Hiding the Past Read online

  “I guess.” She scuffed one sneaker across the floor, her voice strained. “I’ve hardly seen him the last couple of months, and—well—you Charlie. I don’t know how things stand between us.” She shrugged and met Jack’s gaze. “So, I’m going down to see him. Braving the lion in his den, and all that.”

  “You’re going to surprise him?” Man, but that sounded like a bad idea waiting to happen.

  “No.” She flashed a tired smile. “I called him, first thing. Just to check he’s at home.”

  Giving the asshole time to kick out any other women before she arrived. Jack didn’t know what to say. His verbal filters were ragged at the edges, so he kept his mouth shut.

  Daisy shook herself. “I’m sure, if you flash your dimples at the flight attendant, you can switch our seat allocations. That’s if you don’t mind me, sitting next to you?”

  “Daisy, honey, I’d love to sit next to you. Let’s make it happen.”

  Swapping their seats was easy, and Daisy chattered as they settled into the one-hour flight. She talked about the Christening party the next weekend, for Jordan and Kate’s new baby, and Jack nodded. Yup, he’d been invited with Juli, but didn’t think they’d be attending.

  When Daisy fell silent, Jack glanced at her. If he was alone, he’d be asleep by now, but it was a rare chance to catch up with her. Unshed tears gleamed in her eyes, and his heart sank.

  “You sure you’re okay, honey?” he asked.

  “I don’t know if I have any kind of a future with Charlie. There. I’ve said it. I mean, I must be crazy to imagine having a long-term relationship with him. The logistics alone are insane. He lives in London, and I live three hundred miles away. I love my life with Sylvie and Alex and Callum. I adore Rhosneigr. The beach is so beautiful and remote. And I’m thinking of starting horse riding. There’s a stable over the road that does lessons. I’ve been sneaking across, to pet the horses in the morning.” Like a clockwork toy winding down, Daisy ground to a halt.

  She stared at him expectantly, and he fumbled for something to say. This was Juli’s territory—talking about feelings. Man, he was out of his comfort zone right now.

  “If you love him, you’ll find a way to be together. Compromise, yeah?”

  “Like you and Juli.”

  “Huh?”

  “She moved to Houston, to be with you. Changed her job and everything.”

  This was safer ground. “Juli’s pretty special. Marrying her was the best decision I ever made.”

  Daisy smiled, but it was tremulous. “You two are gorgeous together.” She sighed, her gaze dropping to the glossy magazine in her lap. “I’m done talking about him.”

  Jack followed her gaze. Staring up from the cover was a picture of Charlie, one arm around a glamorous, blonde movie star. Jack’s first thought was right. Charlie Jones was a giant asshole.

  Chapter Two

  With Yanni safe in Charlie’s palatial loft apartment, Juli headed to the airport, to pick up Jack. She was lucky and snagged a parking space right by the terminal. Her nerves were wound so tightly, she could hardly breathe. Somehow, she had to meet her darling husband and whisk him to the hospital, without telling him about Yanni. She couldn’t keep it a secret for long, and she didn’t intend to. Blurting it out seemed a bad idea, though. To say Jack hated Yanni would be the understatement of the century.

  If she could validate Yanni’s claim about the poison, that would help. And if was just another of his lies, then Juli would hand him over to the police without qualms.

  Mind made up, she assessed her appearance in the rear-view mirror. Face paler than usual, with shadows under her eyes. Yep, it was fair to say she hadn’t slept properly since the panicked phone call from Mum.

  Juli longed for Jack with a visceral ache. He couldn’t do anything for Papa, but to have him here, holding her hand and sharing her fears, would help. She was crazy about Jack, and had been from the start. She’d do anything to avoid hurting him, and that meant lying about the Yanni encounter was going to be hard but necessary. At least until she knew whether there was any truth in his story.

  It was time to go find her husband. She pinched her cheeks, to give them a hint of colour, plastered a fake smile on her face, and set off to meet him.

  Of all the people to find him with, it had to be Daisy, in town to see Charlie. Juli’s smile was frozen in place and she tried to greet the younger woman politely. Panic was a heartbeat away, and she clung to Jack’s hand like a lifeline.

  Daisy was asking her a question.

  Focus, Juli.

  “Jack thought you might be able to give me a lift to Charlie’s place? He lives in the East End, near…” Daisy’s words trailed away. “If it’s a hassle, no biggie. I can get the Tube. Really.”

  “We’re going straight to the hospital, to see Papa,” Juli said. She felt bad about brushing off Daisy, but she needed to warn Charlie he was about to have company. More company.

  “Didn’t you say he’s at the Royal London?” Jack squeezed her hand. “That’s near Whitechapel, right? C’mon, sweetheart. It’s a giant pain in the ass, getting across town on the Tube. How about we drop her off at the hospital, and then it’s not so far to go?”

  His logic was sound, but Juli hesitated. Could she tell the truth? That a maybe-terrorist was currently lying in Charlie’s spare room? Nu huh. Not yet, anyway.

  “Of course we can,” she said, because really, how could she say no without looking like a bitch? “Give me a minute to go to the bathroom.”

  As soon as she was out of their sight, she grabbed her phone and called Charlie.

  “Yes?” He sounded pissed off, and she winced. Way to make his mood even worse.

  “It’s Juli. Sorry about this, but I’m at Heathrow to pick up Jack, and he has Daisy with him. She wants me to give her a lift to your place. I thought I’d better warn you.”

  “Bollocks. I don’t want Daisy mixed up in your problems, Juli. Does she know your boyfriend is here? And does your husband?”

  “No. Neither of them. And he’s not my boyfriend.” She had to pause, to get a grip on her temper. “Do you want me to bring Daisy?”

  “I’ll sort it.” He disconnected.

  Juli blew out an angry breath, dragged her fingers through her hair, and then turned around and went back to where she left Jack with Daisy.

  Daisy had her phone pressed to her ear, an uncertain smile on her face. She met Juli’s gaze. “Charlie wants to meet up in town. He was on his way out. He just called me.”

  Did that mean Yanni would be left alone? Or would the doctor stay with him?

  “That’s cool, I can let you out anywhere.” Juli made her voice breezy and led the way to the car park. Today had been too long, and it was only lunchtime. The web of lies grew more tangled with every minute that passed.

  Juli dropped Daisy in Central London, and then carried on driving towards Whitechapel and the hospital. The multiple deceptions made her feel sick. Why didn’t she tell Jack the truth?

  Because he’d be furious about Yanni’s coming back into her life? Because he’d go all caveman on Yanni? Or because he’d be angry that Juli had bought into more of Yanni’s lies? God only knew.

  She’d tell him later. When she’d figured out how much truth Yanni was telling.

  Jack watched her, his face grave. It was only when she reversed—badly—into a narrow parking space, that he spoke. He took her hands, kissed the fingers, and gazed into her eyes. “Babe, I’m so sorry I wasn’t here earlier. You had to cope with all this by yourself.”

  She unclipped her seatbelt and leaned against him, nestling into his embrace. “Just hold me.”

  She loved him so much. They only met at the start of the year, and already they were married. She couldn’t imagine a life without him in it. He made everything better, only there were some things he couldn’t fix, like Yanni. Or her father.

  Jack fussed over her mum, treating her like royalty. It gave Juli the opportunity to seek out Papa’s doctor.
She needed to speak to him urgently.

  Eventually the doctor turned up in Papa’s private room. Now he was here, Juli was unsure how to broach the subject. “Can you tell me, Doctor, what toxicology tests you have done?”

  Surprise crossed the guy’s face. “Ah… I’ll have to check.” He flicked through Papa’s notes and smiled absently at her. “Just routine blood screening. Is there any reason you’re asking?” He gazed at her, eyebrows rising. He seemed impossibly young, to be a doctor.

  Her palms were damp. She shoved them in her pockets. “I wondered if he might have been poisoned. How could you check?” Juli rubbed beads of perspiration from her forehead and tried to look serious, and not on the verge of hysteria.

  “Well, it would depend which type of poison. Can you be more specific?”

  By now, Jack and Mum were both staring at her.

  Mum interrupted. “How would he be poisoned? And who would want to do that to your father?”

  “It’s just a hunch.” Juli was firm. “I can’t give you any details, but I want to know if his symptoms correspond to any toxic substances.”

  The doctor pulled a face and flicked through the notes again. “It’s not impossible, but it’s certainly unlikely. I’ve consulted with my colleagues. We all believe it’s a virus.”

  This was hopeless. Juli needed to get something specific from Yanni before they dismissed her as an idiot. She’d have to go back to see him. Could she leave Jack here with Mum?

  “Excuse me,” she muttered, lifting her phone, before slipping outside the room. She glanced over her shoulder. Jack was visible through the window. He watched her, clearly puzzled.

  Juli strode down the corridor. Far enough away that he couldn’t hear her, but close enough to go back quickly. She dialled Charlie’s number.

  “I need to speak to… uh… Alain. Is he awake?”

  “I’ve no idea.” Charlie sounded curt. “I’m not at home. I’ve left my doctor babysitting your ex.”

  Juli couldn’t stop herself from spluttering. “He’s not my ex. He’s just a… friend.”

  “Yeah, right.” Charlie snorted. Traffic noises filtered down the line. “Look, I’m about to meet Daisy, but I’ll be home in a couple of hours. If you go to my place, ring the bell, and Doctor Jeffries will let you in. And when your boy is okay to move, I want him out.” He hung up on her again.

  Damn it all to hell. What Juli meant to do was thank Charlie sincerely for being so helpful, only it didn’t work out that way.

  She went back to the room and stepped into Jack’s embrace—the only thing that helped. Every instinct told her to be honest with him. Every rational thought warned that he would not take the news well. She had to put it off a little longer.

  “Jack, I need to pop out for a while. Something to do with work.” She cringed inside. Could she have a more lame-sounding excuse? “Could you please stay here with Mum? I’ll be back within the hour.”

  There was the slightest hesitation, but he replied smoothly. “Sure. Helen and I will be fine. Are you okay?”

  “Uh huh.” With a huge amount of reluctance, she stepped back, before reaching up for a kiss. “I’ll leave my car here. It’ll be easier to take a cab.” She handed Jack her keys and stared up at him, hating herself some more.

  She ran her fingers across his cheek, snagging on the stubble, and he smiled, love written all over his face.

  “I’ll walk with you to the exit,” he said. “We can talk on the way.”

  *

  It was months since Maria Sanchez last saw Juli Pascal, well before Juli’d gotten married to Jack. Their last lunch had been postponed when Juli was rushing around, getting ready for her trip to New Zealand. They caught up briefly when Juli returned to London, but then she was off again, taking an extended leave of absence from work.

  Maria knew from the newspapers what happened to her friend—how she’d been kidnapped while on a business trip—and she was beyond relieved to learn that Juli was safe. Juli was clearly traumatised when she returned to London though, and Maria believed that was the reason for her period of leave.

  The next contact Maria had with her was a short email, saying Juli was getting married. Maria was invited, but it was short notice, and she already had a family wedding to attend. She couldn’t be in two places at once, and her cousin’s wedding took priority, especially since Maria was chief bridesmaid.

  What were the chances though, that Juli was marrying Jack O’Donnell? The same Jack who’d been one of her late brother’s best friends. Jack and their buddy, Tanner, felt like part of Maria’s extended family, or at least they had, while Rico was alive. When he died, everything changed, and not for the better.

  It all went to prove what a small world it was. Never mind six degrees of separation; this was more like two.

  The downside of Juli’s getting married was that she transferred from London to the Houston office of TM-Tech, and Maria—still working out of the London office—found it hard as ever to get time with her friend.

  Now Juli was back in London, tending to her desperately ill father, Maria was determined to make time for her. The opportunity to see Jack would be good, but it really sounded as though Juli could do with a friend.

  *

  Jack was tired and jetlagged, his brain fogged from lack of sleep, but even so, something was wrong with this scenario.

  He and Juli walked through the maze of corridors towards the exit. It didn’t give them long to talk, and Jack picked his words with care. “Why d’you think he’s been poisoned? Did he say anything to you?”

  Juli glanced up at him, but looked away again before she spoke. “No. I guess I’m clutching at straws. I want to be sure they’ve eliminated all the possibilities.”

  “Uh huh.” Juli was a scientist. She thought in logical ways, so this made sense, but he had the niggling sense he was missing something. In the Marines, Jack learned to trust his instincts, and every one of them shouted at him. They walked a little further before he snuck in another question. “Is anything else the matter, sweetheart?”

  Her step faltered. “Apart from Papa possibly dying?” Juli pressed herself to him, burying her face against his chest. “Jack, babe, I’ve not slept properly since I left Houston. I’m worried sick about Papa, and I can’t concentrate on anything. I’m finding this really difficult to handle.” Her voice shook.

  Jack felt instantly guilty. They were both tired and jumping at shadows. “Do you really need to deal with work stuff at the moment? Surely there’s someone you can delegate to?”

  It was the wrong thing to say. Her face closed down, her lips thinning. “I have to go.” She bit the words out. She pressed a rapid kiss against his lips, and then disentangled from him and fled.

  He watched her race down the corridor toward the exit, heels clicking against the tiles.

  She was lying about something. But what? And more to the point, why didn’t she trust him?

  *

  There were times Nathan regretted not learning a second language. This was one of them. He’d already called Samson every name under the sun. Being able to swear fluently at him in French or Italian might be helpful for his rising blood pressure.

  He hauled himself to his feet and cursed some more. His jodhpurs were dripping stinking water, and wet leaves were plastered to his fleece jacket. Great. From the squishing noises, there was pond water inside his boots. Fucking A.

  It was his own fault. He had to maintain total concentration when riding Samson. The slightest lapse, and the horse would take advantage. Samson had already been worked hard over the practice jumps this morning, and as a treat, Nathan decided to take him hacking across the fields, only to be rewarded by being thrown. Into a muddy ditch.

  Yes, Nathan’s mind had been drifting. He was thinking about the conker-haired girl. He’d seen her a few times now, always first thing in the morning. She looked familiar, but he couldn’t place where he might know her from. It was still too early in the season for holidaymakers
to Rhosneigr, and way too early in the morning for everyone else.

  Shorter than him, she had a curvy figure—nice arse in faded jeans—with spiky hair that just reached the collar of her padded jacket.

  This morning she kept one hand stuffed into a pocket, while the other stretched out toward Samson. He was a big brute, with a temper as black as his glossy coat, and yet she coaxed him to her hand.

  She crooned to the horse. Ran her palm over his black velvety nose and up to his ears. He accepted her caress, as well behaved as Nathan’s most docile mare.

  How did she do that? Nathan had to watch his fingers and toes around the bastard. He’d incurred more bruises and nips from Samson than from any other horse in his stable, but he was worth it. On a good day, Samson was unbeatable, and he carried most of Nathan’s hopes and dreams. Dreams that needed hard work, to be made reality.

  He’d jingled the harness in his hand, to alert her that she wasn’t alone.

  She spun around, brown eyes regarding Nathan with a mixture of alarm and wariness.

  It was a shame to disturb her, but he had a job to do. He strode forward, opened the gate into the field, and offered her a cheerful smile. “Morning.”

  She murmured an apology and stepped rapidly out of his way.

  By the time he’d buckled the halter around Samson’s neck, she was gone.

  Nathan scowled at his horse, who stood now, quiet as a lamb. Samson had obviously had his fun for the day. Maybe he preferred girls, and this one in particular.

  Taking back the trailing reins, Nathan climbed into the saddle, repositioned his hat, and nudged Samson to move forward. Back in the yard, he dropped down to the ground and called to Shaz, to come and take Samson.

  She smirked at his appearance. “Great timing, boss. We’ve got a visitor. Someone to see you.”

  “Someone wanting lessons? Can’t you take the booking?”