True Deceptions (True Lies)

by Veronica Forand

  A few hours later, or maybe just a few minutes, she heard a distant knock on the bedroom door. The knock was soft and undemanding. Simon must have left. He was never soft and undemanding.

  She dried off and wrapped the towel around her torso. She couldn’t wear the awful prison outfit again. Dane’s suitcase rested on the top of an armchair in the bedroom. Locating a large maroon sweatshirt and some sweatpants, she changed and answered the door.

  Dane leaned against the doorframe and wore a carefree smile on his face. No worry, just peaceful concern. He glanced at her outfit, and his smile grew. “I thought you might like something to eat. Any requests?”

  “French fries and tea?”

  “Sounds good. I’ll have the same.”

  He reached out, clasped her hand, and led her to the couch. When she sat, he placed a large blanket over her lap. No expectations. No demands.

  The knock on the door a half hour later twisted her stomach into knots. Dane strolled to the door with confident strides. Dinner. He didn’t let them in. He just took the food cart.

  “French fries and tea, as you requested.” He lifted the cover off the plate. The aroma of hot oil and salt floated over to her, making the room feel more like the United States than the Middle East.

  “Thanks.” Placing the plate on her lap, she picked at the fries. Her appetite hadn’t returned, but she knew she needed to eat something. French fries and tea wouldn’t settle her stomach, but she’d enjoy them in small amounts.

  “Can you tell me why I was arrested?”

  Dane sat next to her on the couch. “Prostitution.”

  “Seriously?” She had an ID badge for the exposition, and she’d been dressed in a conservative suit.

  “For the past few years, some enterprising young ladies have come to Jordan to make some extra money. They’d conned some military buddies into obtaining them guest passes and then tried to score a lot of money in a short amount of time. When you helped the prostitute outside the exhibition hall, they assumed you knew her.”

  Someone working undercover and didn’t want to create an international incident should not have become involved in a local matter. “I feel like an idiot.”

  “I heard what you did to the guard who came to visit you. That was incredibly brave. You’re strong and amazing, Cassie. Don’t ever let anyone tell you differently. The man has been removed from his post. I doubt he’ll be prosecuted, but he won’t be able to harm vulnerable women in prison anymore. The Jordanian government is embarrassed. They aren’t known for hostility toward foreigners and would prefer this incident be buried.” He sat closer and proceeded to devour his French fries.

  “When is our flight?” she asked.

  “In two hours. I found one at 1:30 a.m. I’ll have you on the beach in California by lunchtime tomorrow.”

  She took a few bites of the fries, taking an occasional sip of tea.

  “I can’t thank you enough for everything. You’re my hero.”

  His soothing smile emerged. “I take that title very seriously.”

  And then someone knocked on the door again.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Simon stood in the hallway at the U.S. embassy waiting to see Cassie. If Dane refused him access to her this time, he’d break down the door. She needed to see him, if only to know that he cared. She probably didn’t feel safe with him. He’d failed to free her.

  His friend had filled him in on all the details, before barricading himself in the apartment with her. The Jordanian government refused to acknowledge they’d ever had custody of an American woman named Cassie. The embassy wouldn’t comment on the case either. Everyone wanted it to go away. The prick who had hurt her, however, would not go free. Simon’s men were already tracking him down.

  According to Dane, Cassie was physically sound, but emotionally a mess. He recommended staying away from her. That would be convenient for Dane, who had come to her side like a damn white knight. Why did she have to be American? Simon would have had her out in half the time if she’d been a British citizen. His connections had strength in international diplomatic channels, but not in the United States. If Tucker had done his job better, she would have been listed as a Brit from the start.

  When the door finally opened, Dane blocked his access. “I think she needs more time.”

  “Bullshit. You need more time alone with her. Let me in.”

  He backed up, finally, and Simon saw Cassie. She looked like shit. Bandages covered her chin and the right side of her face. Her complexion was pale, and her eyes slightly sunken. When she saw him, she scrunched up her swollen lips as though tasting something foul.

  He needed all of his control to restrain his anger toward her attacker and to bear the crushing of his heart at her rejection. His stomach roiled at the thought of a man assaulting her in a jail cell. Not only was her outer beauty marred, but her expression held a hardness he’d never seen before. Whatever happened must have affected her to the core.

  “Cassie.” He sat at her side. “Are you okay?”

  She looked away from him. “No.”

  Dane sat on her other side and clasped her hand. “She needs some rest before our flight.”

  “Flight? What are you talking about?”

  “I’m taking her back to California.” Dane sounded so sure of himself. And yet he had no clue what he was doing or who he was dealing with.

  “She doesn’t live there anymore. She lives with me in London. And that’s where she belongs.” Forever, if possible.

  “I think you should let her decide where she feels the safest. Now is not the time to push your own agenda on her.”

  Dane held her hand. The bloody hero. He could have contacted Simon earlier. Instead, he isolated her and came in like the cavalry, making Simon appear as though he didn’t give a damn. And damn it all, he did give a damn.

  When Simon looked toward her for a response, her gaze turned to the window.

  Dane had erected a solid wall separating her from Simon. A wall that needed to be flattened. She probably thought mild mannered Dane shared her non-violent beliefs. She was wrong.

  After several silent minutes, he needed to do something other than beg, so he ordered some eggs, toast, and a cappuccino from the kitchen. Dane ordered a salad. Cassie ordered nothing.

  She wouldn’t lift her eyes to acknowledge him. Her rejection ripped at his heart and left him momentarily hollow, but then she glanced in his direction. It was subtle, a quick peek from her blue eyes. A crack in the wall.

  When the food arrived, she sipped her tea and pushed around a few leaves in Dane’s salad, sharing food with him as though they were lovers.

  “You should eat more,” Simon said.

  She shrugged and looked over to Dane for support.

  “I’m fine.” She wasn’t. She’d stashed her emotions in a box and left them there to fester.

  Simon pushed his plate in front of her.

  “Eat something. The eggs, especially.”

  “Simon, she’s a vegan. She–”

  He shut Dane up with a wave of his hand. “She needs to eat something to build her strength.” He turned to Cassie. “Eat two bites.”

  “Honey, you don’t need to do anything you’re not comfortable with.” Dane’s hand covered hers. “Do you want some fruit?”

  “I’m okay.” She slipped her hand out from under Dane’s, leaned toward Simon’s plate on the coffee table between them, and picked up a piece of toast. She ate it without a glance toward Simon.

  He refused to acknowledge the small victory. He sipped his cappuccino and waited. She took another bite and then grabbed her tea.

  She still trusted him. He had to make Dane disappear.

  Patience. Simon had more than enough for the both of them.

  “We should be headed to the airport soon.” Dane stood and put out his hand to help her stand.

  Simon remained seated. “Come home with me. You only had a few days off from your job, and your colleagues will be worried if y
ou don’t return.”

  That comment lifted her eyes toward him. “Maybe I could look for a new job in the States.”

  “You seemed pretty happy in London.”

  Dane gave an all-knowing smile. “I’m sure she could find a position in San Francisco. In fact, I could put in a good word with my employer. I bet you’d love it there, sweetheart. And you could stay with me until you’re settled.”

  Cassie sat in silence as Dane pushed every button he could to convince her to leave Simon.

  There was no way in hell, however, that Simon was ready to let her go. “I thought you were helping your boss on a big project,” he told her. “Sounds like he needs you. Are you ready to throw that away?”

  “He doesn’t need me.”

  “Maybe you should talk to him about it and give him a chance to convince you. It probably wouldn’t take more than a few days. If you think you’re not needed after speaking to him, then quit and find a new position.”

  She glanced at Dane, who had sat next to her again and was stroking her hand with his thumb. He was about a minute away from getting his arm ripped from the socket.

  “I guess I shouldn’t just leave my work without a word.”

  “Are you sure you need the stress of working right now?” Dane asked.

  “I appreciate everything you’ve done for her, but this is her decision to make.” Simon stood, a move that would either propel Cassie to stand as well or to remain with Dane. “You can walk away from everything in London, including us, but I think you’re stronger than that.”

  In a final play to her emotions, Dane wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “You’ve been through a traumatic event. It takes time to get over something like that.”

  Her head fell onto his shoulder. She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. “You’ve been so wonderful to me, Dane. But I should return to London and take care of things there before moving on. Maybe we can meet in San Francisco sometime?”

  He rubbed her shoulder and smiled, never pushing her. A smart call from a very competent player. “Call me the minute you arrive in the U.K. so I know you’re safe.”

  “I will.” Her smile let Dane down easy, and now Simon had no one but himself in the way of his relationship with Cassie.

  They flew first class to Heathrow. Simon kept his distance, which Cassie appreciated. She didn’t want to talk right now. She didn’t have a clue what she wanted in her life. Whatever it was she’d desired in the past had been left to rot in the prison cell.

  She stared out the window for much of the flight, as Simon slept at her side. She glanced over at him. He’d folded his hands in his lap, and rested his chin on the center of his chest, as though he could wake up and handle anything with a split second’s notice. Those magnificent blue eyes hid under closed lids and long lashes. The hard expression he tended to wear was softer now and more approachable. An urge to curl into his arms overwhelmed her. Would he take care of her? No. It was time she stood on her own. When everything had fallen apart, it was only her wits and her meager strength that had saved her. And even that hadn’t been enough to free her from the hell she’d been locked in.

  Simon’s chest rose and fell in steady deep breaths. A man in control of everything, except the disaster of a woman beside him. How could she ever work with him again? She’d failed. Arrested, confined, attacked, and in need of the U.S. embassy to rescue her. He must think she really was too stupid to live. He probably wanted her to finish the assignment so they could go their separate ways.

  When they arrived in London, Cassie needed privacy. “I’m taking the bedroom,” she said.

  He didn’t argue.

  She crawled into bed, burrowed under the covers, and fell asleep dreaming of soldiers in black carrying submachine guns.

  What felt like only moments later, a loud knock yanked her from the nightmare of the ugly man leering over her.

  She threw on some clothes and sneakers and pulled the door open.

  “Breakfast?” Simon, dressed in jeans and a loose, black, collared shirt, slipped his hands into his pockets and leaned against the wall. His expression stayed serious except for his eyes. They invited her into his arms.

  She couldn’t. Not yet.

  “I’m going to go for a walk. I’ll be back in a little while.” She headed to the door.

  He stepped back. “We should talk first.”

  “Is that an order?”

  “No.”

  “Then I’m going out.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  It had taken every ounce of will Simon had to let her walk out of the flat. She needed space, and he wasn’t doing a very good job of giving it to her. He’d had one of his men follow her. Never again would he leave her alone. He’d been an idiot to do so in Jordan.

  She’d come back from her walk and locked herself in the bedroom again for several hours. When she finally awoke, she wandered out wearing jeans and Dane’s sweatshirt and sat in the corner of the couch with her feet tucked under her. She should lose the sweatshirt, an ugly reminder of how much he owed his friend for getting her out of jail. If he let her run to Dane, would she go?

  Damn. How could a woman completely hijack a man’s life in a matter of weeks? And instead of being able to tell her how he felt, he needed to pussyfoot around her, hoping she wouldn’t leave.

  He poured himself some vodka and wandered over to the couch. “Where did you go?”

  “I went to the Orangerie in Kensington Gardens.”

  He took a large swallow of his drink and placed the glass on the table beside her. Then he sat by her and clasped her hand. “Feel better?”

  “I’m fine.” Her eyes focused on their intertwined hands.

  “You don’t seem fine.”

  She shrugged. “Does it matter? I’m back on the job, as you requested.”

  “I don’t give a bloody fuck about the job. I’m worried about you. It matters a lot.”

  In the face of his blowup, she shrugged. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle the assignment as I’ve been trained to do.”

  “This has nothing to do with the assignment. I need to know you’re okay.”

  She pulled her hand until he let it go. “Please, don’t act like you care. You’re the perfect operative, because I’ve never seen the real Simon. You have only one personality, and all it cares about is where the next mission takes you.”

  “You have me all wrong.”

  “Don’t. I’m already feeling foolish enough for my stupid crush on you. You must have thought it was so funny to see me so smitten, while you stayed focused on work. I’ll finish the job, and then I’m done. I’m done with this work and with you. You can then forget about me like you did in Jordan.”

  Her gaze dropped away from him, leaving him with a void so deep, he’d never climb out without her help.

  He stood and walked to the window, waiting for his frustration to subside. A cargo ship motored down the river. The waves rocked a few smaller vessels, but they stayed afloat. When the boats steadied, he turned back to Cassie.

  He struggled to keep his frustration tamped down. Anger would only push her away. “I waited several hours at the Raytheon booth. I called every contact I trusted, asking them to keep an eye out for you. A mini army of at least twenty guys from eight countries searched for a tall blonde woman. I risked my cover and a lot of goodwill to locate you, but I failed. You’d vanished, and Tucker wouldn’t help. I have no diplomatic immunity and no channels within the U.S. government. I couldn’t find you.”

  “Whatever.” Her tone offered no forgiveness.

  “What do you want me to say? If you’re looking for a perfect hero, I’m not your guy. I’m not the type to send flowers or fly over tall buildings. I never will be, but I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe. This time, however, I didn’t have the power to get you out of jail.”

  Tears streamed down her face, but she focused on him with a cold stare that had replaced the beautiful innocence of the Cassie he’d once known. �
��Never once have you shown compassion for anyone. You walked away when Tucker pointed a gun at my head. You took a pregnant woman into a dangerous situation and then carted her all over Europe to get home. You almost crashed a commercial airliner. You left me in jail. You’re heartless.” She stood and walked up to him. An arm’s length away in distance, a million kilometers in understanding.

  “As I stated before, Tucker would have found a way to torture you if I’d shown the slightest partiality toward you. I had to be cold, because I won’t put you at more risk than the assignment already entails. And as for Alex. She didn’t tell me she was pregnant until we were at the field making the exchange. When our exit was compromised, I flew her out and left the car to keep her safe. We’ve discussed the airport shutdown, and I stand by my decision. And as for you.” He gripped her shoulders. “I would have ripped the city apart to find you. I contacted Dane and begged him to engage his embassy’s contacts. I’m not an American, so they wouldn’t have released you to me. I needed to rely on Dane. Contrary to your ever-lowering opinion of me, I sure as hell was not going to let you rot in prison. You’re out, you’re safe, and I care. I care a whole hell of a lot. More than I should if I want to keep you safe.”

  “Don’t touch me.” She brushed his hands off her shoulders. “I’m not your plaything unless there’s an audience in front of us, and right now, it’s just us.”

  The darkness she’d experienced in that prison was eating her up. There was only one thing to do.

  “Blame me if it makes you feel better, but I need to know what happened to you. Everything.”

  “Poor Simon. Unable to handle the fact that you don’t, in fact, know everything.”

  He clasped her arm, holding it firm.

  She struggled to pull free but couldn’t. “Let me go.”

  “Not until you tell me what happened at the prison.”