“I had a meeting a couple of days ago.” Winchester turned his back on Darrogh. “Look Tami, this is between you and me.”
“Don’t call me that.” Tamsin straightened her back. “I didn’t like that nickname even when we were a couple.”
Winchester held his hands up in a conciliatory motion. “No problem. We need to say yes to these guys and get things rolling. The sooner the merger takes place, the sooner we’ll start raking in the bonuses.”
“Is money all that is important to you?”
Winchester’s eyes widened. “Of course. It should be important to you also. Money is the commodity that banks deal with.”
“That doesn’t mean it has to rule your life.” Tamsin shook her head. “Money is a tool, nothing more. It’s what you do with it that matters.”
“You mean spend it.”
“I mean use it for good.”
Winchester shook his head. “You need to help yourself first. This is your opportunity to get in front of this before your family’s bank is taken out.”
“I won’t let that happen.”
“There’s no stopping it.” Winchester’s voice was bitter. “Trust me. The sooner you accept these guys, the better.”
“It sounds as if you already have.” Darrogh could tell from Winchester’s expression that he was right. “How long has your family bank been in their control?”
“Two years now.”
Tamsin gasped. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“What difference did it make? As long as we married and the banks were merged there was no need for you to know.”
“You never intended to tell me about the threat to my father’s bank.”
“No.” Winchester’s voice was harsh. “I would have been in control of everything. Neither you nor your father would have known the difference. You could go on with your idealistic daydreams, and your father would have retired. Instead, you called the whole thing off.”
“I caught you in bed with my best friend.”
“Liz was hardly your friend.” Winchester scoffed. “You didn’t seem too interested in that aspect of our lives anyway. A man has needs and if his fiancée is unwilling to fulfill them, then he will look elsewhere.”
“So now it’s my fault that you cheated?” Tamsin’s voice was full of disgust.
“Yes.” Winchester threw himself back in his chair. “You’ve been given a second chance to make this right. Take their offer. You’ve been warned. They will kill you.”
“The penalty for threatening the life of a woman is death.” Darrogh pushed his chair away from the table. “A man that would carry the threat of another is either a coward or a monster.”
“I’m being realistic.” Winchester’s voice had lost its charm.”
“You’ve already sold out.” Tamsin’s tone was filled with disgust. “How could you?”
“It’s called survival,” Winchester hissed. “You should try it.”
“Your family’s bank is almost as old as ours. What about your obligation to your clients?”
“I can’t help them if I’m dead.” Winchester raised an eyebrow. “You should consider their offer. You could negotiate start-ups for your charity banks.”
A feeling of unease crawled up Darrogh’s back.
Danger was near.
He looked around the café. Nothing had changed. Firbin was still sitting at the table beside them, his hands hidden in his jacket to conceal his weapon. Jehon sat at the door, guarding the entrance. Kerm was in Tamsin’s car, ready to drive them if something happened. Savis was in the communications van parked in a side street where he could keep an eye on the building. Breanon was on the roof of the next building, guarding rear and side entrances.
“Report.” Darrogh’s command by mind connect was sharp.
“No activity,” Breanon said. “No one has entered or left from the rear or side.
“Two men dressed in long black coats have walked past the café twice.” Savis’s voice was tense. “Permission to intervene.”
“Stay at your post. Jehon will pursue.” Darrogh looked behind at Jehon and nodded. Jehon stood and left the café. He went outside and leaned against the building. If the men passed again, he would follow.
Darrogh still had a sense of unease. “Firbin be prepared to move.”
“This will be the last time they negotiate with you.” Winchester was still trying to convince Tamsin to join the Albirsion group. “These are very powerful people.”
Tamsin shook her head. “All the more reason to say no.”
“You’re a fool.” Winchester stood and threw some bills on the table. “I should have saved my breath.”
“I can’t sell out the bank or my father.”
Winchester gave a short laugh. “I convinced the group to let me give you another chance because I felt I owed it to you. We’re even now.”
“There is no forgetting what you did.” Tamsin shook her head. “Do you really think threatening me would make your betrayal go away?”
Winchester leaned over the table. “They’re going to kill you. What will happen to your father’s precious bank then?”
“At least it will still be his.” Tamsin voice was quiet. “What does your father think about what you’re doing?”
“I run Nethercott Bank, not him.” Winchester’s face was scrunched into a fierce scowl. “I make my own rules.”
“As long as the Albirsion Corporation agrees.” Darrogh stood and held his hand out to Tamsin. “We need to leave.”
Firbin walked toward them.
“These guys won’t be able to protect you,” Winchester said with disdain. “You haven’t a clue what you’re dealing with.”
Darrogh put his body in front of Tamsin. “I know exactly what I am dealing with. You are the one who doesn’t realize how serious the situation is. You can tell your Albireon friends that they have Hunters on their trail now. We don’t stop.”
Winchester shook his head. “Do you really think they’ll care?”
“Yes.” Darrogh motioned Firbin to go out the back door. “I’ve defeated them in more than one battle, and I will do so again.”
“You’re not making sense.” Winchester took a step back and glared at Tamsin. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Darrogh watched Winchester walk out of the café. He still had the uneasy sensation of being watched. He did not know where it was coming from. Firbin was standing at the hallway to the back exit. Darrogh scanned the café once more and noticed a short bald man in a large overcoat. His eyes looked down when Darrogh focused on him. There was no doubt that he’d been watching them. He seemed to be fiddling with something in his pocket.
“Is the rear still clear?” Darrogh asked Breanon.
“Yes.” Breanon’s voice was matter of fact.
“We’re coming out.”
“Is there anyone out front Jehon?”
“They followed Winchester.”
“Maybe he is the one with the problems with the Albireons,” Darrogh said in a dry voice. “Meet us at the exit.”
“Savis bring the van to the back exit.”
Firbin shielded Tamsin from the front and Darrogh brought up the rear. The man in the overcoat stood at the same time. Darrogh was going to find out why he was watching them. Once outside Darrogh motioned Firbin to stand to one side. He took the other side. Jehon guided Tamsin to the van which now blocked the laneway.
They waited.
It took a couple of minutes before the door was opened a fraction of an inch.
That was enough for Darrogh. He pulled the door wide and grabbed the man by his collar. Darrogh hauled him out of the café and threw him up against the wall.
“Who are you?”
“Nobody.” His voice shook.
“Why were you watching us?”
The man shook his head. “I was having a cappuccino.”
“What’s in your pocket?” Darrogh lowered the man to his feet. “Firbin check it out.”
/> “You can’t do this,” He protested in a loud voice.
Firbin pulled out a small camera. He turned it on and started to scan through the pictures. “He’s been following us for some time.”
Darrogh clenched his jaw. “How bad?”
“Enough to know that you guys are up to no good.” The photographer jutted his chin out. “I’ll take this to the police. We’ll see what they have to say about you detaining an innocent man and stealing his camera.”
Firbin put the camera screen in front of Darrogh. It was a picture of him carrying Tamsin away from Saxby’s apartment. Darrogh clenched the man’s arm and moved him to the van. He pushed him onto a seat and nodded to Savis to drive.
“This is kidnapping.” The man’s voice echoed throughout the van.
“I need answers.” Darrogh glared at the man. “You are coming with us.”
Chapter 10
Tamsin’s house used to be a peaceful sanctuary.
Now it was harboring criminals.
Darrogh and his men had been here for only a week, and her life had been turned upside down. She doubted it would ever be the same again. Before they’d arrived, the most she’d ever had to worry about was a cheating fiancé. Now, she’d been involved in a killing, kidnapping, and if her father was to be believed, extortion and corporate takeovers.
Tamsin sighed and looked at the man they’d seized at the café.
He was a short, balding, nondescript person that you’d miss in a crowd. That seemed to be the problem. Her highly skilled bodyguards had overlooked him and he’d acquired information that they wanted. She leaned back into her large cushioned chair and hoped it wasn’t serious. The look on Darrogh’s face told her nothing.
Darrogh had an impassive, unreadable expression, yet she sensed unease and anger beneath the surface. He kept glancing at her and she swore she saw the flickering of worry in his eyes. It felt as if she was reading his thoughts more than seeing them. It was ridiculous. No one could do that.
Firbin was searching the prisoner’s pockets. He pulled out a business card and handed it to Darrogh.
“Peter Newton.” Darrogh glanced up from the card. “It says that you are a Private Investigator.”
“That’s right, and you’re interfering with my work.”
“Does that work mean you follow people and take photographs?” Darrogh threw the card on the table and picked up the camera.
“My client requires proof. You know what they say about a photograph.”
“No, I do not.” Darrogh frowned. “Explain.”
“Seeing is believing?”
When Darrogh still gave him a blank look, Peter continued. “A picture’s worth a thousand words?”
“There are no words in pictures.” Darrogh looked down at the camera.
Tamsin hid a smile at the look of disbelief on the investigator’s face. Darrogh spoke perfect English, but he didn’t understand the nuances. It was as if he was still learning the language. She added that to her mental list of things she had to discuss with him.
A nerve tightened in Darrogh’s jaw. “How long you have been following us?”
His harsh tone sent a shiver down her back. He looked up at her and she sensed rather than saw a flash of reassurance. She hugged her arms close to her body. She had to trust that he knew what he was doing. Her father and Winchester had been very clear about her predicament.
She was in danger.
Darrogh and his men were the only reason she was alive.
“You guys are amateurs.” Peter boasted. “I’ve been tailing this pretty lady for months now. Things just got interesting when you appeared.”
“What does that mean?” Darrogh’s eyes narrowed.
“Miss Creighton stayed at home more than she went out.”
Darrogh glanced over at her and she nodded. “I’ve kept a low profile since last year.”
“When you called off your wedding.” Peter cleared his throat. “That’s about the same time I was hired to follow you.”
“Who hired you?”
Peter shrugged. “That’s confidential.”
Darrogh picked Peter up by his collar and gave him a shake. “Tell us now. It is my duty to protect Tamsin and you are preventing that. Nothing gets in the way of my mission.”
Peter’s eyes widened. “The law protects me. I have a right to do my job without interference.”
Darrogh pulled him close. “Your laws do not concern me.”
Peter turned to her with a pleading look. “Tell him to stop.”
Tamsin hugged herself closer. She wanted this whole sordid thing to go away, but Darrogh shook his head at her. A sense of calm came over her and even though she disagreed with what they were doing to the man, she couldn’t deny that Peter had information that they need.
“You had best tell him, Mr. Newton.” She forced her voice to remain steady.
A flicker of fear passed over the private investigator’s face.
“I don’t know.” His voice was a whine.
“You have no name?” Darrogh put him back in his seat. “How do you get paid?”
“I have a mailbox that I use.”
“How do you contact him?”
Peter straightened the collar of his coat. “We both use the same box. He has a key and so do I. Every evening I deposit copies of my surveillance photos in it.”
“That does not sound logical.” Savis spoke for the first time. “Why not electronically. That is how most people do it.”
“He wants to remain anonymous.” Peter shrugged. “All I care about is that he pays me.”
“Where were you when these pictures were taken?” Darrogh’s voice was emotionless.
“In my car. I parked in a small lot near the nightclub and waited. It was just luck the lot was across from the alleyway.”
“So you saw Tamsin escape.”
“And I followed her.”
“Did you stay in your car?” Darrogh took a step closer to Peter.
“I wasn’t about to interrupt the lovebirds.”
Tamsin’s stomach twisted. Something in Darrogh’s tone alerted her to the seriousness of what was in those pictures. She reached her hand out for the camera. There on the viewing screen was a shot of Darrogh holding her in his arms. She was wearing his jacket and slumped back in his arms. She looked to be completely incapacitated.
The next picture showed her snuggled close to Darrogh’s chest.
Contentment and peace were evident in her smile.
Her stomach fluttered when she saw the expression on Darrogh’s face. He was a man who never showed emotion, yet that wasn’t the case in this picture. The camera had captured him looking down at her. There was distress and concern in his gaze. If she didn’t know different, she’d say it was a picture of two people in love. Her finger traced down the camera viewing screen.
She clicked through several more of the photos and found one with her getting into the car with George Saxby. The pictures were damning.
“What did you do with these photos?” Tamsin handed the camera to Firbin.
“I gave them to my client.”
“That’s an invasion of my privacy.” Tamsin’s stomach churned with nausea. “What did I ever do to you?”
“You’re lucky I’m not a paparazzo. The stuff I’ve shot this past week would have made me a fortune.”
The men froze.
Tamsin held her breath.
“What things?” Darrogh’s tone was low.
Peter glanced up at him with a smile. “All the partying and clubbing. Miss Creighton’s been taking you guys on a merry little run around London. I almost felt sorry for you.”
Firbin waved the camera. “There are no pictures of that here.”
“I had to change the memory card last night.”
“Where are the other photos?”
“Back at my place.” Peter shrugged. “I transfer everything to my computer.”
“We will want your computer and the memory cards.” Darro
gh’s voice was threatening.
“You can’t just take them,” Peter protested. “That’s theft.”
“I will pay you for them.” Tamsin thought it was time to interrupt before this escalated into a shouting match. The heavy-handed approach wasn’t going to work. Peter was a businessman and if there was one thing she knew, that was business.
“I’d also like to pay you for your services.”
“I can’t work for two people.”
Tamsin kept her voice reasonable. “I’m offering you more money and the chance at a regular job if you work out.”
Peter glanced up at Darrogh. “Do I have to be near this guy?”
“For a while, but in time I’ll find a position for you at Creighton’s. We always need good security people. After what I’ve heard and seen today, you strike me as being very ingenious.”
Peter leaned back. “I can tell you’re a person who appreciates good work.”
Tamsin smiled. “I also reward those who work with me.”
Peter’s eyes narrowed. “I’m getting three thousand pounds a month, plus expenses.”
“I’ll pay you five thousand pounds and I’m the only person you work for.” Tamsin crossed her arms. “If you double cross me, you’ll answer to Darrogh.”
Darrogh took his cue and leaned close. “There are penalties for lying.”
Peter gulped. “I’ll work for you, but not with him.”
“He’s the head of my personal security.” Tamsin wished that Darrogh wasn’t so imposing right now. As if on cue, he stepped back from Peter and walked to the window. She let out the breath she’d been holding. Now was her chance to seal the deal.
“What about a signing bonus?”
Peter took his eyes off Darrogh and looked at her. “What kind?”
“Another five thousand pounds.”
“Done.” The words of acceptance were out of Peter’s mouth before she’d stopped speaking.
“I do have some terms.” Tamsin continued. “First, we need all copies of the photos you’ve taken since you started following me. Second, I need you to help my security team find out who hired you.”
Peter nodded. “I can give you the photos, but I don’t know how you’ll locate the man I was working for.”
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