Not Without The Truth

Not Without The Truth
Kay David

Lauren Stanley has to unlock the secret of her pastDiscovering what happened the night her mother died is the only way she'll ever have a normal life. So she travels to Peru to find a mysterious doctor named Armando Torres–a man who is more than a doctor and has reasons of his own to keep the past buried. But before Lauren can find him, an "accident" has her forgetting everything she's ever known….To save a friend. To protect a child. To end an evil. Most of us could not bring ourselves to do the unthinkable–even if it was for the greater good. The Operatives do whatever it takes. Because of them, we don't have to.

Pain was her only constant

For days, she couldn’t move without wanting to scream. When the aches started to ease, the fever began. She lost track of time, the edge between darkness and day blurring until she no longer knew or cared if the sun or the moon shone.

The hut where she lay was thatched and a mosquito net covered the space above her. There was nothing in the room but her bed and a small table beside it. In contrast, a window opening to the right framed a scene that looked more like a Gauguin painting than any place she’d ever been.

A woman came in several times a day and checked on her. Sometimes in the middle of the night—or maybe the middle of the day, she wasn’t sure which—a man came, too. He was lean and gaunt with sunken eyes that frightened her. He never spoke. He did nothing but look at her.

She didn’t know where she was.

She didn’t know who she was.

Dear Reader,

Machu Picchu is a magical place. Set high in the mountains of Peru, near the city of Cuzco, these ancient ruins provide a glimpse into the world of the Incas. The city sprawls over five square miles and was built sometime in the 1400s, providing a home to over a thousand people. Cuzco was seized in 1534 by the conquering Spanish armies but Machu Picchu itself was not discovered until 1911 by Yale’s Hiram Bingham.

I had the opportunity to visit Machu Picchu a few years ago. The buildings are incredible with intricate stonework and classic design, but even more impressive is the serenity the site seems to exude. The minute I began to climb the first set of terraced stairs (there are over three thousand steps at Machu Picchu!) I felt an eerie kind of calm. I was excited about being there but underneath that eagerness to explore, I experienced an emotion that has stayed with me ever since. I wished then (and even more so now) that I could have bottled that reaction.

A believer in reincarnation might attribute my response to the idea that I had lived there in another life. I don’t know how to explain it but I do know that I experienced something unique during that trip. The vision of those mountains rising from the early-morning mist is one I cherish. While I took some liberties with geography (Rojo and Qunico exist only in my imagination), the magic of Machu Picchu is definitely real.

Lauren Stanley goes to Peru to uncover her past. The tragic death of her mother has haunted her for years and Lauren returns to gain the understanding that has eluded her since childhood. Once there, Lauren meets not truth, but danger. Her life is saved only through the intervention of Armando Torres. Armando’s a man of irony—he’s a dedicated physician but when called to duty, his healing skills take a turn in the opposite direction. Together they must solve the mystery of Lauren’s past.

One day I’d like to return to the ruins of Machu Picchu. They deserve more time than I had when I visited. Until then, I’ll continue to read about this glorious place and study the culture of the Indians who once had the privilege of living there. I hope I’ve piqued your interest in it as well.

Kay David

Not Without the Truth

Kay David

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

For Karen.

Thanks for all your help and expertise. It’s a joy to work with

someone who understands the need for special places where

ideas can turn into stories and naps are always encouraged.

Contents

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

PROLOGUE

Christmas Eve, 1989

U.S. Embassy

Lima, Peru

LAUREN WAS SUPPOSED to be asleep by 9:00 p.m., but Lauren seldom followed the rules, especially dumb ones. It was Christmas eve, she’d complained to everyone who would listen. Who went to bed at nine on Christmas eve?

Ten-year-old girls do, her mother had said, at least those who wanted to find presents under the tree in the morning.

Margaret Stanley had tried to appear stern and serious, but Lauren had heard the softness behind her words. They both knew that despite Lauren’s behavior, her Christmas was going to be a good one. Six months ago, her mom had been appointed consul for Peru and she felt guilty for making Lauren and her dad leave their home in Dallas to come halfway around the world. Lauren had seen the stack of presents her mom had already wrapped.

Lauren played along, though. After her mom kissed her good-night and turned out the lamp, she closed her eyes and waited ten minutes, then she climbed from bed. Sneaking into the hallway, she peered up and down both ways before running to the iron railing that lined the upper gallery.

A crowd of glittering guests filled the huge reception area below, but as if he’d planned it, Daniel Cunningham, her mother’s attaché, stood directly beneath where Lauren kneeled. His tuxedo was pressed, his shoes shone and he’d spiked his blond hair for the party. The style made him look even taller than he was and, gripping the black balusters, Lauren stared through the bars and sighed.