Hidden Lies (The Hidden Series Book 2)

by Kristin Coley

  “Danny, whatcha think of the new job?” Jake wrapped his arm around me, his other hand cradling the mug of cocoa. I sipped the rich brew, inhaling the scent of chocolate as I did. From Jake’s question, I already knew Danny liked this job better than the last one. He’d been bouncing between jobs, finding it difficult to keep a job, with his history. Most were dead-end, pickup work, and he wanted something more long-term. He thought this one had potential.

  “Good. I like it. Has potential.” His reply echoed my own thoughts, not unusual, since I already knew his answer. “Couldn’t have gotten it without you. I really appreciate your helping me with the TWIC card.”

  “Hey, man, I’m just glad it’s working out for you.”

  “The welding class I took in high school is coming in handy, that’s for sure.” His expression never changed, but I sensed the tension in his shoulders as he mentioned the past.

  “What are you doing exactly? Working at the shipyard, fixing the ships?” I was a little puzzled by his job, and used the questions to distract him.

  “Yeah,” he said, glancing at me and then away. I thought that was the end of it, but he continued. “When I started, I was loading the ships, but they need a welder to fix cracks sometimes. I had a little experience and was in the right place at the right time. It looks like I’ll have an opportunity to apprentice with a guy.”

  “Wow, that sounds dangerous,” Carly chimed in next to him. He turned his head slightly toward her, but didn’t look at her directly, nodding.

  “Yeah, it can be. Gotta be careful.” He was a man of few words that was for sure. Good thing Carly liked to talk.

  “What do your parents think of you working on ships? I bet they’re proud of you. Transporting cargo down the river is so important to the town’s economy and the State’s! Having the port right here provides jobs, and we need skilled workers to keep the ships moving. It sounds like it would be a good job, and not one just anyone could do.” Carly’s chatter kept her from noticing the pained expression that crossed Danny’s face when she mentioned his parents. I shot a look to Jake, and he gave a slight shake of his head. I knew he’d been trying to get Danny to go see his parents, but he kept refusing. His guilt over Samuel wouldn’t allow him to contact them. We all knew it was foolish. His parents were desperate to see him and asked Jake for information about him regularly.

  “Did you hear about the missing girl?” Jules’ question was abrupt, stopping Carly’s babbling and catching all of our attention. A girl had gone missing from the campus earlier in the week, but beyond that basic information, her question left an eerie blank in my mind. Jake’s arm tightened around me as Connor answered her.

  “Yeah, we were supposed to be assigned the case, but the new captain decided to give it to O’Reilly and Nash instead.”

  His disgruntled expression made it clear what he thought of this, and it didn’t escape me he referred to the captain as ‘new’. It’d been over a year since their captain was replaced, but they still both referred to him as ‘new’.

  “He’s got his reasons.”

  Jake attempted to pacify Con, but I knew he wasn’t happy about it either. With my ability to know the answers to questions, I’d helped them work cases often over the last year. It made their track record for closing cases stellar, and their conviction rate was one of the best in the State, because they had airtight cases. Jake’s desire to help had him digging through old missing person cases, and together, we’d brought closure to a lot of families. You’d think with their dedication they’d be the captain’s favorites, but that wasn’t the case.

  “Yeah, he thinks we’re narcs.” My eyes met Jules’s at Connor’s words. We both knew where his bitterness came from.

  “Con …”

  “What about the missing girl?” Danny’s question was insistent, and I knew it stemmed from his brother’s kidnapping. We shared that much. Missing people hit both of us hard.

  “I don’t know all the details, since it isn’t our case, but it looks like a freshman went missing from the college. The parents are insisting its foul play, but there hasn’t been any evidence of foul play. She could have just taken off.” As difficult as it had been for me to believe, I knew what he said was true. We’d worked a couple missing people cases where they wanted to stay missing. They had their reasons, and for all we knew, so did this girl.

  “But on the chance it was by force,” Jake nudged me, drawing my attention. “I want you to keep an eye out and your Taser on you.” His protectiveness could be overbearing at times, but I knew my getting shot last year was the catalyst for it. I shuddered. Getting shot once was enough for me. It had hurt like a son of a bitch.

  “Was the girl kidnapped?” Danny’s blunt question caused simultaneous, but completely separate reactions in me. One, I was suddenly aware he knew about my ability … how he knew was another question. Two, she had been kidnapped, and her terror was suffocating me.

  Chapter Two

  My eyes rolled up in my head, as the sensation of a gag in my mouth made me want to gasp for air, but it was the absolute terror which paralyzed my lungs and made breathing impossible.

  “Addie,” his voice sounded miles away, but the desperation in it tugged at me. “Answer me. Breathe shallow breaths. Remember when you got the wind knocked out of you? Tiny breaths, and it’ll come back.” His voice faded as tears pricked my eyes.

  My eyes blinked back open slowly, Jake’s face filling my field of vision. He looked scared, and it took a second for me to understand why. Then the memory of her terror rushed in, and I could feel the choking sensation attempt to take over again. This time, I was prepared and pushed it back. It had less power now, because it was a memory. I struggled to sit up, finding myself lying on the couch. Jake helped me, sliding behind me, so I reclined against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me tightly, understanding instinctively that I needed the reassurance of his presence. Connor was kneeling on the other side of the couch, his arms draped over the back as he observed me anxiously. His hands twitched, wanting to touch me, but unsure. I clutched the hand closest to me and squeezed.

  “I’m okay,” I murmured, even though we all knew it wasn’t okay. I’d never had a reaction that strong. I wasn’t entirely sure, but thought I must have passed out from hyperventilating. Her fear had overwhelmed me, short-circuiting my own body’s basic functions.

  “I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I suspected you had some ability, but I didn’t know it would cause this,” a male voice said beside me, and I was startled to see it was Danny kneeling next to me, his face full of more emotion than I’d ever seen on him. Jake snarled behind me, and I knew he blamed Danny for what happened.

  I managed a weak chuckle, “No one could have predicted this.” Jake’s tension radiated through me. “Jake, relax. I’m okay. Really. It’s not his fault. It’s no one’s fault. We couldn’t know how his question would affect me.”

  “But we do know. We would have been more careful,” he argued, obviously not ready to let it go.

  “But he didn’t know, and this is the least of our problems.” I could feel him about to interrupt me and cut him off. “That girl was taken, and she’s in danger.”

  Jake and Connor exchanged glances over my shoulder as Carly leaned over Danny’s shoulder and said, “Welcome to the weirdness.”

  My faint smile was more real this time at witnessing Carly be Carly. Jules sat down on the end of the couch facing me.

  “How bad?” Her question was meant to ask how I felt, but held an underlining question I was pretty sure she didn’t intend.

  A vortex opened inside my mind, a black gaping maw waiting to devour us all. The dark was so complete, it was dizzying. Once the sensation passed, my reply was shaky.

  “Bad.”

  They were all staring at me now, and I could feel a light sheen of sweat on my face. It almost felt like motion sickness had overtaken me, but I was still sitting on the couch. I’d been through some ugly stuff when Danny’s brother had be
en kidnapped, but nothing compared to the darkness I’d just experienced. I didn’t know what it meant. A thought slithered in before I could stop it … was that what death felt like?

  I forced the thought away, concentrating instead on what we could do now.

  “Ask me some questions. Maybe we can figure out where this girl is.” My voice trembled slightly, a weakness Jake perceived instantly.

  “No.”

  The one word was dangerously calm, a warning as well as a command. It brooked no argument, and none was given. A squeeze of my hand startled me, and I glanced at Connor. His smile was sympathetic, but determined.

  “He’s right, psychic girl. You’re not looking so hot. Let me go and see what I can dig up on this case the old-fashioned way, okay?” I wanted to protest; tell them I was fine, and we needed to do this, but I couldn’t. The terror from the last few minutes had shaken me, making me reluctant to do anything that would bring it back. He saw the answer on my face and nodded. He was keeping his face intentionally blank, but I saw the quick flicker of his eyes toward Jake. He was worried. They all were, and I knew they should be, but not over me. I hadn’t been able to articulate it, but something horrible was coming. Of that I had no doubt.

  “Guess that’s our cue.” Carly squeezed Danny’s shoulder, prodding him to get up. His expression was pained, and I knew he blamed himself. I tried to give him a smile, but it didn’t seem to help, because he looked more upset. Carly kissed my forehead. “I’d offer to drive you home, but I think you should stay here.”

  There was a rumble of agreement from behind me at her words. Jake’s arms formed a protective wall around me, and I had no desire to leave their safety at the moment.

  “Daniel.” The softly spoken word froze everyone in place. Jake was a mild-mannered guy, but he tended to be overprotective when it came to me. I hugged the arm he had wrapped around me, hoping he didn’t say anything that would damage his friendship with Danny. I might not always understand the connection they had, but I respected them both and it wasn’t Danny’s fault.

  Danny paused, resolve written all over his face. He would accept whatever Jake said, because he thought he deserved it. Connor clapped a hand on Jake’s shoulder, warning him or backing him up, I wasn’t sure.

  “We’re good.” Jake held out his free hand to Danny, and he clasped it in some weird bro handshake I didn’t understand. “If everyone can make it back here tomorrow, we’ll go over what we learn. See if we can figure this out.” He regarded Danny. “Explain.”

  Danny nodded slowly, understanding he was being invited in completely, if he wanted it.

  “You want the cliff notes version before then?” Carly looped her arm through his, and he peered down at it in shock. She ignored his look and tugged on his arm. “Come on. You can tell me about welding, and I’ll tell you about Addie.”

  Within seconds, everyone was gone, and I was alone with Jake on the couch. He sighed deeply and leaned back, pulling me with him. We laid there, his even breaths matching mine, my body cradled within his larger frame. I tucked my feet in, wanting every part of me surrounded by him. Slowly, I felt calm returning to me. The horror was still there, but manageable now.

  “She’s terrified and it overwhelmed me.” The words came now, where they wouldn’t earlier. Jake twitched and his hand came up the stroke my arm. “At least I hope she’s terrified.” I didn’t say my other thought, that I hoped she wasn’t dead, and I was feeling what she’d felt. Jake seemed to understand, humming gently. “But that wasn’t the worst.”

  He shifted me around, turning me as if I weighed nothing and forcing me to meet his eyes. “What do you mean? There was more?”

  “Jules.” Her name escaped me, and horror crossed Jake’s face. It took me a second, and then I understood. “No, no.” I shook my head, reaching up to touch his face. The rasp from his stubble brushed my palm as I cradled his jaw. “It’s what she asked me. Nothing will happen to her.” Even as I said the words, though, I wondered. She’d been the one to ask me. Did that mean she would be affected? Or was it only the question that had triggered the void? Jake could see the turmoil on my face, and my name was a groan coming from his lips.

  “Addie.”

  “I don’t think it’s her. I don’t know what it is honestly.” The very depth of the unknown frightened me, and I squirmed closer to him, burying my face in the curve of his neck. He tightened his arms around me, pulling me closer.

  “Can you explain what it is you know? Saw? I’m in the dark here, babe.” His choice of words sent a shudder through me, and he felt it. “What is it? Please.” His words were tight with worry, and I shoved back the cloying fear, angry at my own weakness.

  “She asked ‘how bad’ and her question … it opened a door in my head. But there was nothing there.” I faced him, unable to blink, even as my eyes burned. “It was a void, a blackness without end. The sheer absence of anything made me sick.” My head shook as I opened my mouth, trying to get the words out. “I don’t know what it means. Death?”

  A fierce resolve came over his face.

  “No.” His eyes burned with determination. “Not death. There is absolutely nothing we can’t beat together. Do you understand?” I nodded, needing his conviction. “We’ve faced death and bad visions. This is no different.” It was different. It felt different, but I wouldn’t say it. We would need everything we had to face whatever was coming. I didn’t tell him the door was still in my mind. It was as if Jules’ question had made me aware of it. I’d managed to shut it, but that didn’t mean it had gone away.

  Later, I woke to the sound of Jake murmuring into the phone. I was on the couch, wrapped in a blanket. I must have fallen asleep in Jake’s arms at some point, but he wasn’t with me now, and looking around, I saw him pacing in front of the window. His voice was low, an attempt not to wake me, I was sure. He shoved a hand through his hair, the movement a familiar one to me, as he did it when he was frustrated with a case.

  “There has to be more.” I caught the words, even as he tried to keep his voice down. “We’ll go back over the scene. We know there was foul play now. We’ll search her dorm room, car, everything.” He listened for a second before exploding. “I KNOW IT ISN’T OUR CASE!” He glanced over at me, and I held still, listening as he lowered his voice again.

  “This is bigger, Con. She saw something that scared her. Scared ADDIE. That doesn’t happen. Something about this case.” He paused, collecting himself. “I’ll talk to the new captain. See if I can get the case transferred. Pull strings or something. Don’t you play poker with Nash? Maybe they’ll voluntarily hand it off to us.” He listened, and I heard the gratitude in his voice when he said, “Thanks, man. You don’t know what it means to me. Yeah, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  He ended the call, and I sat up. A flash of white revealed his smile in the semi-darkness.

  “Did you hear everything?” His question was gently teasing, and I smiled back, the knowledge of what I hadn’t heard forming in my mind at his question.

  “They don’t have anything, do they?” He heard my disappointment.

  “They didn’t know she wasn’t missing voluntarily,” he replied, sitting across from me and enfolding my hands in his. “It’s a difficult line. You know that. There were no obvious signs she’d been taken against her will.”

  “But she was.” I looked away from him, frustrated, but not with him. He hadn’t said anything we didn’t already know. It was one of the worst parts of a missing person case. Sometimes, you didn’t know why they disappeared and adults were the worst. Resources were rarely allocated to look for them, because people went missing all the time, and there were more important cases. People like Deidre easily slipped through the cracks.

  “Deidre. That’s her name.”

  “Yeah, Deidre Martin. Nineteen. Brunette, five foot seven, roughly a hundred and sixty pounds. Last seen Tuesday night around five, heading to the library. That’s all we know at the moment.”

  “She’
s my age.” Jake dragged me toward him, brushing a rough kiss against my forehead.

  “Yeah, I know.”

  It wasn’t difficult to sense his worry. The idea of girls being kidnapped from my campus wasn’t comforting. I thought about bubbly Carly and felt sick. What if it was her?

  “We know she was taken. We can go back, start over, and find what was missed. Some evidence exists.” I wasn’t sure if Jake’s words were meant to reassure me or himself, but they did remind me.

  “Fish.” I felt his gaze on me, so I peeked up at him. “I smelled fish, like fishy fish.” He was staring at me, uncomprehending. “She smelled fish; fishy water maybe? I didn’t realize it at first, the terror was so strong, but there was a distinctly fishy smell.”

  “Maybe where she was taken. A fishing camp, somewhere in the bayou—”

  “Pretty much anywhere in south Louisiana?”

  “It’s more than we had,” he reminded me. “Everything counts now. Every scrap of knowledge we can find. We’ll find her.”

  “Alive?” I swallowed hard, unable to shake the fear we were already too late.

  “Alive.” He was confident, and his confidence boosted my own.

  “What time is it?”

  “Nine,” he answered, glancing down at his watch. It was the one I’d given him for his birthday. It was a basic leather watch, inexpensive, but he wore it every day. “Do you want me to drive you home? Or stay here tonight?”

  I leaned against him, “Stay.” I felt the rise and fall of his chest as he exhaled, tightening his arm around me again.

  “Good. I’m not ready to let you go.”

  Chapter Three

  The weight of his arm almost knocked me down and it caused me to stumble. The arm tightened, keeping me upright as I tugged earbuds out of my ears.

  I gave him a questioning look, wondering what he was doing on campus.