“I like it,” she said. “And Jean-Louis doesn’t fit in New Hampshire.”
“So this was your plan, to stay here?”
“Not exactly.”
“Of course not. You were too easy to find.”
He was right, of course. She’d been foolish to come here, more foolish to stay as long as she had. She should have left on Sunday, the day after she discovered Gram had died, instead of searching for some nonexistent treasure. But if she had, she would never have realized all she’d left behind in her hometown. Her love for Brady and Samantha. The community she’d thought never cared for her. Perhaps it would have been better that way.
Of course, no matter where in the world she was, she could never have stayed hidden, not as long as Julien was willing to kill innocent people until he found her.
The question was, had he stopped killing people, or was she next on his list?
Sixty-Six
Pain pulsed in Julien’s shoulder. His blood was seeping out, warming the baby’s blanket. It took all his energy, all his acting skills, to remain still and placid. Yet he wasn’t ready for it to be over.
Rae’s gaze flicked from Jean-Louis to the gun and back. He’d never seen such fear in her eyes. This had been the plan, and yet he hated himself for putting the fear there. When she’d fled, she’d left him few choices. The journey she’d begun in Paris just eight days before had led right to this spot, and as he looked at the sunny yellow kitchen, he wondered if this had been their fate all along.
All he’d wanted was to take her home. And keep her forever. Was that so much to ask from his wife? And it didn’t matter that they weren’t legally married. She was his wife—he’d never thought of her as anything less.
How many had already lost their lives in his quest to bring her home? How many families had he destroyed?
And he wasn’t finished.
Rae blinked away fresh tears. “Whatever happens, just promise me Jean-Louis will be safe.”
At least she’d used their son’s proper name. And the promise seemed the least he could do. “I think we’ve already established I would never hurt him.”
“And Caro?”
“If all goes according to plan, the girl will remain unharmed.”
“Trent. The boy. Is he here?”
“I sent him away. He thought I was here to surprise you.”
“Some surprise.” Her focus moved to Jean-Louis. “What are you going to do?”
“May I ask you a question?”
She nodded.
“Do you feel anything for me?”
Her gaze snapped back to him. She blinked twice.
“Anything good,” he clarified.
“I loved you.”
His eyebrows rose. “But no longer?”
“When I found out what you were... Why did you do it, Julien? Knowing I made a living out of exposing criminals and corruption, knowing how strongly I believe people like you need to be brought to justice. Why did you marry me?”
“As I have already explained, I fell in love with you.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it. “But... Still. You had to know this wouldn’t end well.”
He should have known. Ever since the day he’d shot his dog, he should have known. The truth bubbled up, and like the blood still trickling from his bullet wound, there seemed no way to stop it. “I fell in love with you, Rae. You were...you are beautiful. Strong and good. You are everything I could never be.”
She leaned a tiny bit toward him, and the small gesture gave him the courage to continue.
“I thought, if you could love me, too, then perhaps that meant I was worthy of it.”
“But I didn’t know you. You hid your real self from me.”
“The night we married, when I held you in my arms, that was me.”
Her cheeks filled with a beautiful rosy blush. Yes, she remembered.
“When we were alone, just the two of us... You knew my charm, and you loved me not because of it, but despite it. Or so I thought.”
“I did, but when I found out the truth...”
He snapped his fingers. “So much for love.”
“You weren’t who I thought you were.”
“It was the fantasy you loved. The businessman with the connections and the money and—”
“I don’t care about money or connections. I do care about doing the right thing. I care about justice.”
Justice. Is that what she thought this was? “I know you hate what I do.”
Her gaze faltered.
“But fleeing from me, stealing our son from me?”
“Would you have let me go?”
“Never.”
She opened her mouth, then snapped it shut. Her unspoken words hung in the air. Perhaps she felt she’d had no choice, but she was wrong. She should have stood by him, as Maman always stood by Papa. Perhaps Maman didn’t approve of Papa’s business. But she’d been loyal. Rae should have loved Julien in spite of it.
Julien kissed the top of his sleeping child’s head, reveled in his warmth, the only thing alleviating the pain in his shoulder. “If you were to raise our son, and if you felt you raised him well...if you were to do all the things necessary to teach him right from wrong, and if he still turned out to be more like my side of the family than yours, if he made poor decisions, perhaps broke the law... Would you stop loving him too?”
She frowned. “I...” She blinked twice, and he wondered for a moment if she would defend their child as if nothing but innocence could ever come from him. As if Julien hadn’t started out exactly the same way.
Then she chuckled. “If he doesn’t end up like your family, maybe he’ll end up like mine. My father was a womanizer, and my mother was insane.”
He joined her in the laugh, and the moment felt right. Yes, this was why he’d fallen in love with her.
And for all his talk, he knew little Jean-Louis would not be a criminal or insane. Womanizer? Perhaps he had bad genes on both sides of the family where that was concerned. But if anybody could steer him on the right path, Rae could.
Her laugh died. “If I get the chance to raise him, I will love him, no matter what.”
“I’m not going to hurt you, Rae.”
“Then why the gun?”
“Insurance.”
“Which one of us is your insurance policy? You already promised not to hurt Caro and Jean-Louis.” She inhaled sharply. “Nate. Is he still...?”
Her look of hope infuriated him.
“You want to know if I spared your lover’s life?”
“We’re only friends.”
“Always?”
She swallowed hard and looked away. “Since before I met you.”
“Funny how you didn’t mention that when you introduced us.”
She looked behind her, as if the man might walk right in. Had Julien done the right thing regarding Rae’s friend?
She returned her gaze to him. “Is he still alive?”
“I need a favor.”
She blinked and narrowed her eyes. “What favor?”
“Farah has been loyal to me—”
“Speaking of former lovers.”
“I...” He tripped over his next words, stuttered, and started over. So unlike him. “How did you know?”
“I’m observant, Julien. The way she talks about you. The way she looks at you.”
“Could just be a crush.”
“I always wondered, but your reaction proves it.”
“That ended long before I met you.”
“So I should have told you about Nate, but you—”
“Yes, yes, it’s a double standard, but that is what I expected. In fact, I’d have preferred if no man had ever touched you. Were there others?”
Her gaze flicked to the door on his right.
Did she keep her former lovers in the cupboard?
“Nate was the only man I was intimate with before you.”
He heard what she hadn’t said. “But did you ever love
another man?”
Again, her gaze found the closet door.
He looked. “What’s in there?”
“It’s a pantry. I’m just thinking.”
“Is it such a difficult question?”
There was somebody. Unfortunately he didn’t have the time to find out who, and even if he did, what could he do about it, in his condition? Still, adrenaline filled his veins, jealousy pumping faster than the blood dripping from his wound.
“So what about Farah?” she asked.
He sighed and forced his dark thoughts away. “She has done everything I asked and more. I need you to vouch for her. Tell them I coerced her. Whatever you have to say to keep her out of prison.”
“She helped you find me?”
“Of course. I couldn’t have done it without her. So you owe her too.”
“Right. Because this is a dream come true. Remind me to send her a thank-you note.”
“You do owe her your thanks.” Could Rae still not understand the danger she was in? Surely she was not that naive. “If my father had found you first, you’d already be dead.”
She whipped around, though no noise could have startled her. “Where is Hector?”
“Promise me you’ll keep Farah out of prison.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Do I have your promise?”
“I’ll protect her, if that’s what you want, but you have to tell me your plan. Surely you don’t intend to leave me here? And even if you wanted to, how do you plan to get away?”
He ignored her inquisition. “There’s a poker chip in my pocket. It’s very important...” He pulled in a breath. It was getting harder to breathe. To think.
“Important...?”
“That it stay there. And my identification.”
“What are you—?”
“If you would be quiet and listen, please.” The words were getting more difficult, the pain fading—but perhaps more than just the pain.
Julien noted the question in Rae’s eyes. The concern for him. He would hold onto that. “You will need to find a way to transport me back to Rhode Island.” He paused for another deep breath, then coughed and tasted blood. “South of Warwick.” He gave her the address of the industrial complex and described its location.
“Why...?”
He held up his hand to stop her question, found he hardly had the energy for that, and let it drop.
“Julien, are you all right?”
“This gun needs to stay with me. There is another one in my jacket pocket. It needs to be with Hector.”
She lifted her eyebrows, and he continued.
“They will find Hector’s body soon, I think.”
She gasped.
“He was working for my father.” A pause to catch his breath. “He was never loyal to me.”
“What happened?”
“I had no choice. I used his cell to text my father that we were following your trail. Bangkok, I told him.”
He watched her reaction. For once, she seemed speechless.
“Papa could spend years looking for you there.”
“But why?”
“I know you don’t believe me, sweet Rae, but I really do love you. If Papa had never learned of your disappearance...” He hadn’t the energy to explain. “Hector told him. I had to stop him.”
“Your father wants to kill me?”
“If you are wise, and you are, he will never find you.”
“And you’re willing to turn yourself in?”
He shook his head, stared at the gun. “I cannot. Papa would find me. I could never stand up to him. I am not nearly as strong as your friend Nate. ”
“So what are you going to do?”
He wanted to explain the whole plan to her. Desperately needed her to know all he’d done to get them to this point. But he wouldn’t last long enough. “There’s a flash drive in my pocket.” After every phrase, he paused to breathe. “Tell them to say it was sewn into the lining of my jacket. It must be hidden.”
“Julien, what’s going on? You’re sick or hurt or... What can I do?”
“Take the baby.”
She stood, but he held his child closer for one moment. His eyes stung as he lifted the baby and settled him on his lap, nearly dropping him. Julien stared into that tiny, innocent face. He’d lost that innocence as a child. But Jean-Louis still had a chance. He leaned forward and kissed his son’s cheeks, then his forehead, then his tiny, puckered mouth.
“What did you do to him?”
Julien’s gaze found Rae, whose eyes were wide and horrified. He looked back at the child and only then saw what she must have noticed from the start.
“It’s not his blood,” Julien said.
She snatched the child from him, laid him gently on the kitchen table, and peered beneath his clothes to check for wounds. Jean-Louis’s eyes opened, and he scrunched up his face as if to cry.
“It’s okay, baby.”
His tiny eyes blinked, then closed again. How did Rae do that? It had taken him an hour to get the baby to stop crying.
Seemingly satisfied that Jean-Louis was all right, Rae picked him up and soothed him. “What happened?”
“Hector.”
“You need a doctor. I’m calling help.”
He lifted the gun. It took all his effort. “Sit down.”
She looked at the gun, then at his wound. “You’ll bleed to death.”
“Sit.”
She settled in the chair.
He rested his hand on the table but didn’t lay the gun down. She had to hear all of this before it was too late.
“The flash drive contains evidence.” Now that Jean-Louis was gone from his arms, he felt his life dripping away. He shivered. “It will implicate Papa and Geoffrey.” A thin breath. “The poker chip will make Papa think Aziz...”
She blinked, shaking her head slightly. Of course she had no idea what he was talking about. He couldn’t explain it all.
“He’ll think Geoffrey was behind my death. That will make them enemies. With the evidence, when they’re not united...” He set the gun on the table and pressed his hand against the wound. He wasn’t finished yet.
She started to rise, but he stopped her with a glare.
“Send it to Interpol.”
“Why would you bring down your own family.”
He was so cold. “Geoffrey betrayed me. Papa... They don’t care about you or Jean-Louis. Only money.”
“Please let me get you a doctor.” Tears pooled in her eyes, the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. “We’ll figure out a way to make it work. You don’t have to die.”
Yes, she loved him.
That made it worthwhile.
She slipped to the floor at his feet and took his hand with her free one. The baby, held against her shoulder with her other hand, whimpered.
“I don’t know what to say,” she said.
“Did you ever love me?”
“I did. You, but not...”
Not what he did. “Just protect Farah, and raise our son well.”
She nodded. Tears dripped from her cheeks onto their joined hands.
His eyes were drifting closed when he saw movement at the door. He blinked them open, then pushed Rae to the floor as the figure stepped into the room and raised a gun.
Sixty-Seven
Rae cradled Johnny as she tumbled to the floor. She rolled, barely managing to keep the baby’s head from hitting the hardwood. She scrambled to a sitting position and turned to confront Julien.
His attention was directed toward the door. Though his face remained placid, she saw a spark of fear in his eyes that terrified her.
From where she’d landed, the table blocked her view of whatever had drawn Julien’s attention. Surely Brady and the other policemen wouldn’t just walk in like that. But someone was there.
“Farah,” Julien said. His focus was on the opening to the living room.
“I will not allow you to do this.” Farah spoke in F
rench, and Rae scrambled to translate. The woman’s voice, always so kind and gentle before, was filled with vehemence and desperation. “You will not die for her.”
“Put the gun down,” Julien said.
“You aren’t going to shoot me, Julien. You love me, and I you.”
Rae couldn’t see, but Julien must’ve pointed his gun at her. He’d killed Hector, his best friend. Would he shoot Farah?
“It’s too late for me.” Julien responded in English, his voice raspy. “But Rae will make sure you’re safe.”
“You think I want help from your American whore?”
“Remember your place, ma cheri.” His words were gentle, his tone commanding.
“You need help. If she loved you, she’d insist on saving you. But she does not love you. Not like I do. Once she’s gone, you and I will escape. I’ll get you a doctor to tend that wound, and we’ll raise Jean-Louis together. We don’t need her.”
Johnny whimpered, working up to a full cry.
Rae shushed him and peeked beneath the table. She saw Farah’s legs as the woman slowly skirted the edge. Another two feet, maybe just one, and Farah would have a clean shot. Rae wrapped her arms around the baby and shifted to shield him from Farah’s bullets.
Was Brady listening on the other side of the pantry door? Should Rae call him? Should she push herself further under the table? But then she’d be trapped. At least here, she could try to escape through the kitchen and out the front door. If she could yank open the pantry door...but there wouldn’t be enough time.
If she called Brady and he came through that door, Farah might fire at him. Could Rae risk Brady’s life in order to save her own?
She patted Johnny’s back, willing him to stop crying. This wasn’t about saving herself. It was about saving her son.
Julien chuckled, but Rae could hear the strain, the pain in it. “You think I want be with you? If I’d wanted you, we’d be together.”
Farah’s feet quit moving. “You told me you cared for me. I know you care for me.”
“Don’t be stupid,” Julien said. “I took what I wanted from you, and then I discarded you.”
“No.” The woman’s voice trembled.
“I kept you around because I knew you’d stay loyal to me.”
“You’re lying. You love me. You said.”
Convenient Lies Page 30