Deadly Secret

by Tara Thomas

  There was nothing addressed to her except for a legal envelope from a law firm. He tilted his head. A family law practice. Curious, he opened it. He pulled out the papers inside, and as he read them, the mail he’d been holding fell to the ground.

  What the fuck?

  What the actual fuck?

  She was going to file for divorce?

  What the fuck? he repeated in his head.

  From the address on the envelope, the papers had gone to her apartment first. Then, since she had forwarded her mail to Benedict House, it had been rerouted here. His hands shook in anger and he stormed out of the kitchen.

  “What is this?” he asked, throwing the papers down on top of the box she was working in.

  She picked them up and read them. “Where did you get these?”

  “They were in the mail was delivered today.”

  “You went into my mail?”

  “That’s the question you have? Did I go through your mail? Hell, yes, I went through your mail. I wanted to make sure that asshole hadn’t contacted you again. And there wasn’t any mail from him, but there were a pack of divorce papers. Care to explain that?” His voice was calm, but his eyes blazed in anger.

  She put the divorce papers to the side. “I talked to this firm right after my accident. At the time, I thought it best to get a divorce or to at least appear as if I were filing for divorce.”

  “I can’t believe you went through the trouble of having someone to draw up divorce papers. Were you planning on filing them?”

  She was hurt he could even think that. “I hadn’t planned on it. All I thought was that if I went through the motions, the men who were watching me might drop their guard. At least enough for me to get some peace and a good night’s sleep.”

  “Did it ever occur to you to ask me or to talk to me about any of this? To maybe, I don’t know, let me in on your plan?”

  “No, because then it wouldn’t appear real.”

  Knox ran his fingers through his hair the way he did when he was agitated. She hadn’t expected him to take it well, but that didn’t make the reality any easier.

  He turned to walk out of the room.

  “Where are you going?” she asked.

  “I need some air.”

  No. It didn’t make it any easier at all.

  * * *

  Tom picked up his binoculars again to watch the young woman as she walked up the beach. He wished she’d turn around or that he was positioned better to see her face. He’d been following Jade for the last two hours, wanting to nail down her routine so he could come up with the perfect plan to take her down.

  He knew for a fact he had to be one hundred percent perfect before he put in a call to The Gentleman. It had been unspoken, but he knew he had only one more chance to get this right. One more screwup and he was done. He’d told the Benedicts he was taking his mom to the doctor. They had loved that, he thought with a chuckle.

  Jade was much skinnier than he remembered her being. He supposed that’s what living on the streets would do to her. He wouldn’t say he was sorry, because he wasn’t. She’d caused him pain and suffering, it was only fair she suffered as well. Poetic justice and all that. Of course, no one would be writing poetry over what he planned to do to her. Or if they did, they were fucked up more than he was.

  He needed to get closer. She was currently carrying a fishing pole. Obviously, she was on the hunt for dinner. He needed to position himself in a way that he could see her when she walked back to the house. And he needed cover, so that he could hide and she wouldn’t see him. All he needed was one look, one second of recognition, and that would be all she wrote.

  He wasn’t sure how many fish she planned to catch. He wouldn’t think someone of her size would eat very many, but you never knew. For all he knew, she had some way to keep them cold and would fish for several days. On the other hand, she might only be catching what she would eat today. What he had to do was plan for the worst. Or in this case, the shortest.

  He walked back, away from the beach. Good thing there weren’t very many people around. He probably would have a hard time explaining what he was doing. Much better that no one saw him. Now he had to keep it that way.

  Taking care to be as unnoticeable as possible, he hurried away from his spot by the tree. He walked down the street as if he belonged there. He’d learned that when someone had an air of confidence around them, they didn’t seem to draw as many questioning stares. Not that there was anyone nearby to question him. And that was the way he wanted to keep it.

  The driveway leading up to the house where the woman who might be Jade was staying was overgrown. It seemed perfect for somebody who was staying in a place they shouldn’t be. His heart beat faster as it became more and more likely this was Jade.

  He found a dune in the house’s side yard, far enough away to provide cover, while still being close enough to for assurances of who he was dealing with. And its size made it perfect for him to hide behind without being seen.

  He got into position and prepared to wait. He was surprised at how quickly she caught a fish. He was even more surprised when she started packing up. Apparently, she was only after one fish today. He patted himself on the back for his hunting skills.

  Now she just had to turn around. He wasn’t sure he took a breath as he waited. When she did, his heart jumped to his throat. It was Jade, and she looked horrible. From the looks of it, she thought her location was very secure and as such, she didn’t have plans to move along anytime soon.

  All of that suited his purpose just fine. His blood pulsed with the excitement of finally being able to tell The Gentleman where Jade was and how run down she looked. He knew not to count his chickens before they hatched, but couldn’t help but imagine The Gentleman’s delight and appreciation. He’d made a mistake not taking her in when he first found her. He wouldn’t be making it the second time.

  Should he just grab her now and take her in? Or call The Gentleman and allow him the pleasure of doing so? Choices, choices, choices. And this time, all of them good. It was a wonderful position to be in.

  His phone rang. Not the one signaling The Gentleman, but the one he didn’t want to answer, but did, knowing that it would be what The Gentleman wanted.

  “Hello?” he said. Even as he answered he knew he wouldn’t be grabbing Jade until tomorrow. Looked like today was her lucky day. He’d make sure she didn’t have another one.

  CHAPTER 11

  Bea hung the phone up with a sigh. Her senior partner had agreed for her to take a leave of absence, but he asked that she prepare a summation of the cases he was working on. She didn’t mind and it was certainly a reasonable request, but it meant that she had to go by the office to get her paperwork and that was going to be a hassle.

  Knox, even in his upset stage, wouldn’t want her to go. And while she could send someone to pick it up, it would be so much quicker and easier if she did it herself. She wasn’t stupid, she wasn’t about to go by herself, but she was going to go. She’d take Tom. Jade’s warning rang in the back of her head, but she discarded it. Besides, it was just a quick trip to her office and back.

  A quick glance down the hall showed Knox was still in the office. He’d been in there ever since he walked out on her earlier. Obviously, he was on the phone because the door was closed. Normally, she’d be upset that he’d closed the door, in what she saw as a way to shut her out. This time, however, she was thrilled as it allowed her to do things she’d have trouble being truthful about if he’d had it open.

  She sent Tom a text quickly, grabbed her purse, and went to wait outside, hoping if anyone saw her they’d just think she was walking around the yard. With her back to the house, she made show of bending down to smell a few flowers.

  As she waited for Tom to get the car and to come by, she thought again about the divorce papers. Yes, she probably should have brought them up sooner, but in all honesty, she’d forgotten about them and, really, what was the big deal? She’d explained ever
ything to Knox. He was the one being unreasonable.

  But as she thought about it more, she realized how upset she’d be if the situation was reversed. She could see that finding them had been a shock. She’d give him that much. And she also knew he was reasonable and she fully expected that after he got over the shock and processed what she’d said, that he’d see her side.

  Knox wasn’t a man who held on to his anger for any length of time. She wondered who he was on the phone with and if he’d found anything with his search? She also wanted to know if he still thought it was a possibility someone had killed Tilly’s mom. Tilly and Keaton had arrived home not long ago, so they should be at dinner. Although, she didn’t think dinner was the best time to discuss that with Tilly

  * * *

  Tom got into the dark sedan and headed toward Benedict House. Bea had sent a text asking if he’d accompany her to her law office. And just like that, the mouse walked into the trap.

  Because the text asking to take her to the office came in so fast, he didn’t have time to alert The Gentleman. Not if wanted time to run by her office before she actually made it there. And he did, imagining her face when she walked inside. He would make that call as soon as Bea stepped inside the office. The time had come to deal with her permanently.

  Since he’d told The Gentleman how close he was to finding Jade, it seemed she’d become his focus. Tom had a feeling that would change once he heard that Tom had Bea. After she’d been dealt with he’d tell The Gentleman he knew where Jade was. He smiled at the thought. It was about time things went his way.

  * * *

  Bea plastered on a fake smile when Tom pulled up. She slipped into the backseat, buckled her seatbelt, and told him she was ready. He didn’t say much, but seemed to stare at her through the rearview mirror. She told herself it wasn’t creepy, that he was just checking to make sure they didn’t have a tail. She remembered Jade’s warning not to trust him. She put her hand on door handle and briefly thought about jumping out at the next stop sign, but talked herself out of it. He was just taking her to her office, after all.

  She got out her cell phone, and contemplated texting Knox. Just let him know where she was and when she expected to be back. Then she decided she didn’t want to hear about how she shouldn’t have left the house. She shoved the phone back into her purse.

  The ride to the office took longer than it normally did. She’d forgotten there was some sort of festival happening in town so there were more tourists than normal. She drummed her fingers against the arm rest and checked the time. All the while feeling as if Tom was watching her.

  Creepy.

  Oh, well. What was done was done, and she couldn’t stop it now. She’d get to the office, grab the paperwork, and make it back to Benedict House with no one being any wiser.

  Finally, they pulled up to the office and she hopped out of the car.

  “I’ll be just a few minutes inside,” she said. “Wait here and make sure nobody shows up?”

  Tom nodded.

  Just as well, she wasn’t paying him for his conversational skills.

  She unlocked the door to the office and couldn’t stop the habit of looking over her shoulder. Of course no one was there. Just Tom waiting in the car. Honestly, he was scary and intimidating enough to keep any bad guys far, far away.

  She smiled to herself as she walked down the hall. It felt good to get out of the house. Stuck inside Benedict House for what seemed like weeks, she hadn’t yet grown accustomed to the feeling of cabin fever. She wished she’d thought ahead of time and arranged to have lunch with girlfriends or something.

  No, best that she didn’t. She was pushing it enough coming to the office, no need to tempt fate.

  Her office door was closed and locked, just the way she’d left it. She was actually surprised. For some reason, she’d expected someone to have broken into it. Taking a deep breath, she unlocked the door and stepped on a sheet on paper when she opened it.

  She bent down to pick it up with trembling fingers. The entire time hoping against all hope it wasn’t another threat or taunt. It was flipped over so she couldn’t see anything that was on it.

  Right as she picked it up, the floor creaked from somewhere near the lobby.

  Her heart pounded. The office should be empty. It was the weekend, she was the only person who should be inside right now. She flipped the paper over. There was only one word printed on the paper. But that one word was enough to freeze her in fear.

  * * *

  Checkmate.

  The office was filled with the sound of blood pounding in her head, Over and over.

  Tick.

  Tick.

  Tick.

  Only, it wasn’t her head. It was in the office. Panic seized her body and fear wrapped its sharp tentacles around her heart. And in that moment, she knew she was going to die.

  I’m so sorry, Knox.

  Sorry she left Benedict House without telling him. Sorry for the pain her death would cause him. Sorry because she wasn’t sure he knew how much she loved him.

  Footsteps sounded out in the hall and she made a vow that even though she knew she wouldn’t make it out of this alive, she wasn’t going to go down without a fight. She wasn’t going to go easy. She would fight as long as she was able to pull air into her lungs.

  She scanned her office, looking for something that could be used as a weapon. Her eyes fell on a metal pen she’d been given as a gift by one of her clients for Christmas a few years ago. At the time, she thought a pen to be a ridiculous gift. Why spend so much money on a pen when you could pick one up anywhere for almost pennies? But as she picked the pen up and tested its weight in her hand, she gave silent thanks to the client who gave her what she had originally thought was useless.

  She turned and waited for her tormentor to appear in the doorway.

  CHAPTER 12

  Knox was going to kill someone.

  He was going to start with every last man who worked at the security firm Kipling had on retainer, then he was going to move on to anyone at Benedict House that let Bea leave the house.

  He picked the phone up and called Tom for the third time. The line had been busy both times before and he swore under his breath when it was again.

  “Kip!” he yelled down the hall, knowing his older brother was hanging out in the kitchen, trying to avoid him. “Give me the cell phone number for the owner of that damn firm.”

  Kipling appeared in the doorway. “Is Tom’s number not working?”

  “Tom’s not answering his damn cell phone,” Knox told him. “I’m going to lay down the law when I see him again. He is always to be reachable via phone.”

  “You think he took Bea somewhere?” Kipling asked. “Or that she told him not to answer his phone?”

  Knox stopped and took a deep breath. He needed to get his shit together, calm down, and think about this reasonably. “At this point,” he told his brother, “I have to assume anything is a possibly.”

  Kipling nodded, dug into his desk, and pulled out the number to the firm and passed it to Knox.

  Knox pounded the digits into his phone and gave a sigh of relief when the line rang instead of giving a busy signal.

  “Smith,” the voice on the other end said.

  “This is Knox Benedict. I believe one of the guards I hired from your firm, Tom Anderson, took my wife somewhere about an hour ago and now he’s not answering his phone. Do you have another number or some other way to get in contact with him?”

  There was a pause, too long of one in Knox’s mind. “Hello?” he asked.

  “Are you sure it was Tom, sir?” the guy finally asked.

  “Yes, I’m sure.” Knox cut his eyes to Kipling to let his brother know what he thought of the firm he’d hired.

  “There’s no good way to tell you this, sir,” the guy on the other end of the phone said. “But we show this contract as cancelled as of a week ago.”

  * * *

  Bea slipped the pen in the pocket of her pa
nts. She didn’t have to wait long for the person to appear in the doorway. Though it really didn’t make sense when he did.

  Her relief at recognizing Tom lasted for mere seconds. Just long enough for her to process that the smile he gave her wasn’t friendly, but evil. Even then she didn’t panic. Not until he casually lifted his left hand as if checking the time and she noticed he was wearing the watch that invaded her dreams. Her chest grew so tight, she couldn’t breathe. Spots swam before her eyes and she curled her fists so her nails dug into her palms. She couldn’t just give up. She couldn’t.

  “Your time is up. You have a very bad habit of not following directions,” he said in the voice that tormented her sleep.

  “You.” It was the only word she could get out. The only word she found could encompass all the pain from remembering how he’d hurt her, the fear from how he tormented her, and the despair of what he was going to do now.

  “You finally remember me,” he said.

  She saw no point in answering. It was obvious she did, her only regret was that she didn’t pick up on it sooner. She lifted her chin higher and looked down her nose at him. Now that she saw him up close it was obvious who he was. She could have smacked herself for not noticing before.

  “How did you get a job at the security firm?” she asked. She really didn’t care, but she thought it was in her best interest to get him to talk. Had Knox realized she’d left Benedict House yet? Even if he had, would he write off her absence or would he come looking for her?

  He would come. He had to come. It was a tiny sliver of hope, but at the moment, it was all she had.

  Then just as quickly as she decided that he would come to her, she understood why Tom hadn’t made a move toward her. He didn’t want her dead. Yet. For the moment, he needed her alive so he could use her to draw Knox.