18. Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Eighteen
Carys
I fling open the closet doors and flick through the dresses, skirts, and tops hanging on the racks. They didn’t spare any expense. Eerie how they’ve managed to pluck items from the brands I love without duplicating anything I already own. When I turn to say something to Finn, he’s staring into the top drawer of the dresser.
“They know too much.” His tone matches the unease spidering along my limbs.
I check the tags. Every brand is sized correctly, and I’m not a universal fit across these companies. “How long are we going to be here?” I whisper. “Do you think they’ll let me go home to see Lucas at some point?”
“If you want out, I’ll go tell him now you’re leaving. I’ll do or say whatever I need to get you outta here.” His gaze is locked with mine.
With a deep sigh, I turn to the closet. “We’re a bit like flies in a trap, aren’t we?” When I look over my shoulder, he’s grimacing.
“Not gonna lie. They’ve got the upper hand. I don’t understand why they really need me. No idea on timelines or what they’ll ask me to do.” He rubs his forehead. “There’s something about his girlfriend too…”
“She couldn’t stop looking at you during lunch.” The few times we made eye contact, there was a glint in her eyes that didn’t sit right with me. Was it that her gaze devoured Finn and an old sense of competition rose in me? “Did she look familiar to you?”
I unpack my bag from the hotel. I can’t go if he’s in danger. The deal the FBI offered him is too good to survive whatever is coming. If I leave and never get to see him again, I’ll regret it. Lena and Sofia promised lots of video calling. Lucas is young. I’ll have to pray we bounce back from the time we’re separated. It’s too dangerous for him here. If I dwell on my decision too much, my heart cracks in half. Lucas and Finn. I want them both. Staying here seems like the only way I might grasp my family… someday.
“Did you think so too?” He picks up personal care items laid out on the dresser. “They even bought my deodorant.”
I gloss over his astounded comment. They’ve placed my face creams in the bathroom, including the toothpaste I favor. Unnerving. Frightening if I let it be. “Yes. I’ve seen her before somewhere. Maybe years ago? It’s a vague memory, I think. I can’t dredge it up.”
Finn’s lips tilt up, a hint of a smile. “I’ve got lots of gaps in my memories.”
“Almost dying tends to do that.” My mind fumbles for wherever I’ve seen Jade before. “I want to unscrew my head and extract the memory. Is the remembrance important? It bothers me I can’t remember.”
“Those gaps are a bitch.” He sighs. “They almost let me get taken down.”
I can’t help my laugh. “She did take you down.”
He shoots me an annoyed look.
“I saved you.” I wander over to him and cup his cheek. “Could have been worse.” Though both paths—the warehouse shootout and my rescue—ended up leading him to jail. No point in rubbing salt in the closing wound. We get however long we get together before he’s back inside. I’m not going to waste a moment.
He tugs me flush against his body, and his head dips toward mine, and our lips connect. Our tongues tangle, and I fall into the pit of desire. Despite the circling danger, the joy of being this close to him propels logic out. I slide my hands up his taut sides, reveling in the skin-to-skin contact. His shirt is gone, and mine is over my head before a knock sounds.
“Go away,” Finn calls out, his lips trailing along my neck.
“You’re wanted in the war room.” Lorcan’s thick Irish accent pierces the heavy wood.
Disappointment rushes into the places desire had already seeped in. I wrap my arms around Finn’s middle and put my ear against his chest. His heartbeat is so solid and strong—one of my favorite sounds.
“Give me a sec.” His annoyance is obvious.
“Is his timing always this terrible?” I sigh.
“Not when I’m in charge.” He kisses my crown and draws away to pick up his shirt. He tugs it over his head and then stares at me for a second. His hands slide along my cheeks before he drags me into a long, passionate kiss that leaves me breathless. “Something for you to think about while you unpack.” He brushes his lips against my temple one more time before throwing open the bedroom door. “War room, huh?” Finn says to Lorcan as he shuts the door.
As uneasy as we are about the current situation, the hint of excitement in his voice at the suggestion of violence is unmistakable. He loves a riddle and a worthy adversary. Will they prove to be more than he can handle? Strangely, having his brother at his side gives me more confidence that between the two of them, they’ll figure out how to get a step ahead of the PLA. It’s a matter of time—both a blessing and a curse, with Lucas growing older each day I’m away from him.
When the last piece of my clothing is unpacked, I check my phone to see a video message from Lena of Lucas in his play area, Rosa passing him toys. My heart softens at the familiar sight. We need to make it out of this alive, and then we’ll eventually be together as a family.
There’s a knock at the bedroom door, and I exit my messages before cracking it open. Kim stands on the other side, her hands shoved into the pockets of her jacket. We were such good friends for a while that her appearance brings me up short. My instinct is to lean into our old friendship, despite her betrayal. If she goes after Finn again, it’s the same as going after me. Can she be trusted? His family is so connected with Kim’s. The smallness of the world amazes me.
“Did you need something?” I ask.
“Pierre-Jacques hauled Jay, Finn, and Lachlan into a strategy meeting. No women allowed.” She rolls her eyes. “He asked me to keep an eye on you… though he wasn’t too thrilled about asking.”
“That’s because he doesn’t trust you.”
“Feeling is mutual.” She shrugs. “What can you do? We hardly know each other.”
A reminder we’re playing parts, and in this version of reality, none of us have known each other more than a few weeks. While Kim might be schooled at pretending, the rest of us aren’t used to this kind of subterfuge. At what point will we slip up?
“Did you want to come in?” I try to soften my tone to one I’d use with someone unfamiliar. To be effective at our deception, I have to shove my memories of her in a compartment of my brain I don’t access and start fresh.
She shakes her head. “It’s not like we’re going to sit around braiding each other’s hair. Why don’t we go for a walk?”
I glance at my heels and remember seeing a pair of flats in the closet. My size, of course. “Come in for a sec.” I swing open the door. “I need different shoes.”
She trails me to the closet after closing the door. When I throw open the double doors, a frown mars Kim’s forehead.
“They bought these for you?” She fingers the tags and rears back at the price tags.
“Anything with tags still on it.” I take a deep breath. “They know so much about me,” I whisper. “What do you think that means?”
Kim leaves me at the closet and sweeps the room, checking lights, under desks, corners, moving items, examining things left behind. Eventually, she goes into the bathroom and turns on the tap and shower. She motions for me to follow her in, and she shuts the door.
“Harder to bug a bathroom with the moisture and sounds.” Her lips twitch. “Who wants to listen to people shit?”
I can’t hide my answering smile, and I shake my head. “Our room is bugged?”
“You have to be more vigilant and careful than you’ve ever been in your life. The FBI and CIA are worried about the PLA because there’s been an explosion of activity. Once a nuisance, they’re now a major player. With that in mind, the CIA wants you here, and the PLA wants you here. Why? A coincidence? For once, I’m going to agree with Finn. Doesn’t exist. We can’t see the big picture yet, but it’s there.”
I meet her concerned gaze and ask her the question Finn would never answer with logic. “Should I go home?”
Kim sucks in a deep breath. “I don’t know. Your hotel was bombed, right? It’s not a straightforward, easy call. I might not like Finn, but he’d give his life to save yours.” She leans against the shower stall, and the steam cascades over the top. “Do you trust your security on the island?”
I recall the day of the bombing. Dominic was with me, but as Finn pointed out, too far away to do anything. “I trust Jay, but I’d want him to stay with Finn to help him. My island security firms are new, untested. If Finn asked, I’d say I did trust them, but that would probably be a lie.”
Kim laughs. “Lie or face his wrath. Been there.”
“Did you get a weird vibe off Pierre-Jacques’s girlfriend?”
“You mean his cougar ?” Her lips purse. “Doesn’t that usually suggest the woman is the predator? She’s definitely older than him by at least ten years, maybe fifteen or twenty. Like you, her age isn’t easy to pin.”
That concession makes me feel better after Pierre-Jacques’s comment at lunch. In the back of my mind, I was already firing my dermatologist. I don’t pay a small fortune to look my age. While Finn has told me a thousand times, I can stop paying for ‘all that shit’, my vanity won’t let me quit.
“From what I’ve heard from other staff members, they’ve got a weird relationship.”
“How so?” I cross my arms, trying to recall any cues I got from watching them interact at lunch.
“A few comments about abuse.” Kim tucks a loose strand from her ponytail behind her ear. “Powerful men often exert their power everywhere.”
There was a vibe of authority at lunch. The iron control wasn’t any more overt than men I dealt with in the arms business. His boyish looks might downplay his sinister underbelly. He didn’t seem like somebody I should be afraid of.
She turns off the shower and sink. Our gazes meet in silent agreement that we’re done talking about things we shouldn’t discuss. I may not trust her, but it’s comforting to unburden myself to someone other than Finn.
“Walk?” She opens the bedroom door.
I follow her along the corridors to the main entrance. When we get there, instead of going outside, she opens another door which takes us into the dilapidated castle area.
“Did they run out of money?” I ask.
“Far as I know, the PLA bought the place like this. So, someone at some point probably did. But not them. They got this place for a song.” Her Irish accent which she downplayed in the bathroom is in full force.
We wander through the rooms and hallways in silence, taking in the decay.
Does what we’re doing count as snooping? We’ve been wandering through the open areas for quite a while now. Kim’s probably examining the place for hiding places and spots to set up a sniper attack. I’m marveling at the architecture and the loss of history in these stones.
“It’s sort of pretty on this side, isn’t it? A spot on the brink of ruination.” An unfamiliar voice stops the two of us in our exploratory tracks.
We both turn, almost in sync, to find Jade in a lovely floral gown. Her dark hair is pinned, and despite her age, there’s something delicate in her appearance. Unlike earlier when she played the sex kitten in the green dress, this outfit isn’t meant to inspire lust. Innocence, maybe. Which version of her is accurate? Sex kitten or na?ve girlfriend? I can’t get an accurate read, but she draws me in. I’m more curious than afraid.
“Jade, right?” I extend my hand to hers. When our hands meet, the shake is limp, like she forgot to lock her wrist.
“That’s right.” Her smile is shy. “I hope you liked your clothes. I scrolled through so many photos to make sure you’d be happy.”
“Photos?” I raise my eyebrows, surprised she’s admitting her surveillance.
Her expression turns flustered, and she glances at Kim with a hint of nervousness. “From, um, magazines and things? You used to go to fashion shows.”
“The items you picked out were lovely.” I attended fashion events before Finn burst into my life. Could she have found enough photos of me online to decide on her purchases? Maybe. Still makes me uncomfortable.
Her shoulders sag in relief. “Oh, good. I was so worried I’d offend you by picking the wrong size. I don’t have many girlfriends, so I didn’t even have anyone to double-check with.”
“Pierre-Jacques doesn’t employ many women?” Kim’s tone is neutral.
“Oh, no.” Jade laughs. “He says we’re untrustworthy.” She shrugs as though her boyfriend’s view is acceptable.
Kim bristles at the implication, but it makes me smile. We are deceiving her while standing next to her. At least about us, Pierre-Jacques isn’t wrong.
I search Jade’s open and honest face for any hint of darkness. Then I recall Kim’s claim of an abusive relationship. Perhaps there’s an opportunity here. “Women are not that different from men in that regard—some are trustworthy, some are not. I’m not sure how long we’ll be here, but I’d love to get better acquainted.”
Would Jade be privy to Pierre-Jacques’s plans? To the real reason he wants Finn here? In most relationships, there’s pillow talk or overheard conversations, something leaks out to places it shouldn’t.
She touches her chest as if pleased and surprised by the suggestion, but her gaze slides to Kim as though her presence gives her pause. “I—I think I’d like that.”
“Perfect.” I smile. “Next time the men get together for a meeting, we can go for a walk or, I don’t know, something else on the property?” Can I talk her into showing me areas of the place we wouldn’t have access to? Who knows what secrets lurk here?
A wince creases the edges of her eyes for a split second, and I wonder which part of my suggestion she doesn’t like. Kim’s inclusion? The idea of exploring the property? How much control does Pierre-Jacques hold over her?
“Yes.” A wisp of a smile. “Sounds lovely. It would be nice to have a female friend amongst this testosterone.”
Kim’s phone buzzes in her pocket, and she takes it out. “Meeting is over. I’m sure Finn is keen to get you back.” She scans Jade, Kim’s face impossible to read. “Nice to see you again.”
“Likewise,” Jade says before wandering off deeper into the ruins.
Kim watches her go for a beat before leading me back the way we came. As soon as we’re far enough away, she mutters, “Something isn’t right there.”
“She’s definitely a chameleon.” Jade was friendly and quiet. Maybe even a little shy. Earlier in the dress, with the way she stared at Finn, she was more the predator. She knows more about me than I know about her, but that could be the nature of inviting someone like Finn into the PLA.
“Her accent isn’t authentic. I don’t know why she’s pretending to be Irish when she’s not.”
“Faking her accent?” I grab her arm to halt our progress back. Once we’re in the main house, we could be overheard. “What makes you think that?” I replay everything she said, looking for a break in the lilting speech.
“Things you learn to listen for when you have to. She also doesn’t want me along for these get-to-know-you activities. I’ll have to make sure I’m at every one. I don’t trust her.”
“Your Spidey sense could be on overdrive.”
Kim meets my gaze with an unexpected intensity. “My Spidey sense keeps me alive. It’ll keep you alive too. Always trust your gut. Always.”
“Maybe we befriend her? Pump her for information.”
“Or maybe she’s intending to get information out of you . She said ‘a female friend’ which doesn’t include me. Somehow, you’re a linchpin between the PLA and CIA. Why? We don’t know. You’ve got to tread carefully. I cannot overstate that.”
Her gaze is full of so much concern it makes my heart thud in response. She’s not sugarcoating anything. While Finn might worry about me, she isn’t the type to exaggerate danger.
“I’ll be careful,” I say.
She nods. “I hope so. You don’t go anywhere alone.” Then she opens the door to the main house.