"Mind your own business," Landis said aggressively.

"Some things cannot be acted." He kept his focus on Heather.

"She didn't have a moment of hesitation or need explanations. The way she...handled you...a true pro."

"I did my homework," Landis said through gritted teeth.

She didn't understand why Landis was getting so worked up.

"If your homework includes buying s.e.x, then you've been quite studious."

"What are you trying to do?" Landis unbuckled her belt and got up, hands curled into fists.

"Tell me I'm wrong." He smiled, clearly happy he was pushing Landis's b.u.t.tons. "No reason to be ashamed for your choices...or is there?" He rubbed his hands. "You see, I may be a lot of things, but I'm not a hypocrite. I may have to pay to f.u.c.k, but I at least have the b.a.l.l.s to admit it. How about you? Are you so ashamed of yourself, so spineless, that you can't admit you like to pay for p.u.s.s.y?" Shocked, Heather stared at Dario. Though she now knew the true nature of his loathsome business, he had always rigidly maintained a veneer of polite decorum and control. She had never heard him use such language, and although he was outwardly calm, the hate was clear in his eyes.

Without warning, Landis crossed the plane in a blur and grabbed him by the throat.

* 304 *

"The truth too ugly to bear?" he managed to say while choking.

"You thought f.u.c.king wh.o.r.es was fun until you fell for one?" He started to cough.

She tried to pull Landis away, afraid she would kill him right in front of her. "Let him go."

Landis relented and released her grip, but she wasn't done with him. She leaned into him with menace in her eyes, fiercely gripping his armrests. "You're right. I pay for s.e.x. But I have the spine to show my face and do it myself. I don't need to hide behind gla.s.s and jerk off while some joker in reindeer underwear does it for me."

"Reindeer underw..." Her mind clouded with Landis's admissions. She hires call girls. And worse-there was only one way she could know what that john she had been with the other night had been wearing.

Landis let go of Dario and turned to her. It was clear from Landis's face that she didn't immediately realize what she'd just said; she was still enraged with Dario. But when she saw the expression on Heather's face she put it together pretty quickly. Her rage faded, replaced by shock and regret.

"You watched me while I..." She stuttered. "You said you never..." She didn't know where to start. "You pay for s.e.x?" Flabbergasted by the revelations and lies, she sat back down and covered her face.

"Is there a problem?" an unfamiliar male voice asked.

She looked up. A young man in civilian clothes but with a military stance loomed over them.

Landis straightened after giving Dario a final threatening look.

"We're fine now," she told the man, dismissing him.

When he'd returned to the c.o.c.kpit, Landis sat beside her again but didn't look at her. "I was going to tell you."

"Which part?"

"Both, all."

"When?"

"After we-"

She waved her hand. "You know what? I actually don't give a d.a.m.n about what you have to say because you clearly have a problem with the truth."

* 305 *

"I'm sorry, I-"

"The two of you are just a different shade of evil." She tried to keep calm, but her emotions were all over the place, and she was close to losing any trace of composure she had left. She felt so ashamed and...used. "Only difference between you is he's a greedy, murdering b.a.s.t.a.r.d, and you're a lying, ruthless one." She got up and walked to the rear of the plane and sat by another window, facing away. When she was sure Landis didn't intend to follow her, she let the tears of betrayal and pain fall.

* 306 *

ChaPter thirty-three.

Ma.r.s.eille, France 10:15 p.m.

Chase dialed Jack's number as soon as they landed and asked her to meet them at the Villa Ma.s.salia Concorde, where Reno had found two available rooms one floor apart. Three miles from the city center in a quiet, residential neighborhood, the four-star hotel offered panoramic views of the Mediterranean Sea, a few blocks away, and the adjacent Borely Park. The drive getting there in the rental van was tedious and deadly quiet-Heather was still angry at the whole situation, and Dario was either pouting or scheming.

Jack was outside, her bag at her feet, when they pulled up to the curb. She pushed herself off the brick exterior when Chase emerged from behind the driver's seat. Glancing inside, she asked, "What's up with the tourist group?"

"I'll explain later, but it was necessary."

"This'll be fun."

"What have you been up to?" Chase asked as Heather got out the other side.

"No luck with tracking Rozsa," Jack replied benignly. She had a calmness about her that didn't make sense.

"Anything else?"

"Yeah. Later."

"Is someone going to help me out?" Dario asked.

* 307 *

Jack glanced his way. "Looks like your carry-on is getting impatient."

Chase removed the wheelchair from the back of the van and wheeled it over to the pa.s.senger side, while Jack helped Heather get her suitcase. "Welcome to the screwed-up world of intrigue," Jack said to her. "How are you enjoying it so far?"

"Let's see," Heather replied drolly. "I've been lied to and misled by you and your friend, arrested because Dario planted cocaine in my bag when he found the wire, thrown in jail, and was about to become spare parts."

"I can't vouch for the other two," Jack said, "but I never lied to you."

"You said there were no cameras in the brownstone."

"Oh. That." Jack looked down at her feet.

"Yes," Heather said. "That."

Jack fidgeted and cast a reproachful look Chase's way. "Christ, Brett, why'd you have to tell her?"

Heather didn't even blink when Jack used Chase's fake name because Dario was there. "Brett...didn't tell me, she told Dario."

"Why would you do that?" Jack asked Chase.

"Can we let it go? I'm really not in the mood for this conversation."

"Why wouldn't you be?" Heather asked. "It wasn't you who was being violated."

"If it makes any difference, she didn't watch," Jack said.

"Neither of us did. We turned off the visual before anything happened and stayed with the audio. As a matter of fact, Brett didn't even listen in. I did."

Chase was helping Dario into his chair during the exchange.

When she glanced at them, she saw Heather staring at Jack in surprise.

"Don't look at me like that," Jack told Heather. "Someone had to, and it's not like I hadn't heard it all before." Heather turned to Chase with an unreadable expression. When Chase didn't react, she said, "Why didn't you just tell me?" Chase didn't reply. She rolled Dario up on the pavement.

* 308 *

"Interesting question, Heather. Please, tell us, Brett." Dario was clearly enjoying the conversation.

"b.u.t.t out," Jack said. "Your voice bothers me."

"And who exactly are you?" he asked.

"My name's Bite Me and I don't like questions."

"Let's check in." Chase started to wheel Dario toward the entrance.

"You never answered the...lady," he said.

"Another word out of you and I'm going to push you into oncoming traffic. Accidentally, of course," Jack said.

"Your friend, or colleague, or whatever, wouldn't be too thrilled about that since I'm a precious commodity." Dario tried to appear unmoved, but Chase could see Jack's threat unnerved him.

She knew Jack would never hurt Dario because it was necessary to keep him alive in order to get to Ca.s.sady, but he had no idea how much Jack had riding on him. If he felt threatened enough by Jack to stay quiet and afraid, so much the better. Chase winked at Jack to encourage her.

"She's not my friend." Jack loomed over him with a feral grin.

"As a matter of fact, I can barely tolerate her. I'm here because I owe her a favor, but paybacks only go so far."

"Play nice," Chase said. "I need him alive."

"Fine. But if he so much as looks at me, I'm going to remove his eyes."

"That's my job," Dario said casually.

Jack pushed Chase aside and went for her gun. "Let me at him." Chase pretended to struggle with her and Dario looked worried for the first time.

"You owe me," she told Jack as they fought. "You can't hurt him."Jack stopped the fake struggle and glared daggers at Dario.

"One more word and all bets are off."

He looked terrified. Heather was trying hard not to smile.

Chase grabbed her rucksack. "Can we go now?" she asked them all.

"Yeah. I'm cool." Jack reached for Dario's chair to wheel him in.

* 309 *

"Not her," he shouted in panic. "Don't let her touch my chair.

I'll do it myself."

"Then get moving." Jack kicked his chair from behind and Dario rolled through the entrance. They followed with their luggage.

Chase checked them in and, as she collected the pair of key cards, asked the receptionist to have the maids stay away from their rooms.

"I don't want to share a room with anyone," Dario said as they took the elevator up to their rooms. "I'll pay for my own."

"It's not about money, prima donna," Jack replied. "It's about leaving your sorry a.s.s alone."

Dario looked up at Chase. "I'm not sharing with her," he said, referencing Jack.

"Aw, too bad," Jack replied. "I was really looking forward to bonding with you."

"Let me stay with Heather," Dario pleaded.

Heather wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Yeah, that's gonna happen."

"You're staying with me," Chase told Dario. "Heather, you're with her." She avoided using Jack's name in front of Dario.

"Why can't I get my own room?" Heather asked.

"I'm starting to feel unwanted," Jack said.

"I wonder why?" Dario muttered.