Beth frowned at the gun but then smiled up at him, trying to show how much she appreciated his consideration. In response he waved a pack of cards at her.
“Let's play a game,” he suggested, kneeling on the other side of the coffee table to Beth.
“I don't know how to play cards,” she said, slightly embarrassed at having to confess she couldn’t do something so ordinary.
Frowning, he thought for a minute, and a smile curled one corner of his mouth. “I bet you know how to play Snap.”
“Snap?” Beth asked. Of course she knew how to play Snap, but seriously that was a game for children.
“Yes, Snap. We can play in here and that way you won't miss any changes in the news.”
Beth looked at the man sitting across from her. He couldn’t have been more masculine, yet here he was offering to play a childish game to distract her from her fears. She pushed away the desire to trust him. Trust wasn't usually something that came easily to her, but there was something about this man that was pulling her in. She needed to keep her wits about her and fight that urge.
After all, with the exception of her friends Bree and Simon, every time she had listened to her instincts and trusted someone outside of the family they had betrayed her.
“You know you want to,” he said, “or are you chicken?”
“Hnnumph,” she said, abruptly sitting up. “I'll show you chicken!”
Chase pulled the cards out of the pack and shuffled with a quick flick of his wrists before dishing them out into two piles.
They alternated slapping cards down.
“Snap!” he shouted when the first pair flashed up.
“You were cheating!” she said with a scowl. “No one ever beats me at Snap, well except Emma.”
“I think, Miss Worthington, you'll find that people usually let you win.”
“Don't be silly!” she retorted, trying unsuccessfully to hide her smile. “I'm just awesome!”
“Who’s Emma?“ he asked.
“She’s my best friend’s daughter, and I’m her godmother. It’s her birthday in a few days.”
“How old will she be?”
“Three. She’s adorable.”
Trooper Maddox won the next two sets and was grinning smugly at her. She squared her shoulders and stopped chatting, determined to beat him this time
“Snap!” she shouted, grinning at him as she finally spotted a pair before he did, then jumping up and dancing on the spot in celebration before suddenly freezing.
She stared at him silently for a moment, thinking.
“You let me win!” she said, lips pursed.
Chase laughed and raised both his hands at her accusation. “No chance. I play to win!” he said.
“You swear it?” she asked, still not convinced.
“I swear it!”
She started bouncing around, waving her outstretched arms around her head again.
“What are you doing?” he asked in an amused voice.
“My happy dance! Hooray, I scored! Go me!” she said.
“You are aware I'm still winning, right?”
“Of course, but I have a point. A real point that I earned!” She finally sat down and grinned at Chase. “Come on then, soldier boy. I have more points to win!”
“You're such a dork!”
She giggled at his teasing. Why did she feel so relaxed with this man? She had been trained from birth to be restrained and reserved with everyone except her family, the perfect CEO in waiting. She could only imagine it was the stress. Otherwise there was no way on this earth she'd have done her happy dance in front of a stranger, any stranger. The fact he was attractive had no bearing on her thoughts, she insisted to herself.
No one but her family ever teased her. People were either overawed and deferential or busy proving they weren't impressed. Beth understood both reactions but often felt sad that no one seemed to see the person behind the money. It made her incredibly grateful for her family. Thinking of them made her glance at the screen still showing the news. She quickly did a double-take, gasping at the realization of what she was seeing.
The ticker tape at the bottom of the screen had changed.
Elizabeth Worthington Missing!
The words seemed to scream out at her as a three-second piece of video looped on the screen. The video showed her slung over the shoulder of a huge dark-haired man, her bottom stuck up in the air. Neither of their faces were visible, but with the blonde hair bundled up on the back of the head and the pale lemon satin dress, there was no mistaking that it was her. The tousled dark hair topping the broad shoulders she was slung over could only be the handsome man standing next to her, staring open-mouthed at the screen.
“Official sources refuse to comment on the whereabouts of Elizabeth Worthington, who is seen here clearly unconscious as she is carried away from the scene of today's carnage by an unknown suspect.” The reported continued to speculate on who the mystery man was and his role in the shooting.
Blinking rapidly, Beth tried to process what she had seen. Maddox had already told her he'd taken her from the church, but was he really who he said he was? If so why hadn't a statement been released confirming that she was safe? Her gaze went from the huge man kneeling next to her to the table where the gun still sat. Without conscious instruction from her brain, Beth lunged for it and with shaking hands pointed it at the man who only minutes earlier had made her feel so safe.
“Who are you really?” she asked.
Trooper Maddox put both hands in the air and took a step back from her. To her annoyance the actions seemed to be more about calming her than from fear she might actually shoot him.
“Ma'am, I've told you who I am. I promise that's true.”
“If that is true how were you in the wedding party? I would have known if you were SAS. I had full clearance on the security details!”
Beth cringed at her own stupidity. Why hadn't she thought of this earlier? What did it say about her life that she was she so used to having bodyguards with her, so used to being forced into someone else’s schedule and plans for her that she hadn’t questioned him properly? Either that or she’d allowed his good looks and charm to override her common sense and logic.
“I've been undercover with Jonathan for the last few months,” he said flatly. “Ever since the details of the threat to the family was intercepted.”
Beth gestured with the gun for him to continue. The gun wobbled in her grasp as she kept it extended towards him.
“We knew that all security would be visible, especially with the media interest in all the wedding arrangements. I was placed at Jonathan's investment firm to ensure that I would be an established friend and colleague and prevent any of the inevitable media questions that would have arisen had I simply appeared in the wedding party. I'm sorry, ma'am, but only Jonathan and your father knew.”
Beth took a deep breath. It sounded logical and certainly explained why she hadn't met him when she'd met Jonathan's other friends, but she still wasn't sure. Seeing herself slung over his shoulder like that made her feel vulnerable and uncertain.
“But you have too much hair to be a soldier!” she blurted, trying to think this through.
That was a solid fact. The SAS didn't allow anything longer than a crew cut.
“I was put straight undercover following my last mission. It’s been a few months since I’ve seen a barber.” He nervously ran his hand through the offending hair, pushing it out of his eyes. “My commanding officer insisted that I leave it so I'd fit in with Jonathan and his friends.”
“We're calling in,” she announced.
“Miss Worthington, it's too early. We have almost two hours before we meet the six-hour requirement.”
“Call in now or I'll use this,” she demanded, stamping her foot and waving the gun at the man in front of her again.
Her senses were telling her that this was one of the good guys, but she'd been hurt enough times to have become unsure of her own ability to judge
someone’s character. She wasn't taking any chances. She just hoped he did as she asked as she had no clue how to use the gun she was holding. Even if she did know she wasn't actually sure she could follow through.
Steeling herself, Beth stared him down. She dealt with difficult business negotiations all the time. She just needed to treat this like one of those. With a nearly imperceptible nod of his head he agreed. One thing Beth was sure of was that she wasn't going to step any closer to this man than necessary. She was certain he'd be able to wrest the gun from her without breaking a sweat if she stepped into his reach.
Slowly he moved across the room, maintaining eye contact, and lifted his morning coat. He pulled a mobile from the pocket, switched the phone on and waited a beat for it to boot up. He glanced down to dial a number and then looked back up, meeting her gaze as he held the phone to his ear.
“Sir?”
There was a pause as Chase listened to the response at the other end.
“Yes, sir, she's with me and safe.” Again silence as he listened.
“That's great news. Where should we meet?”
The silence dragged out as all the color drained from Chase's face.
“What?” he said.
Listening to one side of a conversation was driving Beth crazy. What was going on?
“You're screwing with me?” Chase exclaimed.
“Let me speak to him,” Beth demanded, frustration building at only hearing half a conversation.
Chase nodded to her at her request.
“Sir, Miss Worthington would like to speak with you.”
She snorted as he held the phone out to her. She wasn't falling for that.
“Put it down on that chair and back away.”
Once he had done as she'd asked Beth picked up the handset, fumbling to find it without breaking eye contact with Trooper Maddox.
“Hello, who is this?” she said into the phone.
“Beth, it's Jack Cheshire.”
Beth felt her shoulders relax an inch at the sound of the familiar gravelly voice. Jack Cheshire wasn’t just responsible for organizing the wedding security. He was also an old friend of her parents. It seemed Maddox was who he said he was after all.
“Jack, thank goodness. Do you know Trooper Maddox?”
“Yes. I’m his commanding officer. He's one of my best men. Where is he now?”
“He's standing on the other side of the room. I'm pointing his gun at him,” she admitted.
“Oh, Beth.” Jack said, his tone dismayed. “Be careful with that. It would be easy to hurt him by mistake.”
Deciding to make a final check, Beth asked, “What does he look like?”
“He's tall, dark brown hair, grey eyes, tanned.”
“Any distinguishing features?”
“Okay. I'm told he's a looker. The ladies trip over themselves when he's around. Other than that just the usual squadron tattoo and combat scars. He was shot in the left shoulder, has a scar front and back.”
Beth had to agree with the comment about Chase's looks. She'd been struggling not to trip over her own tongue before she'd touched his hand. It had been a lot tougher once they'd made contact. Knowing exactly what effect he had on her body was a torture of its own kind.
Waving the gun awkwardly at Chase again she instructed, “Shirt off.”
“I usually have to get a bit more flirting in before women demand I strip off,” he teased, but unbuttoned his shirt, shrugging it off his shoulders. All the moisture evaporated from Beth's mouth as she took in his sculpted chest and defined abdomen. The pale red scarring on the front of his shoulder was messy but doing nothing to detract from his appeal. Calling him a looker didn’t even begin to cover it. Swallowing hard, she gestured for him to turn around so she could see his back. At the sight of the red scar, twin to the one on the front, she lowered the gun and tried to return her focus to the phone call.
“It's him,” she breathed.
“Of course it is. I saw him take you from the wedding. Look, given the circumstances it’s good that you are being cautious, but you know I wouldn’t leave you with anyone I didn’t trust completely.”
His words seemed to come out as a sigh, and she knew her behavior had simply added to his worry.
“I’m sorry, Jack. I don’t know what I’m doing,” she said softly, knowing she meant more than just how she had treated the man in front of her.
“It’s okay. You are doing okay, Beth, but can you put the weapon down now?” he said.
Gathering herself, she gave Trooper Maddox a wan smile.
“Sorry,” she said. “Do you want to take this back?”
She turned the gun in her hand so the butt was facing him. He nodded at her and slowly moved closer to take the offered weapon. She tried to ignore the way his muscles flexed as he did so. When he took the gun from her she sighed a relief at no longer having the responsibility of it and turned her attention back to Jack.
“How are my family?” she asked.
“They’re alive. Your father and sister are injured but alive. Everyone else is okay. Beth, listen to me,” he said. “We don't have much time, and I need to speak to Trooper Maddox again. You can't come home yet. Maddox will look after you.”
“Wh—what? Why can't I come home? What's going on? Are they really okay?”
“Beth, I promise you I'll do everything I can to keep them safe. You're the one in danger now. Please let me speak to Maddox. We need to get you on the move and fast.”
“But I don't know him. How can I trust him when you won't even tell me what's going on?”
“Beth, I trust that man with my life. Even more importantly I trust him with your life, and at this point he's the only person I do trust. He's the only person you can trust. I'll make sure he fills you in when you're safe, but right now I need to speak with him.”
“Okay, Jack. Thank you,” Beth said. She didn't like it, but she had to trust that Jack knew what he was doing. Her father had always surrounded himself with experts and then trusted them to do their job. She had to learn to do the same.
A harsh laugh greeted her words.
“What are you thanking me for? I let you all down. I should have done a better job of keeping you all safe.”
“You did well, Jack. They're alive, and I trust you to keep them that way,” she said, both reassuring and setting her expectations with Jack before handing the phone to Trooper Maddox.
She could hear the murmur of conversation but couldn't focus on the words as she sat with her face in her hands, silently sobbing. The relief that her family were alive was like a force washing through her. She wanted to go to them, but simply knowing they were alive she felt could deal with anything.
Chapter Six
Chase finished the call with his CO and turned to see the heiress sobbing silently on the couch. Taking the SIM card from the handset, he crushed it under his foot, making sure it was fully destroyed. He needed to be sure no one could follow them.
Everything his CO had just told him was spinning around his head, but before he took the time to think through all the crap that had just been dumped on him, he had to get the heiress out of here.
This was a service safe house, and based on the intel he'd just received they were at risk if they stayed there. Dragging his hand down his face, Chase took a deep breath and moved to crouch in front of her. Damn, he’d had some of the best military training in the world, but no one had covered what to do with a crying woman. He only knew one way to deal with people in shock so it had better work.
“Miss Worthington,” he said, his voice clear and authoritative, any hint of kindness and sympathy gone. “We have to move, now.”
Chase could see her physically square her shoulders and take a deep breath as she looked up at him. Her red-rimmed eyes were a brilliant shade of brown. She wiped the last of her tears from her face as she nodded her agreement.
He knew she was feeling fragile and was certain she was used to much more delicate handling, but they didn
't have time for that now. He figured the best thing he could do was to act with total confidence and just pull her along with him. And hope like hell she didn't fight him too hard in the process, he thought without much optimism.
Chase held out his hand, and ignoring the spark of desire as she placed her delicate hand in his, he pulled her to her feet. They had taken a step towards the door connecting the house to the garage when there was a loud thud from the front door. Beth flinched against him as the sound reverberated down the long corridor and through the house. She looked up at him, eyes wide. Placing a finger on his lips, he indicated to her to be silent as he led her to the garage faster. The thudding sound continued, almost vibrating across the floor and up through their feet as it increased in volume. They had just stepped into the darkened garage when the noise changed, the sound of splintering wood and the hollow echo of the door slamming on the wall as it flew open, reverberating through to them.
Hanging onto his arm, Elizabeth was shaking as he bolted the door back into the house. He gestured for her to climb into an ageing nondescript green sedan that was parked between them and the black 4x4 they'd arrived in. Despite her clear terror he was pleased that she didn't hesitate. Pausing to slash the passenger side tires of the 4x4, Chase climbed into the sedan driver’s seat and started the engine. At least whoever had broken in wouldn't be able to follow them using his own vehicle. The seconds it took for the electric garage doors to open felt interminable, but finally they had enough clearance to pull out.
As he put his foot to the floor, the car shot forward, catapulting them out of the garage and onto the road outside. Although it was early evening, it was still pretty light, something that wouldn't help them now. As he pulled away Chase spotted an empty black MPV outside the townhouse, a masked body emerging from the splintered door frame as they continued down the street.
He knew they needed to put some serious distance between them and the vehicle behind them that was already starting to move. Whoever was driving it hadn’t even taken the time to close the door before screeching away from the curb in pursuit.
Broken Trust Page 3