Sutton sat ramrod straight in the wooden chair, waiting for the proceedings. Revenge was a long-time coming, but he wanted it here. The anticipation before a battle was always much worse than the fighting for him. The worst part of this battle was he’d have to simply sit and watch.
He focused on Kingsley, joking and laughing with everyone around him. His friend’s happy countenance helped Sutton relax a little bit. Sutton was also relieved to see quite a large crowd and what looked to be a decent amount of media up in the balconies. They’d been tipped off that something big was happening today by an anonymous, trusted source.
Finally, the Chair, Baroness Laughlin, called the house to order, and they started with prayer. She recited some past business then turned to Kingsley.
“Lord Kingsley has a matter of business with which he’d like to proceed.”
Sutton’s stomach tightened.
Kingsley stood, bustling to her side and bowing slightly. “Thank you, Baroness Laughlin. I’d like to call Admiral Hale, retired from Her Majesty’s Naval Service to join me.” Kingsley grinned at Hale like they were best friends. Hale shot a significant look at Sutton before going to join Kingsley, shaking his hand and greeting him warmly.
They sat in the deep red leather chairs side by side and Kingsley turned to Hale. “Admiral. I have evidence in regards to an event that took place on August 20, 1995. Do you recall anything specific about that date?”
Hale’s face paled, but he shook his head negatively.
“You commissioned Commodore Sutton Smith to—”
“Ex-Commodore,” Hale said insistently.
Kingsley arched an eyebrow but agreed, “Ex-Commodore.”
Gunthry was on the edge of his seat, focused solely on Kingsley as if he wanted his friend to look at him. Sutton smiled. Kingsley hated Gunthry almost as much as Sutton did, though the snake Gunthry didn’t know that.
“You commissioned ex-Commodore Sutton Smith to annihilate a terrorist cell on a Micronesian Island.”
“I absolutely did not!” Hale protested. “He acted on his own, massacring those innocent people. It was my opinion that he belonged in front of a war crimes tribunal for his actions.”
Kingsley simply raised an eyebrow and pulled out a sheet of paper that Ned Miller had held on to all these years. The single sheet of paper that hadn’t been destroyed. It contained the original orders to annihilate everyone in the village. Sutton still struggled to sleep after all these years when he had nightmares of that night. If only Ned would’ve come forward on his own years ago instead of taking the dirty money from Hale and Gunthry and hiding the paper in case he needed to protect himself. Kingsley’s men had worked tirelessly to ferret out the man who’d stolen the paperwork from Sutton’s cabin, and now, it was all coming together.
Kingsley held the paper and let Hale look at it, but when he reached for it, Kingsley held it out of his reach. He passed it over to the Chair who read it slowly then gave it to the Secretary.
“This is an official document from Her Majesty’s Naval Service, signed by you.”
“They were all destroyed,” Hale muttered.
A ripple of murmuring and unease spread through the House.
“I’m sure you thought so. Captain Miller? Can you come join us, young man?” Kingsley asked.
Miller stiffly walked to the two men. He’d gone soft around the middle, though still strong-looking, but not young as Kingsley had indicated. Miller stood, staring down at them as Kingsley lounged contentedly in the chair and Hale looked like he wanted to jump up and tear into Miller.
“Now son, it’s my understanding you were ordered to find and destroy this document?” Kingsley asked kindly. Bribed and paid off was more like it, but Sutton knew Kingsley had made promises to get Miller here. Sutton was okay with only Hale and Gunthry being imprisoned today.
“Yes, sir.”
Sutton allowed himself to look at Gunthry. The man’s face was pale, and his hands were clenched tightly together, but he didn’t move or speak. Maybe he was praying Hale and Miller wouldn’t implicate him. Sutton smiled.
“Why’d you keep the paper instead of destroying it?”
“There were two, you see,” Miller said in a rough voice. “So I turned one over to Admiral Hale.”
Hale made a gurgling sound but didn’t move.
Miller shifted his weight, focusing on Kingsley. “I kept the other one … I guess you could call it insurance, sir. I never liked what went down, sir, with Commodore Smith.” He gestured toward where Sutton sat, and all eyes swung to Sutton for a moment. Sutton remained rigid and kept his face impassive. “And I wanted to protect myself.”
Kingsley still looked as benevolent and cheerful as ever. He nodded to Miller. “Thank you, son, thank you. You may leave now.”
Relief crossed Miller’s face, and he swung and marched out of there, military quick. Nobody stopped him, and he didn’t glance Sutton’s way. Probably for the best. Sutton couldn’t believe the man under him had been part of the betrayal too. He’d trusted Miller. Trust. He trusted his SEALs and still didn’t know who the traitor was. Uneasiness crawled through his gut, but he dismissed it and focused on the moment at hand.
“Now wait a minute,” Hale protested. “He should be held for questioning.”
Kingsley ignored the objection. “My question, sir, is why you ordered ex-Commodore Sutton Smith to destroy an island that was never a terrorist cell and then held him responsible?”
“We had faulty information.”
“Is that so?” Kingsley nodded as if he believed him. “And you didn’t want to take the fall, so you set up Smith to take it?”
Hale hesitated then clamped his mouth shut and glared at Kingsley.
“Or was there another reason?” Kingsley produced another paper that he let Hale glimpse before handing it off to the baroness. Hale’s face lost all color. “This paper shows money transferred throughout the past twenty-five years from the Duke of Gunthry to Admiral Hale, the total is nearing twenty million pounds currently.”
Gunthry sprang to his feet. “This is an outrage!”
“Sit down,” Baroness Laughlin commanded him.
He clenched his fists but took a seat. Sutton smiled, waiting for Gunthry to look at him, but the duke did not oblige, which was satisfying in and of itself.
“Now, I ask you, sir,” Kingsley stayed focused on Hale. “Why would the Duke of Gunthry have paid you to order Smith to kill innocent people and set the well-respected commodore up to take the fall for it?”
Hale said nothing.
“Come now, sir, do you want to take the fall for this on your own?”
The silence lengthened, but then Hale opened his mouth.
“Don’t!” Gunthry jumped to his feet.
“It was all Gunthry!” Hale exploded over the duke’s objection. “He wanted Elizabeth and her money. She wouldn’t have him without some form of blackmail and Smith out of the way!”
“You have no proof,” Gunthry yelled.
“We have enough,” Kingsley said calmly. He turned to the baroness. “I understand this is not a criminal proceeding, but I’d like to request these claims be looked into by a special police task force. I’d also request that the Duke of Gunthry be removed from the House until the court has made a decision.”
Baroness Laughlin nodded. “I second the motion.” She turned to Admiral Hale. “Based on the seriousness of the accusation, and its reflection on the Armed Forces of the Crown, I’m having you detained, Admiral. There is no statute of limitations on prosecuting perpetrators of war crimes, and this needs to be made right if possible. Guards.”
The Serjeant at Arms and four other soldiers in formal uniforms came forward and grabbed the admiral. Hale objected and resisted, but the soldiers only tightened their grips as they swept him away like the rubbish he was.
Sutton caught his eyes before he left the room. The man knew his time was up, and nothing had ever looked so good to Sutton, except for Liz.
&n
bsp; The House of Lords was in an uproar, and the media was catching every bit of it. Cameras clicked and video rolled from everywhere, and he knew Gunthry’s and Hale’s reputations were done for.
Kingsley returned to his seat, giving a sly grin to Sutton on the way. Sutton stood and walked toward the Baroness, who was raising her voice, calling the room to attention.
She arched an eyebrow at Sutton. “Sir?”
The room went silent as they watched with curiosity. Sutton knew the effect he had on people, and he relished that knowledge at the moment.
“I’m Sutton Smith,” he said.
Baroness Laughlin’s eyes roved over him, and she nodded slightly. “I know who you are sir, and I can see why you’re here today, but I can’t have you approaching the bench.”
“I understand.” He took a step back but pulled Liz’s divorce papers out and held them aloft. “The Duchess of Gunthry has been threatened, abused, and imprisoned in her home for the past twenty-five years.”
The room seemed to suck in air, and Gunthry opened his mouth to protest but the baroness shot him a look.
“I know this is highly irregular, but I would like the House of the Lords and the world”— he inclined his chin to the galley—“to know that Elizabeth Gunthry has obtained her divorce and is free from her imprisonment.”
Baroness Laughlin signaled to a clerk, who took the papers from Sutton and brought them to her. The room buzzed as she perused the document. The duke grew paler by the second.
Handing the papers back to the clerk, the Baroness nodded at Sutton. “I quite agree, sir, but these papers have already been signed by the duke.” She inclined her chin toward Gunthry.
“What?” Gunthry objected. “That’s preposterous! I would never sign those papers!” He was out of his seat, yelling at the Chair.
Baroness Laughlin glared at him. “These papers are signed and filed with the court, Duke Gunthry.” His eyes widened, and he started to protest again. “Need I remind you, sir, that the House of Lords is a judicial body and will be hearing the case for your dismissal shortly. Your cooperation and, er, dignity in this matter may reflect on the outcome.”
“But I didn’t sign.” The duke grumbled, but his posture said he would concede the point.
After retrieving the papers from the clerk, Sutton stalked toward the duke, hating to even look at the weasel. He thrust the papers into Gunthry’s hand, and Kingsley leaned over from a few chairs. “I think I can explain, chum.”
Gunthry stared at the man he assumed was his friend.
“You thought you were signing to steal more of Liz’s fortune, but unfortunately for you, you signed the very papers that are in your hands. Check-mate, you git.” Kingsley threw his head back and roared with laughter.
The entire hall was in uproar. Some of Gunthry’s supporters looked stricken and confused, but many seemed relieved and almost happy with what had occurred today. Maybe there were more who knew his true character than they’d realized.
Sutton couldn’t help but smile. “You can keep those,” he said to Gunthry. “The court and Liz have their copies.”
He turned to go but heard Gunthry snarl at him. “Give my regards to Steve.”
Sutton whirled and pinned Gunthry with a look. “Steve?” A chill raced down his spine.
“Mr. Smith?” The baroness called from behind him. “You’ve made your point very well, sir. I’ll ask you to withdraw so we may continue with our business.”
Sutton turned from Gunthry and bowed slightly. “Thank you for your help, Baroness.”
He heard the baroness instruct Gunthry to leave as well, but Sutton knew he would go through a different entrance.
Sutton strode from the room, his stomach pitching. Everything had proceeded according to plan. Gunthry was humiliated in front of his peers and the nation. He would face multiple charges locally, in the House of Lords, and internationally. Gunthry’s ships and assets had already been seized. So why was Sutton feeling so unsettled?
Steve. How would Gunthry know the very name of his SEAL that was watching over Liz?
He hurried down the grand hallways and out into the gloomy day before dialing Steve’s number. “Report,” he barked.
“All’s well, sir.”
“I want to talk to Blayze.”
“I believe he’s in the shower. I’ll have him call you soon.”
“Ike?” he asked, his stomach doing a nose dive.
“He’s making rounds. Sir? Is everything okay?”
“You tell me.”
“Everything’s fine on our end.”
Sutton disconnected the call. Steve wasn’t going to give him anything. He dialed his private security team in Vieques. “Manuel?”
“Sir!” Manuel was a small man who always smiled, but could wrestle a man twice his size to the ground without blinking.
“Are you at the house?”
The local security took shifts staying at his house and when they were off-duty they returned to their own families.
“No, sir.” He paused. “Señor Steve contacted us yesterday and explained they’d gone on the yacht toward England so they could reunite you and Señora Liz soon.”
Sutton cursed. “What about the men who were with him?”
“He took everyone with him for extra protection, sir.”
“Go to the house. Report back when you’ve checked it thoroughly.”
“Yes, sir.” Manuel hung up.
Sutton dialed Steve’s number again as he hurried along the pavement outside of the House of Lords. The phone rang and rang. He hung up and pushed the button to track his SEAL. The dot blipped in Kensington. Sutton scrolled in and knew. Gunthry’s mansion.
He swore and sprinted for his Aston Martin, dialing Zane as he went. Liz!
Chapter Fifteen
Liz sat in a plush, hard-backed chair in her very own bedroom. Her hands were bound behind her, and she was gagged with a cloth. Ally and River were tied up similarly next to her, but they’d taken extra precautions with River, doubling the bands on him and tying his legs to the chair as well.
The three of them had all awakened, bound and gagged, before sunrise this morning as the plane landed in a private airport. They’d been brought to the house and pretty much left alone. Steve, still showing the signs of the beating he’d taken from River, had come a few times to bring them food and take the women one by one to the loo. When it was River’s turn, he and his men had bound his legs together and carried him there and back.
The young traitor’s hands wandered whenever he helped Liz. She steeled her spine and ignored his murmured invitations and just prayed he wasn’t doing anything similar to Ally.
All three of them had struggled, but the bonds were thick plastic and double cuffed, like riot police would use. River had two sets binding his wrists, and one on each leg, holding it fast to the chair leg. He continued to work against them behind his back. Liz prayed that he could wear through them or escape somehow. His wrists had to be bleeding by this point. Liz’s were chafed, and she had been mostly sitting still. She truly loved her son-in-law and hated the thought of what James would do to him and Ally. Oh, Ally. Tears pricked at her eyes as she glanced at her beloved daughter.
Ally noticed her gaze and bobbed her head, her eyes full of concern.
Liz wished she could comfort her.
The door burst open, and James strode in. Liz’s heart raced with fear. She’d never expected to be here again. Still, she would never succumb to him again, planning to barter for River and Ally’s life with her fortune and if needs be, with her own life. Death was preferable to life with the duke.
Sutton’s words rang in her ears: he will never hurt you again. Oh, how she wanted those words to be true. To be free and loved by Sutton.
The duke sneered at the three of them as he strode in. “Well, well, well. Look at the happy little family.”
Liz inclined her chin and didn’t say a word. He marched up to her, ripped the gag off, and planted a wet kiss on
her lips. Liz yanked her head to the side and spat. He grasped her chin and pulled her back to face him. “Did you miss me, love?”
She didn’t want to rise to his bait. “Let Ally and River go,” she said. “You have me.”
“No. I don’t have anything, thanks to you.” He pulled back and glowered down at her. “Your boyfriend had the Coastguard and Interpol seize my ships, and soon, I’ll be bankrupt. Then he ruined my reputation in front of the House of the Lords and the world, throwing your magically-signed divorce papers in my face to make my humiliation complete.”
Liz’s heart leapt. Sutton had accomplished his revenge. If only River and Ally hadn’t been caught in the cross-fire.
In a cold, acidic voice, he said, “So I’m going to kill you and River.”
She and Ally both gasped. River simply glared at him.
James smiled. “Then Ally and I are going to figure out how to live on her billions in some remote corner of the world. Don’t worry, pumpkin, I can easily upgrade your mum, and Steve has told me he’ll happily take over River’s spot.”
Ally snarled something at him through the gag.
“James, all you need is the money,” Liz tried to soothe him. “Ally and I can both transfer you billions of pounds. Then you can go anywhere you want. Kill me and let Ally and River go.”
“You don’t get to tell me what to do!” James roared. He took a long breath and smoothed his shirt. “I’m going to take great pleasure in killing you, but River needs to die also. He didn’t stay dead the last time.” His eyes flickered over River dismissively.
“If you kill us, Sutton will hunt you down.” The words burst from Liz, and she knew they were true. Sutton would never get over her death, but he would avenge it.
James laughed. “Your Sutton will be here soon. My security personnel will bring him up to join us presently. The only hard decision I have is who to kill first. Should I make Sutton watch you die a torturous death or make you watch him? Hmm. It’s hard to decide who I loathe the most.”
The Captivating Warrior (Navy SEAL Romance) Page 12