Web of Lies (4 page)

Dragging her thoughts away from the impossible man her father had left in charge of her― she grimaced at the thought― she told John she was fine now. Over the next few hours, she helped him figure out how he would manage things until she returned.  It was later than she realized when she was finally ready to leave.

“I’ll walk you out,” John offered, even though she knew he wasn’t done and would be returning to finish up before heading home himself.

“No, it’s all right, John.  Thanks.  The car is in the parking garage.  I’ll be okay.”  She gathered her things together and turned to smile at him.  “Thanks again for everything.  I’ll keep in touch, I promise.  See you in a month.”

The parking garage was down the block from her office, and she hurried along, realizing she had stayed out longer than she intended.  She called Mary to apologize for being late and promised to be there as soon as she could. 

Someone jostled her as she walked, and as she turned to see who it was, she noticed a couple of guys walking behind her, wearing biking leathers.  Shrugging, she continued until she got to the entrance to the garage.  The car was on the street level, thankfully. As she walked over to it, she became aware that she was being followed.  Turning again, she saw the bikers, and her hackles rose.  She hurried to her car, wishing that she had accepted John’s offer, but she didn’t open the car door fast enough.

Both men sandwiched her by the driver’s door.  No one could see what they were doing, unless they walked right into the garage.  She prayed someone would show up before she got hurt.

“Watch your back, lady.  Your father thought he could get away, but he didn’t.  And neither will you, unless you hand over what’s ours.”

Faith stiffened her spine.  No one threatened her.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but even if I did, you don’t scare me!” 
What a lie that is!
  She was sure they could hear her heart banging frantically against her ribcage.

The one on her left grabbed her by the arm, squeezing so hard it hurt.  “You think we’re stupid, lady?  This is the only warning you’ll get.  Give us what’s ours and nobody gets hurt.”

He twisted her arm hard, and she hissed in pain and tried to scream; but, he slapped a hand over her mouth and wrenched harder.  She struggled and was about to kick him when she heard someone talking.  She saw two people coming from across the garage toward where they were.   The biker let her loose, and he and his silent partner melted into the shadows.
 

Faith opened her car door and slammed the locks in place as soon as she was inside.  Those men reminded her of Jack, and the thought was unsettling. 
Is he a goon, like they obviously were?  Did my father put his trust in a gang member?
  She shuddered at the thought, trying to calm her hands enough so she could start the engine. 

Finally, she managed to get the car started and peeled out of the garage, her tires squealing.  She had to remind herself not to speed as she drove away, though every instinct screamed at her to rush home and never leave again.  Her father’s arrival, not his death, seemed to have unleashed a host of unexpected and unpleasant occurrences involving her. 

She began to think,
All this must have to do with the key.  There is no other explanation.  But what?  Jack claims he doesn’t know, but what if he is lying?  Although, if he knew, why hadn’t he just taken it and been on his way?
 

Her unsettled thoughts whipped through her head.  She couldn’t wait for the funeral to be over so she could get going.  Suddenly, finding out the secret behind the key was the most important thing she could do.  If she couldn’t trust Jack, she was certainly not going to wait for him to tag along with her.  She decided, as she parked on the Clancy’s driveway, that she would leave right after the funeral while Jack finalized arrangements for her father’s ashes. 

She knew that the crematorium would keep the ashes until she could retrieve them; plus, it would be her only chance to sneak away.  She knew where she was going, and her GPS navigator would take her there safely.  She ignored the niggling doubt about her plan and the ache she felt when she thought she would never see Jack again.

CHAPTER FOUR

Four weeks earlier--Jack

The funeral went off without a hitch, and Jack watched as Faith accepted the condolences of her father’s and her friends.  He had been watching her closely since the moment, at the end of the ceremony, when the casket had been rolled on the conveyor belt into the furnace.  Her face had been expressionless, but he could imagine how she was churning inside. 

He resisted the urge to go and stand beside her.  He was not family, and, in fact, he was more her bodyguard than anything else.  It was best that he remember that and not get caught up in feeling sorry for her, or feeling anything else for that matter.

Once the doors of the furnace closed, he waited for her to give the signal that she was ready.  They had discussed it, and the plan was to leave directly from the crematorium.  He had figured she would set the time, but she hadn’t.  She said, instead, that she would prefer to wait until everyone left.  He supposed it made sense; although for some reason, it made him suspicious. He spoke with the director and made arrangements to have the ashes collected in a few days, so he was free to leave as soon as she was. 
So far, she is still...

She is gone!  Where the hell is she?
  His antennae went up, and he looked around.  Nothing.  It was as if she had vanished into thin air. 

He walked over to the Clancys.  They told him she had just told them goodbye and said she would call.  He didn’t stop to answer the question in their eyes.  Time for all that later.  Now, he had to find her before she got herself into even more trouble.  The ransacked apartment was not a random act, he felt sure about that.

Her car, which had been parked next to his truck, was gone. 
Damn!
  She was determined to go it without him, despite her father’s wishes.  He suspected that something else must have happened to make her sneak away without telling him.  The thought of anything happening to her infuriated him, but he tabled the emotion.  First thing first. 

He went back in briefly to say his goodbyes to her foster parents and promised Mary, when he saw the look in her eyes, that he would find her and take care of her.  Then, he rushed back outside and peeled off in pursuit.  He knew she had a GPS navigation system in the car, and he knew where he was going; but, he didn’t know which route she would take.  He cursed low as he drove, hoping her lead time was not enough to make his search difficult.

The closer he got to the city limits, the more rattled he became.  He couldn’t see her little car, and he had a bad feeling that he couldn’t shake.  He had promised Grant he would look after her; and, yet, she had managed to outsmart him and put herself in danger.  Now, he had promised her foster parents the same thing, without having a clue where she was. 
Shit!
  He shut down any thoughts, except the thought of finding her.  After that, he would think about everything else.

Up ahead, a group of bikes headed toward the highway, like he was.  He remembered those days clearly.  He wondered if he would ever have the chance to ride with Faith.  It was another one of those
what-the-hell
thoughts that he absolutely could not allow, especially now, as she was proving to be duplicitous and a downright pain in his ass. 
I don’t want to ride anywhere with her...except maybe over the edge of ecstasy.
  He shook his head angrily, noting that the group was closing in on something. He couldn’t see what it was clearly because he was too far away.   

And then he saw the insignia on the leather jacket of the biker he was closest to... the Hell Raiders biker gang was notorious in the city for their criminal connections and activities.  A couple of them were ex-cons. 
Why were they out in such a show of force?
 

He still could not see Faith’s car, and his tension rose as he drove past the first few riders.  They wouldn’t recognize him without his club leathers, and he was in his truck. 
That’s just as well, since I have more important things to worry about now, like where the hell Faith is, and how I’m going to find her before trouble does,
he thought.

The exit to the highway drew closer, just outside the city limits.  The bikers raced through the last lights before the exit, leaving him cooling his heels.  He heard the crash before he was even close and raced up ahead, noting that the bikers had all peeled off.  He drove hard and almost missed the car off the road, perilously close to a deep ditch.  He braked hard and felt his blood run cold at the sight that greeted him. 

Faith’s little Fiat was badly bruised, like a featherweight fighter after a bout with a heavyweight. She clung to the wheel for dear life, even though the car had stopped.  Her head was back against the seat, her eyes closed.  When he knocked on the window, she jumped away as if a snake had bitten her.  Then, she saw who it was. 

Jack reached down and tried to open the door, but it was stuck shut by the impact from one of the bikes.  He could see the panic beginning to rise in her eyes, so he motioned to show her he was going to try the other side.  That door opened, and he reached in and touched her hand on the wheel. 
It’s just to steady her,
he told himself. 

“Come on, let me help you out,” he said, keeping his voice calm, though he wanted to yell.  She turned the ignition off and held the keys as though they were a lifeline.  He held out his hand, and she put them into it.  Then, she scrambled over the passenger seat and out of the car.  At last, she stood with him on the edge of the ditch.

“Are you all right?”  Jack’s voice was still quiet.  Although he wanted to touch her everywhere to make sure she was not hurt, he waited until she answered him.  He had no right to want to strip her naked and check her for bruises.  He had no right to want to hold her and kiss her to make sure she was whole.  He had no right to...

...he lost it.  She turned to him and touched his chest, as if she were grounding herself, and he lowered his head to hers and captured her lips.  They were trembling, and he felt like a heel for hitting on her when she was vulnerable; but, he needed this moment of contact as much as she needed the comfort. He couldn’t stop himself from taking it. 

Her lips were warm, and after a moment of hesitation, welcoming.  She wrapped her arms around his waist and held on as he sucked first the bottom, then the top lip into his mouth and savored her.  She kissed him back, when he let her, and he groaned. 
This should not be happening.  We have things to do.  Like calling the police,
he thought, begrudgingly.

“Faith, honey, we have to call the cops.”  He dragged his mouth away from hers, hearing the endearment and ignoring it.  He shouldn’t think about anything now, except keeping her safe.  Pulling away from her, when she obviously wanted to stay right where she was, was the hardest thing he had done for the day so far.  Still, he made himself pull his cellphone out and dial 911.  While they waited, he knew that he would ask what she thought she was doing, leaving without him.  That thought brought his ire back. As he hung up, he pulled her away from the car and towards his truck, and he grabbed her arms.

“What were you thinking, leaving without me?”  His voice was sharp, still coming down from the adrenalin rush of the accident and their kiss.  “You could have been killed!”

“Don’t shout at me!” she snapped, trying to pull away from him.  However, he wasn’t letting her go.  Not without an answer.  She seemed to sense that, so she continued, “I...a couple of bikers threatened me in the parking garage when I was leaving work a couple of days ago.  I think they might have been from this same gang.”

Jack felt his blood pressure rising, right alongside his fury, at the thought that she hadn’t told him.  He let her go, so she wouldn’t feel his muscles tighten with rage. 
This can’t go on.  She has to understand that she is in danger, and it is my job to protect her.
  He inhaled deeply, then he did it again, fighting for calm.  One more deep breath, and then he asked, “Why didn’t you tell me when it happened?”

This time she turned her eyes away, and his gut clenched as she said, “They reminded me of you.” 

The bald statement hung between them, and the realization hit him square in the chest.  She continued to avoid looking at him.

“So you thought you would get away from me, in case I was up to no good, and go across the country by yourself.” 

It was not a question, and her silence spoke volumes.  He shifted his weight, putting as much distance between them as he could and waited until the police showed up.  He wanted to yell, to punch something, and to kiss her senseless.  It was the longest fifteen minutes of his life. 

He let her make her statement, answered the questions asked of him, and watched her sort out the towing.  Just before the tow truck hoisted her car, he walked over and asked, “What about your luggage?”

She turned away and spoke to the tow truck driver again. Then, her voice tight with frustration and something else he couldn’t name, she said, “I’ll transfer it to your truck, if you don’t mind, since I assume I’ll be coming with you now.”

She couldn’t have sounded more regal had she been the Queen herself. The part of him that he could not keep aloof from her smiled in amusement and pride.  She was such a unique one, she was, and he liked every part of her that she revealed to him.  Like this part, where he sensed she hated that she needed him, yet she still wanted to be with him.  He felt good about that.  It certainly matched his own confusing emotions around her.  It was good not to be the only one at odds and ends here.

As they drove off, Jack made a mental note to watch her more closely for any signs of bolting.  Now that it appeared clear that she was being targeted, he knew going cross-country might be more dangerous than flying.  However, he figured he’d better tackle one problem at a time.  Eventually, he hoped to persuade her that flying was the best decision she could make. If she needed time before she met her father’s crew, he’d make sure they stayed away until she said otherwise.

He kept a steady pace, and stopped for lunch when he thought she ought to be hungry.  She opted to eat on the go, and since he had no problem with that, they hit a Mickey D’s.  His order was a guaranteed clogged artery, and he was secretly amused that she ordered a salad and water. 

They ate in silence, and he watched her tidy up after herself and dump her trash into the bag the food had come in.  She set it neatly at her feet and looked out the window.  He knew she didn’t want to talk to him, and he was okay with that.  She needed her space to grieve, anyway. When he finally spoke, she would have no choice but to answer him.

She fell asleep after another fifty miles of driving, and he listened to her gently snoring.  He thought about the sleeping arrangements for their little road trip, and although he knew she would object if he took only one room, he didn’t intend to let her out of his sight again.  As the sun set, he decided it was time to feed her again and stopped at a diner in a small town.  She had been awake for a while but had remained silent.

“I figured you’d like to stretch your legs a bit and have dinner before we go on.  I plan to drive for another few hours before stopping for the night.”

She looked at him silently before nodding.  Inside, she walked off to the ladies room while he ordered for them. As they ate, he answered the questions she asked about Grant.  She told him a little about her job and her foster family.  All carefully worded and impersonal. 

Neither looked the other in the eye.  It was too soon after that kiss that he had no excuse for planting on her.  That kiss she had no excuse for returning.  He ate his apple pie and ice cream and wondered why he was so powerfully attracted to a woman he had only known a few days, a woman who wanted nothing to do with him.

She sucked on the milkshake she had ordered and licked her lips.  He turned his eyes to the window immediately.  He didn’t need his thoughts wonder where that tongue and those lips would take him, if he let them loose.

“Ready?” he asked gruffly, standing. 
I’d rather she think I’m an insufferable jerk than have her know how she is affecting me
, he thought
.
  “We’ve got a long way to go.”

She hurriedly sucked up the rest of the treat while he went to pay the bill.  By the time he was finished, she was out the door standing by the truck.  She was wearing a simple black dress that was sleeveless.  It fell just below the knee and caressed her curvy body sweetly.  He had studiously avoided looking at her all day. But now, walking towards her, he looked his fill and willed his body not to react.  She was an inferno in his blood that he had to put out before it burned them both alive...