Ring of Lies

by Howard, Victoria

  Grace turned to face him and froze. His eyebrows rose. He lifted his palms upward. Feeling terrified and foolish, she gesticulated wildly, then pulled off her shoes and ran down the street. Jack stomped inside the store and pretended to examine the merchandise. Through the shop window he watched their shadow take off after her.

  He waved the approaching sales assistant away, with a ‘another time, maybe,’ and exited the store. By the time he reached the intersection he’d caught up with their stalker. The lights changed to red and pedestrians queued impatiently at the curb, waiting to cross. Jack grasped the man by the arm and spun him around.

  ‘Carlos, how you doing?’

  ‘Hey, let go of me!’

  The little guy tried to wriggle free, but Jack’s grip tightened. He bowed his head and said, ‘How about you and I have a chat about who sent you, and why you’re following me and the lady?’ Jack pulled him out of the crowd and led him toward an alleyway.

  ‘You’re crazy, man. I’m not following you.’

  ‘You’ve been clinging to me and the lady like shit to a shovel ever since we left the bank.’

  ‘You’re mistaken. I’ve never seen you before in my life.’

  ‘Don’t lie to me. Who sent you?’

  Suddenly, the man twisted and kneed Jack in the groin, following it up with a punch to his jaw.

  Jack tasted blood and fell to his knees, the air whooshing out of his lungs. Before he could move his attacker was hoofing it back down the alleyway and on to the crowded street. He cursed his stupidity. He should have backed the guy up against the wall before questioning him. He staggered to his feet; his breath came in great heaving gasps. At least he’d remained conscious, but his jaw was going to ache for the next couple of days and he was going to have one hell of a bruise. He wiped the blood from his lips, brushed the dust off his jeans, and stumbled out of the alleyway.

  When he reached the Explorer, he found Grace sat in the driver’s seat, her knuckles white where they clutched the steering wheel.

  ‘Oh my God! Your face!’ she cried. She stretched out her hand to touch him, but thought the better of it and hastily withdrew.

  ‘It’s nothing that a stiff drink, and a long soak in the tub, won’t cure. Move over. I’ll drive.’

  She shifted across the seat. ‘Why would anyone want to follow us?’

  ‘Not us, you. The bastard made off before I got chance to ask. But I think he and your mystery man from the graveyard are maybe connected.’

  ‘That’s impossible. I only decided to come here after the funeral.’

  ‘Yeah? Then either you were followed here or Zachary Parous has some real nasty associates who are keen to get their hands on either the money in that bank account, or you.’

  CHAPTER SIX

  Jack watched Grace for the space of a long breath; saw the fear in her eyes, and without stopping to think about the consequence of his actions, pulled her into his arms.

  ‘Don’t panic. As long as you’re with me you’ll come to no harm,’ he whispered against her hair. He tried not to notice the warmth of her body against his and exotic scent of her perfume filling his senses. While he rocked her in his arms, he told himself he was just offering comfort as he would to any other woman who’d just lost her husband. He even tried to believe it. But while he could fool his brain, he couldn’t fool his body. He tilted her face to his.

  ‘Say something, Grace.’

  She blinked and focused her gaze. ‘None of this makes any sense.’

  ‘The way I figure it, Elliott or Lattide or whatever else your late husband called himself, got involved in a scam. A bad one. Now his boss or clients want their money back. And the only way to get it is through you.’

  The stricken look on her face made him wish he could beat the crap out of Elliott for putting his beautiful wife in such danger. As it was, he was glad the son-of-a-bitch was dead.

  Grace shuddered. He reached out and caught her slender hand in his.

  ‘I don’t believe—’ Her voice broke.

  ‘Honey, I hate to say this, but your late husband was a bastard. Not only did he keep secrets from you, he was having an affair. If he hadn’t died in that car accident, then sooner or later his criminal friends would have caught up with him, and chances are the outcome would have been the same. I know that’s cruel, but it’s true. And you have to accept it.’

  Grace shot him a cold look and pushed free of his grasp.

  ‘You don’t know that! You’ve no idea what Daniel was like. He would never do anything to place his family in danger.’

  Jack bit back a searing curse. When he spoke his voice was deceptively calm. ‘No? Then why did that guy back there follow us and try to kick my head in?’

  ‘I don’t know. I wish I did. But I wish you wouldn’t talk about Daniel as if he’s on the ‘most wanted list.’ He was my husband. I would have known if he was involved in anything… in anything illegal.’

  ‘For Christ’s sake, open your eyes! You’ve already told me he never discussed his work with you. It’s pretty clear that the jackass who followed us was going to tail you as far as your hotel and then call his buddies. They wouldn’t be quite so polite when asking questions.’

  Grace covered her face with her hands. ‘Stop it! Stop it! You’re scaring me! I’m sorry I ever called you. You’re horrible!’

  He covered her hands with his own and drew them into his lap. ‘Yeah, I’m horrible, but I’m also right. You should be scared, Grace. Shit happens, and when it does, we can’t bury our heads in the turnip patch and ignore it. And this, love, is serious shit.’

  Grace turned and looked out of the window. She stopped chewing her bottom lip and stole a look at him. When she spoke her voice was barely a whisper.

  ‘So what happens now?’

  He started the engine and drove out of the parking lot.

  ‘We go back to your hotel. You pack your bags and we find you someplace else to stay. Then we go over those bank statements with a magnifying glass. Hopefully, we’ll find some clue as to where the money for the house on Gasparilla Island came from.’

  ‘And if we don’t?’

  ‘Then we go visit your new home.’ He pushed hard on the accelerator and cut across two lanes of traffic. The driver of the car following took exception to the manoeuvre and sounded his horn.

  Grace grabbed the door handle. ‘Are you nuts? You nearly got us killed.’

  His fingers clenched around the wheel. ‘Not hardly. I plan to lose anyone else who might be following us.’

  ‘And are we being followed?’

  ‘Not yet.’

  ‘Thank God for small mercies. But I don’t see why I need to move to another hotel.’

  Jack steered into the parking lot at the Island Palm. ‘Parous knows where you’re staying. So do the people at the bank. And I’m betting whoever sent our tail knows where you’re staying, too.’

  There was no sign of the concierge as they passed the front desk on their way to the elevators. Jack thought it odd, but said nothing. All the same, he unbuttoned his jacket thankful he was carrying his weapon. He touched Grace’s left elbow lightly, urging and yet protective. The ride to the ninth floor took seconds.

  Jack held out his hand. ‘Give me your room key.’

  She shot him a hard glance.

  ‘Okay, I’m sorry. Give me your room key, please,’ he sighed.

  Grace dug in her purse and pulled out the electronic card. Jack swiped it through the lock and pushed open the door. He listened for the sound of movement, but the only noise came from the air conditioning unit. Satisfied that everything appeared as it should, he stepped aside to allow her to enter.

  ‘Go and start packing. I’ll ring down to the front desk and ask them to make up your bill.’

  ‘Which hotel are you taking me to?’ Grace asked, kicking off her shoes and walking barefoot into the bedroom.

  ‘I’m not sure yet. Depends which of the hotels in Coral Gables has a vacancy.’

&nbs
p; Grace popped her head back round the bedroom door. ‘Just so long as it’s not some soulless motel down by the railway tracks where your shoes stick to the carpet, and breakfast consists of lukewarm coffee from a machine.’

  ‘No soulless motel, I promise,’ Jack smiled. ‘How do you feel about a bed and breakfast, instead?’

  ‘So long as it has a comfortable bed and serves decent food, that’s all that matters if it means I’ll be safe.’ She started tossing clothes out of the wardrobe onto the bed.

  Jack rang the front desk and then made one other call. He replaced the handset and joined her in the bedroom. He leant against the door and watched her fold her clothes. She placed them in the suitcase with such care, as if they were fragile and might break if she didn’t do it perfectly. He wondered if that’s how she approached life—as if it too would break if she weren’t careful. Or maybe it had already broken, and he was called in to sweep up the shards.

  If only she knew how destroyed his life was.

  He considered telling her about Rosa and the hell their life had become. He thought about telling her about Emilia, the bright and shining star he never expected to see in any firmament. Then he saw the sadness in her eyes and his resolve to tell her about any of it collapsed in a heap.

  ‘Grace,’ he said softly, and took a step towards her. ‘Under different circumstances, I’d ask you stay at the condo with me. As it is, I can’t. And I can’t be with you twenty-four/seven, so having you switch hotels is the next best thing until I can get you a bodyguard.’

  Grace’s smile flickered, and then vanished. ‘A bodyguard? Isn’t that taking things a bit too far?’

  ‘Possibly. But I can’t take any chances with your life, Grace. You mean—’

  Grace dropped the pair of trousers she was folding and wheeled round to face him, an almost hopeful glint in her blue eyes.

  ‘Yes?’

  Unable to stop himself, Jack crossed the room and swept her into his arms.

  ‘Damn it, Grace, you know how I felt about you. It hasn’t changed, but the timing is wrong for us, and always will be. You’re grieving and my life…well, my life’s complicated.’ He closed his eyes, savouring the feel of her body against his, then let her go, swearing that he’d never allow himself to get this close to her again.

  ‘Jack—’

  He rubbed his beard, and then ran his hand round the back of his neck. ‘Accept it, Grace, I have. There’s no point in fretting over what might have been. Now, if you’re about done, let’s go. I want to get you settled before I leave you alone for the night.’

  Stunned, Grace snapped the locks on her suitcase and picked up her purse. A quick glance around the room told her she’d not left anything behind. Jack dragged her case off the bed and strode out of the suite.

  In the lobby, Grace paid her bill and arranged for any mail to be held, then followed him out to his car.

  ‘Did you leave a forwarding address?’ Jack asked.

  ‘I could hardly do that, seeing as I don’t know where you’re taking me,’ she replied curtly.

  ‘Sorry, I was thinking about something else.’ Like how Rosa is going to react when he told her he wasn’t going to be around to help with Emilia tomorrow.

  While he waited for a tourist bus to clear the exit of the parking lot, he studied Grace’s face. Tight-lipped and sombre, her expression was easy to read. Was she angry because he’d suggested that her husband was a crook or because he’d admitted that he wanted her? Or both?

  The drive to Coral Gables didn’t take long, and by the time Jack pulled up in front of the Cutler Inn he’d had enough of the silence and tension in the car.

  ‘You’ll be safe here,’ he said. ‘It’s run by Frank Davis, and his wife, Maisie. We’re old friends. I’d trust both of them with my life.’

  Grace didn’t even look at him. ‘Why should I trust them with mine?’

  ‘Because Frank’s an ex-cop. One of the best. And he’s real keen on security, and short of taking an axe to the doors, there’s no way for anyone to gain entry to the guest rooms. That’s why.’ He clambered out of the car, pulled Grace’s luggage off the back seat, and herded her toward the front door.

  The two-storey Florida mansion house had been lovingly restored. Painted white, with double galleries supported by pillars, it overlooked the Coral Gables waterway.

  Jack shouldered open the massive carved oak door and stepped aside to let Grace pass. He dropped her suitcase on the floor.

  ‘I’ll go find Frank.’

  While she waited, Grace wandered around the room. Decorated in soft cream, with oak floors, rattan furniture and colourful cushions, the reception room was a picture of elegance and old southern charm. Overhead, a huge brass fan stirred the air. She was busy examining an old, framed photograph of the property when Jack returned with a man wearing a green, blue and yellow Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts.

  ‘Hi, I’m Frank,’ he said, and held his out hand.

  ‘Grace Elliott.’ She took it and felt the inherent strength in his fingers. Frank Davis might be in his sixties, but he was stronger and looked fitter than men half his age. Nor had age dulled the sparkle in his blue-grey eyes. Deeply tanned, his white hair was cut crew-cut short.

  ‘Jack tells me you’ve had some trouble. Don’t worry. You’ll be safe here. I’ve given you the room next to Maisie and me. Ordinarily we don’t serve dinner, but for you, I’m making an exception.’

  Grace forced herself to smile. ‘That’s very kind of you Mr. Davis.’

  ‘Naw, call me Frank. Everyone else does. And it’s no trouble at all.’ He picked up her suitcase. ‘I’ll show you to your room. After you freshen up, we’ll eat. Maisie is a great cook. You staying for dinner, Jack?’

  ‘Thanks, Frank, but I’d better get back. Things do to.’

  Grace and Jack followed him upstairs to a room at the front of the house. The bedroom, complete with private bathroom, was large and airy and tastefully decorated in muted shades of green. A king-size bed, covered by a rose coloured throw, with a bedside cabinet on either side, filled the centre of one wall. The furniture, like that of the reception room, was made of oak.

  ‘This is wonderful. It’s very kind of you to take me on such short notice,’ Grace said.

  ‘It’s always a pleasure to help Jack. Okay, I’ll leave you to settle in and see you downstairs when you’re ready.’

  Jack closed the door. ‘Frank is a good man, Grace. He sleeps with a .38 next to the bed, so you only have to holler and he’ll come running.’ He nodded towards the phone. ‘I’ve asked him to ensure you have an outside line at all times. If you hear anything that makes you nervous, you call me no matter what the time is and I’ll be here right away. Otherwise, I’ll see you in the morning and we’ll go over the bank statements then. In the meantime, try and get some rest.’ He bent to kiss her cheek then decided it wasn’t such a good idea after all, so settled for giving her shoulder a re-assuring squeeze, then left.

  Grace crossed to the window and leaned her head against the glass. Outside, coloured lights twinkled in the branches of the trees, reminding her that Christmas was but a few short weeks away.

  Her first Christmas without Daniel.

  Life would never be the same again. She felt hurt, empty, lost. Unlike Catherine, her sister, she’d never been one for the social scene, and the idea of forging new friendships was abhorrent. But, then so was the prospect of spending the rest of her life on her own.

  Too weary to unpack, she flopped down on the bed, and buried her head in the pillows. Tears she’d fought so hard to contain spilled down her cheeks.

  Coming to Miami had been a mistake. If she’d been thinking straight she’d have stayed at home and instructed the family solicitor to sell the house. But her strict upbringing had instilled such a strong sense of right and wrong in her that she had no option but to uncover the truth.

  And then there was Jack.

  One minute he was full of concern and hinting that he cared for her
, the next he was pushing her away. Her skin tingled whenever he touched her, and she couldn’t deny the gravitational pull he exerted on her, but allowing her feelings to exceed the bounds of friendship would be dangerous.

  And lying there wallowing in self-pity didn’t help her situation. She knuckled her tears away, conscious that her hosts were waiting to serve dinner. A quick shower and a change of clothes at least made her feel more human but did nothing to calm her swirling emotions.

  When she emerged from her bedroom twenty minutes later, she found Frank and his wife waiting for her in the lounge.

  A small, plump, brown-haired woman came forward and wrapped her arms around Grace. ‘I’m Maisie, and you must be Grace, Jack’s friend. It’s a pleasure to meet you.’