looked at Sean. The look on her face was so bleak, he knew the words Corbett didn’t speak tasted like ashes in her mouth.
She swallowed. “You think they took him to get to me. To use him as bait.”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“My father’s the only family I have left in this world, Corbett. You know that.”
“Of course I do.” The older man’s tone was equally firm. “He’s my good friend as well.”
“Do you think it’s possible Phillip simply decided to begin his own investigation?” Sean asked.
No one discounted the idea. Despite his handicap, Natalie’s father was an extremely determined man.
“Either way, I think they have him. He was mentioned in the e-mail message I intercepted this morning.”
“From who?” Sean asked.
“One of my old adversaries in contact with the Hungarian.”
Sean froze. “What did it say?”
Corbett cleared his throat. “Something about upping the stakes. The last sentence said, ‘One down, three more to go.’”
“Three?” Natalie piped up. “There are only two—myself and Sean.”
“And me,” Corbett said quietly. “I make three.”
“Damn it. There’s something we’re missing. Some piece to a cryptic jigsaw puzzle.”
“The code,” Natalie breathed. “I’ve got to decipher this code.”
Sean knew Natalie had always loved jigsaw puzzles. Growing up, her father had made sure she had a steady supply of them. Sean had continued the tradition. He’d always said her aptitude with puzzles was one of the reasons she was so good at cracking codes.
“It’s time to tell us everything, Corbett.” Natalie’s quiet voice was edged with steel. “Obviously, something happened in the past to make this guy hate you.”
Corbett sighed. Sean could picture him running his hand through his perfectly cut hair. “My operations have angered hundreds, maybe thousands of people over the years. Such is the high price of freedom.”
“If he so much as harms a hair on my father’s head …”
“Stay calm, Natalie. For now, we can’t assume the worst.”
“How can I not?” Natalie said, her even tone somehow more horrible than a scream. “My father’s missing. Until he’s found, I have no choice but to assume the worst.”
Closing the phone, she placed it back on the dresser. When her gaze met Sean’s he saw her eyes had gone blank and guarded. “I don’t believe this.”
“Unfortunately, I do. The Hungarian will stop at nothing to get what he wants.”
Expression thoughtful, Natalie prowled around the room like an agitated lioness. “Someone, somewhere has to know the Hungarian’s identity. Someone has to have seen his face.”
Sean’s heart stopped. He cleared his throat, forcing himself to sound nonchalant. “I have seen his face, and I actually know his first name. But I’ve never been able to learn his surname.”
“You?” She stared. “You’ve never mentioned this before. When did you see him? Does Corbett know?”
He struggled to sound indifferent. “I’ve never told him.”
“Why not?”
Taking a deep breath, he watched her cross her arms. Carefully—he knew he had to tread carefully.
“Because there’s a part of my past I didn’t want him to know.”
“Or me?” She straightened her shoulders.
“Or you,” he agreed, feeling as if he’d hammered another nail in his own coffin. “I’m sorry, Nat. But there’s something else I have to tell you.”
Chapter 9
“I’ve had enough of your secrets.” She hadn’t meant to raise her voice, yet here she was, shouting like a fishwife. Still, yelling felt damn good. Maybe it was about time she screamed at him. He’d certainly earned it.
Despite this, she took a deep breath and deliberately lowered her voice. “You keep pulling them out of your hat like rabbits, one right after the other, until I wonder if you even know where they begin and end.”
God, she hadn’t thought it would still hurt, hadn’t even thought that she could hurt this much. Yet, watching the wary expression on his face, she wondered if she’d ever even known the real Sean.
“I told you some of the truth yesterday. And you didn’t want to hear the rest so I held back to protect you.”
“I’m not a child, Sean.” Her voice rose again. “I’m your wife. Or was your wife. There weren’t supposed to be secrets between us. I can only take so much.”
She shook her head, the anger leaching out of her as rapidly as it had come, replaced by a deep, deep sadness. “Is there anything you’ve ever told me that wasn’t false?”
This time when he looked at her, she saw her own sorrow reflected in his eyes. “As I matter of fact, there is. When I said I love you and that everything I did was for you, I told the truth.”
Though she wanted to run and put some distance between them, she didn’t move, but knew he’d seen the disbelief in her face. “And now?”
“Are you sure you can handle this?”
Clenching her teeth, she nodded. “What could be worse than learning your own husband pretended to be dead for two years?”
Hurt flashed across his face, but he let her barb go.
“I tried to tell you this before,” he reminded her. “But you said you’d had enough truth for one day.”
“I’m ready now. I wasn’t then.”
“There is another reason the Hungarian wants me dead,” Sean said slowly. “You know the story of how Corbett found me?”
“I swear if you tell me that was a lie, I’ll—”
“It was partial truth. I had just graduated from university, and I fell in with a bad crowd. I spent a lot of time partying and living in the streets. When I did work, I worked as a dishwasher or a busboy. Corbett used to come into this restaurant all the time. He’d talk to me, ask me questions and listen to me. He made me see I could do better. Finally, he offered me a job.”
She inhaled. “Yes, I know. That’s the same thing you and Corbett always told me. What part’s untrue?”
“Corbett did find
