by Various
Scrolling through messages, he saw the one he was looking for, a party invitation from Colleen Ward. He opened it. A JPEG filled the screen, an image of a clown holding a bunch of balloons.
“Colleen Ward?” Lily had one hand on his back as she looked over his shoulder at the screen.
Seth briefly thought about sending her away, but she would be so curious that it was likely to cause more problems, because she already knew too much. He hit reply and began to type.
Colleen, thank you for inviting me to your birthday party last month. I had a great time, even though I ate too much of your mummy’s lovely cake. Please tell your dad that Uncle Seth says next time we have to play whack-a-mole, instead of musical chairs. Hugs and kisses from Uncle Seth
“Uncle Seth?” she looked amused.
“Yes, she’s my chief’s daughter, so what?”
She shrugged. “Just learning. Very clever,” she added nodding at the screen. “Whack-a-mole.” She chuckled. “Do you think it will work? I mean, will she tell him?”
“She’s an extremely bright kid, and apparently she checks her email every day. Gets excited about receiving mail, so she will mention it. In fact she will bug him so much we’ll have to play the game next time I get to visit.” He chuckled.
Lily’s hand tightened on his shoulder.
“And, most importantly, her dad will know there’s a leak at work, because I’ve gone via an outside route.” He reread the message, thought through the implications, and hit send. Before he could start brooding on his decision, he closed down the computer connection. She was still looking at him with a curious expression on her face and a half smile. “Hopefully our shooter will be behind bars, and soon.”
He stood up and slapped her playfully on the bottom. “Let’s see if we can find you some underwear.”
“Do you have a sister?”
“Unfortunately not,” Seth replied as he led her towards his parent’s bedroom. Frowning, he wondered what the hell he was doing bringing her up here to his mother’s room looking for clothes. Because I can’t have her knickers hanging off driving me insane, that’s why. He gestured into the bedroom and then at the chest of drawers is on the far side. “See if you can find something in there.”
Moments later he heard her giggle softly. “I don’t think your mum and I are the same size.” She turned to face him, holding up a rather large pair of pink knickers.
“This was a bad idea,” he mumbled vaguely. Size and color were not the problem. He’d realized that he had no inclination to see Lily in his mother’s underwear. Lily had returned her attention to the drawers, bending down as she did so. Her skirt rode up and he got a flash of her bare bottom.
She wasn’t wearing any underwear, torn or not.
His cock immediately hardened at the sight of her pussy and bottom, bent over like that, wiggling. “Forget it,” he said. “I’ll take you to a shop.”
“Are you sure it will be safe,” she queried, still bent over the drawers.
Staring at her exposed pussy, Seth shook his head. None of them were safe with her walking around like that. His barriers were dropping all over the place, but he had to get her arse covered up and soon, or he’d lose focus altogether.
Chapter Twelve
When Adrian had brooded and sulked long enough to make him feel ashamed of himself, he emerged from his room and walked into the kitchen, which he found empty. In the hallway, he heard creaking floorboards that sounded as if it was on the stairs above, so he wandered to the residents’ lounge. His knee was feeling much stronger, which was a relief, but he didn’t want to undo that by tackling the stairs.
In the lounge, the curtains at the window where open a few inches, which was unusual. Curious, he crossed the room and peered out. He looked out at the scene beyond, reflecting on how his world had shrunk from everything that it once was, to what was inside these walls. Just a few days before, he couldn’t even stand the thought of going into witness protection, being locked up and away from everything that he knew, and at times it now seemed as if the whole world had vanished off the face the earth and there was only three of them left. Three of them here in this isolated the old manor house with its quaint well-stocked bar, and its creaky floorboards.
Shoving his hands into the pockets of the rather baggy jeans that Seth had given him to wear, he wondered vaguely who they belonged to. He’d asked Seth if they were his, and he’d said something non-committal about finding them somewhere in the house. That seemed like a good enough answer, given the circumstances.
It was uncanny, the way he’d adapted to this strange life inside a couple of days. He was in a strange house in place he didn’t know, wearing another man’s clothing, and yet he was okay with it. It was Lily who’d made that happen, she’d made this time positive—exceptional, even. He had no doubt it would have been a completely different story had she not been forced to join them. It was quite possible that he was simply burying his head in the sand about Carlisle and the trial—not to mention the fact that someone with a gun would rather he was dead and buried.
Which came first, the attachment to Lily, or the need to escape the oncoming trial? The trial was something he hadn’t allowed himself to dwell on too much, he knew that, but a voice in his head kept shouting that it was Lily; it was because she’d proved to be everything he wanted and more. Second-guessing himself meant doubts were being thrown up all the time. He was still kicking himself about taking on the Carlisle account at all, and that messed with his head.
When he heard Lily’s voice and her laughter approaching outside the room, he turned away from the window and watched as she darted into the lounge. She threw a pink woolen item on to the sofa.
“Seth found me a couple of sweaters and he has kindly offered to do the honorable thing,” she rolled her eyes as she said that, “and take me to the shop to buy some necessities.”
Seth was taking her out of here? Why did that make him feel so unsettled? “Necessities?”
She turned around and lifted the back of her skirt, exposing one naked buttock. Adrian was reminded of a poster he had on his wall as a teenager. It had a tennis player in exactly the same pose. He shook his head and laughed softly. Her cheeky pose made him want to hold her in his arms. Making his way to a nearby armchair, he grabbed her from behind as he did so, pulling her onto his lap.
“Hey, be careful, watch that leg of yours.” Her cheeky expression turned serious.
“Yes, nurse.” He rolled her close against him and moved one hand under her skirt to caress the bare buttock she had shown him.
“Ah, I see you’re recovering your physical abilities, Mr. Walsh.” Her expression softened to a smile again. She put one arm around his back, settling in.
“That I am, so you better beware.” He was about to say more when Seth entered the room carrying a scarf in one hand. “Here, you can use this to cover your hair. We have to be quick and discreet about this. It’s totally unorthodox, but I guess it has to be done.” Glancing in Adrian’s direction he added, “Are you okay with this? It won’t take much longer than an hour.” He looked towards the patio doors. “I’d be much happier if we kept those curtains closed.”
Crossing the room, he switched on an up-lighter and a lamp, and then drew the curtains closed.
Adrian noticed that Lily was sparkling. Was she happy, or was she happy to be getting out of here for a while? With Seth. He tightened his grip on her. “We can’t have the lady in need of underwear.”
She wriggled on his lap. He was getting hard. “So long as you promise you’re not going to run-off and leave me here,” he added
“Don’t be daft.” She prodded him in the chest. “It’s only because I need undies.”
“Yeah, that’s what you say now,” he teased, “while you are under the influence of Stockholm syndrome.”
“Stockholm syndrome?” She looked at him with curiosity. “What’s that?”
Adrian immediately wished he hadn’t said it. He looked up at Seth
, who gave him a concerned glance. “I’m just teasing you, it’s nothing.”
“No, tell me what it is. I want to know.” She wasn’t going to let him get away with it. She chuckled, as if she thought it must be some sort of joke, which was his original intention, badly timed though it was.
It was Seth who answered. “It’s a term that refers to a state of sympathetic and emotional attachment, specifically where captives get involved with the person who is their captor.” His voice was gruff and although he spoke knowledgeably, it clearly made him uncomfortable to do so. “It’s traditionally used to talk about kidnappers and their victims,” he added, hastily.
“Oh.” Her smile faded.
“It was just a joke,” Adrian whispered, but she didn’t respond.
Stockholm syndrome. He mentally kicked himself for saying it. What was he thinking?
After a moment she turned and hid her face close against his neck, the arm she had draping around his shoulder tightening as she buried her face against him, clinging close. “Don’t say that, and don’t even think it. That makes it sound as if this is wrong, or…as if it’s not real. ”
Her response shocked Adrian, and his arms instinctively closed around her upper body, holding her close and stroking her gently. “Hey now, I only meant it as a joke, really, please don’t get upset, love.”
When he said that she clung to him even tighter, as if to deny it.
He looked across the room at Seth, and shrugged his free shoulder. Seth nodded, indicating he was concerned too. He hung back though, and Adrian knew that this was his problem. He also remembered what Seth said about being an add-on, and that Lily was with him. Did Seth really believe that? Nobody in their right mind would deny the strength of the attraction between Lily and Seth. The situation felt suddenly serious, because it went way beyond his mistimed joke.
Lily sighed against his neck, snuggled closer, still seeking comfort. He didn’t want her to be upset—she was usually so strong, bouncing back from everything that happened to her so unexpectedly of the last few days. And yet it also made him see that she didn’t want to think this was temporal any more than he did, she didn’t want to think their connection was anything to do with being locked up here, away from their normal lives.
That meant she cared.
Something that felt like joy—but was even bigger than that—took hold of him. He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. “Hey, Laidbacklady, this is real. Don’t fret.”
Eventually she pulled back and looked at him with searching eyes, her pretty mouth down-turned at the corners. God, she was beautiful. The misgiving in her expression only emphasized the open quality she had, that thing he loved about her.
“This time we have together is special, very special, and it’s also very real.” He moved his hand to her bottom again and waggled his eyebrows. “Would you like me to pinch you to prove it?”
He teased her skin with a gentle pinch. Her expression broke. She laughed and wriggled out of his lap. He let her go, reluctantly, and but held onto one hand, tethering her. When she glanced back, smiling his way, he felt an immense sense of relief. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
She didn’t pull her hand free, and she nodded. “I’m sorry, that was a bit silly of me, reacting that way.”
”No, it wasn’t.” He squeezed her hand before letting it go. “Enjoy your shopping trip. Take pity on me and buy something black and lacy to wear, I want to see you in something black and lacy.”
Chapter Thirteen
Stephen Ward was smiling. Emery Lavonne hadn’t seen the chief smiling for some time. He watched as Ward emerged from his glass cubicle with a woman in tow. Curious as to whether it had anything to do with the Adrian Walsh case he made his way to the office gossip’s desk. “What’s going on?”
Janine looked up from her monitor and beamed, evidently glad of chance to spill. Who needed a newsletter with this woman around? Janine was on the case like a dog with a bone. “Well, it looks as if we might have found out who the mystery woman was; the one Seth Jones took along with his witness when he did a runner.”
Lavonne’s attention was back with the woman and he memorized her face in case she was an important lead.
“Apparently she reported her flatmate missing at her local station, but they didn’t go beyond normal procedures until she called back and mentioned her flatmate had a date. The flatmate had left a note with the name and location. Turns out her date was with Adrian Walsh.”
“I see.” He cast his mind back. The brunette in the elevator? Could be. She’d been looking at doorways in the corridor when he’d last seen her. He hadn’t got a look at the woman’s face when Jones was helping her into the car, but it could be the same person.
Janine kept talking, but Lavonne was watching Ward shake hands with the woman. Did this mean that she might have information about where her flatmate was currently located? Ward signaled to a nearby officer to show the woman out of the building. When he returned to his office, he left the door open.
“Looks as if she got more than she bargained for when she went on her date.” Janine’s voice just about reached him, but Lavonne was already on his way to Stephen Ward’s office.
“Morning, Chief, any news on Seth Jones?”
Ward shook his head. “He’s still AWOL with the witness, that’s assuming they haven’t both been taken down…worse case scenario, but we can’t rule it out.”
Ward was developing a twitch in his cheek. This was really getting to him. It was because it was his buddy who was letting the side down. Reporting that bit of information to the higher authorities must be so hard.
Ward looked up and focused on Lavonne. “Where would you take a witness if there was some reason why you didn’t want to use the designated safe house?”
Lavonne shrugged. It was a good question. “Somewhere I could lock down. Somewhere I knew well.” His mind was ticking. “Where is home, for Seth Jones?”
Ward took his seat. “Seth’s lived in London for the last twelve years or so. He’s from Wales, originally.” The phone rang. He put up his hand indicating he’d have to take the call. “Stephen Ward.” He listened for a moment, frowning. “Look, love, I’m up to my eyeballs in the proverbial here. Tell Colleen I’ll talk to her tonight.”
Lavonne’s attention swept over the papers on the desk while Ward was busy. If he could get his hands on Seth Jones’s personal file from human resources, he could perhaps track down the next of kin. Might be a wild goose chase, but he was willing to try anything right now. If he had to deal with Keane phoning him every hour for one more day, he’d get even more trigger happy than he currently was, and it would be Keane who’d be his target. Seth Jones’ next of kin was worth a try, and he could sweet talk it from one of the women in HR. His attention moved back to Stephen Ward.
Ward had his fingers pressed against his forehead, but he was surveying the scene outside the glass frontage to his office as the voice on the other end of the phone talked on. After a moment his gaze settled on Lavonne, and he made a move to end the call. “No, you definitely did the right thing. It explains a lot. Give Colleen a hug and tell her we’ll definitely play that game.”
Family business. Lavonne was itching to get out of the office now that human resources had opened up as a possible avenue of information. He got ready to give his excuses and leave, but when Ward put his phone down he also rose quickly to his feet.
“I appreciate you trying to help out here, but I’m going to have to make a move. I’ve got a meeting upstairs.” He gave a brief, artificial smile, his eyes hooded and thoughtful. “They want to keep tabs on what’s happening with this.”
Lavonne nodded and left. He headed off in the direction of human resources, but glanced back just as he was about to leave the division. Stephen Ward was still in his office, standing close to the glass frontage, arms folded across his chest. A serious expression shadowed his face as he contemplated the people working outside. For a split-second, their eyes met acro
ss the expanse of the witness protection division.
Ward seemed to scrutinize him. Lavonne turned away, shrugging it off. He had a new lead, that’s all that mattered. The sooner he took the witness and Jones out of action, the better.
* * * *
Routine, regular solid routine. Focus on the job. Seth repeated the mantra to himself as they sped through the countryside towards Conwy, the nearest town. At the same time he was trying to ignore the woman who sat by his side, peering out at the passing scenery.
“Are you warm enough?” He flicked the heating up a notch.
She nodded and smiled. She was wearing one of his mother’s sweaters under her coat. He could handle that. That wasn’t underwear. Concentrating on the road, he told himself he couldn’t afford to be distracted by her any more. He was a well-respected witness protection officer, and that’s because he’d never done anything stupid. Until now. Now his routine had gone to hell because he’d broken his own rules and got involved.
To add to his torment, he wasn’t altogether sure he’d done the right thing sending that email message to Ward’s daughter. And he’d told Lily about Lavonne. There hadn’t been any way out of it at the time, but now he regretted it. He’d even wanted to comfort her over the Stockholm syndrome incident back at the house. How ludicrous was that? The working foundations that had been so solid for him were crumbling. He needed to rebuild them.
A moment later he caught sight of her crossing her legs from the corner of his eye, high on the thigh, making her coat fall open. Still looking out at the scenery, she felt for the coat flap and re-covered her leg with it.
His hands tightened on the steering wheel,
“It’s clouding over,” she commented. “I think we’ve seen the last of the winter sun for the time being.”