Demand (Careless Whispers #2)(77)

“Fucking Jackals,” Kayden bites out.

“You know them?” I ask, glancing up at him.

“We’re Treasure Hunters,” he says. “They’re the pirates I fired.” He eyes Blake. “They’ll sell her out.”

“They were paid well.”

“Pirates never get paid well enough. What do you know about David?”

“A doctor with nothing remarkable in his background,” Blake says. “Pretty average. He vanished with Ella, and I haven’t gotten a ping on him at all.”

“He’s dead,” I say. “Don’t ask details; I can’t remember how. I just remember that I ended up with no passport or money.”

“I actually know that part of the story,” Blake tells me. “And that you ended up with a man named Garner Neuville. He told our people that he spooked you and you ran. He’s been looking for you.”

“And he can’t be allowed to find her,” Kayden says. “But The Jackals will help him in two seconds flat. So you, Blake Walker, are just good enough to find her, and just bad enough to get her in trouble.”

“I’m good enough to save her ass, just like you. The Jackals don’t know I found her. I’ll redirect them back to France.”

“Do that,” Kayden says. “Do it now.”

“Consider it done.” Blake flips to another screen on the iPad and hands it to me. “Sara’s wedding.”

Tears instantly form in my eyes at the sight of Sara in a gorgeous rose lace dress, next to a man in a tux. “She looks gorgeous and he’s hot.” I swipe at tears, and Kayden squeezes my leg. I hold his hand and ask Blake, “Who is the man? Is he a good man? Does he love her?”

“Chris Merit is his name, and he’s a world-famous artist who’s passionately in love with her.”

“Artist.” A memory comes back to me. “Did I . . . Was there a storage unit?”

“Yes,” he says. “You bought it during summer break to make extra money, and it had artwork and several journals in it. Sara took it over when you eloped, and it led her to Chris.”

“Summer break. You’re saying I was a teacher?”

“Yes.”

Memories ebb and flow. “I was teaching. . . . But that isn’t me. Something doesn’t add up.” A thought hits me. “Do you have photos of my parents?”

“I do,” he says, taking the iPad and showing me a shot of my mother.

I smile and show it to Kayden. “My mom.”

“Swipe,” Blake says. “The next one is your father.”

The fifty-something, balding man in the photo is the one I remember being in my mother’s hospital room, long after my father died. “That’s my bastard, drunk, * stepfather. Not my father.”

“Sorry about that,” Blake says. “Swipe again.”

I swipe and inhale at the sight of a red-haired man with strong features. “That’s him.” I show it to Kayden.

“Mr. Badass himself,” Kayden says. “I wish I could have met him.”

“Interesting that you call him a badass,” Blake says. “He was CIA and at such a high level that I can’t get to him—not by hacking, or with my contacts. And that’s saying a lot.”

My gaze jerks to his. “CIA? Not military?”

“No, not military.”

“I’m not a schoolteacher,” I say, certain of it.

“You were one.” Blake reaches for his iPad. “I snagged your records before they were deleted.”

“I know I was teaching when I left for Paris—but it’s not who I really was.” I consider that for a moment. “I think I was CIA. I took a time-out, or was suspended.” I glance at Kayden, suddenly afraid of what that means for us. Then I turn back to Blake. “Can you find out?”

“There’s no record of you being CIA,” he says. “None. Nothing that indicated a hiccup in your record.” He pulls a thumb drive from his pocket and slides it over to me. “That contains everything I have, but I’ll dig further.”

“Be careful,” Kayden warns. “Garner Neuville is a problem that we can’t have erupt.”

“I’m always careful.”

“The Jackals,” Kayden replies. “That’s all I’m going to say.”

“I’m handling them.” Blake sets a phone on the table. “This is a disposable phone that we can destroy after we use it. I’d like to call Sara and put her on with you.”

I glance at Kayden. “Is it safe?”

“If we destroy the phone, yes.”

“But I don’t know if I can ever see her again. Neuville will never stop coming, and—”

Kayden cups my head and kisses me. “Neuville is going to expire. He’s a temporary problem, and remember what we talked about. He doesn’t get to own you or your friend.” He glances at Blake. “Make the call. Ella, this is as much for you as for Sara.”

My heart starts pounding as Blake dials the phone. Then I hear, “Chris, it’s Blake. Listen. I need you to prepare Sara for good news. I have someone for her to talk to.” A pause. “Yes. She’s alive, but hiding. Right. Yes.” He hands me the phone. “He’s prepping her, so it will be a minute.”