Beautiful Liar

by Cin Medley

  “Sure thing. You here on vacation?”

  “No, I’m here to meet my girlfriend.” I smiled when I said it. I should have said my future wife, but that would have sounded weird.

  We had our breakfast and then I changed Jo. “But momma I want to wear a pretty dress.”

  “But sweetie we need to wear jeans and our tennis shoes. I promise when we get home you can wear a pretty dress. Momma will wear one too. Oh, I know we can stop and get matching ones at the shops.”

  That perked her up, she didn’t fight me anymore. When we walked down the hall Ruth was waiting for us. “Everyone ready now?” Jo smiled and nodded. Ruth looked at me funny, like it was the last time she was going to see me. She shocked me when she grabbed me up in a hug. “You take care now.”

  I laughed, “Ruth, you’ll be back in two days.”

  “I know, I know.” She knelt and grabbed Jo in her arms. I heard her say. “You stay safe little one.”

  I didn’t say anything, she will get hers, for conspiring against me. “Well, you got everything?” I asked her. She nodded to the door. I thought it a little odd that she was taking such a big bag for just two nights. I wonder what she had in there. “Here let me get your bag for you.”

  “Oh no, I’ve got it. Don’t be silly.” She moved over and picked it up.

  When we walked out of the house, I made sure to stay one step ahead of her. I put Jo in her car seat and then got in the driver’s seat. It took about fifteen minutes to get to town. I dropped Ruth off at the bus stop. I spotted Jacob, who was standing a few feet away from her. I nodded to him, so he knew who she was. We said our goodbyes and I drove away, headed to Surrey.

  Pulling up to the Mall, I parked as close to the door as I could get. We went in and shopped for a little bit. As promised we bought two dresses the same. “Would you like to go to Discovery Plant and see what’s new there?”

  I knew she liked the store, Ruth would bring her. Her eyes got big and she nodded at me. Holding her hand, we made our way to the other side of the mall. I could see the sign up ahead. I was nervous excited hoping he would be there waiting for me, for us. The closer we got the faster my heart beat. When the doorway came into view, my heart sank when I didn’t see him waiting for me. Shit!

  Jo was pulling on my hand, “Come on momma. There it is.”

  I smiled at her big brown eyes. “I know, I see it.”

  As fast as her little legs would take her she tugged me through the doors and into the store. She pulled me from one display to the next, to see all the cool things. We laughed, and giggled as she showed me all her favorite things. I was so caught up in her excitement that I stop worrying about Paul. If he didn’t come, then we would go to plan B.

  I was on my knees while we looked inside a giant fish tank. She had found a fish that looked like Nemo and one that looked like Dori. “Momma, look its Dori.”

  “I see, she sure is pretty.”

  “Do you think she will talk to me? Just keep swimming.” She sang.

  “I’m not so sure fish can talk.” His baritone voice sent electricity right through me.

  Jo giggled, “She talks in the movie.”

  “Yes but, I’m not sure she can talk here. What if everyone heard her? It would be crazy in here. People would want to take her home.”

  I just knelt there looking at him. His eyes met mine. “Hi, beautiful.”

  “You came,” I whispered.

  He smiled, “I did.”

  Jo looked at me, “Momma, is he your friend?”

  My eyes moved to hers, “Yes sweetie, this is my friend Paul,” I looked at Paul, “Paul this is my daughter, Joanna.”

  He put his hand out to shake hers, “Very nice to meet you,” he said, “but I’m more than your momma’s friend. I’m her boyfriend.”

  Jo turned to me, “Momma, what’s a boyfriend.”

  I laughed, “He’s a boy and he’s my friend,” that seemed to satisfy her.

  “So, this accent is new,” he smarted.

  I just smiled at him, “I’m sorry I left.”

  “No you’re not. But I know why you left. So I forgive you.”

  I laughed, “Oh yeah, how do you know?”

  “Bower and Jacob told me everything that they could.”

  My heart jumped. He knows about Steven. I looked at him, my hand reaching to touch his arm. “What we did. It was about us, nothing more.”

  “I know. We are going to have a long talk,” he looked at Jo. “Hey Joanna, seen as how this is a special day, would you like to get some ice cream?”

  “Only if momma can come.”

  He laughed, “Of course she can come.”

  We stood up and I took Jo’s hand, I watched as Paul reached down and Jo put her hand in his. Together we walked out into the courtyard. Jo tugged us along to the ice cream shop where Paul bought her a huge ice cream.

  “Joanna, you couldn’t possibly eat all of that.”

  “Paul is going to help me,” she turned to look at him. “Right?”

  He laughed, “Right.”

  They sat there eating and he kept looking at me, “You should have some, it’s really good.”

  “Momma doesn’t like ice cream,” Jo said.

  I just looked at her and smiled, “How do you know that sweetheart.”

  She smiled as I wiped her chin, “Ruth told me.”

  “Did she now?”

  Jo nodded. My eyes shifted from her to Paul. “We need to talk,” I said softly.

  His smiled touched his eyes, “Oh I know we do. But right now, we are having ice cream,” his eyes softened, “It’ll be fine,” he whispered.

  Just looking into his eyes, I want to believe him, but I know that isn’t the case. My house is staked out with men who are toting high powered rifles. My live-in babysitter has turned me over to Marciano. My niece’s life is in danger, and I’m sitting here watching the man I might be in love with and my daughter who isn’t my daughter eat ice cream. Life sure is weird.

  “Momma, I’m tired.”

  “All right, then we should get going,” I wiped her face.

  I stood to pick her up and Paul stooped down and said to her, “Can I carry you? Momma has to carry all the bags.”

  She nodded her little head. Paul picked her up and she snuggled right into his neck. “He smells good momma.”

  I smiled, as the tears filled my eyes. “I know baby.”

  His hand came up and he wiped my tears. Pulling me into his chest, he whispered, “I was so fucking scared. I think I’m in love with you. Don’t do that again, beautiful.”

  I couldn’t talk, I just nodded into his chest. Jo put her hand on my face, “Don’t cry momma,” She whispered.

  “These are happy tears baby.”

  She smiled and wrapped her little arm around his neck. “Come on,” he whispered, taking my hand. We walked through the mall, it seemed to be the safest place for the minute. “Victoria, why did you leave?”

  “Because, I didn’t want you to be part of the job. I was ordered to get close to you. I refused. I…I…”

  “Are you still in love with your husband?” He said softly.

  “Until that day, yes I believed that I was.”

  “And now?” His voice barely above a whisper.

  “Now my heart hurts for you. I gave you me, all of me. I think I’m terrified you didn’t want me for anything other than what that was.”

  He stopped, pulling me into his chest, “That was me giving you me. Awe beautiful, words cannot tell you what that was for me.”

  I tilted my head up, “So you want me?” I almost didn’t hear my own voice.

  His mouth came down on mine, kissing me deeply in a crowded mall. “With all that I am.”

  The only thing I could do was nod. He put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me to his side and we started walking. “So, Bower filled me in, my question is why am I here?”

  “I need you to take Jo,” I pulled the paper out of my back pocket, “I want to
know, if anything happens to me that you will take her, keep her and raise her?”

  He stopped walking, when I looked up at him I couldn’t read his eyes. He looked around then grabbed my hand leading me to a bench. We sat down. “Victoria, why would you ask me that. We don’t really know each other.”

  “You’re wrong,” I whispered. “The safest I’ve ever felt was in your arms. It’s why I came to you. I just needed to feel safe and somewhere inside of me, somehow, I knew that in your arms was the only place I would feel that way. I know you might think you know what my life has been these past few years, but you only know what Al told you. Jo is comfortable with you, look at her.” I reached up to touch her face. “I can only do this, finish this if I know she is safe and she’s not. I found drawings stuffed under my covers of Ruth, the woman who’s been taking care of her, and a man, that’s how I knew something wasn’t right. Then early this morning I discovered two men sitting in the tree line of my cottage with high powered rifles. I am only here because a deal was made with Ruth and Marciano. She is to get Jo when he kills me. I don’t believe that, he is going to kill Jo as well.”

  He pulled me into his chest and kissed my forehead.

  “There’s more. Jacob, got Ruth before she got on the bus. She told me she was going to see her sister. I think she was trying to warn me; she doesn’t have a sister. My house is wired for sound and with camera’s. He knows I know he’s here. I just need for her to be in the safest place and I believe that to be you.” I couldn’t stop the tears. “Please Paul, I can’t do this if I know she is in danger.”

  “Victoria, there are some things I need to tell you. Yes, I will keep her, but you aren’t doing this alone.”

  “I know the team is here. I need to end him.”

  Shaking his head, he continued, “You are not understanding what I’m saying. I will take Jo, but only if I get her mother as well. I want a life with you. Bower is clearing my underhanded life. When it’s over I’ll have a clean slate, and I want it with you, and with Jo. But, and there is always a but, you are not walking into this alone.”

  “I won’t risk your life,” I snapped.

  He just smiled at me, “You won’t be. I know who Marciano is.”

  I searched his eyes, he was telling me the truth. “Who?”

  “Do you have a plan B for Jo?” He said softly. I nodded. “Implement it, and we will do this together. I’m not letting you walk away from me this time. I think I’m in love with you, and I am not letting you go. Not today, not tomorrow and certainly not next week.” He pulled me in and kissed me. “Now let’s get this over with. I have this insane need to be inside of you,” he whispered.

  I felt my face flush as I pulled my phone from my pocket. I sent my text. “Fifteen minutes, on the East side of the Mall.”

  “Well then let’s get moving. The sooner this ends the sooner I can make love to you,” he whispered in my ear.

  I smiled and we made our way to the Eastern doors of the Mall. Waiting for us was an old colleague of mine. I hugged her, “Thanks so much for doing this.”

  “Any day of the week. Johnathan was my friend as well. I will keep her safe,” she said.

  “This is Paul Simon, if I don’t come back he will come for her. He has all the paperwork, he is going to take her back to America and raise her as his own.”

  She smiled at him, then looked at me. “You are, or were the best agent we’ve ever had. I know you will be fine. You know where we’ll be.”

  I handed her the backpack, “Everything is in there. Please make sure Paul gets it.”

  He handed Jo over to her, kissed her on the forehead. I hugged my friend and my daughter, kissing her I whispered. “I love you to the moon and back.” Looking at my friend, “With your life.”

  She nodded and walked out the door. I couldn’t stop the tears as I watched the only person I had left who was my blood, walk away. Paul pulled me into his arms. “We will come back. Come on, we have a great deal to talk about.”

  He tried to turn me away but I couldn’t look away, not until I knew they were fine. I watched a car turn into the lane. Shaking my head, I took off out the door, pulling my gun from the back of my jeans. Paul was right behind me. The back door of the car opened as the car slowed down. When a man got out of the car, I shot him in the chest. Kathy turned to shield Jo. Another man opened the front door, by this time I was ten feet from him. I shot him in the head and the car took off. I kept moving until I got to Kathy and Jo.

  “You’re not safe. What happened?”

  “There was only one person who knew I was coming here,” she said.

  Paul ran up, “My plane is at Heathrow, come on.” He took Jo. I stopped to look at the men. “Fucking Johnny McDonald. Bastard.” I looked at Paul, “Marciano is definitely here.”

  “I know, come on.”

  We made our way back to Heathrow, via taxi’s. “Here are the keys to my apartment. I will have a man name Max Hinkle meet you at the airport. He will die protecting you. Stay in my apartment. It’s a fortress.”

  “I think we should fly commercial,” Kathy said.

  “Too many variables, this plane gets you into a private hanger when you land. No people.” I said.

  Kathy nodded and they got on the plane. We stood and waited until it took off, then we rented a car.

  “I have an apartment in London, I’m going to take us there,” I said.

  “No, we can’t. Not now, we need to keep moving.” She was in a panic. I watched her reach in her back pocket and pulled out a phone. “The cottage is staked out. They got the shooters. We need to go back there.” She was reading a text. Then she dialed. “Jacob, talk to me.” She hit speaker phone.

  “There were four men in the tree line, we got them all. They are tucked away.”

  “And my cottage?”

  “Too many devices to find them all. We know they are there, so we have a scrambler in place.”

  “No leave them alone. He knows I’m here, they tried to get to Kathy and Jo. I killed McDonald and one other goon. We have them stashed, so I know they are safe. We are about a half an hour out. This happens today, do or die, I’m out when it’s finished.”

  “We’ll be waiting.” The phone went dead.

  I didn’t say anything; I was lost in my own thoughts. Something wasn’t right. “Victoria, I know you are good at your job, and I would trust your instincts before anything else, but I’ve got a few things to tell you.” I pulled over in a little turn around once we were out of the city.

  Reaching over I took her hand. “Come let’s walk. Leave your phone.”

  She looked at me and dropped her phone in the center compartment. I did the same. We got out of the car and walked out into the English country side. We sat down facing one another. “Paul, you’re freaking me out.”

  “Yeah, well I’m going to blow your mind in a minute. Since you left, so much shit has happened. Things I don’t think you are aware of. Things you couldn’t possibly know, but from what I understand about you, you remember everything you see and hear.” She nodded her head. “Ok, after you left, I went to your apartment. Jacob and Bower were there with two other men, who I didn’t know and who didn’t speak. That is where I agreed to be a part of this, in exchange for clearing my name, and then their help to find you when it was over.”

  “You wanted to find me?” She whispered.

  Smiling, I reached up to run my fingers down her cheek. “Yes, beautiful. I’m not letting you go this time.”

  Leaning in she kissed me. God, I couldn’t stop myself, I pulled her onto my lap and deepened the kiss. We sat like this for more than a few minutes. “Beautiful if we don’t stop, I’m going to make love to you right here.” I watched as her face flushed. She climbed off my lap and I took a deep shuttering breath.

  “Anyway, I agreed to everything. But what struck me was what Bower said to me. Keep in mind that I had what twenty-four hours to run every conversation we had over in my head. Things didn’t add up. Bo
wer gave me a phone, he told me if I needed to talk to text, then erase. He said that if they needed me that I would get a note in the mail from the Art Institute.” She nodded her head. “Well he was very clear that I was to not tell a living breathing soul about any of it. He made it a point to say that three different times. Jacob didn’t say much, but he did ask me if I fucked his girlfriend. I told him no, because I didn’t. If he’d asked me if we made love, I’m not sure I would have told him the truth. Anyway, I asked Bower what I should do, and he said that I should just go on living my life, that they would find you and let me know. But what got me and sank in my head was that he said it would take at least a week to confirm you were alive or dead.”

  I watched her face, her eyes. “They knew where I was,” she whispered.

  “Yeah, I figured that out, along with a few other things. He told me that I was suspected to be Andy Marciano, but after they analyzed all the information you retrieved, that they were wrong and they knew who he was.”

  “Why didn’t they tell me?”

  “Well, I’m not sure. But this is what I figured out, and I thought if we had some time you might be able to remember what it was you found. He kept referring to your eidetic memory. I remembered the way you studied my face, that’s when I figured out that you being there with me, was because you wanted to be there, and you were memorizing my face. But whatever it is you saw, or found it’s in your mind somewhere. Well, before I got your text, I was losing my mind trying to figure out why you left. I called my brother to see if he wanted to hang out, I needed a distraction. But his phone was off. So I called his secretary and she told me he had to go out of town on business. Now John never said anything to me about that. A few minutes after I hung up with her, John called me. We talked, I played it cool and then he told me he was in London. It didn’t raise any kind of red flag. But when I hung up you texted me. I had no clue what or where Surrey was so I looked it up.”

  “London,” she whispered.

  I didn’t say anything. I was watching her go through everything in her mind. When her eyes locked with mine she went to open her mouth to talk and I put my fingers on her lips. “While I was on the plane, I put it all together. My brother could be Marciano. But something more happened. When you shot those men today, you had said one of the guy’s names, McDonald. When I looked at him it was Johnny McDonald. I know the guy. He doesn’t work for my brother. He is a hired hitman, don’t ask me how I know that, but I do. The other guy I knew as well; his name is James Times. He is a hired thug. Tell me how you know McDonald.”