Forgiving Paris: A Novel(25)

“I’ll have to call your father one of these days.” Anders gave Jack a pat on the back. “Tell him we’ve been pleased to host you here at the Palace.”

If he ever got out of agent work, Jack figured he could be an actor. He didn’t blink or act out of sorts at all. He simply allowed an easy laugh. “Tell him he owes me a golf game.”

“Yes.” Anders winked at him. “Your old man can play a mean game of golf. I remember that.”

Somehow Jack had gotten out of there and back to his hotel without having anyone trail him or shoot at him or run him off the road. The other operatives were all on high alert, and each of them knew about the guard bursting into Eliza’s room last night.

His phone lit up and Jack recognized the number. Oliver Layton. This was the conversation Jack was waiting for. “What’s the word?”

Oliver was expert at collecting recon and condensing it into the most action-based response. “Elisa’s guard last night was probably Asia. He’s one of Anders’s favorites, and he’s suspicious of everyone.”

His boss went on to explain that one of the police officers who used to work for Anders had turned over evidence. The man was now working with Police Chief Averes. “Our informant says that every few months Asia drops in during the girls’ sessions. Usually when Anders has a doubt.”

“That’s what I thought.” Jake leaned over his knees and looked out across the ocean.

“Apparently you convinced him.” Oliver sounded wary. “You kissed the girl?”

“I did. For a few seconds, yes, sir.” Jack wanted to be up front. “I had no choice.”

“I know.” Oliver exhaled. “That’s why we put you on the job. Your actions are always above reproach.”

“Thank you, sir.” Jack wished he felt that way about the choice he had to make. “So… are we good for tonight?”

“Yes.” Oliver sighed. “Turns out Henry the Third left a journal. Apparently his first visit to the Palace was with Alexa. Eliza’s friend.”

Jack felt like someone had kicked him in the gut. Poor Alexa, whoever she was, wherever she had been taken from. Her life had been a nightmare. And no wonder Eliza was angry. As the kept princess of the Palace, she had watched the girls suffer through their daily existence. Year after year. Of course Eliza hated men, and she would hate Jack, too. He ran his fingers through his hair. “Terrible.”

“It is.” Oliver paused. “One of our informants heard Anders talking about having a full house last night. He was at the Blue Breeze during work hours.”

McMillan was vile. Jack stood and walked to the balcony railing. Of course the man would hide at the yacht club through the night. In case of a raid. Such a coward. Thursday night couldn’t come fast enough. He would gladly shoot Anders in the face if it came to that.

Gladly.

“We have to talk about Anders.” Oliver was all business. “If he’s at the Blue Breeze Thursday night, we need a way to take him in. I’d prefer we don’t do a concurrent raid on the yacht club, obviously.”

“I agree.” Jack could imagine a hundred ways that could go wrong. They needed to focus their efforts.

Oliver explained his idea. The police chief would close the Blue Breeze for a twenty-four-hour period for a health inspection. Those were required across the beach, and inspectors were permitted to make unplanned visits if they received a complaint.

“I like it.” The phone call ended and Jack finished his coffee. Missions like this required him to keep up his workout routine. He was in the field too often to rely on a gym, so he spent the next hour using his body weight to work his biceps, traps, chest, core and quads.

He needed to head to the beach and swim again. If he didn’t get his cardio in he couldn’t think straight. A superior of his once taught him that a special agent was part man, part machine. And the machine needed to work every day to be strong enough for the field.

Jack had time, so after his workout and before driving to the beach, he sat on his balcony again. Shane, we were just here. Feels like a week ago. His brother was in heaven, Jack was sure about that. The kid loved the Lord. They both had back then, they were even baptized on the same day. Jack imagined Shane playing football in some blue field in paradise. He smiled. But then he had to admit something else. If heaven was real, God was real, too.

Because if God wasn’t real, what did that say about heaven?

Jack couldn’t let his mind go there. For now, he would ask for help again. He needed it. If You’re there, You know the situation I’m in. What I’m up against tonight. I won’t ask You to protect me. But could You please protect those girls?

Eliza especially. Jack was still angry with himself for what he had done when Asia opened the bedroom door. Not that he’d kissed her. He’d had no choice in that matter. But something else, something he’d wrestled with and berated himself for since he left the Palace last night.

The fact that he had enjoyed it.



* * *



JACK HAD BEEN in Eliza’s room for two minutes, and already they were under the sheets again, barely dressed, inches from each other. Everything about the situation felt uncomfortable to Jack, but he had no choice. This was the only way he could explain the ever-evolving mission details to her without risking being found out.