Behind the Lies (A Montgomery Justice Novel)

by Perini, Robin

  Hamed followed the man from their house down the dusty road, the shacks and hovels framing his son’s brave figure. In triumph, the guerilla looked back at Farzam. Hamed raised his chin, but Farzam recognized the fear.

  He slammed the door and kicked at the flimsy chair in the corner. The thing shattered into pieces at his feet.

  He blamed Pendar, but truthfully, his brother-in-law had simply been a fool. The true cause of everything happening he could name. One man had caused his family to lose everything.

  Zane Morgan.

  Proof.

  If Farzam killed the CIA operative, maybe he could buy back Hamed’s life and soul. Of course, Zane Morgan had disappeared in the way of all lying devils, but Farzam would find him. There had to be a way.

  His wife came out of the kitchen, tears rolling down her cheeks, disappointment in her gaze. He had failed her. He wouldn’t fail his son.

  Slowly Farzam conjured a plan.

  “Get me a traveling bag,” he ordered his wife.

  In silence, she complied.

  Slowly, he packed a change of clothes and what little money he’d managed to hide away. He knew what he had to do to succeed in his quest. Bargain with those he despised, those who cared nothing for life. He would find Zane Morgan, and the man would pay just as Farzam’s family had paid. With his life. And his soul.

  Jenna hadn’t intended to sleep. She glanced at the window, but no light trickled between the shutters. Darkness had fallen on the cabin. She fingered the bandage on her forehead. How long had she been out?

  She swung her legs over the side of the bed, her feet warm on the heated floor. Zach Montgomery spared no expense for his creature comforts.

  Zach. The man made her flutter with conflicting emotions, and she refused to acknowledge the strange attraction haunting her. She felt safe with him, and she couldn’t believe she’d revealed so much to him. She still couldn’t understand why he wanted to help them. Who did that for someone he’d only just met?

  Jenna rose from the bed and took a survey of her body. Sore, but steady. The ache in her head had muted into a dull throb, and nausea no longer gurgled in her belly, threatening to rise to her throat.

  Which meant she would leave tomorrow. Into the unknown. With her son.

  Swallowing down the trepidation, Jenna padded toward the kitchen. Sam’s laughter trickled out to her, the sweet voice yanking on her heart. When was the last time she’d heard her son giggle quite that way?

  A low belly laugh followed and she pressed open the swinging oak door. Sam sat on a stool and threw mushrooms into a big pot. Spaghetti sauce laced with oregano wafted across the room. Her stomach rumbled.

  Forcing herself to smile despite the awkward way Zach had left her room, Jenna stepped to the stove, peering into the simmering pot. “So, a man who can cook, too? Are there any more surprises?”

  Zach gave her a wicked wink. “None with a G rating.”

  This was a different man from the one she’d met—he was a charmer and a flirt. Zach’s gaze slowly scanned her T-shirt and jeans. Heat rushed to Jenna’s cheeks. Nothing was sexy about this outfit, except that Zach seemed to pause on each and every curve. Jenna crossed her arms in front of her and focused on her son, anything she could do to keep her attention from the man who seemed to compel her gaze toward him with every movement.

  She flicked the hair off Sam’s forehead. “What are you doing, baby?”

  “The Dark Avenger is making sketti, Mommy. I’m helping.” Sam tossed in a few more mushrooms.

  “I can see that.”

  “Do you feel like being a sous chef?” Zach asked. “We could use a salad.”

  Jenna nodded and walked over to the counter where fresh lettuce and tomatoes waited on the counter.

  “Did you go to the store?”

  “As a distraction while you were in the CAT scan. Sam here said spaghetti was your favorite.”

  “Oh, he did, did he?” She nuzzled her little boy’s cheek. “It couldn’t be that someone here decided I liked spaghetti, because it’s his favorite food.”

  Sam gave Zach a sheepish look. “It’s really my favorite.”

  “I got that.” Zach grinned and sprinkled in a bit of cheese.

  So strange. A family cooking together. Like evenings she’d spent with her father after her mother had died. She’d wanted this with Brad, but she’d learned that first week of their marriage that Brad had very specific ideas of her role as a wife. At his beck and call. A hot meal when he chose to come home. She’d shoved the disappointment aside in exchange for her so-called perfect life. And yet, today, a movie star in a cabin in Colorado made her feel more a part of a family than her husband ever had.

  Jenna finished putting together the salad and set it on the table. “Anything else I can do?”

  “You must be feeling better. How’s the head?”

  “Could be worse.”

  A timer rang.

  “Grab the garlic bread from the oven,” Zach said. “The basket’s on the table.”

  Jenna tried to align the man she’d imagined to a man who had a bread basket. She quirked an eyebrow.

  “My mother. She gave all of us one for Christmas a couple years ago. Said since the only dish my brothers and I knew how to make was pasta—despite her desperate tutorials in the kitchen—the only way we’d get a girl to stay past one night was if she thought we were halfway civilized.”

  Jenna would love to meet the woman who clearly held the power in the Montgomery clan. “I think I’d like your mother.”

  “Everyone does,” Zach said.

  “Do you see her often?” Jenna asked as she carried the bread to the table.

  “Not enough.” His face fell a bit. “After my dad died. Well, it was hard.”

  Silence spread between them. Jenna could only offer the standard sympathy. “I’m sorry about your dad.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  Zach’s mask fell away. For a moment, Jenna caught sight of something she hadn’t expected. Real pain. Real suffering.

  An uncomfortable quiet settled over the kitchen, with the bubbling of sauce and Sam’s quiet humming the only sounds.

  Jenna cleared her throat. “I lost my dad, too. When I was fourteen. Car accident.”

  Zach touched her arm. “That must have been tough.”

  His hand was warm and comforting against her arm, but she couldn’t let herself lean into him. She had to be as strong as she’d been then. “I survived. Just like I’ll survive now.”

  Zach nodded, a speculative expression on his face, then he directed his attention to Sam. “OK, buddy. Time for dinner.”

  Sam yelled his approval then shot across the room to the table while Zach drained the pasta. He mixed in the sauce, then carried the steaming bowl over and set it next to the Romano cheese.

  Without comment, he pulled out Jenna’s chair for her and she slipped into the seat. His mother had definitely taught her son manners.

  In the next half an hour, Jenna laughed more than she had in years. Zach told her story after story about strange and unusual happenings on movie sets and location shoots. None of which answered the question of why he would have an elaborate escape plan ready. Should she ask him? Brad had taught her to be careful about questions.

  Dampening her aroused curiosity, she pushed her chair out. “First we do the dishes, then it’s time for bed, Sam.”

  “Aww, Mom.”

  “I mean it.”

  He bit his lip. “Where do I sleep?”

  “You can sleep with me,” she said, at the same time as Zach chimed in, “Down the hall.”

  She was dubious. “I don’t think—”

  “There’s a room with bunk beds. If Sam wants—”

  “Yes. Can I, Mommy? Please?”

  “Clean the dishes and no lip.”

  She’d never seen her son more eager. After helping with so much enthusiasm that several puddles had to be mopped, Sam brushed his teeth—with the toothbrush Zach had purchased beca
use he really had thought of everything.

  Jenna tucked her son into bed and settled down beside him. She toyed with his hair.

  He gazed up at her with not-completely-innocent eyes. She hated that he’d lost some of his childhood because of Brad’s temper…and that he’d lose more innocence once their life changed.

  “A story,” he pleaded. “Please.”

  She kissed his forehead. At least she could give him the gift of her father. Stories and dreams. She glanced over her shoulder. Zach wasn’t there. She let out a long breath. Searching for inspiration, she noted an outline of an iron bear hanging on the wall. “Once upon a time, in the forest of a magical land, a boy lived with his mother…”

  But not with his father.

  She’d barely gotten to the bear winning his magical powers from the wicked wizard when Sam began to snore softly in her arms. Quietly, Jenna rose, turned on the hall light, and left the door cracked open.

  She glanced around the living room and recognized the outline of Zach’s broad shoulders on the porch that surrounded his cabin.

  He sipped from a mug. She hesitated. Maybe she’d be better off just going back to bed. Her head still ached a bit, despite the ibuprofen she’d downed. Not so much because of the accident. Maybe more because of the uncertainty of tomorrow.

  She couldn’t stay. Brad would eventually find her. Of that, she had no doubt. She had to cut the last line between them—Zach.

  She eased open the outside door. Zach’s back stiffened a bit. She paused. “You want to be alone.”

  “Not really,” Zach said. “Sam asleep?”

  “It’s been an eventful day. He couldn’t stop talking about your secret room,” she said, her voice full of questions.

  Zach shrugged. “Just a computer room with some way-too-expensive toys.” He faced her and leaned back against the wooden railing. “I ran a quick search of the news websites in California. Brad hasn’t reported you or Sam missing. He doesn’t want the publicity.”

  “What does that tell you?” Jenna asked.

  “That your life is in danger. And you need me. You have since you hid out in my pool house.”

  A chill raced up her arms. “You knew I was there.”

  “I’m an observant kind of guy,” he said. “I saw the towel and the empty water bottles.” He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. “I didn’t know you’d stowed away in the truck, though. You surprised me, and that doesn’t often happen.”

  She stared at him as if he were an alien. “Who are you, Zach? Why do you say you can help me disappear? What’s the truth?”

  “I play a superhero on the silver screen,” he said. “You pick up a few things here and there.”

  She reached out a hand and laid it on Zach’s arm. His muscles tensed under her touch, but she didn’t let go. “You’re…not what I expected, Zach Montgomery. Why get involved?”

  “Everyone needs choices.”

  His warm, strong hand covered hers. Her breath stuttered at his hooded gaze. She still couldn’t get over the truth that he’d tried to help her when he didn’t even know her. Who did that?

  A hero?

  A real hero?

  Not a fake. Not a man who lived a lie. Not a man like her husband.

  Her husband.

  He lifted a finger to her cheek and trailed down the softness of her skin. She leaned into his touch.

  “You’re beautiful,” he said, his voice dropping low and husky.

  “Not like the women you know.”

  He raised her chin.

  “You’re real, Jenna. You have courage and guts. That makes you more beautiful than you realize.”

  His gaze dropped to her lips. Jenna’s body stilled, wanting to deny what he said. She’d been a coward for far too long, but she couldn’t speak. He held her captive with one look. The heat generated between them entangled her, wrapping her entire being in temptation.

  “I wish—” she whispered.

  “So do I,” he muttered quietly. “More than you know. But it can’t be.”

  She took a shuddering step away from him. Her entire body grew cold and chilled. She rubbed her arms. “I’d better go back inside. Before I do something…”

  He clutched her. “Jenna.” His gaze softened. “Tomorrow we’ll find a way out of here for you.”

  She wanted to throw her arms around him and hug him, but she knew if he ever held her in that way, she wouldn’t want to let him go. And she had to let him go.

  “Leave,” he ordered softly as if reading her mind. He touched her shoulder. “You’re too tempting to me, and we both know giving in to temptation leads to disaster.”

  She nodded and backed away. He turned, the stillness in his body almost eerie.

  She’d found a man who didn’t take everything he wanted. Who did the right thing.

  Zach Montgomery might be an enigma, but she believed in him. She’d seen him for who he was. But could she trust herself? She’d been fooled before.

  She shuffled down the hall and checked on Sam.

  She’d believed Brad, too.

  A shiver quaked through her. How could Zach help her? Really? If Brad wanted to find her, all the money in the world wouldn’t stop him.

  Jenna sat on the bed and wrapped her arms around her knees.

  For a moment, in Zach’s presence, she’d felt hope. Hope for the first time since she’d recognized the lie her marriage had become, and the dangerous man with whom she’d entwined her life.

  In the silence of this room, she couldn’t stop the beasts of uncertainty from clawing at her memory. Betrayal lurked everywhere. But in the still, small space within her heart, hope glowed bright.

  Maybe this time. Maybe this time she could believe.

  Brad watched the ambulance pull away from the curb. Damn it. He should have known this assignment would be a disaster. John Garrison was a SWAT captain, but he’d seen better days. He should be dead.

  Instead, he was alive.

  More importantly, Brad didn’t like the smell of the assignment. He knew this house.

  Knew this street.

  Knew this woman.

  Five years ago. Five years of jobs that had grown steadily more and more risky. During the last eighteen months his client had become even more unmanageable. Brad had lost control of the situation, and now he’d screwed up. Alerted his target of the danger.

  The job would be that much harder.

  His phone rang.

  He cursed, but knew he couldn’t avoid answering. His deadly customer had too much power. Too many connections.

  He regretted the day he’d ever agreed to that first contract.

  “He’s not dead,” the filtered voice accused through the phone.

  “Stating the obvious, are you?”

  “You’ve lost your edge, Mr. Walters.” Fingers drummed against the phone, each sound skewering Brad’s brain with irritation. “Should I remind you once again what you have to lose?”

  “You didn’t tell me Garrison was dating Montgomery’s widow.”

  A small gasp made Brad smile. Perhaps his employer didn’t know everything.

  “I’ll get the job done,” Brad added. “And I have a bone to pick with the Montgomerys, so just back the hell off.”

  He ended the call and watched as the house fire blazed on.

  Brad didn’t like coincidence. The moment he’d realized who Zach Montgomery was, he should have moved. But moving attracted attention. Caused records to be created. He’d played it safe.

  Too safe.

  He pulled one thousand and fifty dollars from his pocket and thumbed the bills—the money Zach Montgomery had obviously left for Jenna. Proof of his lies. And a potential lead to his traitor wife. Brad needed to question Zach.

  Perhaps this awkward situation would work out for the best. Zach Montgomery would care that his mother had been hurt. He’d come home. He could have a lead on Jenna.

  Brad’s phone rang again. He cursed at the number and didn’t pick up.


  A huge risk. And another loose end.

  Brad flicked his thumb over his pinky. Yes, if Montgomery cooperated, Brad might be able to tie up his loose ends sooner than he’d expected.

  * * *

  Chapter Seven

  * * *

  ABOVE ZACH, THE stars gleamed. A hermit thrush trilled from the pines surrounding his cabin. Crickets chirped a farewell to Jenna as she left him standing alone in the night.

  Zach glanced over his shoulder and sighed at the sway of her hips as she disappeared into his haven. He couldn’t deny the attraction. His entire body thrummed with want, but Jenna Walters wasn’t an affair kind of woman.

  She was the forever kind.

  Something he could never have. Even if he survived the next few days.

  He leaned forward against the pine rails. Knots from the hand-carved wood pressed into his palms. The crispness of snow tickled his throat. He couldn’t see the peaks through the surrounding forest, but he could feel their snow-covered majesty. If they could only hide him from the world, he might very well follow Jenna back into the house and beg her to stay.

  A week ago, he wouldn’t have doubted his next move; he would have called the Company. But the cut across his chest remained a grim reminder of betrayal on that airplane. Once he made a phone call, no matter how secure his connection, they’d track him eventually. He could route through numerous towers to delay the tracking dogs, but he couldn’t hide forever.

  A second bird joined in with the thrush, maybe a blackbird. The two very different species had quite a dialogue going on before one went silent. Not unlike him and Jenna. Two birds passing each other in flight, yet destined to travel alone.

  Zach wished he didn’t care. He shouldn’t. She’d stolen his truck, run from him…tempted him in ways she shouldn’t. But he did care. He wanted her and Sam to be safe. To accomplish that, he needed information on Brad.

  To get the data he needed, Zach had to hang in the wind—a big target nailed to his naked ass.

  With a last look at the one place on earth he’d felt completely secure, he turned his back on serenity and walked inside. After locking the door, he did a quick check on Jenna and Sam before heading down the stairs, his footsteps heavy on the wood floors.