Silent Run - Barbara Freethy [99]
“That’s what we have to figure out. But here’s at least a small link: After college, two of the men opened an art gallery in Chicago.”
“Go on.”
“The gallery quickly became a huge success. Apparently the men’s Harvard connections were happy to invest in the art that they sold. They were also good-looking guys, playboys, who had no trouble finding beautiful women to come to their parties. They quickly became the toast of the town.”
Sarah’s pulse began to speed up as something teased at the back of her brain. “What was the name of the gallery?”
“White Tiger. They were apparently hooked on the tiger theme. What gets even more interesting is that it turns out the gallery was a front for black-market art and drug smuggling. One of the boys was half Russian and apparently had some contacts back in Russia who had gotten their hands on some stolen art secreted away since World War Two. But they weren’t satisfied with just selling priceless paintings on the black market. They also got involved with smuggling heroin within the frames. The DEA got wind of the deals, and two of our Harvard boys went to prison.”
Sarah swallowed hard, a thick knot growing in her throat. She wanted to tell Jake to stop talking. He was going too fast. It was too much. And yet it wasn’t enough. There were a million questions hovering at the back of her mind, but she couldn’t get the words out.
“That was eight years ago,” Jake added, looking her in the eye. “The same time you disappeared from Chicago. I’m guessing you were connected in some way to what happened at the gallery.” He paused. “And I found a photo taken of the three of them. It’s kind of grainy, but I think you’ll be able to recognize Shane.” He turned the laptop computer screen so that it was facing her.
Sarah stared at the photo of the three men, especially the man in the middle. Her chest tightened and she felt light-headed, dizzy. She put a hand on Jake’s arm to steady herself.
His eyes narrowed in concern. “Sarah, what’s wrong?”
His voice seemed very far away. Her vision began to blur. “I . . . I can’t breathe,” she said, her fingers gripping his arm like a lifeline.
“Yes, you can. Just take one breath, then another, slowly,” Jake advised.
She shook her head, biting down on her lips as a flood of anxiety and adrenaline surged through her bloodstream. “I . . . I can’t do this.”
“Why not? What did you see? What did you remember?”
The images of the men flashed through her head. She knew those faces. How did she know them? She’d never gone to Harvard. She was a foster kid. She didn’t move in the circles of the young and privileged. But she had lived in Chicago. And eight years ago they’d gone to prison.
The faces flashed in front of her again, one of them with a mocking smile. It was someone she knew, someone she’d touched, someone she’d kissed, someone she’d loved.
“Oh, God,” she said, her brain spinning out of control. The blackness came at her like a freight train, and she welcomed it with blessed relief. She didn’t want to remember. She couldn’t go back there. She just couldn’t.
* * *
“Shit!” Jake swore as Sarah collapsed on the floor in a crumpled heap. He gathered her in his arms and carried her over to the bed, laying her down on her back. Her face was completely white, drained of any hint of color. The bruises still lingering from her accident stood out in vivid relief, giving her a fragile appearance. Had the information been too much for her? Had he driven her further inside of herself by telling her too much too fast?
Fear raced through him. What if she didn’t wake up this time? What if he’d pushed her into some deep comatose state where she could continue to hide from her painful memories? What if he never found Caitlyn?
He shook her shoulders. “Sarah, wake up,” he demanded.
When she didn’t move, he sat back, wondering what to do next. Would he hurt her more if he tried to wake her up? Did she need to do that in her own time? But how long could he wait?
Walking into the bathroom, he soaked a washcloth with cool water and took it back to the bed. He placed it on