Covering the Lies

by Sofia Grey

  “Chocolate, please. I think we need it.” There was a warning note in Kate’s voice.

  Jordan looked over his shoulder and saw a pale-and-trembling Sylvie with Kate and Poppy. His heart sank. Goodbye quiet afternoon.

  He fixed a smile in place and tugged out a chair for her. “Hey, Sylvie.”

  She looked close to tears. “I need to talk to you. About Rico.”

  In some ways, he was expecting this. They’d never really talked about him.

  They ended up in Kate’s library, while Kate stayed with Poppy in the kitchen. With the fire lit, it was warm and cosy, and Sylvie’s shivering almost stopped. She snuggled into a fluffy blanket and gazed at the flames.

  Jordan waited. Whatever she needed to say, she’d get to it when she was ready.

  “I keep dreaming about Rico.” Her voice was low. “I hear him calling my name. He’s very insistent. I feel that he wants me to do something, but I can’t make out what it is. The other day, I dreamed that he showed me where my knife was. When I woke up, I went to look for it, and I’ve carried it on me since.”

  “Knife?” Something jogged his memory, but he couldn’t catch it.

  She dug into her pocket and pulled out a shining slab of metal. “It’s a flick knife he gave me.” She pressed a button, and a lethal blade sprang out. She retracted it and put the knife away again.

  “He taught me how to use it.” There was a note of pride in her voice. “Alex found it today and was horrified. We argued about it, and I behaved like a child. Stupid, really.”

  Jordan remembered now. Rico feared for Sylvie’s safety and was teaching her how to defend herself. That was a year ago. The world had moved on.

  “When Rico gave it to you,” asked Jordan, “what did you think?”

  “I freaked out.” She met his gaze. “I can understand why Alex wasn’t happy.”

  That was probably an understatement. Jordan had to tread carefully.

  There was another silence, while she sipped her drink and stared into the fire. “I can’t get Rico out of my head. I’m scared that Alex will think I’m obsessed with him. That it will wreck our relationship. I don’t want to hurt him.” She took a quick breath. “Sometimes I wonder if I’m going mad.”

  First Alex asking him for advice, and now Sylvie crying on his shoulder. Jordan felt sorry for them both, but they needed to talk to each other. “Is it possible that you’re worried about the service next weekend? That it’s playing on your mind? Maybe that’s your chance to say goodbye to Rico, and put him behind you.”

  Sylvie nodded. “Maybe.” She shifted position to face Jordan. “How did you meet him? You knew him a long time, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah. I met him when I was fifteen. His aunt was my father’s housekeeper. She looked after Rico’s little sister, Maria, when school was out.” Jordan took a long pull of his drink and wished it was something stronger.

  “A gardener kept harassing Maria. She was nine or ten at the time, and this guy would corner her and make her cry. I came across him once and told him to leave her alone or I’d get him fired. He hated me after that, but Maria told Rico, and he came to thank me.” Jordan paused, his thoughts flying back over the years. “The gardener behaved for a while, and I thought he took heed of my warning. One afternoon I was out of the house, he came back with two of his buddies, and they dragged her into his truck. Rico had taught her some moves, and she managed to get away with her dress torn and only a few bruises. She was lucky. When I came home, I found Rico waiting for me. He was going after them and wanted me to tell him where the guy lived.”

  Sylvie leaned forwards, her attention locked onto Jordan. “Did you tell him?”

  “I took him there. I borrowed one of my father’s cars and two of his handguns. We persuaded the guy to stay away from her for good.”

  Sylvie’s eyes were huge as she stared at him. “What did you do?”

  “We tied him up and then propped up bottles around him, to use as target practice. We told him next time he came near us, we’d take out his kneecaps. He believed us. We never saw him again.”

  She stared at him, and he shrugged. “I’ve never told anyone this before. Not even Kate. After that, Rico was always there when I needed him. Thaddeus was impressed with him, and he did summer work in the offices at TM-Tech. Even then, he had a ferocious aptitude for numbers. Our paths diverged, and he joined the Marines like his father, but we stayed friends.”

  Jordan stared into his empty mug and thought about Rico. “You couldn’t ask for a more loyal and honest friend. It was a happy day for me when he came home safely from Afghanistan and set up a private security company with some of his fellow Marines.”

  “You miss him.”

  He nodded. “I do. And I know you do, and that’s okay. Alex understands that.”

  Jordan recognised her sadness as a mirror of his own. He didn’t understand the fear in her eyes, though. What was she scared of? Why did she feel the need to arm herself?

  As if she read his mind, she said, “I’m afraid I’m wrecking what I have with Alex. He means so much to me, but I don’t know if I can be what he wants.”

  Were they getting to the heart of the matter? Jordan spoke softly. “What do you think he wants?”

  “Someone who isn’t haunted by dreams of her ex. Someone who can cope with the touring and the concerts and living in hotels for months on end. Someone who doesn’t mind the way the fans hurl themselves at him. Someone who can be a mother to Sam’s little boy.” In a whisper, she added, “someone stronger.”

  Such burden for one so young. His heart ached for her. “You are strong, Sylvie. Much more than you think. You had an immense amount of change in your life this past year. It takes time to get used to lifestyle changes. It took me longer than I expected to get used to working freelance. I was used to the corporate environment, with loads of people working for me, but suddenly there was just me and a pile of deadlines. It was tough at first.”

  She gazed at him.

  “My advice,” he said, “would be to stop beating yourself up. Tell Alex you’re finding it hard, and tell him why.”

  Sylvie nodded and scrubbed a hand across her face. “I have to. You’re right.” She stood and stretched, then folded the blanket before replacing it on the sofa. “Thank you, Jordan. I don’t know how I’d cope without you and Kate. I’d better get back and make my peace. It’s not going to be easy.”

  “The right things are often the hardest.” He stared at her bare feet. “Can I drive you?”

  She ducked her head, her cheeks pink. “Thanks, but I’m fine.” She kissed him lightly on the cheek and left.

  ****

  Sylvie picked her way back across the gardens and over the stream, her feet getting muddy again in the process. She should have worn boots, but she’d left the house in a hurry and didn’t want to stop. Her watch and phone were back home, and she’d no idea what the time was. A couple of hours must have gone by.

  What mood would Alex be in?

  There was no sign of anyone when she let herself in. She wiped her dirty feet on paper towels in the downstairs bathroom, rather than tracking mud across the floor.

  Nobody was in the kitchen, the lounge, or Alex’s office. Where was everyone? She expected to see Frankie and his entourage, as well as the rest of the band, but the house appeared empty.

  With a sinking heart, she made her way downstairs to the studio. The door was open. She heard the faint strains of a guitar playing, but no talking or other noise. She peeked around the door and saw Alex. He sat playing soft chords on his beloved PRS. He looked in a world of his own and was alone in the studio

  Okay. This was good. It was a chance for Sylvie to talk freely. She didn’t know what to say, but she’d figure it out.

  She braced herself and tapped on the door, to get his attention.

  Alex lifted his gaze to meet hers. His face, normally full of life, was still and blank. He picked through the chords, making melodious ripples of sound in the
background.

  It didn’t look as though he was going to say anything, so Sylvie spoke first. “Where is everyone?”

  Alex shrugged. He didn’t take his gaze off her face. “Gone out. I wanted to talk to you in private when you came home.”

  “I went over to—”

  “Jordan’s. Yeah. I know.” He waited a moment. “Kate rang me. She didn’t want me to worry.”

  It was a soft rebuke, and Sylvie inclined her head in acknowledgement. She stepped forwards, to stand in front of him, so close she could touch him. He continued to pluck the strings, the guitar acting as a barrier between them.

  “I’m sorry,” said Sylvie. It came out as a whisper.

  “What exactly are you apologising for?”

  “For behaving like a spoilt brat?” She tried a smile, but it fell on stony ground. Her heart sank.

  “We’ve only been married a matter of weeks,” said Alex. “I didn’t think it could go so wrong, so quickly.”

  What was he talking about? “I don’t understand.”

  He sighed. “You hide things from me. You lie to my face.” She felt frozen by the ice in his expression as he said, “You’re still in love with Rico.”

  What? “No,” she tried to say, but he spoke over her.

  “I know how much you loved him. I saw the two of you together when he was here. I thought—I hoped—that in time you’d come to love me as much. You still dream of him. Now you’re carrying a knife he gave you.” He stared at her, a challenge in his voice. “Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?”

  Her knees trembled. If she didn’t sit down, she’d fall over. She hadn’t had a panic attack in ages, but from the way her lungs were squeezing tight, she was close to one now. She sank to the floor and tucked up her knees. She couldn’t face him. She needed a minute. Her voice rasped when she spoke. “I couldn’t tell you.” This was why she didn’t tell him about the dreams.

  There was a long silence. His voice sounded as though it was coming from a distance away. “The longer you go on saying nothing, the worse it gets. Why couldn’t you be honest with me, Syl? It might hurt, but I’d prefer it.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “So am I.” He gave a heartfelt sigh. “I thought we had a chance.”

  The hairs on the back of her neck prickled. “What are you saying?” She was bewildered. This wasn’t going as she expected. She lifted her head to see him watching her.

  He moved his jaw as though he couldn’t decide what to say. Then he pushed his chair back and stood up. He hung his PRS on the wall, draped his favourite dusting cloth across the headstock, and stayed there for a long moment, his hand resting on the guitar.

  “I thought I could be happy being second best.” His voice was filled with pain. “I thought you were worth it.” He gave her a crumpled smile. “You are worth it. But I can’t compete with him. It always feels as though I don’t quite match up. I imagine you comparing me and finding me lacking.” His gaze bored into her. “I liked him a lot. I know Jordan had years of history with him. And I can’t do this anymore. I love you, Syl, but I know it’s not enough for you.”

  What? Sylvie had to make him understand how wrong he was.

  She pushed to her feet and took a few halting steps towards him. “Alex, please don’t do this. Don’t do this to us.”

  He could have been made of stone. She placed a shaking hand on his arm. He flicked his gaze to it, then back to her face. He said nothing.

  Those damned pills of Frankie’s. They made it impossible to think clearly. “I love you, Alex. Why would you think I don’t? I love our life together. I want us to have a future together, with Callum. I wouldn’t have agreed to foster him if I thought we didn’t have anything between us.”

  Alex plucked her hand from his arm and moved out of reach. “I can’t deal with this right now. I can’t be around you.”

  It was as though he ran through a script. “This is my house,” he continued. “Technically, you’re entitled to half of everything, since we didn’t bother with a pre-nup, but I’m happy to give you a lump sum instead. You can keep the Audi, and I’ll get something else. If you want time to pack your stuff, I’ll stay somewhere else tonight.”

  It felt as though the floor had fallen away beneath her feet and she was tumbling down into a black pit. She didn’t know how to breathe or speak or do anything, except watch him systematically dismantle their life together.

  “Alex, please.” She had to fight, to speak normally. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Because second best isn’t enough for me anymore.”

  “Don’t I get a say in this?”

  “Sylvie”—his tone was gentle—“you could have said something lots of times. But you didn’t.”

  She couldn’t let this happen. She stepped up to him and put her hand on his fuzzy cheek. He flinched at her touch. “Alex, don’t do this. Please.”

  For one heart-stopping moment, she thought he’d listen.

  He side-stepped her and turned to walk out of the studio. “Alex,” she cried.

  His footsteps clicked up the corridor, and moments later the front door banged in a horrible re-run of her exit earlier.

  He was gone.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Lara left Nick sleeping in bed on Saturday. It was a relief to escape the madness for a few hours, to go shopping, and then out with Mum to Aunt Eva’s birthday tea. She left Nick a note, reminding him she’d be out all day and that she was taking the car.

  Was it cowardly of her to avoid talking to him? She didn’t know where to begin. The fraudulent invoices, Jason’s murder, and the police interviews—to say nothing of the Jason-lookalike she saw last night—swirled in her head, jostling for position.

  If she could do anything at all, it’d be to go somewhere quiet with Nick. Some place they could sit and enjoy the mild sunshine and watch the world go by. Sylvie’s house was lovely, with that wonderful beach right at the end of her garden. She must have a great life now with Alex, and Lara couldn’t help but feel envious of her friend.

  The afternoon crawled by, and Lara’s fears slowly calmed. He had nothing to do with the fraud. Nick was honest.

  She felt silly for doubting him. And she missed her husband. She hadn’t seen him all week.

  When her phone chirruped with a text from Nick, it was a great excuse to step outside for a minute.

  Hi babe. Miss you. When are you coming home? N x

  Her heart lifted. Mum had said she could get a ride back with someone else, so Lara’s duty was done. She rapidly typed her reply.

  Hi you. Back in an hour-ish. LvU, L xxx

  The traffic was light, and she made good time, arriving home by five. Nick came to the door to greet her with a big hug. They kissed on the doorstep and her heart sang. Perhaps he’d been thinking about the baby while he was away.

  As they walked into the kitchen, their arms wrapped around each other, Lara asked what he’d like for dinner. To her delight he pressed her against the wall and nuzzled at her throat, unbuttoning her shirt with hot, impatient fingers.

  “I want you for dinner,” he said. “And supper. And breakfast tomorrow. I hated being away from you last week.”

  She laughed and firmly shoved her worries aside. After the stress of the past weeks, this was more like the old Nick. The guy she fell in love with. She grabbed his hand and tugged him upstairs. “I’m tired,” she said. “I need a very early night.”

  Hours later, they sat in bed and snacked on cheese and crackers, in lieu of the meal they missed. Lara wasn’t sure how, but the conversation jumped to Sylvie and Alex.

  “It must be difficult sometimes for her. Don’t you think?” said Nick. “With AJ’s history.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Just that he’s done so much. There must be a huge amount she doesn’t know about him.” Nick cut a piece of cheese for Lara and lifted it to her lips. “I bet they don’t have an Honesty Policy,” he continued. “You d
on’t have any secrets from me, do you?”

  She froze.

  He stopped. His dark blue gaze met hers, his puzzlement clear. “Lara? Babe? What is it?”

  It was too late to backtrack. “Just one tiny thing...”

  His expression softened. “What?”

  He’d be expecting something innocuous. When she squeaked, “There’s a problem at work,” she knew he didn’t understand.

  “What kind of problem? Apart from Psycho-Jason, of course?”

  “I found some dodgy invoices.”

  “Go on.” He sounded admiring. “You’ve always been hot on detail.”

  She had to take a calming breath before speaking. “There’s been a load of fake projects with fake invoices. Someone’s had a fraud going for over a year.”

  His eyes were wide and shocked. “No way. What did you do about it?”

  He had to be innocent. She couldn’t believe he might be involved. “I escalated it to Jordan. I didn’t know who else to go to.”

  “You’ve been busy while I was away. What did he say? How did he take it?”

  “He was worried. It’s quite a big thing.” She paused. “We’re looking at over two million quid so far.” She searched his face for any signs of guilt, but he looked stunned.

  “Clever you. I bet he was pleased you found it. Do you have any idea who’s involved?”

  She swallowed, and then reached out and stroked his cheek. She had to see his reaction. “The invoices were mostly signed by you, babe.”

  ****

  Nick stared at Lara. She had to be making a joke. “Two million? Wow. Just as well I didn’t tell you. What on earth would you have spent it on?”

  There was no hint of humour on her face.

  It felt like ice dripping down his spine. “You’re not joking, are you?”

  She shook her head.

  “You think I defrauded TM-Tech?” He could hardly say the words.

  “No. We don’t think that. It’s—”

  “We? Jesus Christ, you mean Jordan.” Nick’s heart banged against his chest so hard, it might break his ribs. He swallowed and tried to speak normally. “Jordan thinks I’m responsible? Holy fuck.”