the urge to try and break free of his restraints to go to her. But it was Didier’s bulky form following her in behind that sent his temper rising.

  Not that he was surprised to see him. Ever since Mercier mentioned Paris at the gallery event, he’d figured the list of likely suspects for their mole had been whittled down to just one. The fact that Kate’s hands were tied in front of her and Didier wasn’t restrained in any way only added weight to the obvious conclusion.

  “I presume no introductions are necessary.” Mercier gestured with his hand between them all. “You all seem well acquainted with each other. Although I must say your choice of assistant did surprise me, Castel. Aren’t you worried she’ll double-cross you?”

  “We both know she’s not my assistant.” Etienne kept his voice steady. It wouldn’t do either him or Kate any good if Mercier picked up on the tension between them. “She’s just an insurance investigator. Let her go. She’ll do you no harm.”

  Mercier’s gaze narrowed. “Is that what she told you?”

  His tone was almost pitying, and the back of Etienne’s neck started to itch. Had he missed a crucial point?

  “Tsk tsk, Castel. With all that wealth, I thought you’d have a bit more intelligence.”

  Etienne looked across at Kate. Her complexion had paled even further since she’d come into the room. She lifted her head slightly. Brown eyes that had burned with blazing passion just a short time ago held a hint of resignation as if she knew what was coming.

  His gut tightened. There was a possibility that Mercier was playing with him, but the malicious glee in his step as he crossed the room said otherwise. Mercier took Kate’s chin in his hand and raised her head as if to admire her more closely before turning back to Etienne.

  “May I introduce you to Elise MacAlister? Daughter of one of Scotland’s most revered drug lords. Or at least he was until he met an untimely death last year.”

  Etienne cursed himself silently. He should have listened to his first instinct and not been taken in by that wide eyed innocent look and those damned kissable lips that even now he wanted to take without mercy, to punish her as much as she surely had punished him. To think he’d been worried about her and instead she’d practically signed his death warrant with this little stunt.

  “I recognised you the moment we walked into the gallery.” Mercier’s fingers ran up Kate’s jawline, and she flinched. “You’re so much like your mother it was unmistakable.”

  Etienne strained against the ropes. He might want to strangle her himself, but there was no way he could sit here and watch Mercier paw her with an expression of lust in his eyes.

  “Do you taste as sweet as she did?”

  A strangled sound escaped Etienne’s throat. Mercier turned towards him and laughed mirthlessly. “Got you wrapped around her little finger, has she? I wouldn’t bother with the emotion. Her mother was a whore. I can see from your expression that her daughter is following in her footsteps. Luring men in, giving them a taste of what they desire, only to vanish in the dead of night.”

  Kate’s eyes blazed with anger as she shook her head free of Mercier’s touch. “Don’t you dare speak about my mother that way. She tried to do what was best for me.”

  “But it wasn’t long until someone gave her up, was it, Elise?”

  Her flushed cheeks paled as the enormity of Mercier’s words sunk in.

  “So Monsieur Castel, are you ready to hand over your little bauble yet?”

  “Unfortunately I don’t have it with me.”

  “Really? You come to do a deal but don’t have the goods on you. What kind of negotiation tactic is that?”

  “As it turns out, a very wise one.”

  Kate stepped in front of Mercier. “You don’t need the necklace. I’ve seen the inscription. If you’re looking to do a deal, then talk to me.”

  Mercier laughed. “You still don’t get it, do you? I work in cash, not dreams. That painting and lover boy’s necklace have already fetched a good price. I don’t need the chanson. What I need is the necklace.” He glanced over Kate’s shoulder and met Etienne’s gaze. “The real one.”

  By the pissed look in Mercier’s eyes, they were running out of time. He needed to stop reeling from the shock of Kate and get his head back in the game. Time enough to figure out everything else later. If they made it out alive.

  “Didier’s supplied your poems and the notes, which will sweeten the deal, but all I ever needed to complete the transaction was the painting and the necklace.”

  He pushed Kate back towards Georges. “Alors, Castel, what’s it to be? You hand it over or we’ll see what Elise knows about its whereabouts. Georges here does so enjoy a challenge.”

  “Don’t we get to see the painting? I could be handing over the necklace when you don’t have the other half of the deal, anyway. Maybe your buyer would rather do a deal with the owner of the property.”

  “We both know that necklace was stolen over a decade ago. I think ‘owner’ might be too strong a term.” Mercier pursed his lips, then shrugged. “I suppose I have nothing to lose. You might as well see beauty before death.”

  At Mercier’s nod of assent, Georges removed the wooden fascia of the crate, revealing the painting beneath. From this distance it looked real enough.

  Kate walked over to the painting with a determined air. She peered at the brush strokes as if inspecting it for its originality, before standing to one side as if to consider it from a different angle.

  “Most impressive. I see now how the poems and the inscription fit in.”

  Was she stalling for time or was Mercier right? Even if her job as an insurance investigator was real, that didn’t mean she wasn’t looking for a little deal on the side.

  Movement in his peripheral vision drew his attention to the man he’d thought was a friend. He was surrounded by traitors. Not that he should be surprised. He’d let himself be sidetracked by a pair of beautiful eyes.

  “Really?” Mercier’s tone sounded doubtful. “How is it that you can suddenly see what no one has been able to before?”

  “Because until this point it’s very unlikely anyone has seen all three pieces in one place for at least a few hundred years. The painting may have been on display, but the necklace and the chanson have remained hidden.”

  “So what links the three?”

  “Not until we agree to a deal. If we work together, we could be as rich as kings.” She raised her hands. “You can start by removing the ties around my wrists.”

  “We have your papers and files. I don’t need you, Elise. Just like your father dispensed with your mother once her usefulness had expired. No one likes someone else’s seconds.” A faint smile crept across Mercier’s face. “Although I could have gone back for more.”

  Kate looked nauseous for a moment but recovered well. She must realise what was at stake here. “You don’t have everything. Some pieces are still missing. Ask Didier. I don’t always share everything.”

  “Slept with him, too, did you?”

  Etienne fought down his anger.

  Mercier paused by the painting as if considering her offer. “I’ve a buyer already lined up. I don’t care what you’ve discovered or where the treasure is. Cash works for me every time.”

  He straightened and walked towards the doorway. “We’ve wasted enough time. Georges, search Castel. If you
don’t find the necklace, then strip the girl and see if she has it.”

  The burly guard approached him with a steely expression in his eyes, but Etienne was in no mood to put up a fight. “Left jacket pocket.”

  “See? That was easy enough, wasn’t it.” Mercier held out his hand and Georges slipped the necklace into his palm. “Much more sensible than that chap in the hospital. Wouldn’t say a word about what he knew.”

  Shock registered on Kate’s face, but Etienne couldn’t say he was surprised at the unspoken admission.

  Mercier turned the necklace over to study the other side before directing his gaze to Georges. “Make sure they are secure and lock the door. I’ll be back in an hour. This had better be the real one, Castel.”

  “Otherwise what? You’ll shoot me? Since you’re planning on killing me anyway, it’s hardly a threat.”

  “Not straightway. I’ll let you watch while we have a little fun with Elise first. Has she told you how her mother died?”

  Kate let out a small gasp. He wasn’t sure if it was because Mercier had the necklace, her shock at their inevitable fate, or whether Mercier’s odious comment rang true. If Mercier got his way, then the painting and the necklace would be lost forever. And presumably a rather irate insurance customer would not be happy that a version of his poem that he’d guarded for years was now more widely available.

  What was it she’d said before? I’ve faced worse, and survived.

  The turmoil in his stomach calmed as he regarded Kate. She’d no more duped him than she had Mercier.

  Bordel. He had a lifetime of secrets he’d never shared with anyone. Why shouldn’t she?

  Something tragic had happened in her past. He’d been certain of that before today, but that didn’t make her the person Mercier wanted him to believe. His instinct had been right all along. The woman before him was the same independent, beautiful person he’d left behind for her own protection.

  Except of course she was always too strong willed to accept it. His lips rose in a wry smile. It was time to divert attention.