Never Coming Home (5 page)

‘Jeff saw his chance and took it. He identified this other child as Jamie.’ Kaz had been thinking about it. She’d thought of nothing else for forty-eight hours. Every angle, every possibility. She had no doubt that Jeff was capable of it. He’d take any kind of chance, when he wanted the outcome enough.
Even marrying a woman he didn’t love. Surely there was
something,
at the beginning? Huh! You don’t want to think you were that much of a fool.
If he’d already been planning to disappear with Jamie, this had been a gift.
It really comes down to one thing – do you believe Devlin? Do you want so desperately to believe that you’re falling into whatever trap he’s set?

‘Have you asked the American authorities at the crash site? The Sheriff or whoever?’

‘I’m checking whether there was more than one accident,’ Phil agreed cautiously. ‘And I’m looking into Jeff’s whereabouts. That would be the best thing. Get in touch with him, and you could clear the whole thing up.’

‘Yes,’ Kaz agreed reluctantly.
Or you could just go for the jugular and chop off the bastard’s balls. With blunt scissors.

‘Patience, love.’ Phil grinned at her.
Not so daft that he
doesn’t realise what you’re thinking. Didn’t get that high in the police force just on a smile. Plus he’s known you all your life.

‘I’ll do what I can,’ Phil continued. ‘But I think you need to accept that you had an encounter with a particularly nasty con man. If he gets in touch again, you call me immediately.’ He looked at his watch. ‘I ought to be going. You want a lift, Kaz?’

‘No, thanks, I’ll catch a cab later.’

Kaz stared moodily into her wine as her mother escorted her brother to the door. She hadn’t forgotten her initial reaction to Devlin. It hadn’t been that far away from Phil’s. Even now, her uncle
might
be right.
But now you want to believe Devlin.

‘He suggested you should see someone.’ When Suzanne came back she topped up their glasses.

‘A shrink?’ Kaz grimaced. ‘I’ve done all that, Mum, bereavement counselling, therapy. I’m still seeing Deborah regularly. This isn’t in my mind and I didn’t go looking for it.’ She dug her hands into her hair and tugged. ‘I’m bloody glad you were in the house when Devlin turned up, or
everyone
would think I was barking.
I
might think I was barking. We
didn’t
invent him, did we?’

‘No – but I suppose we might have allowed ourselves to be preyed upon.’

‘But why?’ It always came back to that. She’d looked at it from every direction. She simply couldn’t see the angle. If there was one, it was too deep for her. ‘If Devlin had tried to get us to employ him, offered to introduce us to a medium, asked for money for his story?’ she demanded, exasperation roughening her voice. ‘He didn’t do any of that. He came to tell us how Jamie died. The rest was an accident. He was as shocked as we were.’

‘I believe that too,’ Suzanne confirmed quietly.

‘Oh, Mum.’ With the tightness in her chest threatening to choke her, Kaz reached out and gathered her mother into her arms. ‘Thanks.’

‘You never have to thank me.
Never.
’ Suzanne was vehement as she sat back. ‘But what are we going to do?’

‘I don’t know,’ Kaz admitted. ‘Phil isn’t going to do anything more, is he? Despite what he said about following leads?’

Suzanne sighed, mouth working as she made up her mind. ‘Possibly not,’ she said at last. ‘He has got a lot on with this latest case and he’s done his best, as he sees it, by warning you off. I have to say it. Mr Devlin does sound a bit
 
… scary.’

‘A
lot
scary,’ Kaz agreed. ‘But it doesn’t matter. I’ve got to
know
, Mum.’ Kaz banged her hand restlessly against the arm of the chair. ‘The only way that I’m going to find out is to take Devlin’s bait, if it is bait. I have to talk to him again. First thing in the morning I’ll ring his hotel. I hope he hasn’t checked out already
 
–’ She tipped her head back as realisation hit, like a punch in the gut. ‘He didn’t tell us where he was staying.’

‘Which sort of proves that he didn’t intend to maintain contact.’

‘He knows where we are, though. If he wants us.’ Kaz wrinkled her nose. ‘What do we do now? Ring all the hotels in London, on the off chance?’

‘I suppose – hold on a minute.’ Kaz leaned forward eagerly as her mother gave a start. ‘He gave me a card. What was I wearing that day?’

Kaz stood beside her mother’s wardrobe with the card in her hand.

‘I hoped he’d have written his hotel on the back,’ Suzanne sighed.

Kaz wasn’t going to be beaten now. ‘There must be someone in his office when he’s not there. What time is it in Chicago?’

Devlin saw her before she saw him.

He’d paid off the cab a short distance from the hotel. She was sitting in the window, scanning the street, but in the opposite direction.

They’d have told her at reception that he was out. He wondered how long she’d been waiting. She was more formally dressed today, in a dark business suit, the vibrant hair ruthlessly secured in a chignon. There were several small tendrils escaping to curl around her face. The jolt of lust – he couldn’t call it anything else – was disconcerting. He’d been telling himself over the last two days that the physical reaction he’d had to Kaz Elmore was nothing special. That
he really
didn’t
want to see her again. And now here she was.

When Bobby had telephoned, to warn him that the woman was looking for him, he should have told his partner to stall her. He didn’t do damsels in distress, not even damsels that were as sexy as all get out.
Especially
not damsels who were as sexy as all get out. It was the thing about the child that had hooked him. Bobby had laughed. Devlin had called him an asshole and rang off.

His business in London was done. He should be getting on a plane home this afternoon. A feeling in his gut told him that wasn’t going to happen. It had nothing to do with the tendrils of hair that were curling around Kaz Elmore’s face. That was just sex.

Kaz Elmore wanted something from him. He had a pretty good idea what. If he wasn’t damn careful, he was going to give it to her. Unwittingly he’d lobbed a grenade into her world. That didn’t mean it was down to him to sort out the pieces.
Just keep reminding yourself of that, buddy.

There was a tight feeling at the back of his neck. He couldn’t imagine what it might be like to lose a child. Shit – he’d never cared enough, about
anyone
, for it to hurt. That was the kind of guy he was. It was a personality defect, plain and simple.

His career had picked him, when he was too wet behind the ears to know any better. He’d been recruited and trained and turned loose and then he did what he did, because he was good at it. He’d been good at it for nearly ten years. When he got tired of waking up in some Godforsaken place, with sealed orders for God-knew-what, he’d bailed out. He’d had enough clout and enough data on them by then to make deals. His mouth twisted. They’d sent him to therapy and tried to kick him upstairs, make him the guy who did the picking, rounding up the next crop of kids, but he wasn’t buying it. He had told them his terms.

They still called him, occasionally. If they had a loose end to tie up
 
… Sometimes he told them, sometimes he didn’t. Sometimes he really didn’t fucking remember. That had bothered him, when the jobs and the places ran into each other. Whoever they were, whatever they’d done, they needed to be remembered. That was when he finally
knew
he had to quit. When the faces began to blur.

Now there was a beautiful woman waiting for him and something inside him, that he really didn’t need, was shifting. Conscience, responsibility, a need for
 
… justice. Dammed if he knew. Sensible thing would be to get the hell out of Dodge.
Jesus
. He squared his shoulders and headed towards Kaz Elmore.

Kaz sat on the edge of the chair, peering out of the window, wondering how long this was going to take. The receptionist had been polite, but noncommittal.

No, Mr Devlin was not in the hotel at present. Yes, Madam might wait here in the foyer if she wished, but as Mr Devlin had left no message as to when he might return, would Madam perhaps prefer to call back later?

No. Madam would stay. She had nowhere better to go. She moved restlessly. She’d dressed carefully. She’d wanted to look cool and professional. Would that impress Devlin?

Come on – you dressed this way because you were afraid of looking too sexy
.

She breathed in heavily. All right! Yes! She could admit it. She found Devlin attractive.

Isn’t that really why you’re here?

This is about hiring Devlin for his
professional
skills.

Oh yeah. And you’re not hoping this good-looking guy is going to be some sort of white knight?

Kaz planted her hands firmly down on the chair, on either side of her, bracing herself. This was not being needy. She was
not
expecting Devlin to take care of her. She was done with all that. Just because he’d caught her, when she’d nearly fainted, and she’d liked the feel of it, of him, didn’t make him her saviour. All that Phil said about him was probably true – and some. Which suited her just fine. She was here to make a business arrangement.

She shut her eyes, channelling strong, independent woman for all she was worth. She was here to
negotiate
. Devlin had skills, she needed them.

Knowing your limitations is a sign of strength; it does not mean that you’re still some happy-ever-after, needy heap. Devlin is a gun for hire. You’re hiring. You can do this. You can work with the Devil if it means that you see your daughter again.

She opened her eyes, took a deep breath. She should be putting her speech together for when he arrived, not cluttering her brain with a lot of other stuff. If Devlin
 
–

‘Mrs Elmore?’

Kaz gulped. Damn! He was here, before she was ready! Hell, he was even bigger than she remembered. She struggled up, off the chair. He was looking at her with a totally unreadable expression.

‘I’d appreciate a few moments of your time,’ she said formally. She wasn’t getting anything from his face – welcome, curiosity, impatience, nothing.
He must really clean up at the poker table.

He nodded abruptly. ‘Shall we go someplace more private?’ Kaz’s heart spiked. Did he mean his room? She set her teeth. Whatever.

He ushered her to a private room at the back of the hotel, decorated to look like a library. Deep leather sofas and walls
of old books. Coffee arrived as they were sitting down. He’d seen
her, waiting in the foyer. Of course. She pulled in the deepest
breath. She had to get a hold of herself and the situation.

Then he smiled at her. He was lifting the coffee pot and grinning. He looked about as lethal as the plate of shortbread biscuits nestling on the tray. Had her uncle really warned her off this man?
Of course he did – the man is a chameleon. That’s what you’ll be paying for.

‘I’ve been told that I should stay away from you.’

Devlin handed her a cup, with a considering look. ‘Your uncle? The cop.’

‘Yes.’

‘But you’re here anyway.’

Kaz hesitated. She’d wasted the time when she could have been preparing her speech. All she had now was the truth. Devlin would probably prefer it that way.
So go for it.

‘My uncle says you’re dangerous, that you’re trying to con me.’

‘And what do you think?’

Her heart lurched. ‘That you may be the only chance I have of ever seeing my daughter again. I need to trace my husband. Phil said he’d try, but I think he’s humouring me. Have you ever killed anyone?’

Devlin’s hand jerked, almost upsetting his coffee.
What the hell?

There was a long beat of silence. He couldn’t meet Kaz Elmore’s eyes.

‘I’ll take that as a yes.’ She was leaning forward, intent. On him. He
had
to look at her.
Those dark eyes. Jesus
.

‘Good.’ she said briskly, as if he’d answered. ‘After I’ve found my daughter, and made sure she’s safe, I may need help to wring my ex-husband’s neck.’ As if they were discussing the weather.
And her a mother!

He needed to concentrate. His mouth wasn’t working. He had to get his mind back in control.

‘I want to hire you, Mr Devlin. It’s not just for Jamie.’ Christ, she wasn’t even giving him a chance to react, just ploughing straight on. ‘If my little girl wasn’t in that crash, then it was someone else’s daughter who died in your arms. She
did
die in your arms, didn’t she?’

This time the sudden silence in the room seemed to breathe.

Vaguely Devlin could hear the noises of the hotel, a long way in the background. In the front of his mind he was back on the highway, with a little girl
 
… but now Kaz Elmore stood at his shoulder.