Demons

by Beth Abbott

  Suzy shook her head.

  “There are no problems in that department, I can promise you of that.” She smiled. “Which is why I think this thing between Matt and Lacey is completely innocent on his part, even if I wouldn’t trust Lacey as far as Taylor could throw her. Matt isn’t the cheating kind, and I know him too well to think otherwise. In fact, I think if Lacey actually made a pass at him, he’d be shocked. He doesn’t think she’s attracted to him that way.”

  “But you do.” Claire pointed out the obvious.

  “Matt may be over forty, but he’s six and a half feet of solid muscle, still as handsome and fit as he was the day I met him, and, oh yeah… he’s a multi-millionaire partner in a massively successful business.” Suzy pulled a face. “Not much to be attracted to, is there?”

  Claire leaned forward and patted her hand in sympathy.

  “He’s all those things, sweetheart.” Claire smiled. “But you also forgot to mention that he’s married to a gorgeous little spitfire that he’s worshipped for almost two decades, mother to his three beautiful kids, a home-maker and clever business-woman in her own right, and someone who knocks spots off that little upstart fawning all over him. When all’s said and done, honey, Matt isn’t a stupid man. He knows that what he’s got is as good as it gets, so why look at other women? As Paul Newman apparently once said of Joanna Woodward, ‘why go out for a burger when you’ve got prime steak at home?’”

  Suzy smiled slowly.

  “I think I like that.” She nodded. “It still won’t stop me grinding my teeth when I see her sucking up to him tomorrow. And nothing will convince me she’s not trying to get her claws into my man. I just have to employ my superior acting skills and pretend it doesn’t bother me.”

  “You do that, honey.” Claire nodded. “Keep your cool until we have more evidence that she’s being a sly little madam. Because this is only gonna go one of two ways… either she’ll decide her job is more important than chasing your husband, and she’ll give up the fight, or she’ll keep doing stuff and will incriminate herself even more. We just have to be patient.”

  Suzy stared at the older woman in adoration.

  “Do you know how grateful I am that you came up here to help me?” She smiled. “It’s like having two mums at the same time. One that’s helping me at home, and another one who’s my rock at the office. I’ll owe you forever for this.”

  Claire smiled, and Suzy thought she saw just the shimmer of a tear in her eyes.

  “I’ve watched you and Matt for the last fifteen years, and you two have always had a relationship that the others admire. You’re a true partnership.” Claire nodded. “I’ve always watched out for my boys since the day I joined Alpha Company, but I look out for my girls, too. Nobody messes with the Alpha sisters while I’m around.”

  “Mama Alpha.” Suzy grinned.

  “Mama Alpha.” Claire chuckled. “I think I like that.”

  “I’ll get it added to the name-plate on your door.” Suzy laughed. “Nobody deserves the title more.”

  Chapter 33 – Ladywood, Birmingham

  “This is your twenty-four-hour notice.” There was a click on the line as the call was disconnected.

  Chapter 34 – Evan

  Evan watched Megan look around the restaurant and was pleased that she seemed to be impressed.

  It wasn’t so much a hotel, as a restaurant with rooms, and if he’d been able to get more time off, he might have thought to book one.

  Maybe if the food was as good as promised, he’d bring her here again once things settled down with Robbie, and he was more certain of where he stood with Megan.

  The last thing he wanted to do was assume she’d agree to stay overnight with him, risking pissing her off so badly she kicked him into touch.

  Baby steps.

  Tonight? Well, tonight was just about reconnecting, talking, reminding Megan of all the things they’d loved about each other the first time around.

  The waiter delivered their first course, and Evan smiled as Megan’s face lit up.

  “Oh, my God!” She whispered when they were alone again. “This smells unbelievable! I hope it tastes as good.”

  He watched her take a small bite, and her eyes rolled back as though she was having some sort of taste-sensual orgasm.

  Evan felt himself stirring in response.

  “That is so good.” She whispered with a grin. “I don’t mean to be rude, but are you sure you can afford to eat here? I really don’t mind going Dutch. This place must be costing you half a week’s salary.”

  Evan smiled.

  “I’m pretty sure I earn slightly more than you’re thinking.” He shrugged. “Plus, I’ve never had much chance to spend what I earned when I was in the military. It’s well invested, and I’ve made a few good property deals over the years. I think I can afford a nice meal or two. Or quite a few more, actually, if you’ll agree to come with me.”

  “I didn’t mean to insult you.” Megan said quickly. “I just thought that, well, security jobs aren’t that well paid, are they?”

  “I’m not actually a security guard, Meg.” He grinned. “I’m doing this particular job because Matt needed people with specialist skills, but normally I work for an organisation affiliated with Alpha Company. We’re just waiting for our next assignment to come through, and while we were idle, it seemed a good fit that we come up here and help Matt.”

  Meg paused with her fork halfway to her mouth.

  “Ok, that one statement has left me with so many questions, we could be here all night.” She frowned. “Start with the specialist skills. What are they, and why are they good for this job?”

  “My specialist skills?” Evan raised his eyebrows. “Well, I think you already know what some of them are.”

  He loved the way Megan blushed as she realised what he was saying.

  “Being an ass doesn’t usually rate as a ‘specialist skill’.” She smirked. “But if it did, I reckon you’ve got that one down perfectly. Or were you suggesting that you hire yourself out as a gigolo?”

  Evan nearly choked on his food.

  “I’m flattered you think I could.” He took a sip of water.

  “So, apart from being an ass, and marginally above average in bed…” She smiled. “What are your other skills?”

  “The usual kind you’d expect anyone to have who’s served in a special forces team.” He shrugged. “Weapons training, search and rescue, close combat, modern warfare and explosives, hostage extraction.”

  “Those are all military skills.” Megan pointed out. “What sort of organisation do you work for if those are the skills they require?”

  “I normally work for a company called the Guardians.” Evan explained. “They’re a spin off from Alpha Company, but we work indirectly with various governments, going into areas where they can’t send people officially.”

  “Undercover, you mean?” Megan had stopped eating.

  “Sort of.” He reached over and picked up her fork, handing it to her with a smile. “Keep eating or we’ll be here all night. We’ve ordered the four-course menu, don’t forget.”

  “I’ll eat, and you can talk.” She instructed. “What was your last job with them?”

  Evan frowned.

  “We had to rescue some women who were being trafficked across Europe, posing as a security team sent in on behalf of the auctioneers who were going to sell them on.” He said quietly. “Almost a hundred women being carried on the back of some trucks.”

  “Did you manage to get them all out?” Megan whispered.

  “We did.” Evan nodded. “And even better than that, we disposed of the guy who was behind it, as well as most of his team. There were a few minor players left for the police to lock up, but barely a handful.”

  “Disposed of?” Megan nodded. “Permanently, you mean?”

  “Very.” Evan nodded, watching Megan’s expression carefully for signs she was revolted by what his job entailed.

  “Good.” She said q
uietly. “That sounds like my idea of a dream job. Rescuing women who’ve almost given up hope, and then killing the people who would do that sort of thing. Good for you.”

  Evan almost dropped his fork in shock.

  “You like the idea that I… do that for a living?” He hissed.

  “I like the idea that someone, anyone, does that to eliminate the pond-scum that would hurt women and children.” She nodded. “Prisons are ineffective that way, especially on the continent. These criminals just reform their gangs while they’re inside, meaning they’re even more organised when they get out.”

  “You sound like you’ve come across this before.” He concentrated on his food.

  “I had to watch two little kiddies die in A&E, back when I was finishing my training.” Megan murmured. “They’d been in the back of a container that arrived at the docks with about twenty other women and children inside. Their mother was already dead, and the kids were barely alive when they were brought in. They were starved and dehydrated, and both died of heat exhaustion before we could resuscitate them. Watch that, and then see if you can find any sympathy with traffickers.”

  “You won’t get any argument from me.” Evan nodded.

  “So, will your next job be similar to that one?” Megan asked, pushing her plate to one side.

  “The rest of the team have just been out on a similar mission while we’ve been up here. They had to go out to Russia to link up with some associates we have out there.” He nodded. “The hostages were freed, but unfortunately one of our associates was killed trying to help them escape, and another of our team was shot.”

  “Oh my God” Megan stared at him, obviously shocked. “Is your man going to be Ok?”

  “He’s gonna be fine. Possibly smothered to death by an over-protective wife and family, but otherwise he’ll be Ok.” Evan smiled. “But it’s the first time in years that anyone in the family has been badly hurt. It’s been a bit of a wake-up call.”

  “I’ll say!” Megan smiled at the waiter as he cleared the plates. “Are all your jobs potentially as dangerous?”

  Evan knew Megan wasn’t going to be fobbed off.

  “They could be.” He admitted. “The contacts we were using for the last two jobs have been blown, so we’re not likely to be able to pursue the Russian line until we’ve found another way in. That could take some time or may never happen at all.”

  “Would that leave you out of a job?” Megan frowned.

  Evan waited while their next course was delivered.

  “No, there’s no risk of that.” He smiled. “We signed up with Alpha Company initially, and then I suppose you could say Logan and I were head-hunted into the Guardians, along with a couple of Americans, and two brothers who were born in Russia but now live and work in America. If we get any significant down-time there’s an understanding that we can be called upon to return to our former jobs. But Russia isn’t the only place on the planet where bad things are happening. Our next job could be anywhere in the world.”

  “So, this job looking after Robbie means you’re working for Alpha Company, but it’s just a fill-in, until you get called back up to the Guardians again, right?” Megan was obviously trying to fit all the pieces together. “And the Guardians are based in London, not Birmingham?”

  “I wouldn’t call this job a fill-in, as such.” Evan smiled. “Your brother is kinda important to us. We’d like to look after him and keep him safe until the police can find out who’s sending the threatening letters. But, to answer your other point, yes, the Guardians are based in London. Logan and I share an apartment down there, for when we’re working out of the London office.”

  “An apartment?” Megan teased. “That sounds posh. When we first lived together in Cardiff, we used to call it a flat. How times have changed.”

  Evan chuckled.

  “Where we lived in Cardiff, it had one bedroom, one bathroom, an open-plan kitchen and living room, and a shed big enough to store your bike in.” He remembered. “The place I share with Logan is paid for by the company, has four bedrooms, en-suite bathrooms, a luxury kitchen, living-room, office and a games room. It’s got two private parking spaces, a residents’ only gym and pool in the basement, plus spectacular views of the Shard. It would probably be the understatement of the year to call it a ‘flat’.”

  “Wow! I’m impressed.” Megan nodded. “I’m also seeing an obvious reason why we shouldn’t be taking this newfound friendship any further. Well, a hundred and twenty-five of them actually, give or take a mile.”

  “Oh, no, you don’t get to use distance as an argument!” “Evan shook his head. “I can live anywhere I choose. It was just convenient to put Logan and I up in the apartment because neither of us had a London base. If I wanted to live in Cardiff or Birmingham when I wasn’t working for the Guardians, that would be my choice. The company doesn’t dictate that.”

  “But you’re often away working for long periods at a time.” She shook her head. “That doesn’t sound like an ideal foundation for any sort of relationship.”

  “The longest I’ve been away for so far is a couple of weeks.” Evan pointed out. “The missions we go on aren’t supposed to be like military deployments. They’re quick in and out jobs. We aren’t conscripted, we’re extremely well-paid employees, and as such, we can quit anytime we like, just by giving notice like you would for any job.”

  Megan sat quietly, eating her main course, looking like she was giving his words a lot of thought.

  “Meg, I’m not messing when I say I want to spend time with you.” He leaned over to take her hand in his. “I might be here and there, and not able to spend as much time with you as I’d like, but I want you to know that I meant it when I said I still love you. I’ll do whatever it takes to spend every spare minute with you, even if it means commuting back up and down to London every day. I just need you to give me a chance.”

  “A week ago, I’d almost forgotten you inhabited the planet. Three days ago, I was still willing to cut your dick off with a rusty hacksaw!” Megan hissed. “Now you’re pledging love and devotion to me, expecting me to let you try and revive a relationship you killed stone dead a decade ago. Can’t you see how ridiculous that is?”

  Evan pulled his wallet out and passed it across the table to Megan.

  “I don’t want your money, Evan.” She protested. “Don’t be silly.”

  “Do you recognise it?” He asked.

  Megan hadn’t even glanced at it, but now she sat forward to look closer. He watched her fingers touch the initials embroidered in the corner.

  “This is the one I bought you for your birthday.” She whispered. “Just before you were posted overseas.”

  “Open it.” He instructed.

  With tentative movements Megan opened the wallet and lay it flat on the table. On the one side there were slots for cards, and on the other side was a piece of plastic you could put your driver’s license behind.

  Only there wasn’t a license in sight.

  Behind the clear plastic was a photo of her, taken in Vegas, just before they got married. It looked aged, like it had been in there a long time.

  “Look behind it.” Evan said quietly.

  Megan noticed there was a popper leading to a small enclosed compartment. She tugged it open and looked inside.

  Evan reached over and took the wallet, tipping the contents of the compartment into the palm of his hand.

  “Here.” He held it towards her.

  Megan took the thin silver chain, and Evan could see the shock on her face.

  “I gave this to you for luck, when you got deployed.” She held it up and examined the damage.

  “I was holding it the day our convoy got hit with an IED that killed my friends.” He admitted. “Obviously I was holding it a little too tightly, because I managed to snap it. But I’ve kept it all these years, Meg. I’ve got half a dozen wallets at home that family and friends have bought me for birthdays and Christmases, but I can’t bring myself to stop u
sing this one.”

  “Why not?” She frowned at it.

  “Because the picture has been in there so long it’s stuck fast to the plastic.” He shrugged. “I couldn’t stand the thought of not being able to see your face every day, so I had to stick with that wallet.”

  Megan reached down and picked up her bag, and for a split-second Evan wondered if she was going to bolt.

  Instead she opened the bag and retrieved her purse.

  Evan watched her slip her finger into a hidden compartment, and she pulled out a very old, very worn piece of paper.

  She passed it across the table for him to see.

  “Your cousin gave me your phone number about a year after you left me, because she said I looked as miserable as you did.” She admitted. “I held onto it for another year before I eventually broke down and called it. I just wanted to hear your voice. I got a message saying the number was no longer in service.”

  “I lost my phone parachuting into a hot zone in Somalia.” He nodded. “My Commanding Officer went absolutely ballistic with me over the security risk, but all I could think of was that I’d lost your number and a few photos of us from just before I went overseas.”

  “That was the new camera-phone I bought you just before you went away?” Megan smiled. “You thought it was the best thing since sliced bread.”

  “It was.” He nodded. “But only because it had pictures of you on it. Now you see why the wallet became so important to me.”

  “Why didn’t you ever come back and tell me you still loved me?” Megan whispered.

  “Because until I left the army, I never considered the risks had gone away.” Evan frowned. “To have come back to you while I was still in Delta Company, would have made a mockery of the reasons I used for leaving you in the first place.”

  “So, rather than come back and make both of us happy, you stayed away to save your pride and not have to admit you were wrong?” Meg whispered.

  Evan had to nod his admission. The words were stuck in his throat.