Morning My Angel

by Sue Brown

  Jesse gave him an amused look. “Tall guy? Built like a brickie? Stunning eyes?”

  Josh had no idea what a brickie was, but the eyes were right. “If he’s the one you were talking to in the lobby, then yes.”

  From the way Jesse laughed, Josh got the feeling the joke was on him. He took a deep breath, doing his best to keep his temper.

  “Yeah, he’s part of the team. Don’t worry, I’ll stick a lead on him,” Jesse promised.

  “A lead?”

  “You call it a leash.”

  Josh had a sudden image of the green-eyed man naked, handcuffed and clipped to a leather leash. “I can live with that.”

  “I really don’t want to know what you were just thinking,” Jesse said. “You must drive Dominic mad.”

  “He does,” Landry agreed as Gil snorted with laughter.

  Josh scowled at the two traitors. “It keeps him on his toes.”

  Jesse shook his head and led the way back to the conference room. The three suits were there again, huddled around a pot of coffee. Plummy had lost the glasses.

  “Josh, meet Cal, Rick and Dave.” Jesse pointed them out in turn.

  So Mr. Green-Eyes was called Cal. Josh had expected him to be a Perry or a Tarquin, not Cal. Rick was baldy and that made Dave the shortass. Rick and Dave stepped forward and shook hands with each of them. Cal stayed where he was until Jesse raised an eyebrow, then he held out his hand with a huff. Josh expected Cal to crush his hand, but it was a firm grip, nothing more.

  “For this operation, Cal is your equivalent, Josh, and Rick and Dave will work with Gil and Landry.”

  “And you’re our… handler?”

  “I’m your Dominic,” Jesse agreed.

  Josh groaned and everyone, including Cal, laughed. The tension in the room eased and Josh relaxed. He’d made their point but time would tell if the Brits were going to play nice. Stephen brought in fresh coffee and placed it in front of them. Cal sat opposite Josh, studying him carefully. Not all the tension had gone. Josh got the feeling Jesse had another agenda but he didn’t know what it was. Josh was used to being in control of the team, not having his strings pulled by total strangers. He took out his notebook and waited for the debriefing.

  The screen sprang into life with the face of Jonathan Michaels.

  “Jonathan Edward Michaels, thirty-eight years old. He works for Barton and Wharlow. You already know he’s a silent partner in CDR,” Jesse said, and everyone nodded. “You know the story. He went missing on October 30th and hasn’t been seen since. The police found his car by the Thames but no body. The theory was he jumped in and got carried down the river but he hasn’t popped up in any of the usual places.

  “His employers discovered the money loss a week after he disappeared. The SFO, the Serious Fraud Office, are still following the trail. If—and I’m making no assumptions—Michaels has it hidden, it’s hidden deep.”

  “And there’s been no ransom demand?” Josh asked, even though he knew the answer.

  “We haven’t heard a thing and nor has the family,” Cal said. “We’ve tapped every phone they have, including the burners they think we don’t know about. His cards have remained inactive since the day he went missing. The last transaction was for a coffee and a sandwich at about 7pm.”

  Gil pursed his lips. “So he’s skipped town.”

  “And his firm is anxious to find their employee,” Cal said.

  Josh snorted loudly. “And the money.”

  “That goes without saying,” Jesse said. “This is a huge embarrassment for them. We don’t usually handle K&R—”

  “If it is a K&R,” Josh interrupted.

  Jesse nodded. “But one of the senior partners is a friend of my boss and she agreed to take it on.”

  “And we’re involved because of Michaels. Fucking great,” Josh muttered. “Two security ops for one missing embezzler and none of us with the right skills.”

  “Why do you need us?” Landry demanded. “We’re muscle, bodyguards. You need white collar crime experts. Hell, you need the Feds. What do you call them?”

  “We might need to extract him at short notice,” Jesse said. “We are not trusting this to the SFO.”

  “You’ve got the muscle.” Josh pointed to Rick and Dave. These guys could make mincemeat of Landry and Gill, despite the cheap-cut suits which strained at the seams across the shoulders. He dragged his eyes away from studying the two men and caught Cal’s sour expression.

  “CDR insisted you got involved.” From Cal’s sneer it was clear he disagreed.

  Jesse shot Cal a look which said to rein it in. Josh was tired. He didn’t give a shit about politics between the agencies. He just needed to study Michaels, to learn about the man who’d vanished off the face of the earth and caused this clusterfuck. He pointedly tapped his pen on his notebook. “I need more information.”

  “You probably need sleep first,” Jesse replied. “Rick and Dave will take you back to the hotel.”

  Josh huffed because he could’ve done with crashing two hours ago. Although he was still tired, all he wanted to do was to start gathering more intel. It was clear no one had a fucking clue what had happened to Michaels.

  “We’ve got a meeting with the wife at nine tomorrow morning,” Jesse said to him. “I’ll pick you up at eight.”

  Josh nodded and glanced over at Landry and Gill. “We need to talk to Dominic when we get back to the hotel.”

  Gil groaned. “You can talk to him. I need sleep and food.”

  Josh wanted to point out that the twins had gotten way more sleep than he had but then he’d always functioned better on five to six hours rather than the recommended eight. “We’ll talk to them on the way back to the hotel.”

  Getting back in the car was a relief. Gil and Landry closed their eyes almost before the door had closed. Josh contemplated taking a photo of the two of them curled up together.

  Landry opened one eye. “Don’t even think about it.”

  “How the hell did you know?”

  “I know you.” Landry closed his eyes again.

  Josh sighed in disappointment and video conferenced Dominic at CDR. His operations manager had this look of smug amusement when they finally connected.

  “Why are we here?” Josh demanded before Dominic had a chance to speak.

  “Because no one is looking out for Michaels. That’s what you’re there to do.”

  Josh scowled at him. “Then why’re we working on no fucking intel?”

  “Because the Brits have sewn the case up tighter than their asses, You’ve met Jesse. He’s not gonna tell you anything if it affects his case.”

  “I thought we were working on the same case. You know, finding Michaels.”

  Dominic shook his head. “Your job is to find Michaels.”

  “What’s Jesse’s case?”

  “You don’t need to know that.”

  Josh hated fucking politics. He knuckled his eyes, weary to the fucking bone. It didn’t help when Gil and Landry were snoring, dissonant sounds that jangled his nerves. “We find Michaels?”

  “Yes.”

  “Alive or dead?”

  Dominic gave him a steady stare. “You bring him home alive.”

  Josh disconnected the call and leant back against the leather seat of the SUV, closing his eyes. It hadn’t escaped his notice that the powers that be thought Michaels was still alive. Whatever Michaels was caught up in, it was their job to extricate him. That was their mission; to find Jonathan Michaels. And to do that Josh needed information. Not that he was worried. He would get it. He always did.

  Chapter 4

  Wednesday 23rd November

  Jonathan Michaels’ wife was not what Josh expected. He’d met trophy wives and soccer moms, even cougars with their boy-toys, and if that sounded critical it wasn’t meant to. Wives of rich men operated in a different world to other people and they acted accordingly.

  Melissa Michaels was middle-aged with straggly eyebrows, gray hair, and didn’
t wear a scrap of make-up. She dressed in jeans and a hoodie with knock-off Ugg boots, and she looked like the bottom had dropped out of her world. She was also, very obviously, sick of talking to men in suits accusing her husband of embezzlement and didn’t offer them a cup of tea. Wasn’t there some law against not making tea for guests? Josh thought that was treason or something in England. Despite the fact it had only just gone 9.00 a.m., Josh could smell booze and an empty tumbler sat on the side table next to her. He wondered if she’d even gone to bed.

  Josh sat in her expensive mews house in Chelsea with Jesse and Gil. Cal cried off saying he’d met her before, and Landry wanted to follow a lead Dominic had given him. Landry had a knack of dealing with financial people.

  The furniture matched Melissa, not the house she lived in. Josh liked this woman’s attitude, but he didn’t think his warm feeling was returned.

  She gave them a cynical look when Jesse introduced Josh and Gil. “I know who you are and where you’re from. You’re just here to protect your own backs.”

  Well, yes, but Jesse made noises about pooling resources. When she caught Josh’s eye he winked, letting her know she was right. Josh wasn’t going to patronize Melissa Michaels and treat her like an idiot. She inclined her head to let Josh know she’d got the message and the brief exchange was over. Josh was aware from the flicker of Jesse’s eyelids that he’d caught it too.

  Josh perched on the edge of her sofa, noting that Melissa sat in an old recliner. He understood that this was her way of sticking two fingers up at the world. The rest of the world could be uncomfortable in chic; she was going to be who she was.

  She glared at Jesse as he tried to lead her through the events of the day her husband disappeared. “I’ve been through this already. I spoke to the local police, and the fraud squad.” Her tone suggested she wasn’t impressed with either. “He went to work at 7.00 a.m., and I reported him missing when he hadn’t returned by midnight. They told me I had to wait forty-eight hours before they’d do anything.”

  “When did you realize something was wrong?” Jesse asked. His tone was gentler than Josh would’ve been, and he gave Jesse credit for the way he was treating her.

  “When Jon didn’t return home,” Melissa snapped. “When his car that he didn’t even drive to work was found by the Thames. When the police accused me of knowing my husband had been embezzling millions. I knew then.”

  Josh exchanged an uncomfortable glance with Jesse. “Ma’am, did you know about the money?” he asked bluntly.

  “Of course not. Jon’s never done anything wrong in his life. He doesn’t even drive over the bloody speed limit.”

  That fitted in with the information they had of Jonathan Michaels. Squeaky clean although a demon at his job. He wouldn’t be the first man to lead a double life, but something was hinky and Josh couldn’t put his finger on it. Not yet. But he would, that’s why they employed him.

  “Had you noticed anything odd before he went missing? Maybe a change in his behavior or strange phone calls?” Jesse asked.

  “I’ve answered all this before,” she snapped.

  Josh leaned forward to attract her attention. “I know you have, but the difference is I want your husband safe and well. The cops want to find a body; the SFO want the money. Callum Ross, my boss, wants his friend back. That’s what I’m here for. Everything else is secondary.” Josh wanted to ask Jesse what the fuck he wanted but now was not the time.

  Melissa stared at Josh, doubt written clear, but he didn’t flinch before her gaze, and eventually she drew a shaky breath. “The only thing I can remember is one phone call about a week before he left. It was about 3.00 a.m. and he got up to take the call. He never used to bother leaving the room if it was a client, but this time he went downstairs. I fell asleep and he was beside me when I woke up.”

  “Did you question him about it?” Josh asked.

  “He said it was a client. That he knew it would be a long call and he didn’t want to disturb me. I didn’t think anything more about it.” Melissa sniffed and her eyes shone with unshed tears.

  Gil, ever the gentleman, leant over and handed her a handkerchief. Josh rolled his eyes. Gil was the only man he knew, under seventy, who carried a handkerchief. She wiped her eyes and blew her nose loudly. Gil told her to keep it when she tried to hand it back.

  Josh took out his notebook, scrawling a reminder to check if the police had traced the phone call and find out why Michaels was driving his car if he didn’t normally. He assumed Jesse’s agency and the Serious Fraud Office would have already investigated, but it wasn’t in the file. The lack of information was infuriating. “What do you know about your husband’s financial affairs?”

  “Less than you do,” Melissa snapped.

  At this stage Josh wasn’t so sure but for now he took it on trust. “You had no idea about the money being stolen from his clients’ accounts?”

  “If I did do you think I’d still be sitting here?”

  “You’d have disappeared with him? Do you love your husband?”

  Tears spilled onto Melissa’s cheeks and she wiped them away angrily. “If you’d asked me that three weeks ago I’d have said yes without hesitation.”

  “And now?”

  “He left me here to face this by myself.”

  “Do you think he’s alive?” Jesse asked.

  “You do, or you wouldn’t be here.”

  Josh noticed Jesse didn’t answer and he made another note to get Gil to pin Jesse against the wall until he coughed up the intel. He stood up, ignoring the surprised looks from Jesse and Gil. “Thanks, ma’am. I don’t think I’ve got any more questions for you.”

  Jesse raised an eyebrow. “You don’t?”

  “Let’s go,” Josh said shortly and he waited for Gil and Jesse to stand up.

  They all piled into the SUV and, as they drove away, Josh saw Melissa Michaels staring after them. She looked small and lonely in her doorway, and Josh cursed the circumstances that brought her to this point.

  They were a mile away before Jesse spoke. “Going to explain what that was all about?”

  “Gonna give me fucking intel?” Josh snapped. “Or am I gonna have to get Landry and Gil to beat it out of you?”

  Gil didn’t react, not even a facial twitch. If Josh told him to work Jesse over, he would, Dominic and CDR be damned.

  Jesse leant back in his seat, seemingly calm in the face of personal violence. “Ask your questions.”

  “You think he’s alive,” Josh said flatly.

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “His employers got a ransom demand.”

  Out of the corner of his eye Josh saw Gil’s jaw tighten and his fists clench. If Gil decided to take a swing at Jesse, Josh would hold his coat.

  “Why weren’t we told that before we were sent here?” Gil demanded.

  “We thought he’d vanished with the money up until two days ago. Then his firm got the ransom demand. That’s when I made the decision to ask CDR for help.”

  “Despite the connection with Michaels?”

  “Because of the connection with Michaels,” Jesse corrected.

  Josh processed this for a minute. “You don’t think Callum Ross could be involved?”

  Jesse burst out laughing. “Not in a million years.”

  “Why not?” CDR may have been Josh’s employer but no one was above suspicion, not even the head of a security firm. Especially not the head of a security firm. Ross wrote the fucking manual on criminal activity.

  “Once you know him you’ll understand. Ross had my balls strung up for keeping him out of the loop.”

  Josh stared down at his notebook and planned how Landry and Gil were going to kill Jesse. He was still exhausted and his patience was at its end. “How much was the ransom for?”

  “Ten million.”

  “Dollars?”

  “Pounds.”

  “So about thirteen million dollars at current rates. Are they going to pay?”

&nb
sp; Jesse pulled a disgusted face. “They’re talking about it. There’s still the issue of the missing money.”

  “So they still think Michaels is responsible for embezzling the money?”

  “It’s safe to say Barton and Wharlow doesn’t know what to think. They employed us to find out.”

  Josh rubbed his forehead. “There are too many people and too many agencies involved in what should be a simple case. Who’s our liaison with the SFO?”

  “Dirk Brenner.” Jesse caught sight of Josh’s expression. “Yeah, he knows you, too. He thinks you’re a dick.”

  Josh grimaced. Of all the fucking detectives in London, the last one he wanted to work with was Dirk Brenner. “What about the local LEOs?”

  “Detective Chief Inspector Susan Walters. Smart, efficient and really pissed off with all the yanks on her turf.”

  “At least you won’t have fucked that one, Josh,” Gil said conversationally.

  Jesse’s eyes widened and Josh glared at Gil, who gave him a wholly fake innocent look. “Set up a meeting with all of us tomorrow,” he said firmly to Jesse.

  Jesse pursed his lips, obviously not pleased with the order. Josh stabbed his notebook with his pen. He didn’t give a shit if he trod on a few toes. He was three weeks behind and, if this was a kidnap, Michaels’ chances of coming out alive were getting slimmer by the hour.

  “I’ll set it up for ten unless you hear otherwise,” Jesse replied. “What’re you going to do now?”

  “Go back to your office and work. You and your team have information we need.” Josh had a lot to do before tomorrow’s meeting. He refused to go in unprepared again.

  “It’s on a need to know basis.”

  Josh rolled his eyes at Jesse. “You didn’t just try and pull that one, did you?”

  Jesse smirked widely. “It was worth a try.”

  Rick, who’d been designated the driver, spoke for the first time since they’d got in the vehicle. “Boss, I think we’ve got a tail.”

  Nobody looked out of the back window.

  “What is it?” Jesse asked, his voice calm.

  “A black Merc and a motorbike. They’ve been following us since we crossed over the river.”