by Sofia Grey
Jack raised his eyebrows. “You’re not seriously suggesting we let the bastard go?”
“Yes. I promised.”
“I can’t do that. There’s this little thing called justice. While nothing would give me greater pleasure than cutting his body into tiny pieces—preferably while he’s still alive—I’m honour bound to make sure he stands trial for his crimes.”
Juli scowled. “And there’s also the little thing called a promise. Which I made. And you’re breaking.”
Jack stood before her, his dark-blue eyes piercing, his face cold and blank. “We are not arguing about this. Believe me, letting him go is not an option.”
Wednesday 19 May
Chapter Five
Juli waited up, hoping Jack would join her in bed. She fell into an uneasy doze, waking with a start just after midnight. She’d been asleep for half an hour. The bed was empty beside her, and she didn’t remember Jack being there at all. She went in search of him. At home, she normally slept naked, but not here, with other people around. She wore one of Jack’s T-shirts. It hung to her knees.
She opened the bedroom door with care and peeped out into the main open-plan area. A figure sprawled on one of the sofas, but in the near-darkness she couldn’t tell if it was Jack or Aiden. As she tiptoed closer, Jack spoke, his voice low.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to check on him again.” It was him on the sofa, facing toward Yanni’s bedroom. A dull-metal handgun lay across his knee.
Taking a step closer, Juli whispered back, “I was looking for you. Why didn’t you come to bed?”
Jack sighed and swung his legs to the floor, making room beside him.
It was as good as an invitation, and she took it. She sank into the cushions, kneeling to face him. “Jack?”
His face was in shadow, and she couldn’t make out his expression. “We’re taking turns on watch.”
She thought about it. Yanni was not only badly injured and presumably in great pain, he was also handcuffed to the bed and under armed guard. They thought him to be more dangerous than she expected.
Something didn’t quite add up. “Jack, you’ve had hardly any sleep for days. Couldn’t Aiden have covered for you tonight?”
“Maybe.”
She yawned and tried to order her thoughts. “Where did you get the gun?” She kept her voice light. She was used to his carrying a sidearm back in Houston, but not here.
“It’s Aiden’s.”
“Will you be coming to bed, when he takes his shift?”
“Do you want me to?”
“God, yes. What do you think?”
“I think”—his voice was even—“that I don’t understand the relationship you have with him. With Yanni.”
What? “Relationship?” It came out as a squeak. “There isn’t one. He kidnapped me, tricked me, and now turned up months later, claiming to be the only person who can save Papa.” She forced some calm into her voice. “Does that sound like a relationship to you?”
“It sounds like Stockholm Syndrome. It’s quite normal, you know.”
“Huh?” That never occurred to her.
Jack huffed a sigh and reached out to take one of her hands. “Stockholm Syndrome. It’s where a hostage develops sympathetic feelings towards their captor. It usually develops after three or four days in captivity, when the hostage is feeling isolated and afraid. The captor shows token acts of kindness, and a psychological shift occurs.” His voice was gentle. “I know how it’s affected you, even if you don’t want to acknowledge it. And I know this means you can’t be as objective as you need to be.”
“How do you know all this? Google?”
He shrugged. “I talked to a few people.” He released her hand, slipped his arm around her shoulders, and tugged her against his body. “I find it difficult to see you with him. I know what he’s done, things you don’t know about, what he’s capable of… I know how he manipulated you. I’m worried he’s trying to get you to do the same now.”
With Jack holding her close, Juli felt more confident. She could see that Yanni, despite his protest to the contrary, was trying to push a wedge between Jack and her. And that could only work if she let him. “How can he manipulate me here? I’m not his captive anymore. You’re with me, Aiden’s here, and Tanner will be soon. The situation couldn’t be more different.”
Jack seemed about to say something, but he kissed her cheek instead. “Go back to bed. I’ll come as soon as Aiden takes over. We can talk more in the morning.”
She snuggled in closer, tucking her legs to the side, where they felt more comfortable, and closing her heavy-lidded eyes when she rested her face against his chest. She loved the strength of his body. He made her feel safe. “Nu huh. I’m staying here. When you go to bed, I’ll go.”
Somewhere above her head, she felt and heard his rumble of laughter. “Do you ever do as you’re told?”
“Do you?” His chest muffled her voice. He probably wouldn’t hear her. As she drifted back to sleep, his arm tightened around her, holding her warm and secure where she most wanted to be. One final question demanded to be asked, though.
Lifting her head, she caught Jack’s attention. “If Yanni’s so dangerous, why haven’t you handed him in yet? Why is he still here?”
Jack hesitated, then cuddled her to his chest again. He sighed above her head. “That’s what we’re going to talk about in the morning.”
*
Tanner arrived in the early hours of the morning, and while Aiden briefed him, Jack took the opportunity to carry Juli to bed. He curled up beside her and grabbed a few hours of sleep.
It was daylight when they gathered together in the kitchen, over coffee and toast. Tanner, with his medic skills, had checked and re-dressed Yanni’s wound, given him breakfast, and then a drink of warm milk with sleeping pills ground up in it. With Yanni out cold, it meant they could discuss the situation and their plans without being overheard.
There was no news yet about how Yves was responding to the treatment. His life hung in the balance, and Juli looked grey with exhaustion.
Jack claimed the seat next to her and tangled their fingers together. This drew a small smile from her.
Aiden took charge. “Okay. The first thing we have to consider is how much truth, if any, Yanni is actually telling us. He was right about the thallium, but that doesn’t mean a lot. He could have found out about it through some other method. Or”—he glanced at Juli—“he could have administered the poison.”
She winced but stayed quiet, holding Jack’s hand tightly.
“So, we need to look at what he wants,” continued Aiden. “As I see it, there are several possibilities. One—he wants to get on-side with Juli, and gain her trust. What better way, than to save her father?” Aiden’s sharp gaze flicked around them all. “Two—he might be in trouble and hoping Juli will provide protection. Three—this might be part of a bigger deal. He may be setting her up, for reasons unknown. I should point out he could also be telling the truth.”
Juli turned to face Jack. “I asked you last night why you hadn’t turned him over to the authorities yet.”
“If we hand him over now,” said Jack, “he won’t say anything. He’s too experienced to break under interrogation, and whatever he’s planning will stay hidden. And there’s the problem of your house being turned over. Is that connected? And what’s the risk to Yves?” Jack hesitated. He couldn’t believe he was about to go along with the idea Aiden suggested earlier. “So, we figured we’d talk to him first. Try to ascertain how much of what he said is the truth. If any.”
Juli’s brow furrowed in concentration. “But you just said he won’t break under interrogation. What the hell are you going to do to him?” She sounded horrified.
Jack squeezed her hand some more. “We’re not going to do anything. What we’re hoping is that you might talk to him.”
She stared back, clearly perplexed. He could almost see the wheels turning inside her brain, as she thought about it. Her v
oice was faint. “I thought you didn’t want me going anywhere near him. What changed?”
Jack could only stare at their linked hands. Shame and unease swept over him. This plan sucked, big time. Gazing at Aiden and Tanner, he wanted to plead with them to come up with something better.
Juli stared around the table. “What do you want me to say?”
Aiden replied, reassuring and confident. “Start by talking to him about Yves. Ask him things he could only know if he’d spent any time with your father. Try to determine if he’s telling the truth about meeting him. You could tell him that Yves is dead. That his information came too late.”
She pulled her hand free, stood, and walked to the picture window. Standing there, with her arms wrapped around herself, she looked lost and alone. Jack’s heart fragmented some more. He couldn’t put her through this.
“What if he tries to make me believe another pack of lies?” Juli asked. “He can be very convincing.”
“You know more about him now. You can turn the tables on him, trick him into believing you. You’re in a much stronger position.” Aiden made it sound easy.
Jack shook his head. It was time for this crazy plan to stop.
Juli turned around to face him before he could speak. “What about you, Jack? Can you cope with it? If I do this?” Her eyes were wild and scared, her fingers gripping her arms so tightly he could see the nails pressing into her flesh. She had balls of steel.
Jack nodded and held her gaze. “I don’t like it. I don’t like you, being in the same room as him, but you only go as far as you feel comfortable. If you tell us you’ve had enough, this stops and we turn him in. With no hesitation.”
She looked at each of them in turn and fiddled with her wedding ring some more. “Okay. How soon do I start?”
Jack’s stomach lurched. This was going to be every bit as bad for him. Yanni would be sweet-talking her and dripping his odious charm all over her. Could Jack go through with this?
Juli’s phone beeped into the silence. She fumbled for it, read the incoming text, and tossed the handset onto the table. “It’s one of my friends, Maria. She heard Papa is ill and wants to see me.”
Aiden shook his head. “It’s probably best if you don’t see anyone right now. Just say you want time alone.”
A crumpled smile hovered over her face. “You don’t know Maria. She’s a darling, but you have no idea how tenacious she can be. I’ll meet her for coffee. I could do with getting out of here for a while. I need to think. I’d love to visit Papa, but it’d take hours to get there and back.”
Aiden glanced at his watch, then at Tanner. “Yanni should be asleep for a few hours, don’t you think?” Tanner nodded, and Aiden went on. “So yeah. Why don’t you go out this morning, Juli? We’ll make a start on the questioning this afternoon.”
She walked back to the window and gazed outside.
Jack joined her and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. “You don’t have to do everything on your own. I’ll come with you, to meet your friend.”
*
Maria was at her desk, preparing for a project meeting, when Juli replied to her text.
Hi. Can do coffee this morning, if you can get out of work. Whole Latte Love near your office at 11:00? J x
It was the work of minutes, to juggle her appointments for the day, and then she dashed to her meeting. She struggled to concentrate. Her concern for Juli was soothed a little by her amusement at telling her friend that she already knew her husband. Thinking of Jack led her to thinking about Tanner.
Fact Number One—Tanner knew where to find her.
Fact Number Two—he wasn’t interested. Why else would he avoid her?
Nope. Not going there. She slammed the brakes on that train.
She freshened up in the bathroom and examined her appearance before leaving the building. Her hair was recently trimmed, and the rich brown bob danced and shimmied to her chin. It looked smooth and glossy today. She replenished her makeup, adding extra mascara and black pencil to highlight her dark eyes. She just needed a quick slick of lip gloss, and she was done.
Walking through the foyer, her gaze was drawn to the graceful bronze statue by the entrance. Seven small birds, flying up towards the sky—one for each person that died here in the bombing. Her brother was one of them. She liked to think the bird flying highest represented Rico. He always strove to go further, to push himself beyond normal limits.
Gods, she missed her brother.
Juli stood at the counter when Maria walked into the busy café. She glanced up, a wobbly smile on her face, and they hugged, uncaring of the queue shuffling around them.
“I’m so sorry to hear about Yves. What happened?”
“We don’t know yet. The doctors don’t know what’s wrong with him.”
“That’s awful.” Maria released her, and they smiled at each other. “It’s so long since we caught up. I wish it wasn’t under these circumstances. Let’s place our order and then go find seats.”
Juli gazed at the menu board. “A grande skinny latte and a venti Americano please.” She glanced at Maria. “What do you want?”
She’d ordered two drinks. Was Jack with her? It threw Maria’s focus for a moment. “Umm… Skinny latte. Thanks.” She looked around the café but couldn’t see him.
The assistant said, “We’ve got a bit of a backlog, I’ll bring them across. Where are you sitting?”
Juli gestured to the back of the seating area. “Over there, in the comfy chairs. Thanks.”
Maria followed her gaze and saw a two-seater sofa flanked by two high-backed armchairs. She was right. Jack was there. She hid her smile and followed Juli.
Jack beamed at her. He stood and strode toward them. “Maria Sanchez? What the hell are you doing here?”
She laughed when he swept her into a huge bear hug that squeezed the breath from her lungs. “Hey, Jack. Long time, no see.”
*
Juli wondered if she’d stepped into an alternate dimension. Or perhaps she was still asleep?
Jack and Maria not only knew each other, but judging by the intensity of the hug, were good friends. They broke apart, both gazing at Juli with happy, shining eyes.
Meanwhile, she stood awkwardly, dead on her feet and wondering what the hell was going on. “I don’t need to introduce you, then?” Tiredness lent a sharp note to her sarcastic comment which she instantly regretted.
Jack guided Maria into one of the armchairs and tugged Juli to sit next to him, his arm around her shoulders. “I had no idea you knew Maria.”
She turned to face Maria. “You never mentioned you knew Jack. What am I missing here?”
“This is the first time we’ve met up in ages.” Maria’s cheeks pinked. “At first I didn’t know if it was the same Jack. I mean, what were the chances of that?”
Jack hastened to explain. “Maria’s brother was my old buddy, Rico. I told you about him. Remember? We served together in the marines.”
Juli joined the dots in her head and huffed when she made the connections. “You’re Rico’s sister? I knew you’d lost a brother, but that was all. God, I had no idea. How must it be for you, working in the building where he died?”
“I wasn’t working for TM-Tech then.” Maria spoke evenly. “And I haven’t seen Jack since the funeral. It’s so good to see him again.”
The waitress arrived with their drinks, and they paused and waited until she’d left before they spoke again.
Maria was first. She leaned across the table and touched Juli’s knee. “Do you want to tell me about Yves? And can I help you with anything? And how is your mom coping?” Her brown eyes were sympathetic. Juli wanted to scrub her previous tart words from existence.
Staring at her beautiful friend, so glamorous and in control, Juli longed to trade places with her. How good it would be to simply walk back to her lab from here, settle into work, and pretend none of this nightmare had happened? She swallowed, her mouth dry and the coffee too hot to drink.
>
She murmured some half-truths about Papa and took refuge in being upset and unable to articulate herself. She hated lying to her friend, but to her relief, Maria didn’t probe too deeply.
Jack carried the conversation along, filling in the gaps to ask about Maria’s work, and her family, and Juli was able to stay quiet, lost in her own thoughts.
Maria eventually glanced at her watch and made an exasperated little noise. “Damn. I need to get back to work.” She stepped around the table to embrace Juli again, and held her close. “Are you still in your old house? I’ll come over tonight, when I finish.”
“No.” Juli was hesitant. “We’re staying with friends at the moment.”
“Okay. Just give me their address. It’s in London, isn’t it?”
Juli glanced at Jack, unsure how much to say. “Why don’t I give you a call later? It might be best if we met another day.” Juli was hopeless at lying.
A tiny crease appeared on Maria’s smooth forehead. She gave Jack a peck on his cheek. “How’s Tanner these days?”
“He’s good,” said Jack. “He’s in town at the moment, with us. Why don’t we all meet up sometime next week?”
Was it Juli’s imagination, or did Maria’s smile widen?
“Why wait until next week?” Maria asked. “What’s wrong with tonight? I’ve got something exciting to tell you both.”
“I’ll call you later.” Juli was firm. She hated lying to her friend and wanted to get outside in the fresh air, away from Maria’s sharp intelligence.
She fully expected her to argue, but Maria wrinkled her nose and dug in her handbag for something.
“I nearly forgot. I got this for you.” Maria handed her a cute little soft toy. The tiny bean-filled Siamese cat wore a bright-pink ribbon around its neck. “I know how much you love cats, and I thought of you as soon as I saw it. It’s so small, you can carry it with you everywhere.”
“Thank you.” She was touched by the gesture.