Taken (8 page)

EIGHT

M
arcus looked at Kate. Her face had paled. Her eyes were rimmed with tears. Between jet lag, fear of losing her sister and niece, and now Chad’s accident, he was amazed she hadn’t already completely fallen apart.

He shoved his hands into his front pockets, and stood, then stared out across the quiet, manicured space. He was pushing her too hard. Forgot that she wasn’t used to the grueling pace needed in an investigation. And managed to forget she might have lost her sister and was fighting to find her niece.

Guilt surfaced. When had he become so desensitized to the emotional side of his cases and their victims? To the lives of the people involved and not just his relentless determination to ensure the bad guys paid?

Because Kate Elliot wasn’t just another case he needed to solve and check off. She was a woman who loved her family. Who was willing to risk whatever it took to find her niece, even if it meant risking his wrath and, even more important, her own life. And in turn, his protective instincts had kicked in. That deep, inbred need to protect her. And a matching determination to ensure he did just that.

He turned back toward her and took a moment to study her face again. She was beautiful in a classic, timeless way. But that wasn’t what was throwing him off. Maybe he’d spent too much time around jaded coworkers, or interrogating criminals, but there was something different about her. Despite her tendency not to listen to his advice, she had a sincere, straightforward honesty, along with a willingness to put herself at risk for the sake of someone else.

She was—in a word—refreshing. And as much as he didn’t want to admit it, he liked that. Too much.

He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ease the tension that was spreading down his back. Because she was right. Interrogating her like a suspect wasn’t going to help either of them find Sophie. Or help him close his case. What she didn’t realize, though, was that time was crucial and the longer it took for them to find out the truth, the greater the risk to Sophie’s life.

He’d seen people risk the lives of family members for far less than a cache of diamonds. It always amazed him how quickly the lure of money could change a person.

Besides that, they were getting nowhere. She was in shock, which was normal, but she was going to have to pull herself together. They needed answers, and he needed her help to find them. But even so, maybe he was taking the wrong approach.

Marcus sat back down beside Kate on the park bench. “You asked earlier where we are. The name of this square is René-Viviani.”

Kate’s eyes widened in question, as if she were unsure where he was going with the comment.

“I used to come here quite a bit when I lived in Paris,” he continued, “along with a few other parks, mainly for the solitude. The view of Notre Dame looming in the background was one of the draws to this park. The cathedral is such an incredible piece of architecture.”

“It is beautiful.”

“That,” he said, pointing to a leaning, gnarled tree, “is said to be the oldest living tree in Paris. It’s a variety of the locust tree, and is well over 400 years old. The park was opened in the late 1920s and named after René Viviani, who was the prime minister of France during the first year of World War I.”

Her slight smile brought out the dimples in her cheeks, but she still didn’t look convinced that he was on her side. “Is this one of your interrogation tactics? A bit of good cop thrown into the interrogation mix?”

“It’s not a tactic.” He focused his attention on her while still keeping his senses on high alert, certain that whoever was looking for Kate hadn’t given up their quest. “I know the past couple days have been difficult, and I realize I’m pushing you hard. This case has been difficult. And for you, extremely personal.”

“Very.” She nodded then jutted her chin toward the middle of the square. “What do you know about the sculpture?”

“Part of it represents pieces of the legend of St. Julien, the church adjacent to the park.”

“And the infants?” she asked. “Some seem to have wings, while others appear...almost lifeless.”

“During the time that France was working with Nazi Germany, more than 11,000 infants were deported to Auschwitz. The infants represent a hundred or so of those children who lived in this vicinity.”

“Wow.” The sadness in her eyes was back. “That’s horrible.”

“Yes, it is.”

She fiddled with a broken nail for a moment, before looking back up at him. “So if this isn’t an interrogation tactic—good cop, bad cop—why the sudden switch to tour-guide mode?”

He hesitated before answering her question, afraid his actions were being guided too much by emotions instead of his head. “You’ve managed to remind me that while it’s still important, this case isn’t only about finding justice.”

“What’s it about, then?”

He resisted the urge to push back a strand of hair that the wind had blown across her check. “It’s about a woman who loves her family, and who will do anything it takes to ensure their safety.”

She folded her hands in her lap and shook her head. “What I’ve done is nothing more than anyone else would do in a situation like this.”

“I’m not so sure. You’ve shown an incredible amount of courage and guts.”

Her laugh rang hollow. “I can honestly tell you that I’m not feeling particularly courageous at the moment. My instincts at the church were to run when Chad told me he thought someone was after me.”

“What made you stay?”

“Believing he had answers I needed. Family
is
important to me. And I promised my sister I’d find Sophie.”

He studied her expression. There was fatigue in her eyes and that hint of sadness, but he didn’t miss the spark of determination in them, as well. No matter how hard he wanted to fight the feeling, he wanted to know more about her. More than just the answer to what made her fly five thousand miles to take on a possible murderer.

He wanted to know if she was a morning person or a night owl. What her parents did for a living. What was on her bucket list? Did she like to cook? Did she prefer dogs or cats? When was her birthday...?

“Tell me about your family.” Marcus spoke the comment out loud before he’d had a chance to consider the consequences.

“I’m sorry?” she asked.

He was fumbling again, which wasn’t like the orderly, methodical way he normally functioned. Maybe he was somewhat desensitized, but there were reasons for that. He shouldn’t be trying to get to know her on a personal level. But why, then, had his heart stepped in, aching to get involved?

“Start with yourself.” He cleared his throat, wanting to start over and salvage things. “We might have to wait a bit until they call back with news about Chad. I’d like to know more about you as a person, not just as someone in my protection. You mentioned you’d been to Africa?”

She looked up at him with those wide, hazel eyes. “I...I went to work on a wildlife documentary. The project was connected with a conservation program in South Africa, the Chizoba Predator Project.”

“What animals were you researching?”

“We spent eight months tracking a lion family and documenting the dynamics within the pride.”

“Wow. It must have been fascinating.”

“It was.”

It didn’t take much for him to imagine her out in an open jeep, camera in hand, lions playing close by. But today, she was sitting beside him, the breeze catching her hair, and the hint of coconut and flowers of her perfume filling his senses. Maybe getting to know her better hadn’t been one of his better ideas, but neither was he willing to stop. Not just yet. The real reason they were here, together, hadn’t changed at all. But for the moment, maybe the reality of everything they were facing could wait.

“So you enjoyed your work there?” he continued.

“Africa...” Her shoulders dropped slightly, and her hands unclenched in her lap as if she were finally starting to relax. “It changed my life. I loved the documentary work and always planned to continue in that line of work.”

“What changed?”

“We ended up spending some of our free time working in a couple of the local schools. We were able to join a group made up from the community who helped ensure students had the supplies and uniforms they needed. We also threw a couple parties for them, and in getting to know some of them, I realized how much I enjoyed relating to kids. And that maybe, with some training, I could find a way to make a difference.”

“Do you plan to go back and work there?”

“One day, maybe, but I’ve gone back to school for now. I’m getting a degree in counseling.”

“From what I know about you, I think you’d be a great counselor. You clearly have a heart for people.”

A smile played on her lips at the compliment as she looked up at him. “I have a good friend who runs a nonprofit for at-risk teens. I’m planning to join her as soon as I finish school. I might not be able to save the world, but I’d like to at least try to make a difference for some local kids.”

Marcus caught the passion in her voice. She was verbalizing what he’d felt when he’d first started working for the agency. But it was more than that. Most of the women he’d gone out with lately—not that there had been very many after Nicole—seemed far more concerned with their careers and status. He’d listened to them go on and on about their lives. They’d had very little to say about making a difference in the lives of others.

Apparently, he’d been looking in the wrong places. Not that he was looking. But if he were...

“When I started working for the FBI, I jumped in, believing I could save the world. Maybe I’ve seen too much of the dark side of our society.” He paused, surprised at his confession. “Lately, I just hoped to make a dent for good. But most of the time, it seems as if I arrest one person, only to find out that someone else has taken their place.”

Kate shook her head, unaware of how the sun caught the blondish-red highlights in her hair. Or how her genuineness was managing to cut through every defense he’d managed to erect the past few years.

“I’m trying not to look at life that way,” she said. “I saw enough suffering during my time in Africa to make me realize that as much as I want to, I will never be able to
fix
everything. I’m just hoping to make a difference in the lives of individuals. It might not save the world, but it will make a difference for that one person.”

* * *

Kate sat beside Marcus, picking at a broken nail, worried she sounded pious or arrogant. She’d meant what she said, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t struggle over the fact that she couldn’t fix everything. Like what was happening to her family right now. She was coming to realize that as much as she wanted to, she really couldn’t fix everything.

And on top of that, the fear she’d felt over the past few days had yet to dissipate. Fear over losing her sister. Fear over losing Sophie. Fear over the knowledge that someone believed she had information about the diamonds.

But beyond that fear, she was also feeling something else. Marcus made her believe she was safe when he was with her. That he was worth trusting. That he’d do whatever it took to protect her.

Trust had never come without complications for her. And after Kevin, even considering trusting the man sitting beside her was saying a lot. Maybe she didn’t have a choice. But part of her wanted to believe that he could keep her safe. That he could find Sophie.

One thing was clearly true in her mind. Marcus wasn’t anything like the man who had left her at the altar. Kevin had been a coward, unable to come to her with the truth of how he felt, but Marcus was anything but a coward. Already, she’d seen him risk his life for her and for justice.

“You okay?” he asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.

“I will be as soon as this is over.” Kate pressed her lips together. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For understanding that I’m struggling to deal with all of this. That I need time to process what has happened.”

She wanted to add that she enjoyed talking with him about something besides the case, even though she knew that not dealing with what had just happened to Chad was doing nothing more than postponing it.

Because the threat was never far away. They were out there. Somewhere. And had made it clear that they were determined to get what they were after.

“Tell me about your family, then,” he continued. “Not with me as an agent, just...a friend.”

Kate turned her gaze away from those intense blue eyes of his that made her want to explore the idea of a relationship with Marcus O’Brian beyond agent and
just
a friend. Just as she was about to open up, Marcus’s phone rang. He took the call and signaled for her to wait a second.

Reality hit her all at once as he stood and turned away from her. The flower beds she’d admired earlier, with their yellow, orange and pink blooms, began to blur along with the couple lying on the grass, and the student eating his lunch.

They
were out there. Somewhere. Determined. Focused. Looking for her. Thinking she had the diamonds. Believing she was Rachel.

“That was Pierre,” Marcus said, sitting back down beside her.

“Have they been able to speak to Chad yet?” Kate’s breath caught. Something was wrong. She could see it in his eyes.

“He and Jocelyn are at the hospital, where they were hoping to speak to him in person—”

“What’s wrong, Marcus?”

“I’m sorry, Kate. I don’t know how else to tell you, but straight-out. He died just after arriving at the hospital. The emergency doctors tried to revive him, but the damage from the impact was too extensive.”

She fought to catch her breath. Fought to take in the news. Chad might have hurt her sister, but she didn’t want him dead. And he was the link to Sophie. Without him...

She wiped away a tear. “How do I tell Rachel that he’s dead? How do I tell Sophie that she’s lost her father?”

“I know this is hard, Kate, but you’re strong. I saw that the first time I met you at your sister’s house. And you’ll get through this one day at a time.”

“And in the meantime? He was our connection to Sophie.” She shook her head. “What do we do now?”