Stolen Secrets Read online

  Lucy caught sight of Jordan’s phone on the seat and blanched.

  She adjusted her sun visor, drawing the man’s attention to her. “Then you didn’t see anybody?”

  Jordan used the distraction to hit Mute and dial Karp.

  The man shook his head. “All I saw was that place getting smaller in my rearview mirror. I didn’t stick around to ask questions.”

  Karp must have picked up the call, because the screen changed to show the seconds ticking by.

  Tenting his hand over the phone, Jordan swiveled in his seat. “We’re taking you back to the cemetery, back to where Jimmy was shot. I heard you two arguing that day while we were in the back of the van. What was that all about?”

  “We weren’t supposed to bring you, but Jimmy didn’t know what else to do. Killing you would draw too much attention. If we left you, and you called the cops before we ditched the van, we risked getting caught. So we threw you in the back. The guy who hired Jimmy didn’t like the change in plans. Still, it doesn’t make any sense that he killed Jimmy.”

  The traffic had them slowed and there were plenty of opportunities to jump out of the car, but the guy in the back was too jumpy. Anything they did risked innocent bystanders.

  “Why doesn’t it make sense that he killed Jimmy?” Jordan asked.

  “The guy who hired Jimmy didn’t like violence. He was real angry when I shot up the coffee shop. We were supposed to pick up the lady and bring her to the cemetery, but we weren’t supposed to hurt her. Then this guy goes and pops Jimmy.”

  Jordan didn’t figure it was the violence that bothered the buyer. Most likely he didn’t appreciate all the attention that resulted from the violence.

  They came to the turnoff for the interstate, and Jordan tapped on the dash. “Lucy, take this turn here.”

  She frowned but did as he asked. Crossing town had slowed them down and given the agents an opportunity to catch up with them. The cemetery was at least twenty minutes away. More if he took the long way.

  “Look,” Jordan began. “We don’t know who this guy is any more than you do, but we can help you. You were right about me. I have connections. We can protect you.”

  “I don’t need help.” His voice rose to a high-pitched squeal. “I need to know who this guy is so that I can take care of my own problem.”

  “Easy,” Jordan soothed. “What’s your name? You can tell me that at least. Just your first name.”

  “You can call me Jigsaw.” He set down the gun and rubbed his face. “Everyone calls me that. I was good in wood shop.”

  “Okay, Jigsaw. I’m going to be honest with you. You’re not going to fix this alone. I think you know that. That’s why you came to us. You need our help.”

  “You gotta know who he is. What does he want from you?”

  “That doesn’t matter. It’s not going to help you find him.” Jordan searched the traffic for any signs of a patrol car. He hoped they were smart enough to hang back. “What’s with the cemetery? Why do you want to go back there?”

  “We knocked out the cameras. I know how to get in and out of there without getting caught.”

  “Okay. Once we get there, what next?”

  “You said you can help me.” Jigsaw rested his hand on the gun. “How can you?”

  “I work for the government. I have contacts.”

  “What kind of contacts?”

  “I can help you disappear until this is all over.”

  “All right. All right.” Sweat dripped from Jigsaw’s temple. He jerked and rubbed his mouth. “What kind of deal can you offer me? I’m gonna need immunity or something like that.”

  “We can sort out the details later. First things first. You were hurt. How bad is it?”

  “Not bad,” Jigsaw replied, absently rubbing his leg. “But it’s getting worse. I can’t go to the hospital. They have to report that stuff. I think it’s getting infected. I don’t feel so good these days.”

  Jigsaw appeared to be running a fever, a sure sign the wound had gone septic.

  Lucy glanced in the rearview mirror. “You need medical attention,” she said softly. “You’re tired. You’ve been fighting this thing on your own, but you don’t have to. We both have the same enemy. We’re not lying. We can help you.”

  Jordan rested his hand on her arm. “She’s right, you know.”

  Ignoring the adrenaline spiking through his bloodstream, he forced a calm he didn’t feel. Everything hinged on his ability to keep Jigsaw calm and talk him down from whatever plan he’d set in motion.

  “Was Jimmy your friend?” Lucy asked, navigating traffic.

  Though Jordan had declared a moratorium on the subject less than an hour before, he wanted to kiss her. Lucy’s instincts were spot-on, and his admiration for her grew.

  “Yeah.” His eyes glassy, Jigsaw pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “We grew up together. Went to school together. He had this idea that we could become security guys or something. But, like, for people like us. People on the other side of the law. But we had to make a name for ourselves first. And there was money, too.”

  They took the exit for the street fronting the cemetery, and Jordan caught sight of a familiar SUV behind them. Even though Jordan had done his best to slow them down, Karp must have run every stoplight to get here.

  A black-and-white squad car turned off the main road, and Jordan’s heart stalled. If Jigsaw thought he was walking into a trap, there was no telling what he might do.

  Lucy jerked the wheel and pointed. “Is this the entrance you want me to use?”

  The distraction worked. Jigsaw focused on the gate and missed the squad car completely. She slowed and followed the cemetery lane toward the chapel.

  Jigsaw pressed his hand to his middle. “I don’t feel so good.”

  “You’re sick,” Lucy said, her voice gentle. “Let us call an ambulance for you.”

  “How do I know this isn’t a trap? How do I know you’re playing straight?”

  Lucy pulled before the chapel and placed the car in Park. “You don’t. All you have is my word.” She stretched around and held out her hand. “If you give me the gun, I promise I’ll make sure you’re put into hiding. You don’t have to do this alone.”

  Jigsaw glanced at the gun on the seat but made no move to pick it up. “Tell him to get out.”

  “No.” Jordan shook his head. “Absolutely not. There’s no way I’m leaving her alone.”

  “It’s all right,” Lucy said, her attention focused on Jigsaw, her voice serene. “Just hand me the gun.”

  Jordan caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. Jigsaw must have seen it, too, because he lunged for the gun. Lucy was closer, her hand already stretched across the seat.

  The next instant, a gunshot exploded through the car.

  FOURTEEN

  Pressing her hands against her ears, Lucy staggered from the car. Arms encircled her, supporting her. Her ears were ringing, preventing her from hearing anything properly. She glanced behind her in time to see two policemen hauling Jigsaw from the scene. His feet dragged, but his mouth worked. He appeared to be hollering at the two officers. At least he was alive.

  She hadn’t shot him. They’d both lunged for the gun, and she wasn’t certain which of them had reached it first. She remembered only the noise and a faint metallic smell.

  Her knees buckled. Jordan scooped her into his arms and carried her to the stairs of the chapel. His gaze intense, he performed a brief, impersonal pat down.

  “Are you hurt anywhere?” he demanded.

  His voice sounded as though he was speaking underwater, and she realized it was her hearing that was the problem. Weary to the bone, she stared blankly into the distance.

  “No.” She rubbed the side of her head. “I can’t—”

  Jordan drew her against his chest.
“The ringing will go away soon. You were too close when the gun went off.”

  The discomfort was already abating, and she could hear voices, though they were muffled and slightly distorted. Her stomach lurched, and she pressed two fingers against her mouth. Black spots danced in front of her eyes.

  Jordan’s heart beat a steady cadence against her ear, and she concentrated on the tempo. With an effort born of sheer will, she focused on her breathing, willing her lungs to move in and out. She fixated on the texture of Jordan’s button-down shirt and the hint of cologne lingering in the material.

  She didn’t know how long they sat like that, but eventually her panic subsided, and her thoughts cleared. She fit perfectly against him. If she didn’t know better, she’d have thought he was made for her. But that kind of thinking was dangerous. He didn’t feel the same. Maybe she was better off this way. She wasn’t the sort of person who craved a white-hot love that burned bright and then burned out.

  The new beginnings of a relationship were always the most frightening—the uncertainty, the feeling of careening out of control. She much preferred when love settled into the comfort of a well-loved sweater, pilled and worn and comfortable. Jordan had made it clear that wasn’t in their future.

  The more time she spent with him, the more she worried that even their friendship was fragile and doomed. Because if they stayed friends, she’d have to cheer him through his life; she’d have to watch him fall in love with someone else. She’d have to feign indifference when his personal life moved on without her, and she didn’t know if she had it in her.

  More patrols arrived along with an ambulance. Lucy wasn’t certain how much time passed, but as the minutes ticked by, she felt as though she was swimming toward the surface once more. The ringing in her ears gradually settled to a low-level buzz. The sun was too bright, but she’d left her sunglasses in the car, and it was currently the center of attention for the police.

  With Jigsaw alive and on his way to the hospital, the scene was much more relaxed than the day Jimmy was killed.

  The officers milled around, laughing and chatting. All traces of the harrowing incident had been swept away. Karp separated from a knot of officers and joined them.

  He was dressed casually in jeans and a polo shirt and appeared more disheveled than she’d ever seen him. Two additional patrol cars had joined the scene.

  “Was it him?” Karp directed the question to Jordan without preamble.

  She felt Jordan’s nod against her cheek. “Yeah. It’s our guy.”

  “Looks like he’ll be fine. The bullet only grazed him, but the wound’s infected. They’ll keep him in the hospital until the infection is cleared.”

  “Make sure they know he’s a flight risk. He doesn’t trust us.”

  “Can’t say that I blame him after today,” Karp said. “I was in the car when I got your call. I don’t want to count the number of traffic laws I broke getting here. How did he get to you guys? Why did he come for you in the first place?”

  “We went off-site for lunch,” Jordan said. “And that’s where he found us. He must have been watching the parking lot at Consolidated Unlimited.”

  Jordan filled in his colleague about the events of the past hour, and their voices droned over her. Too dazed by the encounter to move, Lucy waited for Jordan to pull away, but he didn’t. If Karp thought it odd that she was leaning heavily on Jordan, he gave no indication. Right then, she really didn’t care what anyone thought.

  “Okay,” Karp said when Jordan finished his report. “I’ll have Westover canvass the area. If someone is looking for Jigsaw, let’s pull that thread. I want to know everyone he’s been in contact with since his buddy’s death. If Jigsaw knows there’s a hit out on him, then somebody else knows something.”

  “Agreed.”

  As the two men discussed their plan of action going forward, a gray Chevy Impala drove into the parking lot.

  A man Lucy recognized as Detective Ryan unfolded from the car and approached them. “You two are like a couple of bad pennies. You gotta stop hanging out in the cemetery. I got most of the story on the way over, so we can save the recap. Only thing I can’t figure out is why he dragged you guys back to the scene of the crime.”

  Jordan grunted. “Near as I can tell, Jigsaw felt guilty about doing a runner when Jimmy got shot. It was like he was compelled to come back here. It must have made a weird sort of sense to him. The cemetery is isolated, not exactly a hotbed of activity. They’d scoped the place already. He knew which cameras were out of commission. I honestly think he was hurt and confused. I don’t think he had an endgame in mind beyond finding out who killed Jimmy and put a hit on him.”

  “Makes sense,” Karp said. “After talking to known associates of the pair, Jimmy was the leader.” He studied them closer. “You two all right?”

  Her head was splitting, but Lucy swallowed hard and nodded. “I’m fine. I thought I shot him. We both went for the gun...”

  She relived the scene in her mind, the gunshot and the sudden silence, and the panicky fear built inside her once more.

  Jordan framed her face between his hands and stared intently into her eyes, his own burning. Her heart turned at the concern she saw there.

  “It’s over,” he said. “He’s gone, and he’s not coming back.”

  They both knew the danger was far from resolved, but it was enough for now.

  Detective Ryan stared at the cluster of officers near Lucy’s car. “I don’t want to draw any more attention to Jigsaw than we have to. As far as anyone knows, this guy is still on the run. Let’s keep it that way for as long as we can. When I need a statement, I’ll call you down to the station. For now, why don’t the two of you clear out.”

  Lucy sat up with a gasp. “Work! We should have been back an hour ago. Sue is going to be worried sick.”

  “Don’t worry,” Jordan said. “I’ll tell them we were in a minor fender bender or something. It’s close enough to the truth.”

  Lucy hung her head and clutched her pounding skull with both hands. “I need an aspirin.”

  Jordan stood and pulled her to her feet. “C’mon. Let’s get you home. We’re taking the rest of the day off.”

  Karp handed Jordan the keys to his car. Lucy didn’t know how he planned on getting home himself, and at that moment she was too exhausted to care.

  The trip back to her house was a silent one. She barely remembered the passing scenery. Once they arrived, she made her way wearily into the house and collapsed on the sofa.

  Jordan took the chair across from her. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I almost feel sorry for Jigsaw.”

  “Don’t.” Jordan stood, his hands on his hips. “He and Jimmy made the choice to put themselves in that situation. They weren’t collecting Christmas presents for orphans—they were hired to kidnap you. Save your sympathy for the people who are worthy of it.”

  Pressure built behind her eyes and she leaned forward, willing herself to stay strong.

  The sofa depressed beside her, and Jordan wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Oh, Lucy. It’s all right. You can cry.”

  His words released a surge of emotion, and she moved toward him, sobbing against his shirt. He held her like that for a long time. He didn’t say anything, just let her cry, and for that she was grateful. Feeling truly safe at last, Lucy burrowed into the security of his warm embrace.

  After a long while, she hiccuped. “I was distracted when I left the restaurant. I should have seen him in the car. I didn’t even notice.”

  Jordan rocked her back and forth, his hands moving in soothing circles over her shoulders. “You can’t do that to yourself. I’ve been through more than my fair share of what-ifs, and they’ll destroy you if you let them.”

  Lifting her watery gaze to his, she blinked. “I’m sorry. I’m not usually a crier. I don’t know what’s w
rong with me.”

  He wiped the tears from her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. “You’ve been through a lot. I think you’ve earned it.”

  All words deserted her. There was no way to tell him that she wasn’t crying over what she’d been through, though the events of the past few weeks had weakened her. She was mourning another lost opportunity for happiness. She wanted a chance at a future together, and the longing was so intense, it hurt. She couldn’t remember wanting something so bad and knowing how impossible that was.

  When the time came, she’d give him permission to turn his back on her. She’d give him permission to relinquish whatever debt he felt he owed Brandt. She’d deny her own heartache.

  Because the way she felt now, there was no way they were ever going to be friends after this was all over.

  * * *

  Jordan glanced out the window of the rented house and straight into Lucy’s sunroom. She’d closed the curtains, but he could picture the exact placement of her guinea pig cage and the fringed floor lamp near the table.

  He’d nearly slipped into dangerous territory today, but he’d pulled himself back from the brink before he made a colossal mistake.

  He’d done the right thing. When Brandt had asked him to look out for Lucy, Jordan was fairly certain he hadn’t meant in the romantic sense. Circumstances had them both running on high emotion. She was frightened, and Jordan was a connection to someone she’d loved and lost.

  She was transferring her feelings or something like that. He wasn’t entirely certain of all the psychological terms. What she felt for him was only a reflection of his friendship with Brandt. If he and Lucy took their relationship further, sooner or later she was going to realize her mistake, and then he’d lose her for good. He’d rather have her friendship than nothing at all.

  The phone rang, and he recognized the number as belonging to a buddy of his who worked at the embassy in Islamabad.

  Jordan picked up the call. “What’s up, Mike?”

  The two exchanged a few pleasantries before Mike got down to the reason for his call. “I finally got a chance to visit that jeweler you mentioned. I asked him about the ring.”