Page 18 of Hidden Dane
Brady cleaned his glasses from fingerprints with a microfiber towel he carried in his back pocket. “Is that important?”
Uriel tapped his fingers, needing something to do, something to focus on to help the whiskey wear off. Then he remembered the small black box. He hadn’t opened it. He jumped out of his seat and ran to his jacket, where it was still in the pocket. He took it out and returned to this seat. It was smaller than a box people used for proposing marriage. He showed it to Brady like it was a ring. “It’s the key to the next piece of the puzzle.”
Brady fixed his glasses on his face but laughed like Uriel had just proposed. For the first time in hours, Uriel laughed too.
“What’s in it?” Brady leaned over his armrest to see.
“I don’t know.” Uriel transitioned it around until he saw a pin hole. He shook it, and pressed on every angle. Nothing. He went to the bar to find a metal fork or a knife to pry it open.
Brady asked, “What kind of clue would be in this other than a ring to give Emily when we find her?”
“I’m not giving Emily a ring.” Uriel looked up briefly while he tried to push the small lock with the fork but the tines were too thick. “Besides, this is from the Pearce family vaults. She wouldn’t want whatever it is.”
“Clearly,” Brady said sarcastically. “She still wears the jewelry you gave her, out with her friends.”
True. She hadn’t tossed the necklace somewhere and hooked up with some other guy.
The thought left a knot in his throat, but he focused on the box. He needed something thinner. The earring had a smaller pin so he went through his tool chest and found a small metal wire. Finally, he jimmied the hole. “I don’t know…” A second later, he clicked the lock. “There.”
It opened and he lifted a silver key the size of a diamond ring off a black velvet pillow. He kept it in his open palm. Brady asked impatiently, “What is it?”
Uriel held it up to the light as he stated the obvious. “It’s the key.” He read the inscription. This was clearly the security box key to the bank in Paris. He met Brady’s gaze. “Do you know what this means?”
Brady folded his hands between his knees. “No, I’m a few steps behind you.”
He returned the key to the box, and put it in his jean pocket as he explained to Brady, “With Emily’s necklace, Ted and his guys might get in the bank, but they won’t get inside the security box without this.”
Brady gave him a pensive look like he was solving his own puzzle. “How do you know that?”
“It’s the name of my father’s bank and this key opens the box.” Uriel realized fast Emily would demand to go with Ted, which meant he could find her.
Nothing ever stopped her. Criminals should probably be thankful she hadn’t become a cop as she was relentless. Lightness filled his chest.
“For a man who never talked about his past until a pretty girl showed up for one of our trips, I will say this...” Brady stood and found a bottle of water for himself at the bar. “You have an interesting back story, Uriel.”
Brady and Henry, and their archeological travels, had helped him forget his mother’s death and Edmond Pearce’s betrayal of what he thought was his family.
He immediately recalled the feel of Emily’s arms wrapped around him as they lay entwined after prom all those years ago. It might have been the last time he’d ever been so peaceful, which was one of the reasons he’d run. He sobered up as they flew toward Paris. “The past doesn’t matter, but we need to get Emily. We must be at the bank before Ted.”
Henry announced via speaker from the cockpit, “Fifteen more minutes.”
Perfect. Soon he’d wrap his arms around Emily again and not let go. Her “death” had shaken his life clear of all doubts.
Brady, still at the bar counter, made three coffees. “Where do we go first?”
Uriel accepted a mug and answered, “Emily will meet us at the bank.” He knew that with every certainty.
Brady walked to the cockpit with the second cup.
Uriel sipped the caffeinated drink as he imagined all that Emily had learned, which must have been from Michael.
And Michael had ice in his veins when he went after whatever he wanted.
Michael’s coldness had never bothered his new family of women he’d surrounded himself with, including Emily, as his sister-in-law and charge. Michael had once said Dane should think of Emily as his sister, which was why he’d insisted he return to boarding school and avoided his biological father’s home as much as possible.
Emily was never his relation, and it was better if Michael kept his distance too. He’d already had one horrible father and didn’t want to double his luck.
So he changed his name and his life.
