Hidden Lies (The Hidden Series Book 2)

by Kristin Coley

  When I got back to the school, Connor was pacing the parking lot, and as soon as he saw my car, he came over. I was about to get out when he shook his head, pulling the car door open.

  “No. We’re going to the precinct. Another girl has been kidnapped.” Connor rested his head back on the seat, and I put the car in gear, my heart thumping like crazy. I could barely push the words out, “Is it Carly?”

  He turned suddenly and scrutinized me. “No, a girl named Madison. Why would you think it was Carly?” His question caused me to lose focus for a second, the memory of why I thought it was Carly flashing through my mind.

  “Stop!” he shouted, and I hit the brake, barely missing the car in front of me. “Okay, put it in park. I’ll drive. And you’ll tell me why you think it was Carly and where you’ve been. Secrets don’t make friends, Addie.”

  As he drove us to the precinct, I told him about the dream and the other psychics I’d met.

  “Holy shit, woman. Does Jake know?” I shook my head, and he frowned at me. “You know better than that. Secrets are like a poison, Addie. They wind up hurting everyone.” He looked tired and serious, two looks I rarely saw on Connor.

  “Jules told you?” I guessed, and he gave me a quick sideways glance as he nodded.

  “I found out by accident,” I admitted, holding up my hands in my own defense. “Granted, that’s how I find out a lot of things.”

  “Yeah, you knowing doesn’t bother me.” One hand clenched the steering wheel, while the other drummed an incessant beat.

  “But something is bothering you,” I prodded, knowing he needed to say whatever was on his mind.

  “Why would she wait to tell me something so huge? It hurts her, but she’s never told me. Why? Can you tell me why, Addie?” He burst out, his quick glance accusing before going back to the road. I was grateful he’d taken over the driving, with the questions he was throwing at me. His pain thrummed through me, keeping cadence with the drum of his fingers. It tasted of betrayal, her decision not to tell him she couldn’t have children, not because he cared about having kids, but because she didn’t trust him with it.

  “Connor, she didn’t tell you, because she knew it wouldn’t change anything.” I laughed when I saw the confused look on his face. He glared at me, a frown forming at my levity. “I’m … trying to explain, but it’s kind of amusing.” His frown only grew, so I hurried. “You come in like a wrecking ball, Con.”

  “Miley Cyrus? That is where you went with this?” He fought the smile that was attempting to form. “I’m trying to be serious for once here. I don’t care that she can’t have babies, but she does care. And I feel like I’ve been left out of this huge secret. And I want to know why.”

  “Sometimes, Connor, we hide the things that hurt us. We hide them so deep we can’t feel them and taking them out to talk about them … well, it hurts.” Tears formed in my eyes. We all had those things we didn’t want to deal with. My grandmother’s death was mine. Jules’ pain was like that. She’d known for a long time she couldn’t have babies, but talking about it was like poking a sore tooth. It caused nothing but pain.

  “Oh, don’t cry! I’m serious now. Do not cry.” Connor threw me a panicked look, and I started to laugh, sniffing back the tears.

  “Connor, she loves you completely. Not telling you … it had nothing to do with you. And I know how that sounds. But she loves you so much, it doesn’t matter that she can’t get pregnant. You are worth it. Any other guy and she would have brought it up the second it was getting serious, but she didn’t feel that way with you.”

  “What? She didn’t think I would ever be serious?”

  His hurt was coming through loud and clear, and I knew I was fucking this up ten ways to Sunday.

  “NO!” I pounded my hand on the armrest, and he glanced at me in surprise. “It was a non-issue with you. GRRRR. I’m not explaining this right.” I sighed, took a deep breath, and prayed for the right words. “This is Jules, Ms. Planner Extraordinaire, and to you, the word plan is practically an insult. You smashed her perfect little world into pieces.” He looked at me, and I hurried to clarify. “In the best way possible, of course.” He still looked disbelieving, and not for the first time, I cursed this ability of mine. “You changed everything. She took the biggest risk of her life with you, and for her, it’s always been serious, but she knew you weren’t the type to leave. No matter what. Her not telling you was more about her own inability to deal with the fact, not because she didn’t trust you with it.” I reached over and stilled the fingers he continued to drum. “Natalie announcing she was pregnant forced her to confront her feelings, and trust me when I say they are complex and confusing and painful. But never for one second did she think you’d walk away because of it. We all know you’re not that guy.”

  “I love her.” His words were rough, emotion making them raw. “She’s so strong. Damn near invincible even. I never even suspected there was this pain inside of her. Shouldn’t I have known?”

  My fingers tightened on his. “No, Con. You couldn’t have. I had no idea. That’s the thing with loving people, it takes a lifetime to discover everything about them.”

  He gripped my hand, threw me a quick sideways glance, and said, “What would I do without you?”

  “Fall into a deep depression, move into the mountains to be a hermit, and eventually succumb to pneumonia, dying alone.”

  “I really have to stop asking questions I don’t want the answers to,” he muttered, letting go of my hand as I shrugged.

  “So, why are we going to the precinct? You said another girl was kidnapped.”

  “Yes, and Jake wants you to listen in on the interview. Maybe you’ll hear something we don’t,” Connor answered, not bothering to add they were desperate to resort to this. It was rare that I went to their office. Usually, if they were stumped, we’d go to the crime scene after it had been cleared, or they’d ask me questions, until something clicked.

  “Who are you interviewing?”

  “It’s not us, actually. Nash is conducting the interview with the person who reported her missing. He’s agreed to let us listen in.” I cut my eyes toward him. “This is bad.”

  “Yes,” he replied simply, turning into the police station.

  He escorted me through the labyrinth of the precinct, stopping when he came to their desks. They were butted up to one another, similar to a dozen other desks arranged in the large room.

  “Jake must be talking to Nash.” Connor pointed to a seat. “I’ll go see what’s going on and be right back. Stay here.”

  I nodded, looking around the room curiously. I thought it’d be louder, busier maybe. There wasn’t even a single person in handcuffs. My perusal was cut short when a voice said, “Can I help you?”

  I examined the man in front of me. He was frowning, a perpetual look for him, I was sure. He wore a suit and tie, but it wasn’t formal, more a casual nod to regulation. He was tall with a wiry build, and quite unexpected. His question had been impatient, and his expression was equally unpleasant, but the intent behind the question was kind. He truly wanted to know if I needed assistance, and would provide it if I did.

  “I’m waiting on Jake,” I answered, when it became obvious my mental musings had delayed me from answering in the normal time-frame. If anything, his frown became even heavier, and I wondered if anyone had ever told him his face was going to get stuck like that.

  “Professional or personal?” he asked, to which I replied cheekily, “Both.”

  His eyebrows lowered, furrowing his brow and explaining the deep lines there. “Miss …” He paused, but I didn’t fill in the blank with my name, so he continued. “You may find yourself amusing, but this is the wrong place to play around. Now, tell me why you’re here.”

  “I’m Jake’s girlfriend. I live on campus, and he wanted to talk to me about the missing girls.” I skated by with tidbits of the truth, not wanting to give more information than necessary, but seeing no reason to lie. The man in front
of me was eager to know more about Jake, and I was curious to know why. His words and expressions were contradictory to the feelings I got when he asked his questions.

  “Captain.” Jake and Connor walked up at that moment, answering more than a few questions for me. The dour man in front of me turned to greet them, and I saw him in a new light. This was the man making life difficult for Jake and Connor, but he was also curious about them.

  “Kincaid, Hayes,” he nodded to them, a frown fixed to his face, and I could start to see why Jake and Connor had their backs up around him. “Miss …” I relented, knowing who he was now and suspecting the tension between all of them was nothing more than miscommunication.

  “Michaels. Addie Michaels,” I replied, sticking my hand out for him to shake. He appeared momentarily surprised, but took my proffered hand in a firm grip.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Addie Michaels.” He turned to go, the tense men beside me not encouraging lingering.

  “Captain.” He paused, half turning at my calling of his title. “Someone has to take the first step.” His gaze was sharp as he took a deep breath and responded.

  “So, they do, Miss Michaels. So, they do.” He gave a short nod and quickly walked across the room to a glass office, one that gave him a clear view of all the desks.

  “Do I want to know?” Jake took my hand in his, squeezing it gently, and I shook my head slowly.

  “Not right now.”

  “Never a dull moment with you, Miss Michaels,” Connor teased, and I raised an eyebrow at him. It seemed to me, my life was extraordinarily dull, except for my choice of friends.

  Two hours later, and we were no closer to finding anything. The interview had been a bust. The boyfriend that had reported the girl missing was useless. He didn’t know anything and spent most of the time crying. It had been uncomfortable to watch, and the interviewing officer had finally left in disgust.

  “We have three missing girls, and the kidnapper of the first two is dead.”

  “Who kidnapped the third one then?”

  They both looked at me, but I shook my head. There was a man, but he had a hood on, his face cast in shadow, making it impossible for me to discern any features. Not even a name drifted through my mind. I blinked, clearing my next thought, almost before it could form. The man had seemed familiar to me. The set of his shoulders, his stance, something about him reminded me of someone.

  “Addie?” His concern drew me from my thoughts, and I attempted a smile.

  “I can’t see him. Whoever it was. It was like his face was in shadow.”

  “Okay.” Jake drew me toward him, giving me a quick, comforting hug, and stepped back. He wasn’t one to be openly affectionate where he worked. His hug surprised me and made me wonder how upset I must have looked. This case seemed to get more muddled, and with no answers in sight, I feared for the girls who had been taken. I worried we were running out of time. They could disappear, and we would never find them.

  “Why kidnap so many girls here? It doesn’t make sense. It’s a risk. We know there have been three kidnapped girls, and we’re alert now.” My frustration was evident to them, and Jake slid his hand up and down my arm, in an attempt to soothe me.

  “We know,” he answered patiently. “And now, with evidence tying the kidnapper’s car to two missing girls, everyone else is starting to figure it out.”

  I nodded, feeling deflated. It was difficult for me to realize other people didn’t see things like I did. They didn’t hear the subtle lies their questions hinted at. They didn’t get the constant barrage of extra information even a normal conversation resulted in for me. They didn’t know what I knew, and sometimes, that was the most frustrating thing of all.

  “We have a couple things to wrap up. If you wait, one of us will drive you home.”

  “I thought we were doing our defense training tonight?” We usually met once a week, but with everything going on lately, we’d missed a couple sessions. I’d told Carly to meet us tonight. I wanted to make sure we were prepared for whatever might come our way.

  “Oh, yeah.”

  “You forgot.”

  “I did, but you just reminded me.” Jake gave me a devastating smile in apology, the one that hinted at a dimple, and I caved. It was difficult, if not impossible to even pretend to be angry with him, when he gave me that smile.

  “In that case, I’m going to head over to the gym. I have no doubt Jules will already be there beating up on some hapless guy who thought she was a lightweight,” I told them, tired of being escorted everywhere.

  “Are there any left at our gym?” Connor asked, looking doubtful.

  “There’s always a newbie,” I replied, catching Jake’s eye. He nodded, understanding my desire for independence, even if it was only to drive myself from one babysitter to another. He leaned close and whispered in my ear.

  “I promise we’ll stop these guys. Just a bit longer.” I nodded, feeling the brush of his lips against my cheek. Connor started making kissing sounds behind us, and my breath puffed out.

  “Also, you can beat the shit out of Connor tonight,” he added, loudly enough that Connor heard.

  “Wait, what?” Connor stammered. “No, no. You and Addie spar. Me and Jules. That’s how it works.”

  “What, Con? You scared of little ol’ me?” I smiled at him, reminded I owed him a couple hard hits for some of the more embarrassing moments he’d subjected me to lately.

  “Of course not,” he answered, his eyebrows drawn together. I laughed, and Jake grinned at how unconvincing he sounded.

  “Walk me to my car?” He nodded, taking my hand and telling Connor he’d meet him back at their desk.

  “Planning to have your wicked way with me before I have to go back to work?” he drawled with a smirk.

  “Kinky, Officer Kincaid,” I responded with a teasing look, my mind filled with images triggered by his question. “Quite a few fantasies you’ve had about me at work.”

  He chuckled, “Just a couple.”

  He let me swing our hands back and forth, even though I know it made him feel silly. It was something I did without thinking, finding it soothing, and it’d taken Jake a few months to get used to it. He mainly had, because I found it impossible to break the habit. He’d stop our arms from swinging, but a few minutes later, I’d start again. I think he finally just gave up and let me have it.

  He tugged on my hand as I went to turn right.

  “We’re leaving,” I said, pointing to the right where I thought the exit was.

  “We are. It’s this way.” He jerked his head in the opposite direction as I muttered, “Dang it.”

  He laughed, letting go of my hand to wrap his arm around my shoulders.

  “Now I know why you wanted me to walk you out. It wasn’t to sneak in kisses, but so you wouldn’t become forever lost in here and have to get a desk sergeant to help you out.”

  I peeked up at him from the crook of his shoulder.

  “I’m going to have to break up with you now.” He cocked an eyebrow at me. “You know me too well. You’ve discovered all my terrible flaws.”

  “And I love them all,” he replied, pulling me down a side hall. He scanned both directions to make sure no one was around as he ducked his head and kissed me. This was no quick peck, but a full onslaught. I wound my fingers around his neck, cupping the back of his head as his mouth opened against mine. Our tongues explored as his hands ran down my back, settling for a moment on my hips and then sliding up again. My fingers played in the waves of hair at the nape of his neck, mussing his work look. I felt him pull away for a second, and then he was back, his lips running along my collarbone as his thumb raised the edge of my shirt to skim along the bare skin of my side.

  “Jake,” I murmured, tugging on his hair to pull his head up.

  “Addie,” he replied, his voice a low rumble that sent shivers through me. He obliged me by lifting his head, and I smiled, pressing a kiss against the underside of his chin, a spot I was well aware ma
de him lose control.

  “Minx,” he growled, his mouth on mine in a second, his body pushing me against the wall, so all I felt was him pressed against me. The kiss was an attempt to devour me, and I let him, wanting to be devoured. My hands found their way to his sides, and I hugged him to me tighter, feeling every hard part of him against my softness. This had been one of his fantasies, and I was more than happy to fulfill it with him.

  He lifted his lips from mine with a gasp, and both of us took the opportunity to breathe.

  “You’re a dangerous woman, Addie Michaels.” I felt his lips skim my cheekbone up to my forehead.

  “Me? I do believe you are the one who is mauling me in a police station hallway.”

  “And are you enjoying the mauling?”

  “If you find that empty interview room you were fantasizing about earlier; I’d be more than happy to show you how much I’m enjoying it.”

  A low groan escaped him, and I watched him look up and down the hallway, considering it, before he finally shook his head.

  “Like I said, dangerous.” He winked, pressing a quick, hard kiss against my lips and drew me back into the main hallway.

  Chapter Ten

  “Ow!”

  “Damn it! I told you I was sorry.”

  “Jesus, Jake. Call your woman off.”

  One more solid punch to the gut, and I stepped back, grinning.

  “I’d say that would teach you not to embarrass me, but it won’t. However, it was very satisfying.” Our audience chuckled, and Connor finally felt safe enough to rip the padded helmet off and spit out the mouth guard.

  “Jules! You didn’t even attempt to protect your man.” He held his hands up in a ‘what the hell’ way, and Jules shook her head.

  “I love you, baby, but she was determined. And I know better than to piss her off.” She smiled and tossed him a towel to wipe the sweat off.

  We’d been sparring for the past two hours, taking turns practicing defensive and offensive moves with one another. Each of us had our own strengths and style, so working with everyone helped us develop multiple techniques. In a fight, you couldn’t predict who your opponent was going to be, but practicing with multiple opponents made it easier to predict what an unknown might do.