by A. V. Asher
The Truth Keeps Silent
Truth & Lies Duet, Book One
A.V. Asher
Winter Zephyr Press
Copyright © 2021 by A.V. Asher
All rights reserved. Published by Winter Zephyr Press.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
ISBN:
Paperback: 978-1-7365439-1-7
Ebook: 978-1-7365439-0-0
Cover design: Damonza.com
Editing: Salt and Sage Books
Domestic violence can affect anyone. People of all races, genders, sexual orientations, economic status and education levels can be impacted. ⠀
If you or someone you love is a victim of abuse, please call the National Domestic Abuse Hotline.
You are not alone.
USA - 1.800.799.7233 ⠀
Canada- 1.866.863.0511
UK- 0808 2000 247⠀
Australia -1800 737 732⠀
When money speaks, the truth keeps silent.
Russian Proverb
Contents
Part I
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Part II
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Part III
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Mercedes and Alec will return in “The Lies That Shatter”
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Where to find me!
Part I
Chapter One
Working at a coffeehouse wasn’t what Mercedes Elliott had in mind when she moved to the other side of the world. She could have gone her entire life without knowing how to decorate foamy drinks.
She feathered the last bit of steamed milk into an elaborate Rosetta design atop rich espresso.
The customer smiled. “Ooh, beautiful. Well done.”
“Thanks.” She slid the drink across the counter.
She had to admit, though, that Capulus & Vinum was a lovely place to work. Coffee shop by day, wine and music bar by night, it brought in tourists, college kids, and the booming artistic community. The steady pace kept her from dwelling on the train wreck that was her life, at least for a few hours a day.
She wished it paid more. London was expensive. Not that San Francisco was any better.
“Hey Sadie, are you able to pull a double?” her boss, Jackie, called. “The switch over this evening is shorthanded. You free?”
Mercedes hesitated. Jason didn’t like her to work so late, but her dwindling bank account was screaming for some love.
“I can. Do you need me until closing?” She dumped out the used espresso grounds.
“That would be fantastic, Sadie. Thank you.” Jackie rang up the customer in front of her “Coffee is slowing down. Why don’t you finish up and take a break for a few hours? Come back at six?”
“Do you mind if I hang out upstairs in the office? I’d like to call my sister.”
“Of course. See you later this afternoon.”
Mercedes climbed the narrow stairs to the small office. She sat in the swivel chair, sweeping aside a pile of receipts and papers. Using the office phone, she dialed Charlotte’s number. Mercedes let it ring twice, then hung up.
She hated resorting to these tactics to speak with her own sister, but she didn’t want to deal with a meltdown from Jason when he checked her phone.
The phone rang, and Mercedes picked up on the first ring.
“Cap and Vin, this is Mercedes. How may I help you?”
“Good morning, sunshine,” Charlotte’s voice chimed through the phone, her American accent making Mercedes ache for home.
“Hello, love. How ya doing this fine morn?”
“Amazing. I saw a guy in a thousand-dollar business suit leaving a hotel with no shoes on, clearly still drunk off his ass.”
“Not bad. Did he at least have socks on?”
“Nope, bare feet, walking down Valencia Avenue.” Charlotte laughed. “How is the job hunt going?”
Mercedes straightened a pile of receipts on the desk and sighed. “Eh. Nothing from the latest round of resumes. I’ve called on a few but got the runaround.”
“I’m sorry.”
Mercedes grunted a response and thrummed her fingers along the edge of the desk. “Maybe I should look at smaller practices outside downtown London. I must be aiming too high if I can’t even get a meeting.”
“You could look outside London altogether? Maybe they need an experienced corporate attorney in Manchester or Birmingham. Or Edinburgh. You loved Scotland when we were there for my wedding.”
The reminder of Scotland made Mercedes’s heart skip. “What would I do with Jason if I moved to Scotland?”
“Leave him in London,” Charlotte muttered.
“Be nice, Charlie,” Mercedes said, massaging her brow.
“Hmm. You could try the Bay Area again. San Jose or Marin? Or even go as far as Monterey?”
“I already did. I don’t think anyone in California will work with me.” A familiar pang ran through her heart. “Besides, I moved here to start over. I feel like I need to give it more time.”
“Have you called him?”
A stagnant pause held the question in the air.
“No.”
Charlotte sighed. “Why not? You know he’d help you.”
“But I don’t know that. We haven’t spoken in three years. He’s made it clear we aren’t friends.”
“Did he say that to you?”
Mercedes raised her eyebrows. “He’s said nothing to me. Besides, I don’t love the idea of asking a man who ghosted me for help.”
“It’s called networking, Sadie,” Charlotte quipped.
/> “It sucks, Charlie,” Mercedes shot back.
“I know. But it’s an avenue you haven’t played. He asked Luke how you were doing. A year or so ago.”
“Oh really? A whole year ago? What’d Luke tell him?”
“He told him you were doing well. At least we thought so at the time.” The remark had an edge to it, which Mercedes ignored.
“He ever explain himself?”
“No. But you know how Luke is with details. He hates to pry, so he didn’t ask questions.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Look, I get it. It’s shitty. But honestly, you kinda need to suck it up,” Charlotte said. “Otherwise, you’re gonna have to ask Jason for tampon money every damn month.”
Apprehension ran through her.
“If Jason found out . . .”
Charlotte scoffed. “The fact you’re worried is a problem.” Mercedes closed her eyes against the truth in her sister’s words. “Don’t tell him. Make the call from the coffee shop. The same way you have to call me,” Charlotte added, a bite in her words.
Mercedes flinched. Charlotte was never one to hold back truth bombs when she saw the need. But she also lived in a very different reality. Charlotte’s husband Luke would never deny Charlotte the right to call whoever she wanted, whenever she wanted.
“What if he tells me to piss off?”
“What if he does?”
“Easy for you to say.”
Charlotte sighed. “I’m just saying, you’ve had to run through a whirlpool of shit to get even a fraction of what you’ve accomplished. It’s one phone call to someone you used to know. The worst thing that happens is he tells you no. The best outcome is he tries to help you make a connection that can truly help you start over.”
Mercedes didn’t answer, her mind working through the minefield her sister was asking her to maneuver.
“Damn it, Sadie! I’m the one who freaks out about shit like this, not you.”
Mercedes sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I’ll think about it. I better go. Give Luke my love.”
“Give Alec mine.” Charlotte snickered.
Mercedes groaned. “I hate you.”
“I love you too, sister. Let me know how it goes.” Charlotte was giggling as she hung up the phone.
Charlotte was right. There wasn’t a reason to keep delaying. If there was any hope of connecting with the legal world here in London, she’d have to do more than send resumes to dead emails. Mercedes needed someone who could make introductions and open doors.
She opened her phone and searched her contacts. Her heart gave a little jump as she read his name at the top of the list.
Alec McKinley.
Damn.
Would he answer a call from her?
Not likely.
What should she say to him?
Hey, I know you blew me off years ago, but I totally have enough self-respect to beg you to find me a job right now.
Ugh.
She dialed his number on the office phone. While it rang, Mercedes took a steadying breath, trying to slow her heart.
God, this is humiliating.
Then she heard Alec’s voice for the first time in three years. His Scottish accent sent a hum of warmth through her as he welcomed the caller to leave a message. She had the absurd thought that she was glad he had gone back to this recording. For a while, he used one of those generic voicemail greetings that sounded like a robot. She hated those.
Her scattered brain was so busy thinking about the greeting that she was surprised when the tone sounded.
“Hi Alec, this is Sadie. Um, Mercedes Elliott? It’s been a while, and I . . . well, I hope you’re doing well. I was calling because I recently moved to London and was hoping you might know someone in the city that’s looking for an American corporate attorney. I know it’s out of the blue. I hope that’s okay. If you would, please call me at this number. It’s the number for the coffeehouse I’m working at, so you might have to leave a message. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks. I look forward to speaking with you.”
She gave the number for Cap & Vin and hung the phone up with a huge exhale. Not too bad, really. No major fumbles. It could have been so much worse.
As she typed out a text to Jason, Mercedes told herself her fingers were trembling because she’d had to call Alec. She was grateful she didn’t have to tell Jason about the extra shift over the phone. He wasn’t likely to be happy about it.
Maybe she should stick around the office to see if Alec would call back. It only took her a beat to decide he wasn’t likely to call at all, so she wasn’t going to wait around for him. She’d made that mistake before.
She looked at her watch. She’d have plenty of time to snag something at the deli next door and head to a park to eat.
Mercedes was about to head downstairs when the ring of the phone on Jackie’s desk stopped her.
Chapter Two
Alec McKinley held back a gag as he took a gulp of the vile green mixture his assistant, Mrs. Downey, had given him. He couldn’t stop his face from grimacing at the taste. And the texture.
Christ, why was it slimy and chunky?
“Alright, down the hatch it went. Can I have my file now?” He held his hand out, putting on a smile he hoped would charm her.
She narrowed her eyes.
Damn. “I drank your green . . . uh, drink. Time to hold up your end of the bargain.”
“Oh, all right then. You’ll feel so much better after drinking it. It has all sorts of nutrients your body needs.” She handed Alec the file and followed him as he strode to his office. “It doesn’t taste bad for something that’s so good for you, right?”
“Aye, like lawn clippings in jelly.” With his eyes on the file, he grabbed the water bottle off the desk, flipped open the lid, and took a mouthful to wash away the chunky wheatgrass. “Anyone else you can accost with the green slime, or am I your only victim?”
“I got Mariah too. She was the one who suggested I bring orange slices. She says it makes it go down better. I’ll be bringing those with me tomorrow.”
“Looking forward to it.” His cell phone buzzed, and he glanced at it. It wasn’t a number he knew, so he let it go to voicemail.
“Hmph.” Eyeing him, she picked up both the empty shot glass and his water bottle from his desk. Alec smiled as she pattered down the hall.
Mrs. Downey was a treasure. Most of the time, he indulged her fussing. She reminded him of an Irish version of his mum.
He thumbed through the case file and began to read the report his cousin, Declan, had written up on his most recent case. The assignment had gone smoothly, and there was a good chance their client would refer his wealthy German friends.
Since starting McKinley Security and Risk Management with Declan four and half years ago, Alec had been proud of the company’s reputation and growth. They’d started as a team of five. Now they had operatives throughout the UK and Ireland.
Mrs. Downey returned with his refreshed water bottle and a small plate with three shortbread biscuits on it.
He quirked an eyebrow at her. “I thought we were going for health food this week?”
“Oh, don’t I know it. But I know you love shortbread, so I thought I’d bring a few before you leave.”
He flashed an appreciative smile. “Thank you. It’ll hold me over until I get home.”
“Anytime, lad. Mariah already left, and I’m heading out to an appointment. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Aye, tomorrow then.”
Alec picked up his phone and opened his voice mailbox. Selecting the unheard voicemail at the top, he put the call on speaker and sat back in his chair with a sigh.
He had just taken a bite when her voice came across the line. His heart stopped.
It was timid and strained, but he recognized it right away.
Sadie Elliott.
He listened to the rest of the message, frozen in his seat.
Did she say she had moved to London?
He played it again. He’d heard it right the first time. She needed a job? What the hell happened in San Francisco?
Alec jotted down the number and sat back in his chair. The Cap & Vin was only a few streets away. How long had she been this close? It had been almost three years since he had last spoken to her.
He dialed the number. He had only given brief thought to what he might say when a soft American voice answered, “Cap & Vin, this is Mercedes. How may I help you?”
Alec paused, his heart racing. He wasn’t sure if it was from anticipation or nerves. “Hey Sadie, it’s Alec McKinley, giving you a ring back.”
Mercedes bit her lip at the sound of his voice, tinged with the light Scottish burr she’d always found so charming.
“Hi. Wow, thanks for calling me back so quickly. I know it’s been a while.” Mercedes winced. Maybe she shouldn’t remind him of that.
“Oh aye, for sure,” Alec said. “How have you been?”
Oh, well, my life’s collapsed into an utter shitshow, and now I need to call up men who didn’t want me and beg for help.