Hiding the Past

by Sofia Grey

  It was like being badly drunk. Two steps forward, and then one to the side. A relentless hammering in his head and another overwhelming wave of nausea.

  He hurled where he stood. It went over his boots.

  His bad leg wobbled, and then gave way. Faceplanting the ground was the final stroke to what was left of his dignity.

  The pavement was cool beneath his cheek. Lying down wasn’t so bad.

  At least he could close his eyes without fear of falling over.

  *

  Jack hadn’t gone far, and was approaching the next set of motorway services at Knutsford, when Aiden warned that the signal had moved.

  “I think they’ve come off here,” he said. “The signal is static, so they might be parked. Let’s take it nice and easy.” He passed the same message to his colleagues, a few cars behind them.

  Adrenaline ran high. Daisy was safe, and now they’d find Juli.

  Jack followed the signs for the parking lot. The services were open around the clock, but there were few other people around. If necessary, they’d park at the entrance and let Charlie go inside with Daisy. They’d be safer inside the building.

  He peered into the darkness. Were they looking for one car, or all three?

  “We’re close,” said Aiden, staring at the laptop screen. “Try the truck park.” He pointed to the left. Trucks had a separate area from cars, and Jack crawled down the entry lane, as Aiden said, “The signal’s getting stronger. We’re right on top of them.”

  “Stop,” said Tanner. “I see them.”

  So did Jack. Three dark sedans parked together, people visible in all of them. They were close to a set of large recycling bins. Jack eased into position on the other side of a nearby truck.

  “Beemers,” confirmed Davey. “It was three BMW’s that took Juli. We’ve got them.”

  “Backup is a few minutes away,” said Aiden. “Davey, Tanner—go check them out. We stay here and wait.”

  Jack itched to get out, to pull Juli away to safety, but Aiden made sense.

  Davey and Tanner slipped quietly out of the car, to do some recon. In the meantime, what should they do with Charlie and Daisy? Staying in the car was no guarantee of safety, but it would be good to have a driver on hand.

  Jack turned around in his seat and touched Charlie’s arm, snagging his attention. “Take the driver’s seat when we get out. We might need a hasty exit.”

  Charlie nodded, his arms still wrapped protectively around Daisy.

  She looked up at Jack. “Please don’t tell me you gave Irina to them?” Her voice was hoarse.

  “No, we didn’t. Juli went.”

  Her eyes opened wide. “Juli’s with them?”

  “Yep. Now you’re gonna stay here, and Charlie is going to move to the front. Okay?” There hadn’t been any opportunity yet for debriefing with Daisy. This would be a good time to see if she had any information about the kidnappers.

  “Daisy, honey, this is important. What can you tell us about them?”

  She swallowed and nodded. “There were two men in the van, and then their leader joined them. He’s wearing a suit, but the others are in jeans. And they had a knife.” Her voice cracked on the word. “They cut Nathan’s arm when I said I didn’t know Irina.” She covered her mouth with one hand, fresh tears trickling down her face. “Oh God, it was awful. You have to find Nathan.”

  “We’re working on it. What else can you tell us about the men?”

  “They wanted to know what I’d told some French guy. I don’t remember the name.”

  “Alain Auberge?” Aiden asked.

  “Yes. That’s right. They said I’d been talking to him, and that was when they called me Irina.” She paused. “They threatened to cut me if Nathan didn’t tell them where to find her.” Daisy’s gaze moved back to Charlie, whose face was frozen in horror. “He said Irina was at his stables with you, my fiancé, and that was when they decided to ring you.”

  “That’s really good, Daisy.” Jack tried to encourage her. “Can you remember anything else? No matter how small?”

  She screwed up her face. “Um… no. I’m sorry. Have you found Nathan?”

  Aiden replied smoothly. “We haven’t picked him up yet, but the police think they’ve found the van not far from here. We’ll have more news soon.”

  “There was one thing,” said Daisy. “I don’t know if it means anything.” They all looked at her. “They were foreign. And they said Alain has been asking questions about Irina. Does that make any sense?”

  It was a little more to add to the puzzle, but they were out of time for questions. Tanner materialised beside the car, and Jack cracked the door open.

  “It’s Juli,” said Tanner, “and she’s just climbed out of the car with two gorillas. Time to move.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Juli lifted her chin and pretended she wasn’t freaking out. “You need to free my hands,” she told the men. “How can I take a piss with my hands tied?”

  “Carefully,” said one of the guys, and they both snickered like it was the funniest thing ever. He relented though, and tugged a knife from his pocket to cut through the string.

  He slipped the penknife back into his pocket. Thank fuck. The last thing she wanted was a blade waving around in her face.

  Her wrists burned, and she massaged them with her aching fingers, buying more time. She bent her head and took the chance to look left and right. Why wasn’t Jack standing there in the shadows? Because he and the others weren’t here yet. Or they’d driven past the turnoff.

  Her gut tightened. She was on her own.

  She looked at the men. “Going to watch me, are you?”

  The penknife guy obviously intended to do that. Standing in front of her, he crossed his arms over his chest and smirked more. “I like to see what I’m getting.”

  “I’m not doing anything with you watching.” Please God, let Jack be close. She didn’t know how long she could hold these animals at bay.

  Penknife-Guy rolled his eyes, and she had a flash of inspiration. They stood close to a street light, and she’d be better in the shadows. She stepped back, and again, into the darkened space between the lights.

  The two men followed.

  Still no sign of Jack. She wanted to scream her frustration.

  “If you’re not taking a piss after all, let’s see what else you can do.” Penknife-Guy stepped right up to her, one hand reaching out to brush against her chest.

  She kept absolutely still and made sure she didn’t flinch. They were trying to intimidate her. If they knew how scared she was, they’d be even worse.

  She stepped back again and bumped against an impenetrable hedge. Shit. Why was there no sign of Jack? The tracker worked fine earlier. Aiden had been monitoring it all the way down from Rhosneigr.

  Backed into a corner, her options dwindling rapidly, she finally saw—thank you, God—Aiden. He stood close to the cars, almost invisible in the darkness. These two fuckwits had their back to him, and Juli had to keep their attention.

  Aiden signalled to her.

  A finger on his lips—stay quiet.

  Rapid pointing—where the others were hiding.

  A touch on his watch and two fingers held up—two minutes until he acted.

  She swallowed hard, acknowledged him with a tiny nod, and then turned her attention back to the assholes with her.

  Steeling herself, she forced a smile and beckoned to Penknife-Guy. “Wanna go first?” He grinned at his partner and sauntered towards her, a cocky smirk on his face.

  She intended to wipe that right off. She bent down, as though stretching. Her right hand slipped to her ankle, freed the Glock and settled it firmly in her hand, tucked safely behind her back. Aiden had melted into the shadows again. Two minutes, huh? She could do this.

  His mate stayed put, and that suited Juli just fine. From where the second guy stood, he wouldn’t see what she was doing. Using her left hand, she unzipped the hoodie slowly, to keep Penknife-Guy’s
interest.

  His gaze was glued to her chest, watching greedily as she lifted the hem of her T-shirt. She exposed a glimpse of her stomach, then crooked her finger toward him, to come closer. An icy calm descended on her. As gracefully as she could manage, she dropped to her knees in front of him and reached out with her left hand for his jeans.

  The moment she neared his fly, she lifted the Glock and pressed it against his zipper. He was so fixated on her, he didn’t notice what she held. She wanted to laugh

  “If you make the slightest move, or say anything, I’ll blow your balls off.”

  The smirk vanished. He looked petrified.

  She gave him an evil smile. “Slowly, put your left hand on your head.” He complied. “And now the other.” He did so, gaze fixed on the cold metal in her hands.

  “Very good,” she murmured. “Now stay there and make groaning noises, as though you’re enjoying this.” He was mute.

  With a grim satisfaction, she nudged his crotch with the pistol. The ensuing groan sounded genuine.

  Beyond him, the other guy waited.

  Come on Aiden, the two minutes had to be up by now.

  *

  Maria retired to the cabin when Yanni insisted they rest for a few hours. Restless and unable to settle, she lay on one bunk and stared into the darkness, feeling very afraid and very alone.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Yanni’s voice was gentle.

  Did she? “You know the one fundamental flaw in our plan for tomorrow? You need to trust me, and you don’t trust anyone. And that makes me wonder if you’re going to go ahead with it or do something else entirely.”

  There was a soft grunt from Yanni’s bunk, then he flicked on a small light and pushed himself to a sitting position. He yawned, swept his hands across his face, and idly scratched the fuzz on his chin. “Yes.” He sounded thoughtful. “That could be a problem.”

  “If it all works out, they can make a new identity for you, but it’s not gonna happen on my say so. You have to give them something in return.”

  “Of course.” He smiled, looking dishevelled and rather sexy in the dimly lit bedroom. “We’ve discussed this. I’m giving up all my intel on Tuttle and the racket they’re running at Gloria’s. What’s keeping you awake?”

  She sat up too, tucking her bare feet beneath her, and tugging the blanket around her shoulders. “I’m not sure.” Her mind kept veering back to Tanner. Would he come find her? Or was he too pissed at her? “I guess I’m worried about Jack.”

  It was hard to tell, in the poor light, but Yanni’s face seemed to darken. “Does he frighten you?”

  “God no.” She laughed, incredulous. “He’s like a second brother to me. I love him, and I trust him with my life.” She hesitated. It was now or never. “You really have the wrong idea about him. Jack’s not who you think.”

  Maria could feel the weight of Yanni’s disapproval.

  “I’ve seen him in action, Maria. I know he can be persuasive. He lies so easily, it’s second nature to him. I tried to warn Juli.”

  “That’s kinda interesting. Because that’s exactly how he describes you.”

  There was the hint of a smile. “We’re more alike than I give him credit for. The fact remains, he cannot be trusted. So regardless of whether or not you think I trust you, he’s the weak link in this scenario.”

  “That’s just it.” Wide awake now, Maria was energised and ready to get to the bottom of this problem. She swung her feet to the floor and stood, letting the blanket drop back to the bunk. “You didn’t see the real Jack. He was working undercover, trying to infiltrate your organisation.”

  “And you know this because?”

  “Juli told me.”

  Yanni stared at her. Did he believe her?

  “Jack hates you,” she continued, “because you kidnapped Juli.” She spoke slowly, trying to make him understand the importance of her words. “He’s as honest as Rico. They were like peas in a pod, Rico, Jack, and Tanner.”

  “Tanner is your cowboy?”

  She inclined her head. “Jack wanted to turn you in to the authorities, not claim a bounty on you. You have to believe me.”

  After another long pause, Yanni finally spoke. “I guess we’ll find out tomorrow. See where his allegiance really lies.” Twisting around, he pulled up his T-shirt and examined the dressing. “Since we’re both awake, would you help me change this? I think I pulled the stitches again when we ran for the boat at Moelfre.”

  “Most people with stitches don’t tend to be as active as you,” Maria grumbled half-heartedly but went to get the first aid kit. After snapping a pair of fine, rubber gloves on her hands, she examined the dressing. As before, it was crusted with dried blood. “Ugh. It’s a mess. Sorry, but this is gonna hurt.”

  He made a good patient though, unlike Tanner, who—despite being the team medic—was a complete wuss if he had anything wrong with himself. She remembered a long-ago day, a family picnic when Rico was home on leave, with Tanner and Jack in tow, as always. They were playing with a Frisbee, and Tanner had the misfortune to be stung by a bee. The fuss he made as Maria tried to extract the sting with her fingernails… It made her smile to this day.

  When she’d finished re-dressing Yanni and cleaned everything away, she made a pot of fresh coffee. It was three in the morning, with two hours until official sunrise, but with the cloud cover building, it wouldn’t be properly light until closer to five thirty. It was cold, up on deck. Rain wasn’t far away, and the boat had started bobbing around in the rising wind.

  Maria snuggled into her blanket again, conscious of Yanni’s dark gaze on her. “I was just thinking…” She blew on the coffee, eager for it to be cool enough to drink. “Juli is probably fast asleep, while I’m here, freezing my ass off.”

  Yanni laughed. “It’s not that cold. I’d offer to share my bunk with you, but you already turned me down once.”

  “Yeah, I’m not that desperate.” She grinned, to take the sting from her words. When it was like this, they seemed more like friends than desperate criminal on the run and voluntary hostage. She could understand why Juli was so ambivalent about him. Hell, Maria had changed her attitude since first hearing about Yanni.

  She hoped their plan worked. She needed it to be a success. Was it because Yanni knew Rico? Or was a decent man in there somewhere, waiting for a chance to emerge?

  They might find out today.

  If all her instincts were wrong, and he was really playing with her, she didn’t have a Plan-B to fall back on. Tanner was all she had.

  *

  Jack and the team had to move with extreme caution. Three cars with an unknown number of armed hostiles. And Juli, outside with two gorillas, as Tanner described them.

  Tanner and Davey vanished into the shadows, and Aiden crept closer, alongside Jack.

  What the hell was Juli doing? Jack’s heart was in his mouth, as he watched her leading the men away from their car. Did she see Jack? Did she know she wasn’t alone? Was she trying to create a diversion?

  He inched closer. Aiden moved towards the cars, while Jack followed the hedge line. The guys with Juli were focused on her. Jack’s adrenalin surged and flowed. He kept his grip tight around a borrowed sidearm, as he waited for Aiden’s signal to move.

  They had to wait until everyone was in position.

  Charlie would create a diversion, tearing past them at full speed, radio blaring and all lights on. In Jack’s peripheral vision, he saw Charlie moving their car slowly to the edge of the car park. He’d be ready in less than a minute.

  Tanner signalled with one hand. There was no sign of Davey, but Aiden would be keeping everyone in view.

  Jack lay in the undergrowth, obscured by a prickly hawthorn bush, barely ten feet away from Juli. She was talking to the men, but Jack couldn’t catch what she said. He strained to listen.

  One of the fuckwits reached out and touched her.

  How. Dare. He? In this instant, everything was ridiculously simple. All
Jack had to do was stand up and shoot the fuckers before they saw him. A red fog of primeval rage descended on him. He tensed like a coiled spring, ready to leap out of cover.

  Aiden was signalling him. A sweeping motion, to stay down. Down? Aiden wanted him to wait? While these bastards groped his wife?

  Fuck that.

  Gritting his teeth, Jack clenched his free hand before sliding the balisong free. He’d take great pleasure in slitting the bastard’s throat. Or cutting off his fingers. Either would be good.

  He couldn’t see Juli’s face. Couldn’t tell how scared she was.

  Jack watched, outraged, as she unfastened the hoodie and then lifted her shirt. He glanced back at Aiden.

  Aiden still motioned to wait. How the fuck could he do that?

  Jack’s blood pounded so hard he could feel his temples pulsing.

  Juli knelt on the ground. The bastard was forcing her to give him a blow job.

  Jack couldn’t watch this any longer.

  Aiden could go fuck himself, because Jack wasn’t waiting. That was his wife out there. His stomach tightened, another wash of adrenaline making every nerve ending burn, and a savage fury pushing him to the very limits of his self-control. As he rose through the undergrowth, heedless of the thorns ripping at his skin, he saw the Glock Juli pressed into the guy’s crotch.

  The second guy stood closer to Jack, but was oblivious of him. It was easy to step out and crack the back of his head with the butt of Jack’s pistol. The asshole sagged into Jack’s arms without seeing what hit him.

  The welcoming smile on Juli’s face cooled Jack’s anger a fraction. He winked at her, released the first guy to the ground, and lunged forward, to knock out the second guy in the same way. The man dropped like a stone.

  Jack itched to hurt him, to make him pay for touching Juli, but there was no time.

  An engine revved, and Charlie came screeching past, rock music playing at full blast. Daisy sat in the front seat, her head covered. With Charlie’s short, spiky hair, they looked like a couple of teenagers borrowing their father’s car. That was the diversion Aiden wanted for his team to move in.