Page 1 of Where Secrets Lie

Chapter 1

Jessica Legare kept an escape bag in the lower-left drawer of the desk in her home office. It held a burner phone, fake passports for herself and her son, two credit cards in the same name as her passport, hair dye, a loaded SIG P365, and a heart-shaped silver locket.

The bag was Dior, of course. Jess always carried a Dior purse, so to a careful observer, anything else might be a tip-off that she was up to something. If she ever had to run, she wanted to be halfway around the world before anyone noticed she was gone. She’d been caught flat-footed once—and she got arrested and very nearly spent the rest of her life in prison as a result.

She would not let that happen again.

The man who got Jess arrested, Beckett Harrison, was now in jail himself, facing a long list of felony charges, including murder. Still, Jess didn’t assume she was safe. In fact, she knew she wasn’t. Even if everything went completely according to plan, there was a good chance she’d need that escape bag.

Should she use it now? She opened the drawer and peered into the shadowy interior, lit only by the glow from the monitors on her desk. She could use one of the cards in the bag to buy tickets to Paris for her and her son, Simon. An Uber to theairport could go on the other card. She could wake Simon and bundle him into the car when it arrived. Twenty-four hours from now they could be safely nestled into one of the little villages dotting the French Alps. They had distant relatives there. Maybe they could build new lives for themselves.

She sighed and shut the drawer. It was a nice fantasy, but nothing more. She and Simon wouldn’t be safe in France. They’d just face different dangers. Her best bet was to stick to the plan. Besides, she needed to finish what she’d started. She owed it to her family and herself.

Her computer chimed, notifying her that it was 6:25 a.m. and her video call was scheduled to start in five minutes. She turned on her voice-altering program and opened the call. She kept her camera off. The calling program had end-to-end encryption, but she was taking no chances.

At six thirty sharp, two men joined the call. Both also had their cameras off and used voice-altering software. One had a picture of a gorgeous English cream golden retriever for an avatar, a subtle reference to the fact that his family raised championship dogs a century ago. The other man’s avatar was the Punisher’s death’s-head logo, a not-at-all-subtle reference to how he viewed himself. Though she knew the real identities of both men, thinking of them as their avatars helped her distance herself and remember not to call them by name.

English Cream spoke first. “Greetings, all. Our buyers are getting impatient and starting to ask questions, especially with these new, very valuable pieces of art coming from the digs. We have to get them sold before anyone discovers the new areas being looted. How soon can deliveries resume?”

“Soon,” Punisher replied. “Beach is crawling with Coastiesand cops all the way from Biloxi to Pensacola. We’re working on an alternate route. Should be good to go in a week or so.”

“And I can handle the paperwork, at least for now.” Jess hadn’t cared about the art they’d smuggled earlier—but this new vein of artifacts was culturally important, and she was eager to get them into the hands of collectors who could pay well. A brand-new Mayan ruin had been located in the jungle, and the treasures it offered were worth a fortune. They included a complete chocolate set and extremely rare codex pages found in a sealed jar. Her conscience twinged at the knowledge that the artifacts they’d found in Central and South America belonged in a museum, but her partners would insist that they be sold for full value.

She pushed away her qualms and focused on how these sales furthered her desire for revenge.

“Good, and what of the other initiatives?” English Cream asked. “Are those proceeding despite the, ah, excitement of the last month?”

Jess nodded, even though no one could see her. “We’re very short-staffed, of course.” Which was a major understatement—every member of the Tupelo Grove branch of the organization was now dead or behind bars, except Jess. “Nonetheless, everything is on schedule.”

“Excellent!” The satisfaction in English Cream’s voice came through despite the robotic distortion. “You’ve done fine work.”

The job ahead of her would be hard, but it would be worth it. If only she didn’t have to cause her sister so much pain in the process.

***

Whoever thought young love was the best hadn’t walked through the fire to arrive at Savannah Webster’s unexpected destination. She smiled at her ex-husband on the other side of the flickering candlelight. Even at thirty-seven Hez retained his lean, muscular build and strong jawline. He commanded a room when he entered, and he still had her heart.

She swept her hand at the familiar dining room. “It feels right to be back here.”

Billy’s Seafood Restaurant in Pelican Harbor had been the site of landmark moments in their past. He’d asked her to marry him the first time at this very table, and they’d celebrated all their anniversaries here. This spot held tender memories and others with a sharper edge to them. The food and ambience had been a constant throughout their marriage.

He reached across the table and laced his fingers with hers. “Our first real date in ages. This is where I wanted to bring you last summer when I showed up at your office.”

If she hadn’t been so hardheaded that day, she wouldn’t be single right now. “Better late than never. I’ve been thinking about where and when to have our wedding. What do you think about the gorgeous old chapel on campus? Plans are under way to restore it, and it should be finished by June when the term ends.”

“June? Why so long?” He flashed an amorous smile. “Run away with me. I’ll pull some strings and we can get married after dessert.”

It was a tempting offer, especially with the candlelight dancing in his blue eyes and gleaming off his dark hair. But she shook her head. “I want to do this right, Hez. A clean break and a fresh start. Just getting remarried right away infront of a justice of the peace would feel... I don’t know, like nothing has changed and we’re going to slip back into the old habits that wrecked our marriage the first time.”

His eyes grew tender. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I understand. And I agree—as much as I’d love to have you back tonight.”

Her heart stuttered and she squeezed his hand back. “Almost as much as I’d love to have you.” She took a deep breath to steady herself. He hadn’t formally asked her yet, but they both knew they belonged together. “There are practical things we need to think about too. We need to find a house to buy. With Jess’s hours, I expect Simon will be with us a lot. My rental on campus isn’t big enough for you to have a home office and Simon to have his own room. I’d like a place off campus where Simon can play ball with his friends.”

“You’re right, and I want to get the Justice Chamber planned too. There’s a lot for both of us to do, but I’m ready to restart our life together. That old chapel is beautiful. Do you want to do the whole thing again—white dress and tux?”

“I don’t need a big, fancy wedding. Just a sweet ceremony with close friends and family. I don’t need a fancy dress with a sweeping train for you to stumble over.”

His smile extended to his eyes. “I remember that. In my defense, it was dark outside and I was ducking the birdseed.”

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