“That’s the good news. There’s some not so good news too.”
“What is it?”
His face was etched with concern. He took my hand.
“It’s your roommate in London. Dahlia. She called Rufus. She’s in trouble.”
28
I sprinted from the car to the hotel lobby. Sebastian walked briskly after me.
The elevator wouldn’t come. I punched the button, again and again.
“Once is enough,” Sebastian said, as he rounded the corner of the lobby. “Give it a moment.”
“I need to get up there,” I wailed. “Dahlia needs our help.”
“And she’ll get it. Don’t worry about that.”
At last, the elevator arrived and glided up to the top floor. I ran out the moment the doors opened.
Rufus stood in the open doorway of his room. “There you are,” he said.
“What happened? Is she okay? Did Lavery’s people get her?” I was out of breath and flushed.
“Sit down, Finola,” Isabel said, with a calming pat on my back. “We’re on it. Truly.”
Lucas flashed me a grin and a wave from behind her. He bit into an apple.
Sebastian closed the door behind us. We all sat on modern white armchairs that reminded me of sugar cubes.
“I’ll get straight to the point,” said Rufus, walking up and down the rug front of us. “Dahlia Henry has been in contact. She’d like to speak to Finola and I think that might be a good idea.” He handed me a phone. “This is an untraceable mobile. I’ve told her to expect your call.”
I grabbed the phone, but he held on to it for a second.
“Let me just update you on what we’ve decided. Lucas is going to London in a moment. He’ll collect Miss Henry and bring her to us here in Ireland.”
Lucas looked thrilled to be entrusted with this. He swallowed a chunk of apple. “It’s ideal for me to go, because nobody’s looking for my heart,” he said. “I’m the safest bet.”
Rufus nodded. “Lucas has the advantage of being very stealthy too. He may look like an overgrown teenager, but he’s surprisingly light on his feet.”
Lucas grinned and nodded, throwing the core into the trashcan from several feet away.
“He’s also got a high degree of magical sensitivity, so he should be able to judge whether an assailant is human or magical. And that could come in very handy.”
Sebastian nodded. “Our best man’s on it. Go get her, Lucas.”
Lucas saluted and smiled at me. He slipped on his jacket. “I’m off to the airport. I’ll fly to Gatwick, as that’s a bit less likely to be on Lavery’s radar than Heathrow or City. Then I’ll make my way up to south London from there. Hopefully I’ll be with her in the small hours. Let her know the cavalry is coming, right?”
He exchanged a manly back-slapping hug with Sebastian and gave us all a cheery wave as he bounded out of the room.
“Unfortunately, the guards we posted outside your building were abducted by Lavery’s people within hours. I blame myself for this. They were ex-police. Never send a cop to do a soldier’s job.” He shook his head, looking fierce. “I certainly shan’t be using anyone less qualified than ex-military from now on.”
I punched Dahlia’s number into the phone. It rang seven or eight times before she answered.
“Hello?” She sounded nervous and meek. It was so far from her usual extrovert self, it made my chest tighten with worry.
“Dahlia? It’s me. It’s Finola!”
“Oh Finola, oh darlin’.” She burst into tears. I felt myself well up too. “Are you okay, babe?”
“Don’t worry about me,” I said. “I’m being taken care of. But you’re not, by the sound of it. Are you at our place? Where’s Akash? Didn’t you get out to stay at your mum’s?”
She sniffed. “Akash dumped me. I called him to say I needed him to come over and he said no and he’s been seeing someone else. Just like that.”
“Shit. I’m so sorry, Dahlia. What a wanker.”
“I know. What can you do, eh?”
“But what about your mum?”
She sniffed again. “I got halfway down the stairs of our building and this awful man was there. He basically chased me back into the flat, shouting about you and demanding to know where you were. I said I didn’t know and that I was just trying to go see my mum. Then he said if I didn’t tell him where you were, he’d start hurting people one by one until I talked. I shouted that I’d call the police and he said if I did that, he’d put a burning candle through my mum’s door in the middle of the night. You know my mum uses a wheelchair and couldn’t get out fast. I mean, what sort of sicko says that? Maybe he was bluffing and they don’t know where she is, but I couldn’t risk it. I didn’t know what to do. I’ve been sitting in the house ever since, terrified to leave. I’ve only got enough food for the rest of today really. Every time I look outside, I see your car, and there are different people sitting in it. I’m so scared, Fin. I’m so, so scared.”
She dissolved into tears again. I wished so much that I could hug her.
“Oh god, Dahlia,” I said. “I’m so sorry you’re caught up in all this. This is all my fault.”
“It’s not, babe,” she said. “You’re not the psycho who started all this.”
“Actually, it’s my fault either of you two are involved,” Sebastian called out. “But we’re going to fix it. Tell her Lucas is coming for her.”
I spent an hour on the phone, reassuring her and promising her we’d have her whisked to Ireland in no time.
Rufus took the phone towards the end of the call, to promise some heavy duty security guards waiting with her until Lucas arrived.
Rufus turned to me after the call had ended.
“Finola, I owe you an enormous apology.”
“Me? What for?”
“I made a promise to you that we’d protect Miss Henry. And I failed in that promise. I don’t like to break promises and I must offer my heartfelt regret that this occurred.”
He looked so troubled, I gave him a big hug.
“I know you did everything you could. Everyone underestimated just how loopy this Lavery dude is. Lucas will get to her in time. I know he will.”
I wasn’t as confident as I pretended, but I didn’t want to make him feel any worse.
Just then, Rufus’ own cellphone rang. He rummaged in the inside pocket of his jacket.
“Hello, this is Rufus Harley-Jones?” His face went from glum to happy in about three minutes.
Isabel, Sebastian and I watched him as he listened to whoever was on the other side of the call.
“Yep. Oh, that’s marvelous. Yes. I will indeed. Thanks, Winston. Appreciate it.”
“Well?” Sebastian crossed his bulky arms across his chest. “Spill the beans, Rufus.”
“Is it good news?” Isabel said.
“You could say that,” Rufus smiled. “That was Winston, my acting head of operations over here. They terminated the target at 18:47 local time.”
I stared at him, trying to work out what those words signified.
The whole room erupted in delight.
Rufus yelled “Come ON” and shook his fist in jubilation.
Isabel screamed and danced on the spot.
Sebastian punched the air. Then he picked me up and swung me round.
“He’s gone, Finola,” he said, excitedly. “He’s out of our lives for good!”
“He’s dead?” I said. “Piers Lavery? Your people got him?”
“Oh yes,” Rufus said, stretching his arms. He looked tired but elated. “We got him good. The car registered to him was destroyed completely on a deserted country road this evening. The incendiary device operated flawlessly. No trace of a body remains.”
Everyone seemed relieved and excited. The atmosphere had lightened noticeably.
Something bothered me though. “If there’s no body, how do you know it was him?”
“Because that car was his pride and joy. It was a limited
edition hand-built affair, with a personalized registration plate. According to our records, he drove a Mercedes in London, and this fancy thing when he was over here in Ireland. The motherland.” Rufus shrugged. “I’m happy enough with that evidence.”
Sebastian nodded. “There’s no way anyone else drove that car, Finola. He’s a nut-job. He wouldn’t car pool.”
“I guess not.”
The relief started to wash over me in degrees. I could feel my happiness levels rising, the more I thought about it.
“He’s gone. You’re safe. Sebastian, you’re safe.”
Sebastian kissed me. “We’re safe. Are you still feeling freaked out by everything?”
“I just want Dahlia here and then I’ll be turning cartwheels, believe me.”
“She’ll be here tomorrow.” He hugged me close. “And don’t forget there’s nobody after us now. She and Lucas can travel in peace.”
Isabel was chortling to herself behind Sebastian.
“I’ve got an announcement too. Shall I let you into a secret, lovebirds?”
“Please do.” Sebastian raised an eyebrow in amusement.
“My trip to Northern Ireland went very well. I visited a judge, who’s an old friend of my father.”
“How dull,” Sebastian grinned at his old friend. “Does the story get better?”
“Shut up and listen,” she said, winking at me. “The judge thought it was terribly unfortunate that the fact of our marriage might inconvenience a friend of the Prowse family. And when he learned it also presented an obstacle to a member of the illustrious Chase family, he decided he simply must act.”
“Go on?” Sebastian had stopped laughing, but his smile hadn’t dropped.
“This sweet old judge pulled a lot of strings and rushed through the court documents for the ending of our marriage. It normally takes months. We were granted an annulment within two days.”
She opened her arms out wide, in a ‘Ta-da!’ motion.
“Isabel, that’s wonderful!” Sebastian scooped me up and span me round again.
“Stop, I’m dizzy,” I cried.
I was so happy, I could burst.
“I’m glad too,” said Isabel. “The marriage served its purpose. Sebastian’s grandfather is long gone, and my parents are just going to have to accept I’m a career woman. I’m in my thirties now, for heaven’s sake. I can’t keep doing idiotic things to please them. Now we can all move on with our lives.”
I flung my arms round both of them and squeezed them tightly. “Bundle!” I yelled.
“What are you on about?” Sebastian said, but he squeezed back just as hard.
“It’s nothing. It’s a Malley family thing.”
“I think it’s probably time I got to know the Malley family,” he said. “If you’ll have me, Finola, I’m all yours.”
We kissed passionately, forgetting for a moment we weren’t alone.
When we pulled apart, Rufus was pretending to check out the back of Seb’s guidebook and Isabel was apparently totally distracted tying a chiffon scarf round her neck in different ways.
“Let’s go and eat, guys,” said Rufus. “This calls for a celebration. I’ve just booked a table in Dublin’s finest restaurant.”
Sebastian took my hand. “I can’t wait to take you out someplace fancy, Miss Malley,” he said. “Lots of cutlery. Lots of courses. You’ll still be the classiest thing there.”
The sense of lightness made me feel like we were walking among the stars. We headed for the door, basking in love and joy from head to toe.
29
By the time we wound up back at the hotel, it was nearly five o’clock in the morning. The restaurant had a smart cocktail bar attached to it, so we headed in there after our meal.
I could only manage one Tequila Sunrise, being such a lightweight drinker. But Rufus was pleasantly merry when we arrived at the hotel.
“One more for the road?” he slurred in the elevator. “All of you, scurry along to my room. I’m sure I have a well-stocked binny-mar. I mean mini-bar.”
“I think you’ve had enough, my friend,” Sebastian laughed, helping him out of the elevator. “I’m not sure you can handle liquor like you did as a younger man, Rufus.”
“Nonsense,” Rufus said, leaning on the wall. “Never felt better.”
Isabel and I chuckled to ourselves. Sebastian guided him back to his room.
“I’m so glad you two have each other,” Isabel said, when Sebastian disappeared into Rufus’ room. “You’re perfect for one another. And he’s such a great guy. I’m really happy he found you. Finally, someone who deserves him!”
I hugged her, genuinely fondly. It seemed funny to think how much I loathed her very existence the first time I saw her.
“I’m really happy to have made a friend like you,” I said. “And thanks again for rushing through that annulment. You must have had to sweet-talk that judge and I’m so grateful for it.”
Isabel laughed. “Just a little. But it was all worth it to see the smiles on your faces. You cuties.”
Sebastian emerged from Rufus’ room and shut the door. “He’s going to need to sleep that off. I think he was snoring before I’d even got his shoes off.”
“You’re a good pal, Seb,” Isabel said, clapping him on the shoulder. “Go make your beautiful lady comfortable. I’ll see you guys in the morning.”
We watched her wander down to her own room and disappear inside.
Then we looked at each other. We were right outside my door.
Smiles crept across each of our faces.
“It’s nearly breakfast time,” he said. “Shall we order pancakes?” He squeezed my ass. “And then go back to bed?”
I sighed, already tingling with anticipation.
“Now that’s tempting,” I said. “Can we order maple syrup and raspberries with the pancakes?”
“Hell, yes. I’d be insulted if they didn’t bring both.”
He kissed me long and deep, right there in the corridor. Then he cupped my face with one hand, staring deep into my eyes.
“Listen, Finola. I need to go and get something. I won’t be long. Why don’t you wait for me in your room? I’ll order the food from my room and by the time I’m back, it’ll be on its way.”
There was a twinkle of excitement in his eyes. I felt nervous and thrilled, all at the same time.
What was he going to get?
Was it… It couldn’t be…?
Of course it can’t be a ring, I admonished myself. He’s only known you a short time. Billionaire CEOs don’t propose at the drop of a hat. They need time to assess things. Time to weigh up the decision.
But my heart was telling me that’s exactly what he was doing.
I stifled my excitement and said “Sure, okay,” as casually as I could.
I watched his herculean form disappear round the corner of the corridor and grinned to myself. He was everything I’d ever wanted in a man. Damn, I was a lucky girl.
When I opened the door to my room, I gasped.
It was full of tiny flowers.
Garlands made of of thousands of little flowers hung from the walls, in great woven chains.
A huge heart shaped frame on another wall was studded with the flowers.
The bed was strewn with a carpet of more flowers, all linked together in an intricate pattern by their stalks.
They were daisies.
Sebastian had arranged for my room to be filled with daisies.
I clapped my hand to my mouth, overcome with emotion. Turning to the coffee table, I gasped again.
It was covered in flickering tealight candles in tiny clear glass pots. They spelled out ‘MARRY ME’.
I gulped back tears. Happiness and love washed over me, cleansing away all my self-doubt and past disappointments.
Then a man in the corner of the room cleared his throat.
I squeaked in surprise. But it was just the guy who’d put all the daisies out. He wore green overalls and carried a basket wi
th a few daisies still left in it. He looked mortified at being spotted.
“So sorry, madam,” he said in his broad Irish brogue, looking at the floor. “I was meant to be out of here by the time you got back. I’ll be on my way now, so I will.”
“It’s no problem, really,” I said, relieved. “Thanks for this. It’s beautiful.”
The man nodded and headed for the door, looking embarrassed. Perhaps he thought I might report him to the hotel manager. No chance of that, I thought. I’m too happy to get anyone into trouble.
Sebastian would be back at any moment. I headed to the bathroom, to brush my hair and get cleaned up a little. With any luck, we would have a little more time awake.
I shivered at the hours of pleasure I was sure would follow. My reflection couldn’t help smiling back at me in the mirror.
Suddenly the bathroom door opened. I looked up at the mirror, waiting for Sebastian to walk through it.
It was the flowers guy again.
“Did you forget something?” I said, a little annoyed that he’d just walked in without knocking.
“Yes,” he said, in a completely different voice. “I forgot this.”
He grabbed my hair and put a gun to my head.
“Walk,” he said.
30
The green-clad flowers guy dragged me out of the bathroom by my hair. I was silent with shock for a moment. His new voice seemed so familiar.
Then I remembered.
It was the same guy who held me at knifepoint in the parking garage beneath Sebastian’s bank. He was just dressed as a hotel gardener, instead of the tailored suit he’d worn in London.
Surely it couldn’t be…?
“Are you Piers Lavery?” I whispered.
“Oh, a gold star for you,” he sneered, in his upper class English accent. “Thought I was dead, didn’t you? Sorry to disappoint.”
Come back, Sebastian, I pleaded in my head.
Then I realized that might be the worst thing to happen. I didn’t want Sebastian to be shot either. If only the chambermaid would drop in, see us before we saw her, and run for help.
Tiger Billionaire: The Whole Story (BBW Paranormal Tiger Shifter Romance Box Set) Page 19