Hidden Lies (The Hidden Series Book 2)

by Kristin Coley

  “I’m glad he’s coming by. I was a little worried yesterday that he wouldn’t be back.” I felt relieved, glad the episode hadn’t put a fracture in his friendship with Jake.

  Class started then, so we focused on our notes. This was our criminal justice class, and we both enjoyed it. I had a feeling we would both find ourselves in the criminal justice field, but in different capacities. My strength lied in discovering the truth, but Carly had a real future in prosecution ahead of her.

  We headed out after class ended, both of us done for the day and starving, only to run into the last person I expected to see.

  “Danny!” Carly immediately smoothed her hair at the sight of him, and I glanced around, wondering where Jake was. I couldn’t figure out why Danny would be here without Jake, unless …

  “You came by to see Carly?” I questioned him tactlessly, not thinking it through. He looked uncomfortable at my question, shifting a quick glance to Carly.

  “Um, no. You actually.” Carly’s face was crestfallen, and I could have kicked myself. My thoughtless question hadn’t taken into account just how far Jake’s guard duty would go. If I’d had any doubts about Connor telling Jake about the earlier episode, they were gone now. Danny was still wearing his work clothes and getting several sidelong glances—definite interest from the female population, but the guys’ looks were a bit less friendly. Danny looked like trouble standing in front of us, with his t-shirt dirty and torn, heavy steel-toed boots, and ripped jeans. His perpetual scowl didn’t improve matters. Carly caught onto the rude stares, and as a guy strutted forward causing Danny to frown heavily, she grasped his arm and reached up to kiss his cheek.

  “Hey, sweetie, glad you made it.” I wasn’t sure who was more stunned at her actions … me, Danny, or Carly herself. “Come on, let’s go.”

  We walked toward the parking lot, and I huddled into my heaviest jacket, noting that Danny wasn’t wearing anything thicker than his t-shirt.

  “Aren’t you cold?” I asked between chattering teeth. The cold seemed to taunt me, the wind slicing through me.

  He shook his head, and a second later said, “Not really.” The words sounded painful to my ears. It was like he wasn’t used to talking and didn’t quite know how.

  “Why did you come to see Addie?” Carly piped up, her arm still looped through Danny’s. He didn’t pull away from her, not seeming to mind her being so close.

  “Are you my new guard dog?” I bit out, swiping hair from my face as the wind tugged it from my collar. He snuck a quick look at me, nodding, and gave a faint smile. The sight was so unexpected, I almost tripped and fell. He reached out and caught my elbow, saving me.

  “Clumsy, aren’t you?” I gave him a sharp look, but he wasn’t looking at me anymore, and my eyes narrowed. I thought he might actually be attempting a joke. “I wanted to apologize again for last night. Your reaction to my question was unfortunate and unforeseen. I am sorry.” I blinked at him in surprise, and even Carly gave him a wide-eyed look. Those were the most words I’d ever heard him utter in a row, and more articulate than I would have thought him capable of. Danny gave the impression of brute strength, not elegant apologies. Apparently, I needed to quit assuming shit.

  “No harm, no foul,” I muttered, distracted by this new side of him. Maybe Carly had been right after all.

  “And yes, I’ve been enlisted to guard duty. Jake would have been here, but he was called into a meeting with the new captain.” My laugh was taken by the wind, but he still heard it and shot me a puzzled look.

  “Jake and Connor have you referring to him as the ‘new’ captain as well,” I responded, my steps picking up speed as I spotted Carly’s car in the parking lot. As we reached her beat up Corolla, Danny shifted awkwardly.

  “Do you need a ride?” Carly looked hopeful, and I knew she wanted an opportunity to spend more time with him. He nodded, and I immediately slid into the backseat before he could. Carly threw me a grateful look, as he reluctantly took the passenger seat next to her.

  “So what’s with the guard duty?” Carly cranked the heat up, for which I was eternally grateful, as I rubbed my hands together trying to create friction and warmth. Danny glanced back at me to see if I was going to explain, but I shrugged. He had a surprisingly unexpected way with words, and I wanted to hear his version of events.

  “We suspect the kidnapping wasn’t random or a one-time incident. This means any co-ed could be in danger, and with Addie’s reaction when questioned about the missing girl, it was determined she should have someone with her.”

  “Diplomatic,” I complimented him, and he shot me a look.

  “But it was one question. We don’t know if that would happen again. I mean, I definitely get the danger, if someone is snatching girls off campus, but again, so far, it’s just been the one girl, Deidre, right?”

  I nodded, knowing she was correct. So far, only one girl had been kidnapped, but I knew from my earlier talk with Connor, there would be more. And I suspected there had already been some we didn’t know about from the cries that had echoed through the darkness.

  “It was more than one question.” Danny was relaxed against the seat, surprising me with how comfortable he was being in a car with the two of us. “Addie had a strong reaction to a question she was asked earlier by Connor.”

  “What?” Carly gasped as she spun around in her seat to look at me. Thankfully, we hadn’t left the parking space yet, so her reaction didn’t endanger us. “You didn’t tell me you’d talked to Connor. Well, specifically that questions were answered,” she corrected herself, having seen me with Connor when he dropped me at class. “That’s why Connor was with you. I thought he was talking to you about Jules. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Her question lambasted me with her hurt and a strong feeling of being left out, neither of which had been my intention. With her telling me about Danny, which I didn’t want to mention in front of him, and then class, I just hadn’t had a chance.

  “I was going to, but didn’t have a chance yet. I knew we’d all be talking about it tonight.” My attempt to soothe her hurt feelings didn’t seem to work, as she glanced at Danny putting the car in gear. I knew what her look meant. Danny had known something before she did. I’d been with her and not taken the time to tell her something she thought was important. I rested my head on the seat, already exhausted by the day, and the worst hadn’t even begun.

  The minute we stepped into his apartment, he swooped me into the bedroom. My attempt to explain the day’s incident was cut off by his mouth meeting mine. His lips were firm against my own, his touch fiercely possessive, but not hard. Our lips broke apart and met again as he gently kissed my lower lip, soft kisses interspersed with harder, more demanding ones. His teeth tugged on my lower lip, and I parted my lips, my hands clinging to his shoulders as he hugged me to him. His tongue swept over mine and I leaned into him, demanding entry of my own. Our tongues dueled, until we drew back with a gasp, heavy breaths the only sound in the room. His soft lips swept along my cheek, his nose bumping my ear.

  “I love you. Forgive me for the bodyguards.” My laugh came out in a shudder. He knew me well, his kisses a drug that usually had me forgiving him anything.

  “Do you really think it’s necessary?” I asked, placing a kiss against the side of his neck and hearing his own breath stutter for a second.

  “I’d wrap you in cotton and only allow you out with an armed guard,” he growled, his big hands running along my sides. “But you won’t let me.”

  “Neanderthal.” He gave a low chuckle against my ear, the soft puff of his breath sending a shiver down my spine as it brushed against my sensitive neck. He felt it and nuzzled the curve of my neck.

  “I can try.” I pulled back from him at his words and saw the question in his eyes. My hands tugged his face to mine, kissing him with everything I had, answering his unasked question. He meant well, even if he did tend to come off as alpha male. It was a struggle we’d always have, because I craved indep
endence, but at times like this, I appreciated his tendency to be overprotective. I still couldn’t admit how frightening I found the blackness. There were answers in it, I knew that—but what cost would it take to get them?

  I released him, but his lips held mine, refusing to part with my own. I pressed my hands against his rock hard abs, my fingers stoking the deep ridges. He groaned as he finally rocked back.

  “We have to go back out there. I can already hear the comments Connor will make.” My smile was slow and apparently very sexy, because Jake leaned forward, kissing me hard.

  “If you don’t stop looking at me like that, I’m gonna say fuck Connor and keep you in here with me,” he growled, sending a pleasurable shudder through me. We hadn’t made love the previous night, Jake concerned more about my well-being. I appreciated the concern, but now I wanted comfort of a different kind.

  I was about to say forget them all when someone banged on the door.

  “Study time is over. Nobody has biology this semester.” Connor called through the door, and as my eyes met Jake’s, we burst out laughing. Leave it to Connor.

  He hadn’t forgotten how Jake and I met, any more than we had. Having a cop undercover at your high school, and pretending to be his girlfriend, while helping him bust a drug ring, tended to leave an impression. Our ‘pretending’ had quickly found us developing real feelings, feelings we’d had to suppress for multiple reasons, not the least of which was that Jake had a girlfriend at the time, and I was a minor.

  “Well, I do believe that’s our cue.” He opened the door for me, and as I stepped out, he tugged me back against him, placing a kiss against my cheek. He released me just as quickly, and we continued down the hall.

  “Your clothes aren’t even rumpled. You did better than that in high school,” Connor joked as Jules mouthed, “Oh my God,” and slapped his shoulder. Carly giggled, while Danny smirked.

  “Well, glad the gang’s all here,” I muttered, feeling a flush work its way up my cheeks. I definitely had to remember to punch Connor extra hard for that in our next sparring match.

  My glare told him to be ready, but he only winked at me, completely unconcerned. He rubbed his hands together before saying, “Are we ready for a Q&A?”

  Everyone made it a point to avoid his look, no one wanting to make the first move.

  “Come on. Jules?” He squinted at her, and she met his gaze apologetically, denial written across her face.

  “I can’t.” She shook her head. “You looked so terrified. I don’t want to ask the wrong question.”

  “No, man. I did ask the question and I’m regretting it.” Danny held up his hands, palms out, as Connor turned his gaze to him.

  Carly bit her lip, looking resolved. “I’ll ask.” She swallowed hard, her eyes pleading with me not to make her do it. I shook my head, a sigh escaping me.

  “Guys, I know it was bad, and I’m sorry it was. Trust me, I’m sorry. I don’t want to go through it again either. But there’s a woman named Deidre who is living in terror, and we are her only hope. We know there will be others, and I don’t want to be responsible for that. So strap on a pair, and start asking.” My voice sounded much stronger than I felt, for which I was grateful. I hoped no one noticed the white knuckled grip I had on Jake’s hand, a grip he took without complaint.

  “Where is Deidre White?” Whoever asked was male, but beyond that, I couldn’t identify him, as the question consumed me. Normally, I would see an address, or even a pull toward the person, but this was different. It was like I was where she was, but the dark enveloped me so completely, I couldn’t tell the difference between up and down. Claustrophobia clawed at me. I pushed it away, trying to focus on anything else, something that would give me a clue to where she was. The fishy smell was stronger, and with it I noticed a gentle rocking motion.

  A sharp shake brought me back, and I was looking at Jake. His expression was pained, and I knew he wanted to pull the plug on this experiment. I didn’t know what my own expression was, but I had a feeling it was bad, based on everyone else’s.

  “She’s on a boat. And it’s dark. So dark, she can’t see anything. Besides that, I don’t know.”

  “You couldn’t lead us to her?” Danny’s question was legit, since that was how I’d found his brother. I’d led Jake to him in the middle of the woods, instinct guiding me.

  I shook my head. “No, there’s nothing pulling me toward her. Not like the others I’ve found.”

  Jake sighed, his gaze meeting mine. I shrugged, understanding his fear, but unwilling to back down. “Can you remember anything else? Did you hear anything? Feel anything?” He asked me questions, trying to get a better idea, and I loved him for it. He might not always like my choices, but he supported them.

  “I didn’t hear anything.” I cocked my head thinking. Something niggled at me, and I tried to pinpoint it. I closed my eyes, trying to remember the moment. “It’s warm.” My eyes popped open, excited, as I remembered. “Wherever she is, it’s warm.”

  “Okay, she’s on a warm boat, in the dark.” Connor was only clarifying what we’d determined, but it was so vague, I frowned. Jake caught it and shook his head at me. “Is it dark because it’s nighttime, or because they’re keeping her in the dark?”

  “They’re keeping her in the dark,” I murmured, positive of this.

  “Maybe we’re going about this wrong,” Jules interrupted, leaning forward. “Maybe we need to ask about the person that kidnapped Deidre.”

  Nods all around had Jules focusing back on me.

  “Can you tell us the name of the person that kidnapped Deidre?”

  “Paul … no wait, Tyler.” Connor was scribbling as I spoke.

  “Is that his first or last name?”

  “First. He used Paul, but his name is Tyler.”

  “What does he look like?”

  “Skinny.”

  Danny chuckled, and even Jake flashed a small smile. Connor piped in, “You got more than skinny?”

  I frowned at them. “He’s skinny. Like small. I don’t think he could easily kidnap someone.”

  “Maybe they’re drugging them.” Carly was curling her hair around her finger, looking uncomfortable as she became the center of attention. “I mean, my momma taught me not to take drinks or candy from a stranger. Because, you know, drugs.” Her shrug was matter-of-fact, but her theory made sense.

  “The guy’s got dark hair. I’m betting it’s dyed, cause that black is so not natural. Dark eyes, kinda pasty.”

  “Why would she go off with him?” Jules asked absently.

  “Because she thought he needed help. And she didn’t feel threatened by him.” The knowledge was there, a subtle certainty, which had no explanation.

  “Were you able to take over the case?” I remembered Jake was working on having the case reassigned to himself, but from his closed expression, I was going to guess the answer was no.

  “Nash was willing to hand it off, but the new captain didn’t go for it.” Connor’s lips flattened in disgust as Jake stood.

  “His words, and I quote, ‘Why don’t you let someone else have the glory for once?’ He paced, his jaw tight with anger. “What the hell does fucking glory mean anyway? We are trying to solve cases, bring kids home …” He waved his hands around, angrier about this than I’d ever seen him. “Not win a damn prize.”

  “Jake.” Connor’s quiet tone caught Jake’s attention. It was almost as if they’d reversed roles. “We work around him. This doesn’t stop us.” Jake nodded, rubbing his hand across his face. He sat on the ottoman across from me, a contrite expression on his face as he peered at me. I gave him a twisted smile, and stroked his cheek.

  “You have a right to be angry about this.” I clasped one of his hands in both of mine, “But Connor’s right, and please God, let me stop having to utter those words.” I stared up at the ceiling as I said it and heard a few chuckles. “We’ll figure it out without the case file.”

  “Well …” Connor had a Cheshire
grin and threw me a wink. “To keep my streak going … we do actually have access to the case file.” I raised a questioning eyebrow, and Jake scrutinized him. “Nash might have slipped it to me on the DL. I owe him a case of beer at our next poker night, but I figured it was worth it.”

  “DL?” I asked, puzzled.

  “Down low,” Carly replied, looking smug. When I glanced at her, she shrugged. “I keep up with the slang.”

  “Awesome. Good job, Connor.” I praised him reluctantly, already knowing the reaction I would get.

  “What was that? I didn’t quite catch it. Could you say it louder?” He cupped a hand around his ear and I shook my head.

  “GOOD JOB!” I screamed in his ear, causing him to jump and everyone else to laugh.

  After our laughter died, Jake stared at me warily. He had a question, one he didn’t want to ask me.

  “What is it?” He gave me a tiny smile, knowing I wouldn’t let him get away with not asking. He glanced up through his thick eyelashes, his head tilted. Even after a year together, he had the ability to make my heart race. I closed my eyes for a second, to control my desire to lean over and kiss him. One make-out session a night was plenty for our friends.

  “Is Deidre dead?”

  The answer filled my mind and my eyes flew open. My smile was answer enough for them, and I threw my arms around him. I hated that question, but it was a necessary one. It was a relief to know she was out there, fighting, and made me all the more determined to find her, before the answer changed.