Lie by Night: An Out of Darkness novel (Entangled Ignite)

by Marlowe, Cathy

She pushed her chair back and rolled her neck to release the tension, wishing she were upstairs on the secure floor with Cole. However, she lacked the Federal Secret Security Clearance required to enter, so that left her here doing research. Four hours yesterday, two so far today, and untold more to go. With a sigh, she rolled back in front of the keyboard. She’d just started another search when footsteps sounded in the aisle behind her, stopping next to her cubicle. She looked up to find an unexpected visitor. Grant.

  “We need to talk.” A frown marred his chiseled features.

  She searched his face, noting the tension around his eyes. “What’s up?”

  He glanced to either side. He lowered his voice. “It’s about…”

  A Weston employee approached, and Grant continued in a normal voice. “So, what do you say? Can I buy you lunch?”

  “Uh, sure.” What was Grant up to? She had no idea how long Cole would be in the war room, and she was hungry. She swallowed. Had he been about to say, it’s about Jacob?

  She logged off of the computer and followed him to the lobby, where they signed out at the security desk. The guard stopped them as they prepared to leave.

  “Excuse me, Ms. Bailey, Mr. Bridges. Where are you headed?”

  Emma looked at Grant, who responded with a resigned sigh. “We’re getting lunch at the deli across the street. I assume someone will be following us?”

  “Yes, sir. Keeping an eye out for Forrester’s men.” The guard stared at Emma, as if she needed a reminder that the men on the island had likely been tracking her.

  Grant opened the door for Emma. “Please keep a discreet distance,” he said.

  At the guard’s nod, they exited the building and crossed to the deli.

  At 11:00, the line moved quickly. After they purchased two turkey sub sandwiches, they found a quiet table in the corner by the window. Grant sat facing the entrance, while Emma settled across from him and nibbled at her sandwich.

  Grant’s sandwich remained untouched.

  She paused with her sandwich halfway to her mouth. “Not hungry?”

  “Emma.” He fiddled with his fork. “I’m truly trying to set my life right. Be a good father. Be a good friend.”

  He stopped. She frowned. He didn’t have to prove anything to her. “Okay.”

  “I didn’t tell you everything at Thanksgiving.” His voice lowered. “I need you to stay calm and just listen.”

  Her sandwich plunked onto her plate.

  Tension built between them as he picked up his tumbler of water and sipped. “I sent the note.”

  She stared at him, uncomprehending.

  “About the warehouse.” He inhaled a shaky breath and exhaled. “It was me.”

  “You?” Grant had known where Jacob was? She wanted to be angry he hadn’t told her everything immediately, but, instead, hope unfurled inside her.

  His eyes widened. He shook his head. “No, Emma, I don’t know where Jacob is. If I did, I would tell you. I promise.”

  Disappointment slammed into her chest. “Was he there?” Anger seeped into her voice. “Was he there, and no one found him because you didn’t tell Cole and Zach? You played games with his life?”

  As color leached from his face, Grant shook his head. “No, it wasn’t like that. I knew he had been there. I thought it might bring you closer to finding him.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “But it was a bad idea to send you there.”

  “Then why did you?”

  “It was all I had to offer.” He spread his hands wide, exasperated. “I didn’t think you’d be in danger. There hadn’t been any sign the island was still used for drug operations—of course, it would help if Zach and Cole had kept me informed of their plans to blow up the damned warehouse.”

  “Maybe they would have if you’d trusted them with everything you knew first,” she said quietly, but Grant wasn’t listening.

  “And I never, never would have sent the note if I’d known Alistair had escaped or that he might be watching you. I thought you’d fallen off his radar long ago.” Raking his hands through his hair, he forged on, “I should have known better. The old bastard never lets go. It was my fault—you know it was my fault Alistair targeted Jacob.”

  Nodding, she felt color leave her cheeks as well.

  “I didn’t do anything on purpose. I was trying to escape him and my father. They were controlling. Dangerous. I didn’t want any part of their life.” He cursed beneath his breath. “I used to think I was lucky that Alistair was more interested in Zach than me. That’s before I realized the old man had no intention of leaving me to live my own life even if he did consider me expendable.”

  Impatient, Emma tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Grant, you already told me this.” She stared at him, her voice turning hard. “But you didn’t tell me about the note. What else do you know?”

  He forged on, clearly set on a predetermined path of conversation. “Alistair was looking for young men to recruit. Jacob was his type. I believe he’s watched Jacob for years, waiting for the right time.”

  Emma closed her eyes. She knew this, and yet, the guilt was intense, even though the rational part of her mind knew it wasn’t her fault. Hell, it wasn’t Grant’s fault either that Forrester was some sort of greedy, evil sociopath.

  He pressed on. “They knew about Jacob because of me. Because of us.”

  A tear slipped down her cheek. She brushed it aside with the back of her hand, and then opened her eyes as he continued.

  “A couple of weeks ago, when I picked up Sam, I heard Zach and Cole talking about Jacob. I couldn’t say anything. Zach and Lizzie, they’re really trying to make things work with me. For Sam’s sake. I don’t want to jeopardize that, but if I’m really going to set my life straight, I have to make things right. So, I did some digging. I knew the island—and the warehouse—had been central to Alistair’s operation, and thought you might find some indication of Jacob’s whereabouts. I had no idea Zach and Cole already had plans for the place.” He emphasized this point again, reaching across the table to touch her hand. “I couldn’t go look for Jacob because I had to stay here.” He withdrew his hand and looked out the window. “I have to stay here.”

  “To protect Sam.”

  “Yes. She’s not central to Alistair’s plan, but I won’t let her be collateral damage, and he wouldn’t hesitate to use her to get Zach to do what he wants.” He leaned forward, his blue eyes gleaming with sincerity. “I still want to help you, but you can’t tell Cole. I’m working on an angle.”

  Collateral damage. This she understood, after all, it mirrored her fear for Jacob. But leaving Cole out of things at this point seemed…

  Dangerous.

  She frowned.

  “I have contacts because of my father. Contacts I’d really rather not have. If you want me to help, it requires secrecy. The men I know will go deep into hiding if they suspect Zach knows about them. And if Cole knows, Zach knows.”

  “Grant, I…” Her tentative protest floundered under the heat of his insistence.

  “Listen, Zach and Cole trust the men at Weston Security. But, they don’t know. No one really knows who the old man controls. The only way to be sure this contact doesn’t bolt is to keep it between us. Once we have solid information, we can loop in Cole.” A frown crossed his face as he looked over her shoulder. “I need to go. You do what you need to do, but I promise you can trust me to help you find your brother.”

  He rose and headed past her.

  She watched him partway down the aisle before turning to stare at the wall, deep in thought, until a familiar voice drew her attention.

  “Well, this is a surprise.”

  Emma looked up as Cole slipped in across from her. She attempted a smile. “Grant asked me to lunch.”

  He glanced at the plate in front of him. “It looks like he wasn’t very hungry.”

  “He wanted to apologize again.” She struggled with the choice before her. Should she tell him or not? Memories of the conversation betwee
n Cole and Zach haunted her.

  “You know I want to protect anyone caught in Alistair’s web. But if it we find out Jacob knew…it’ll be hard for Emma to accept.”

  “You can count on me, Zach.”

  And hadn’t Grant reinforced one of her fears? No one really knows who the old man controls.

  Cole’s first loyalty was to Zach and his family, Grant’s first loyalty to Sam. Her first loyalty had to be to Jacob. Although it gnawed at her gut, she admitted the truth. Smart or not, she believed both men wanted to help her. And while it didn’t bother her to keep information from Grant, she felt disloyal continuing to hide things from Cole.

  “It’s no big deal.” He shoved Grant’s plate aside and reached for her hand. “It makes me kind of happy that he had no appetite.” He rubbed his thumb across her knuckles in a slow and seductive pattern. He smiled. “Petty, I know.”

  She took a deep breath. “Cole, I…”

  “Hey listen, I need to tell you something, and I only have a few minutes.”

  The truth died on her lips.

  “I have to go back to France to check out a lead. It’s going to be a quick trip. I think it’s best if you stay here. At my place. I’ll only be gone a couple of days. Zach and Lizzie will look out for you.”

  The words rushed from him. Emma felt…relief. She had a couple of days to think about Grant’s bombshells—he’d sent her the note; he might have a source of information about Jacob. Until he had a lead, there wasn’t much to tell anyway.

  “Okay, I’ll stay.” Even as the words left her, she feared she’d taken the coward’s way out.

  …

  Cole couldn’t believe his ears. He’d expected her to insist on accompanying him. At a minimum, to question why he was going and what lead he was following. That’s the part he didn’t want to share with her. Because a man who looked like Jacob had appeared on surveillance photos at the drop site in Paris. Though there was no confirmation yet that it actually was Emma’s brother, the lead did not cast him in a positive light.

  He hoped his trip would disprove Jacob’s involvement, but if not, well, it was better if Emma weren’t there.

  “Okay. Well, I’ve got to run for the airport.” He came around the table and placed a lingering kiss on her lips, slipping his house keys into her hand. “I’ll be back by the end of the week. You’ll stay at my place?”

  She nodded, but her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. He saw questions brewing, and hurtling full force down the path of least resistance, he did his best to focus her on his agenda rather than her questions. “Hey, listen, I’m not trying to be all Neanderthal.” They both smiled. “But I don’t trust Grant. Please, lunch is one thing, but be careful around him.”

  Her smile faltered.

  He took a deep breath. She really wouldn’t like this next part. “I’ve assigned a guard to you.” He nodded toward a man near the door of the deli who raised one hand in salute. “That’s Joey. He’s going to stay close in case Forrester’s men show up.”

  “Cole, that’s not…” She stood, forcing Cole to take a step back.

  “Emma.” He raised his hand and placed his fingertips against her lips. “You’re in danger.” His fingers trailed from her lips to her jaw, tracing a path down her neck to curve around her nape. “Because you’re looking for Jacob, because of your association with me and the Westons. Please let Joey shadow you until I return. This will be over soon.” He prayed that was true.

  She searched his eyes then stood on tiptoe to press her lips to his. “Okay,” she whispered against his mouth. “You be careful as well.”

  He pulled her close for one final, fierce kiss, not caring if everyone in the deli stared. He spun and left the shop at a quick pace, not looking back.

  …

  Emma raised one hand to her lips. She sat back in her chair, staring blindly at her partially eaten meal. She hadn’t told the truth.

  But then, she suspected, neither had Cole. They’d each made choices. She feared those choices boded well for neither of them.

  …

  Ensconced in a five-star hotel in New York under an assumed name, Alistair relaxed with a tumbler of scotch.

  Things were proceeding nicely. Cole was a fool, thinking he could control things by placing Emma under Weston’s protection. Alistair could have snatched her before this, but he preferred a more strategic and ultimately more painful resolution. Divide and destroy, that was his plan.

  By the time he finished weaving his web of partial-truths and outright lies, they’d all be at each other’s throats—and just before he plucked the stolen data from Emma, he’d make sure they understood they’d been defeated by a master.

  Except, of course, Zach and dear, sweet Daniel. The prodigal son would return home again, courtesy of the amazing memory erasing drug developed by Grant’s dear departed father. It had rather pained him to kill Dr. Bridges, his oldest friend and most profitable business partner. But…the man had betrayed him.

  No one betrayed Alistair Forrester and lived to prosper.

  Then with Zach and Daniel safely at home, he could cease some of his riskier and more lucrative operations—the ones that required the recruitment of young but easily duped patriots—and rely solely on drug runners to keep his empire strong and profitable. After all, a man could only spend so much money. It was family that really mattered.

  He pressed speed dial. When the woman answered, he barely contained a chuckle at the trepidation in her voice. “He’s on his way.” Remembering his earlier promise, he added, “If you do this well, I’ll leave you in peace.” Until I need you again, he added to himself.

  Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord. And in this case, Alistair sat firmly in the position of Supreme Being.

  Chapter Twenty

  Cole had called twice since leaving the day before. He’d barely been gone for thirty-six hours, and she missed him.

  Emma wrapped up another fruitless day of research at Weston Security. Thus far, her only accomplishment in her search for Jacob was a heaping pile of frustration.

  She logged out, packed up her purse, and headed for Cole’s home, the ever present Joey trailing a discreet distance behind. At night, a man named William took Joey’s place, but during the day, it was always Joey. Emma sincerely hoped he was getting paid overtime.

  She halted abruptly and spun around. Joey had already stopped, unobtrusively lounging near the enormous fern that graced the building’s lobby.

  “Hey, Joey,” Emma called to the man. He glanced her way, expressionless. He was good. “Come on. I’m tired of being followed, and you have to be tired of watching me do nothing but search on the computer and then head home.”

  After the discussion about the little fruit tree, she’d turned down two invitations from Zach and Lizzie for dinner. She didn’t need her budding relationship with them distracting her. With Cole out of town, she’d focused intensively on what really mattered.

  Jacob.

  Joey joined her for dinner at a Chinese restaurant, where he loosened up enough to share a few stories about growing up on a farm. Then, he followed her to Cole’s house where once again, he searched the premises before making himself comfortable in the family room.

  Emma went to her room early, tired and needing time alone to think.

  A little after nine, her phone rang.

  She looked at the number. Blocked. Her hand trembled as she answered.

  “Hello?”

  “Emma.” Grant’s voice was hushed. “Can you get away from muscle man and meet me on the corner north of Cole’s house? I have a lead, but we don’t have much time.”

  A lead! After two days of following information that brought her no closer to Jacob, she had what might prove a real lead.

  “And Emma?” Grant paused, the urgency in his voice slamming her back into reality.

  “Yes?”

  “You’re a beautiful woman.”

  She frowned.

  “Try not to let that show.” He disconn
ected.

  Indecision held her frozen as precious seconds ticked by, her promise to stick close to Joey or his nighttime replacement warring with her excitement over a possible clue to her brother’s whereabouts. Then, the driving need find Jacob, no matter the cost, triumphed. She hurried to the kitchen, slowing as she passed through the family room where Joey watched television, and microwaved two cups of water for tea.

  Returning to the main room, she handed one cup to Joey.

  He smiled and thanked her. “You don’t have to wait on me.”

  “I know. It’s just, I appreciate your work.” Really, she did. Suppressing another wave of guilt, she added. “Oh, darn, I’m sorry, I forgot the sugar.” He liked his tea sweet.

  “No problem. I’ll get it.”

  As soon as he disappeared, Emma flew to the entry and disarmed the security system before rushing back upstairs.

  Three minutes later, Emma stepped onto the balcony off Cole’s room and dropped soundlessly to the ground. She had dressed in the same jeans, jacket, and jersey hat she’d been wearing when Cole crashed into her at the warehouse. With any luck, she and Grant would follow the lead and return with Joey and William none the wiser.

  She stayed hidden in the trees until she reached the street and then jogged north, her hair tucked under her hat. A dark car pulled up beside her. She kept running, her hand wrapped securely around her Mace. The window rolled down.

  “Get in,” Grant’s low voice called urgently.

  She darted around and slid in the passenger seat. He pulled back into the sporadic traffic.

  “Sorry for the cloak and dagger stuff. I found a guy who would talk with us. But he’s scared.” Grant glanced her way. “Everyone who knows Alistair is scared of him, whether they’re with him or against him. He’s a snake.”

  Memories of the snake-branch on the deserted island popped into her mind. She might get to use her pepper spray eventually.

  “We’re going to see Yuri. He was one of the carriers in Russia. I met him years ago, before I made my escape into Jack’s life.” His eyes sliced in her direction again, and his grim expression lightened. “Nice hat.”

  He drove for over half an hour. She watched the hands on the car clock tick slowly by, hoping Joey wouldn’t notice her absence.