Revealed

by Zoe Allison

  Vic glanced at Anna. “Can I ask you… Did the body you viewed have the same birthmark as Erik’s?” She pointed to the photo.

  “It did,” Anna said. “But it must be a coincidence. A million-to-one chance of that person having the same mark, because it definitely wasn’t him.”

  Vic rubbed Anna’s shoulder.

  Gareth glanced up from the photos he was perusing. “Is there anything else you can think of that may help us? Any other distinguishing features?”

  Henry shook his head. “No. He has no other scars or marks.”

  “Thank you,” Gareth said. “We’ll contact the labs and find out the results of the DNA test as soon as possible, then call you straight away.”

  Henry nodded.

  Priyanka sounded in their earpieces. “Ask for the mouth swabs. I want to do our own DNA testing. Vale has a hair sample from the body.”

  Gareth cleared his throat, something flashing in his eyes at the sound of Priyanka’s voice. “I wonder, though,” he said to the Webers, “if we could trouble you for another mouth swab? I’d like a fresh sample to repeat the DNA test, no matter the outcome, so that we can be absolutely sure all the information is accurate.”

  “Of course,” Henry said. “Thank you for your dedication.”

  “That’s no problem,” Gareth reassured him.

  Gareth took out the equipment and the couple did their mouth swabs, with Gareth labeling and bagging them up afterward.

  They were seen to the door by the Webers. Henry shook their hands in turn. Vic touched Anna’s arm and Anna threw her arms around her. Vic gave her a tight hug. “We’ll find you answers about your son. I promise.”

  Anna took her hand and squeezed it. “Thank you.”

  Gareth and Vic left the house and walked down the driveway to the car. They climbed inside, with Vic raising her hand in one last wave at the couple as they closed the front door.

  Vic rested her head against the seat and the car moved off toward the city center. She heard Vale in her ear, his voice soft. “Are you okay, Vic?”

  She debated not answering. “Yes, absolutely fine, thank you.” She tried not to let her tone give anything away but didn’t succeed. The sound of Vale’s voice affected her. Gareth shot her an inquisitive look. He, of course, was also privy to everything that was said.

  “As long as you are sure,” Vale continued in her ear. “You sounded a little upset in there.”

  “I’m sure,” she said. “Just playing a part.”

  Vale paused before answering. “Okay. Just let me know if you need anything.”

  “Roger,” she said, and clicked off her mic before she gave anything away.

  She turned to Gareth, who was raising his eyebrows as he removed his glasses and earpiece.

  “What?” she asked him.

  He shook his head. “Nothing.”

  They completed the journey to the hotel—a different one from last time, because Priyanka didn’t want any staff recognizing Victoria.

  They were handed key cards to separate rooms upon check-in. Gareth turned to Vic. “Do you want to come to my room? We can go over the information that the Webers gave us and consolidate everything.”

  Vic glanced toward the bar. “We could do that over there instead. I need a drink.”

  He smiled. “And risk the masses overhearing? Anyway, we can have a drink from my minibar.”

  “Okay,” she said.

  They went their separate ways to put their cases into their rooms. Vic took the opportunity to change into more casual clothes. Unexpectedly, the image of Vale walking around in his underwear came to mind. She screwed her eyes up and shook her head to dispel it, then went to grab her keycard out of her bag. She caught sight of the postcard from Harvey and a cold shiver ran down her spine. She’d almost forgotten about it after being distracted by the Webers’ grief. She zipped the bag back up and pushed her emotions regarding the card away before leaving the room to head over to Gareth’s.

  Vic knocked on his door and waited. He answered it, wearing jeans and a half-buttoned shirt. “Come in,” he said, buttoning it up the rest of the way as she followed him over to the sitting area.

  She laughed. “Were you purposely waiting around with that shirt half open for me to knock the door?”

  He frowned, opening the mini fridge. “Why on earth would I do that?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Oh, I don’t know, in order to show off those chiseled abs of yours?”

  Gareth smiled. “Thank you for noticing. I do try.”

  Vic laughed. “Gareth, you are insufferable.”

  He continued to smile. “You pronounced adorable incorrectly. Now, what can I get you?”

  She pointed to a miniature of vodka.

  “Good choice,” he said.

  Vic sat in an armchair. “Today, I need it.”

  He glanced at her as he poured the drink, then handed it over and made himself one. “And why, pray tell, is that?”

  She took a sip. “Well, it was distressing, wasn’t it? Seeing Erik’s parents so distraught.”

  Gareth took a seat on the sofa next to the pile of clothes he had worn earlier. He took a drink from his own glass, studying her. “Yes, but not anything we aren’t used to,” he said. “Was there something about it that particularly troubled you?”

  She hesitated. “No. It just got to me for some reason.”

  He smiled. “I like you, Victoria.”

  Vic hesitated. That was a strange thing to blurt out. “Thanks,” she said slowly. “I like you too, mate.”

  “No,” he said. “I mean I like you. I find you attractive.”

  She frowned. What was wrong with him? He had a reputation as a womanizer, but the two of them had been friends for a long time. He also wasn’t an aggressive, he didn’t have to be. Women normally flocked to him. So why was he going there now?

  “Gareth—”

  “Wait,” he said. “Let me finish. If you don’t want to talk, then there are other ways in which I can help you to relax, involving that double bed over there and the two of us naked.”

  Victoria was stunned into silence. He continued to smile at her as he smoothed the material of the shirt that was laid out on the sofa next to him. She cleared her throat. “Thanks for the compliment, but you know I’m really not interested.”

  He lifted his hand and picked up his drink from the coffee table, taking a sip. “Well, that’s a shame. But you can’t blame a man for trying.”

  She raised her eyebrows.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “It’s just a bit weird that we’ve been friends for years, then you proposition me out of the blue,” she said. “You also seemed quite happy to take no for an answer the first time.”

  He swirled the liquid in his glass. “I’m not a savage. I’m interested in women who are interested in me in return, and I respect them enough to take them at their word. That’s why I’m a womanizer, not a misogynist.”

  She shook her head.

  Gareth leaned back. “And I have my reasons for picking this particular moment.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “Which are?”

  “You’ll see,” he said, taking another sip of his drink. “So, what did you make of what the Webers said today?”

  Vic raised her eyebrows at the rapidly changing subject matter but decided to let it go because she was too tired to pursue it. “I still can’t explain it. Their account is believable.”

  “Agreed,” he said. “And the photo… Do you think that there could be any way for the two men to be confused?”

  “No,” Vic said. “They bore no resemblance whatsoever. Except…”

  “For the birthmark,” he finished.

  “Yes,” she said.

  Gareth pursed his lips. “The plot thickens.”

  Vic placed her glass on the table. “Do you think that the lab mixed up the DNA?”

  He rubbed his chin. “It’s possible. But Priyanka will organize our own DNA testing, then we’ll hav
e the answer…hopefully.”

  Vic gazed out of the window at the street below. “We need answers for Henry and Anna’s sake.” She glanced back at Gareth, who was studying her with a quizzical air. “Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked him.

  “You,” he said, “are a bit of an enigma at times. There are things about you I have never been able to fathom.”

  She smiled, relieved that he couldn’t. She didn’t want anyone working her out.

  “So,” Gareth said, “how long have you been in love with Valentino?”

  She frowned, her pulse picking up pace. “I’m not in love with him or anyone. Do you think that just because I don’t want anything to happen between you and me, it means I must like someone else?”

  He shook his head. “I have an ego but I’m no narcissist. I know that because a woman doesn’t want me, it doesn’t necessarily mean that she’s taken. She just happens to not be interested in me.” He smiled. “One of the few who isn’t interested in me, I should say.”

  Vic laughed. “Why are you so convinced that I have a thing for him?”

  He smiled. “I can tell—the stolen glances, the way you say his name. Plus, I sensed some friction between you earlier.”

  “How could you sense that?” she asked. “He wasn’t even here.”

  He finished his drink. “There was plenty of tension in that one verbal exchange in the car, and you’ve been preoccupied this whole trip. Therefore, I put two and two together.”

  “Well,” she said, getting to her feet. “You’ve come up with five, I’m afraid.”

  Gareth raised his eyebrows.

  Vic took the last mouthful of her drink, hoping it might somehow stop the heat rising in her face.

  “Do you want another one?” he asked.

  “No thanks,” she said. “I think I’ll call it a night. This day is becoming too confusing.”

  Gareth stood and showed her to the door. “I find that in matters of the heart, it’s best to be honest about your feelings,” he told her.

  She hesitated in the open doorway then turned back to face him. “There’s no point being honest when you know for sure that the other person isn’t interested.”

  He smiled. “Sometimes people just need a gentle shove in the right direction.”

  She raised her eyebrow. “I’m not in the habit of shoving.”

  He winked. “I am. See you in the morning.”

  She shook her head. And he thinks I’m the enigma. “Night, Gareth.”

  Vic left for her room, looking forward to sleeping the rest of the day away.

  Chapter Six

  Valentino walked down the corridor back to the meeting room. He had been at HQ all day and was more than ready to go home. Once Vic and Gareth returned tomorrow, the labs could analyze the Webers’ DNA from those mouth swabs and see if there was a match for the hair that he had surreptitiously clipped from the Berlin cadaver.

  Vale pushed open the meeting room door and went over to his laptop. He was about to close it when he realized there was some additional recording from Gareth’s microphone. Strange. He was sure that he and Priyanka had listened to everything before Victoria and Gareth had turned off their mics in the car after the visit to the Webers’ had concluded.

  He placed his headphones into the jack and sat at the desk to listen.

  Gareth’s voice came through the phones. ‘I like you, Victoria.’

  Vale startled. What is this?

  Vic’s voice came next. ‘Thanks. I like you too, mate.’

  ‘No, I mean I like you. I find you attractive.’

  ‘Gareth—’

  ‘Wait. Let me finish. If you don’t want to talk, then there are other ways in which I can help you to relax, involving that double bed over there and the two of us naked.’

  The recording ended.

  A strange feeling overcame him, as if ice had suddenly been poured into his stomach.

  He yanked out the earphones and shut the laptop. Pausing for a moment, he rubbed his neck. For a split second, he considered wiping the recording but quickly decided against it. That would be unprofessional. In any case, why would it need erasing? It was none of his business what went on between other operatives. He had made the guideline that relationships should be avoided, but there was no real way to enforce it. It had really all been about self-preservation.

  Vale bundled the laptop into his bag and left the room. He punched the call button for the elevator and stepped inside. As the doors started to close, Lorenzo appeared to join him.

  “Hey, Vale.”

  Vale tried to stem the tide of anger that was threatening to overwhelm him. “Lorenzo.”

  Lorenzo frowned. “Everything all right?”

  Vale took a deep breath. “Yes, thank you. I just…was surprised by something. That’s all.”

  Lorenzo appraised him. “Something to do with the mission?”

  Vale hesitated. “Yes.”

  Lorenzo appeared concerned. “Anything I can help with?”

  The doors opened onto the lobby and they stepped out.

  Vale suppressed his discomfort. “No, I can handle it. Thank you, though.”

  Lorenzo lifted his hand to Vale’s shoulder. “I’m happy to take anything on if you need it. I know how hard you’re working out in the field. I feel guilty that I’m stuck behind a desk most of the time and not doing more.”

  Vale smiled. “Do not feel guilty. You are doing more than your fair share. And the third-in-command needs to be at his desk just like the second and the first. We need our efforts coordinated.”

  Lorenzo smiled back, a relieved look in his eye. “That’s good to hear.” He paused, glancing down. “I’m aware that my attitude left a lot to be desired in the past, and I want to make up for it.” He met Vale’s gaze again. “The issue with Glassmarsh’s betrayal and the internal investigation into The Organization made me realize we’re vulnerable and that we need to band together.”

  “I know,” Vale said. “I think it brought us all closer.”

  “Definitely,” Lorenzo said. He took a breath, seeming as if he wanted to say more.

  “What is it?” Vale asked.

  “I just…never really got a chance to apologize,” Lorenzo said. “I’ll admit I was jealous of you in the past. I really wanted the role of Mr. X’s deputy back when we were in the running for it and I resented that you were offered it. I let my ambition blind me, and it made me bitter.” He appeared relieved to have gotten that out. “I’m sorry.”

  Vale squeezed his shoulder and they started to walk toward the door. “It is okay. I am grateful to you for saying that.”

  Lorenzo blew his breath out through pursed lips. “Thanks. I appreciate it.” He smiled. “Just let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help.”

  They reached the front doors.

  “Thank you,” Vale said.

  Lorenzo shook his head. “Thank you.” He smiled and waved as he left the building, heading in the opposite direction from Vale’s intended route.

  Vale exited onto the street and immediately his mind was invaded by thoughts of what might have occurred just after that recording had ended. He shook his head forcefully. Striding out as quickly as he could without attracting attention, he set off onto the London streets.

  When he arrived back at his apartment, he realized that he couldn’t remember the walk home. He opened the fridge, grabbed a blood bag then decanted it into a tumbler.

  He paced the living area, trying to stop imagining what might be happening right now in that Berlin hotel room. He needed a distraction. Grabbing his phone, he called Amber’s number.

  It rang a couple of times then connected on video call. “Hi, Vale.”

  “Sorella. How are you?”

  “Good. What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. Why would anything be wrong?” He was aware that he was speaking a little too quickly.

  “You look a bit weird. Wide eyed.”

  He sipped his drink, attemp
ting composure. “I am fine.”

  Amber narrowed her eyes. “Okay…so what’s happening with you?”

  “We are still investigating some leads. They took us back to Berlin.”

  “You and Vic?” she asked.

  His heart thudded as he heard her name. “No. Vic went, but not with me.”

  “Oh yeah?” Amber said. “With who then?”

  Vale paused. “Gareth.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “You sent her with Bond?”

  He frowned. “Yes, why?”

  She smiled. “That’s a bit like sending a fox into the hutch with your favorite rabbit.”

  He took another swallow of his drink. “What are you getting at?”

  “I mean,” Amber said, “Gareth has a rep.”

  A wave of nausea washed over him. “A reputation? With women?”

  “Yeah.” She rolled her eyes. “Vale, sometimes I think you live under a rock.”

  He mulled it over. He had heard the odd rumor about Gareth, but he supposed it was something that the women would mainly talk about with each other.

  “You look weird again,” she told him.

  He snapped his gaze back up to the screen. “I am just wondering whether his behavior is inappropriate.”

  Amber shook her head. “He’s not a sleaze. He’s just very popular with the ladies and capitalizes on it. He’s not interested in a relationship, so technically he’s not breaking The Organization’s rules.”

  Technically he wasn’t taking anything that was Vale’s either, but somehow it felt that way.

  “Then what does it matter?” he said. “As long as he is not inappropriate, why would I care what he and Victoria do together?”