Hiding the Past

by Sofia Grey

  In the meantime, she had a million questions for Yanni. Where to start? “So, what’s the deal with you and Juli?”

  His reply was swift. “What’s the deal with you and Juli?”

  Maria laughed. He might be fun to spar with. “If I tell you, will you tell me?”

  “One question each seems fair.”

  “Juli’s my friend.”

  There was a long pause, before he glanced at her. “That’s it?”

  She shrugged. “I thought it would be easier for me to do this, than for Juli.” Should she mention Jack? Maybe not. “Your turn.”

  “I met Juli some months ago. I like her. She’s smart. And when I needed help, she seemed like a good choice to turn to.” His voice was smooth and velvety in the darkness of the car.

  Maria snorted with laughter. “Oh, come on. You make it sound so… well, normal. You kidnapped her. That’s not normal.”

  There was a flash of a smile. “If you knew that, why ask?”

  “Are you trying to make a move on her? She’s married. And very happy.”

  “Why would I do that?” Again, that rich, soothing voice, with the faintest trace of an accent. He’d make a good hypnotist. Or a shrink.

  “I don’t know.” He’d ducked her question. She wagged a reproving finger. “You must have been worried that she’d turn you in. So back to my question, why go to Juli?”

  “Because I wanted to save her father.”

  It still didn’t make sense. “But you had to know her husband would get involved. Didn’t you?”

  Nothing.

  Jeez, this was frustrating. She spoke her thoughts aloud. “So, if you knew Jack would get involved, it stands to reason that was what you hoped would happen. But Jack—like—hates you. You must have realised he’d get his buddies along…”

  Yanni met her gaze for a second, then focused back to the road.

  An entirely new possibility exploded in her brain. “You planned this? You wanted Jack for something, and the way to Jack, is through Juli.”

  *

  Jack held Juli’s hand. She had to wake up soon, but they couldn’t wait for that to happen. Tanner had gone down to the car park, to see which car Yanni and Maria took.

  “Oscar’s gone, too.” Jack pointed to the empty windowsill. “Do you think she wants us to track her?”

  Maria’s laptop sat on the coffee table, but Tanner called before they could look at it. “Tell Aiden I need him down here. The car park’s crawling with police, and there’s a resident who reckons there was a shootout in the car park and a guy was run over by a green Mini Convertible. Sound familiar?”

  Jack relayed the message, and Aiden threw him a venomous look. “She also stole my fucking phone.” He scowled and rattled the dangling handcuffs. “And now I’ve got to go and talk to the police, with these on my wrist. While I’m gone, see if you can get into her laptop or get anything out of Juli.” Oh boy. He was pissed for sure.

  As he limped toward the door, Jack heard a phone trilling. It was faint. He held up a hand to stop Aiden. “Is that your phone I hear?”

  They listened. The sound came from Yanni’s room. And there it was, in the chest of drawers, along with a tiny handcuff key that Aiden snatched up. With the cuffs removed, he went to find Tanner, while Jack went to investigate Maria’s laptop.

  She’d left it unlocked, with a recent email open for reading.

  Juli

  I know you’re all going to be mad at me, but I figured this was the best way to get the information we needed. I’m going to try to get Yanni to trust me, find out if this Irina really exists or not, and hopefully figure out how Yves is involved. Yanni said he and Irina are due to meet on Saturday, so by Sunday, I might have some answers.

  Apologies to Aiden, I’ll try to take his piece, and he may not hand it over willingly. I have a Taser and a pepper spray, so I’m not completely unarmed. And as you know, I’m practically a black-belt in kicking ass. Rest assured I’ll be safe.

  Here’s the practical stuff. I’m taking Oscar along for the ride, and I’m leaving you my laptop so you can access his software. I’m also mailing Jem in my tech team, so he’ll be on hand to offer support—he’s on call 24/7, so don’t worry about calling him out of hours (his number is in my contacts list). He’ll talk you through the tracking process. I told him it’s a training exercise.

  I suggest you follow us at a distance and please keep the guys at bay, at least until Sunday. If they muscle in, it will all be for nothing. See you soon,

  M xx

  If anyone was going to pull a crazy stunt like this, it would be Maria. Christ. Why did they let her get involved? There was nothing more to do but wait until the others returned with an update.

  From what Aiden was told, the police were now actively searching for a green Mini Convertible. The passengers in the Mini fled the scene, damaging car park property on the way, when they smashed through the barrier.

  It was extra attention they could have done without.

  “Okay,” said Jack. “Check out these emails.”

  In addition to the email to Juli, there was another to Jem Tucker at TM-Tech, giving authorisation for him to provide support for the exercise. Everything else they could see appeared to be work-related emails.

  “A Taser and a fucking pepper spray. And she thinks that makes her fucking invulnerable.” Tanner sank his head into his hands.

  Aiden was more practical, sifting through the software on Maria’s laptop to find the tracking application, while already calling her tech. And in the middle of the confusion, Juli woke up.

  *

  Maria stared at Yanni, whose gaze was firmly fixed on the road ahead. It was a crazy idea, but did it hold water? That Yanni was looking for Jack? “Well? Am I right?”

  His left hand came up to scratch his heavily stubbled chin. “That’s an interesting theory.”

  She glared at him.

  He seemed not to notice. He didn’t deny it, though.

  “Why would you be looking for Jack? Like I said, he hates you.” She thought hard, casting her mind back over everything Juli told her about the kidnapping. Jack was working undercover, after infiltrating Yanni’s group. “Holy fuck,” she yelped. “You thought Jack was still working for you?” Common sense reasserted itself. “No. That doesn’t make any sense. He never told you his real name, I know that.”

  “You seem to know a lot about him.”

  She replied absently, her mind still processing the possibilities. “Yeah, I’ve known him since I was a kid.”

  Did Maria imagine it, or did Yanni tense slightly. “What about the cowboy?”

  She smiled at his reference to Tanner. She could imagine him astride a dusty horse, a battered ten-gallon hat on his head. Those strong thighs… Nope. Don’t go there.

  “You’re not in the military.” It was a statement. His gaze never wavered from the road ahead.

  “Is it so obvious?”

  This drew a flash of a smile. “You don’t have the discipline. I doubt you’re in law enforcement, for the same reason.” He looked directly at her for a moment. “Where did you learn to handle a gun?” His voice was casual.

  This was safer ground. “My brother taught me. He was keen for me to learn all kinds of self-defence.”

  There was a miniscule pause. “Was?”

  “He died.”

  “I’m sorry. Did he serve with Jack and the cowboy?”

  Maria didn’t like how quickly Yanni leapt to correct conclusions. She should ignore his questions for a while. She sat in silence for as long as she could manage. It wasn’t long. “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll find out when we get there.” That was clear amusement in his voice.

  She fidgeted and risked a look at her watch. 12:10. Tanner and the others would definitely be searching by now. “Mind if I put some music on? I’m not good with sitting quietly.”

  “I’ve noticed.” He gestured to the console. “Help yourself.” While she dug into her bag
for her iPod, he smiled almost indulgently. “You know, you might have more success with the cowboy if you mastered the art of sitting quietly.”

  “Ha ha,” she said with as much sarcasm as she could manage. “I’m splitting my sides laughing.”

  He actually snorted with amusement. “Go on. Tell me I’m wrong?”

  “You’re wrong.”

  “And you’re a terrible liar. Are you hoping he’ll come to your rescue? Sweep you off your feet? Is this a stunt, to get his attention?”

  Her cheeks heated, but she kept her mouth shut.

  He hadn’t finished, though. “For him to do that, you must have a way of making contact with him. I know my car is clean and your phone is switched off.” She held her breath as he gazed thoughtfully at her. “Do you have another phone on you?”

  “No.”

  Any hint of amusement vanished. “Then you won’t mind if we stop and check that giant bag of yours.” His sharp voice sent a fresh chill down her spine. “If you’re trying to trick me, Maria, I’ll dump you at the side of the road.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Juli felt as though her brain was wrapped in cotton wool. One minute she was deep asleep, the next, someone patted her face and she heard Jack calling her name.

  She struggled to prise her eyes open, to see Jack gazing tenderly at her, his blue eyes dark and intense. She tried to smile through a massive jaw-cracking yawn. For some reason, they weren’t in bed, as she imagined. She lay on the sofa in the brightly lit lounge, with Jack, Tanner, and Aiden staring at her.

  Shit. The plan must have gone wrong. If the guys were all here, her chance to spring Yanni free was gone.

  “Welcome back.” Jack spoke softly, reached for her hand, and meshed their fingers together. “You had me worried.”

  Tanner pushed his way into their little huddle. Stark lines of worry cut into his face. “Did Maria tell you anything?”

  What?

  She opened her mouth to speak, but Jack interrupted. “Give us a moment.” It was a sharp command, laced with something else. Fear? Why would Jack be frightened?

  Jack slid onto the sofa and gathered her in his arms. “Babe.” He sounded choked. “I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you.” He took a quick breath. “Maria freed Yanni and disappeared with him. When Aiden told me, I thought he’d taken you again. Jesus, I nearly died.”

  Juli snaked her arms around his neck and held him close. Her heart raced. She had to tell him the truth, but how could she? All the time she planned this, she’d refused to consider how he’d feel, this man who meant everything to her. What it would do to him. But Maria had.

  “Tell me, babe,” said Jack, his voice gentle. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

  She fell back on a version of the truth. Maria told her nothing of her plans.

  Jack fetched coffee, and then sat close to Juli, one arm resting across her shoulders, as though he couldn’t bear to leave her side. She sipped the strong, hot brew, while his fingertips drew gentle circles her upper arm. When she caught his gaze, he smiled at her and pressed a kiss onto her temple.

  The dishonesty settled in her stomach like a ball of ice, freezing her from the inside out.

  The men compared notes, made plans, and talked back and forth, while Juli yawned and tried to stay awake. She dozed against Jack’s chest, the rumble of his voice overhead. The steady thud of his heartbeat anchored her. She tried to pretend this wasn’t happening. Hadn’t happened.

  “Hey,” said Jack. “We’re gonna move. You able to walk?”

  “Go? Where?” Her brain was operating at half-speed.

  “We’ve got the tracking software working.” Jack stretched. “They headed west, out of London. So that’s where we’re going.”

  *

  Oh fuck. Was Yanni going to stop here to search her? On the motorway? Visions of him pulling onto the hard shoulder and throwing her out of the car were not pleasant. He wouldn’t do that. Would he? Her heart lurched at the idea, and she tugged her bag closer.

  The next exit was a few miles away, and he took it, toward Swindon. The road was quiet and dark. There were no street lights. They were in the middle of nowhere.

  Maria swallowed hard and stared at him. He was a predator. She couldn’t display fear.

  He switched off the engine. The darkness was absolute.

  When he flicked on the interior light, she jumped.

  “Out of the car please. And leave your bag on the seat.” His voice was polite.

  “Here?”

  “Yes. I’d like to take a look inside it. You can stand on the other side of the door while I do so.”

  She swallowed again around the rock that had taken up residence in her throat. Her palms were damp, and her heart raced so fast it made her dizzy. “You can’t make me.” She forced herself to look as if she didn’t care either way. All Maria had to do was to grab the Glock or the Taser before he could.

  His face was unreadable. With a sigh, he reached underneath his seat and pulled out a small pistol. “I can make you. I’d rather not.”

  “Where… How?” Her voice sounded shrill to her ears.

  He shrugged, never taking his eyes off her. “I like to be prepared for all eventualities. Out of the car, Maria.”

  No. She had no intention of leaving the car and being abandoned. In the middle of freaking nowhere. With a bravado she didn’t feel, she stuck out her chin and forced a laugh. It sounded false. “Oh puh-lease. You’re going to shoot me, here, in the car?” She rolled her eyes. “Think of the mess.”

  “No. I’ll just tap you on the side of the head and then throw you out. Your choice.” He paused. “You know, the more you resist, the more certain I am that you’re hiding something.”

  “Jesus Christ.” She injected a note of anger into her voice. With shaking hands, she released the seatbelt, opened the door, and stepped to the ground, slamming the door behind her. “Happy?” she yelled at him.

  He replied with a smile.

  There was a distinctive clunk, as the central locking engaged. Bastard. He locked her out. Panic assailed her. He meant it. He was going to drive off and leave her here.

  Or was he? She peered through the window. He’d upended her bag onto the now empty passenger seat, and was examining each item in detail before dropping it back into the bag. He checked the contents of each pocket too. Coins, lip balm, mascara, keys, Oscar, tampons, tissues–all dropped back into the bag. The mobile stun gun, he set to one side. Joining it were the handcuffs and key, Aiden’s gun, and Maria’s wallet, pepper spray, and penknife.

  With these items arrayed on the dashboard, he released the central locking and pushed the door open.

  Maria stood, arms wrapped around her body. Waiting.

  “You coming?”

  With a furious glare, she scrambled back into the car and rapidly fastened the seatbelt, before he changed his mind. “Well? Are you satisfied now?”

  His eyebrows flicked up as he regarded her. “I’m rarely satisfied. And there are a couple of things you omitted to tell me.”

  She gazed at the things across the dashboard. “I carry a Taser and a pepper spray. I’m into self-defence.”

  His hand lifted and gripped her chin, forcing her to look at him.

  She wriggled, and he relaxed his grip a fraction, till it was firm enough to hold her but not to hurt.

  “You never mentioned working at TM-Tech.”

  She tried to jerk her head free, but he held on, moving closer.

  “Is there anything else you missed out?” he asked.

  “No.” She tried to sound outraged. “What does it matter where I work? That’s how I met Juli.”

  “You’re Maria Sanchez.” He sounded as though he was accusing her of something.

  She managed an awkward shrug. “Let go of me. Please.” Hang on. “You said my name as though you know me. I’d never heard of you before I saw you at Charlie’s.”

  He released her as abruptly as he’d grabbed her. He sc
ooped the items from the dashboard and dumped them all in the door pocket next to him, before handing back just her wallet. “I knew your brother.”

  *

  Tanner drove Juli’s car, with Aiden in the front and Jack in the back with Juli.

  Jack didn’t want to let her out of his sight. His inner caveman was in control, and if that meant being over-protective to his woman, he didn’t care. Juli was safe. He could only hope Maria was too.

  From what Jem Tucker explained, Maria and Yanni might be up to fifty miles away from the tracker—Oscar—since they only had a general compass direction. Aiden’s attempt to locate Maria’s phone failed. The only option was to head west, so they aimed for the M4 motorway, the western route out of the city. Aiden monitored the software on his laptop.

  There was little to say. They’d already planned as far ahead as they could. Something niggled at Jack, nudging at his brain until he paid it attention. He let his mind drift, trying to remember where he’d been and what he’d seen.

  Yes. The guy in Gloria’s—the bouncer. He looked familiar. Where had Jack seen him before?

  Juli was speaking to him. He shoved his confusion to the back of his mind and focused on her. “Sorry, babe. What was that?”

  “I said, did you find anything at Gloria’s?”

  “Yeah. It looks as though at least part of his story has basis in fact.” Jack outlined his conversation with Sapphire. He’d struck lucky, picking her, since she knew Irina. Tanner’s girl was too afraid to say anything.

  The bouncer… What was it about him that nagged at Jack? He rubbed his forehead.

  “You okay?” Juli looked at him, worried. “You have a headache?”

  He was going to reply, when a memory rushed in. The bouncer. At Juli’s house.

  “Shit.” He sat upright. “The bouncer at Gloria’s—he was the heavy that I nailed in Juli’s house.”

  There was a pause.

  Tanner spoke first. “Someone explain to me, please, if this is all connected.”