by Sofia Grey
He promised to get back to her, added her number to his phone, and started to make his excuses about leaving. He needed to think about this, but somewhere quiet.
Someone else came into the room, and Nathan paused. It was the conker-haired girl that had been petting Samson. Her eyes widened when she saw him, and she smiled.
He’d stay a few minutes longer.
Kate introduced her as Daisy. It was a pretty name, for a very pretty girl. It was getting loud in the room, though, with two guys telling a story and the group lapping it up.
“Can I get you another drink?” Daisy looked at the empty beer bottle in his hand.
“Uh, no. Thanks anyway.” He was about to ask her how long she’d been coming to his yard, when a burst of noisy laughter came from the two guys.
Daisy chuckled. “They can be a bit overwhelming, Alex and Charlie. When they get together.”
Nathan grabbed the conversational lifeline. “I only know Kate. She invited me for a drink, but I guess I wasn’t expecting so many people here.” He glanced at his watch. “I’d better be going.”
“Don’t go yet. It’d be nice to talk to you.”
“Okay.” It might be quieter soon.
She chuckled. “I’m wanted. Be right back.” She walked to the other side of the room, to a cocky-looking blond-haired guy. He winked at her, and then rattled a knife against a bottle.
The conversation stopped, and the guy grabbed Daisy’s hand and held it up. “I guess it’s good to have you all here at once for this,” he said. “I—ah—proposed to Daisy today.” He looked down at her. “And for some reason I haven’t figured out myself yet, she said yes. So, we’re engaged.” A devilish grin flitted across his face. “Show ’em your ring, babe. No expense spared.”
Her ring finger was adorned with what looked like a child’s piece of jewellery. Her cheeks blushed the same colour of pink.
Was it a joke?
Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to wait to talk to her after all. Nathan took one last look at Daisy. It was time to go home.
*
Juli agreed that it was easier to tell Maria everything, especially the news that Papa’s condition seemed to be improving. However, the day would soon be over, and they’d made little progress with Yanni.
Tanner dissolved Amoxicillin in water and spoon-fed it to Yanni, along with more painkillers.
Yanni still looked in a bad way, but Tanner assured her he’d be fine once the pills started working.
Everything changed when Aiden took a call. He scribbled notes, logged into his laptop, and called the others to look at his screen. “Okay. We’ve got a lead. I ran traces on the credit card and driving licence in his wallet. Alain Auberge has been in London for the last month or so and draws out cash from a variety of banks. However, there have been a few card transactions, including a hotel reservation at the Bluebell Arms in Bloomsbury and hospitality fees at Gloria’s.” He looked up. “Gloria’s is a lap-dancing club and massage parlour in Soho. He visited there on Monday night this week.”
Juli’s tiredness was forgotten. “That’s the night before he turned up at my house.”
Aiden nodded. “Yeah, and there may be a connection. We need to take a look at his hotel room—assuming he hasn’t checked out yet—and then have a sniff around at Gloria’s.”
Maria snorted with amusement. “Go for it, boys. Me and Juli will hold the fort while you sniff around Gloria’s.”
Aiden shook his head. “Jack stays behind with you two. I’ll go with Tanner. We’ll get a cab, so Juli has the car in case she needs it.”
Maria leapt up, an agonized expression on her face. “Jesus Christ on a piece of toast. I left my car outside. On double yellow lines.” She hurried to the window and peered down. “It’s still there, and I can’t see a clamp.” Turning back to the room, she smiled again. “Why don’t I take you? My car is outside. It saves waiting for a cab.”
They left a few minutes later, leaving Jack and Juli with Yanni.
“We’d better see how he is,” said Juli. “If he wakes up, I can try to talk to him again.” Jack didn’t look thrilled but followed her in.
Yanni was restless in his bed, still sweating badly and shivering at the same time. He muttered something she couldn’t make out, but settled when she sponged his face with tepid water, as Maria had done. Jack stood at the window, staring out at the darkening skyline, the night lights of the city appearing.
Juli draped the damp cloth across Yanni’s forehead.
His eyes were open. “I’m sorry, Juli.” It was no more than a whisper, and she had to move closer to hear him. He stared at her, unfocused, and whispered again. “It’s my fault. I’m so sorry about Yves.”
“What do you mean?”
“I wanted to know you were happy. If I hadn’t made friends with him, he’d still be alive.” Yanni closed his eyes.
Jack stared at her from the window. He mouthed a word silently. Gloria’s. She nodded.
“When did you go to Gloria’s?” she asked Yanni. “Did you take Papa there?”
Yanni opened his eyes again. He stretched a hand toward her and caught the edge of her shirt. “Stay away from Gloria’s.” There was urgency in his voice.
Jack stepped forward and leaned over Yanni. “What happens at Gloria’s? Is that where you got knifed?”
Yanni glared back at him. “If you value Juli’s safety, keep her away from Gloria’s.” He coughed and covered his mouth with his hand. He sounded very ill.
“My friends have just gone to Gloria’s,” said Juli. “Please tell me why it’s not safe.” She resumed the sponging, gently soothing the damp cloth across his burning face.
A few minutes later, he spoke in a low, sleepy voice. “Have you heard of Moscow-on-the-Thames?”
She shook her head and glanced up at Jack, who also looked puzzled. “No. Where’s that?”
Yanni gave her a faint smile. “London, of course. The Russians are trying to control Soho, but so are the Albanians. Turf wars are never clean cut. It’s going to be bloody, and you don’t want to be there when it kicks off. Keep your friends away.”
She shivered at the words, ice running down her spine. “What’s going to happen, Yanni? And when?”
He shook his head. “Don’t know. Soon.” He yawned. “That feels better,” he murmured, closing his eyes again, the long lashes black against his pale face. “Tired.”
Juli pressed her hand to his cheek. He felt cooler. The fever had broken. He seemed to be asleep, so they could leave him for a while.
She also wanted to contact Maria before she and the guys headed out to Soho.
*
Maria smirked as she activated the remote unlocking, and then dropped the roof of her Mini Convertible. “Is there a problem?”
Tanner and Aiden both stared at the car. “How the fuck are we all supposed to fit in that?” Tanner’s drawl was scathing.
“Simple.” Maria settled behind the wheel. “It’s a four-seater, and I’ve had four people in it on a regular basis. Three is easy.” She stashed the On-Call sign in the glovebox and smiled sweetly up at them.
They didn’t look convinced.
She sighed with mock gravity. “One in the front, and one in the back.”
“I don’t believe this.” Tanner groaned as he eased into the back of the car, long legs curled up, his knees almost pressed against his chin. He’d suggested Aiden take the front seat. Apparently, he was recovering from surgery on his knee.
She could feel Tanner’s breath on the back of her neck when she started the engine. She’d pulled her seat forward a couple of notches, to give him more room in the back, but from his grumbling, he didn’t appreciate it.
“Jesus, Tanner,” she said. “I thought it was us girls that were supposed to whine about a little wind in our hair.”
“We should have taken a cab.”
“Quit your moaning. It’s a gorgeous evening. What could be more fun than zipping through the night with the breeze in you
r face? It’s romantic.”
Both men snorted at this, although she guessed Aiden was trying not to laugh. She was tempted to take the wrong turning and drive around longer than necessary, but she took pity on Tanner. She didn’t want to do him an injury.
It didn’t take long to get to the Bluebell Arms, and she had the pleasure of helping Tanner extricate himself from the back of her car.
“I’m driving back,” he growled.
She swallowed her smiles at his expression.
Aiden flashed an ID card to the receptionist on duty, and within minutes, they were shown to Yanni’s room, booked in the name of Alain Auberge. There was little of interest in the room. A few toiletries, some nondescript clothes, and a black leather holdall. No papers, passport, or cell-phone. Nothing of any use.
Aiden and Tanner examined the bag in detail, searching for hidden pockets or a false bottom, but it was clean. The only possibility in the entire room was the safe, and Aiden opened this with ease. So much for hotel security. This was also empty. Between them, they conducted a fingertip search of the room and came up blank.
Maria was sitting on the bed, staring in frustration at the ceiling, when Tanner’s phone trilled.
“Hold on,” he said. “I’ll put it on speaker.” He placed the phone on the bedside cabinet.
“Hey. You all there?” It was Jack.
“Yep,” Tanner answered. “The room is empty, apart from a few clothes and a shaving kit. Other than that, nada.”
“We spoke to our friend,” said Jack. “He warned us about your second location. You need to come straight back to base.”
Thousands of people—if not millions—assumed their mobile communications were secure, but Maria knew otherwise, and Jack was obviously taking no chances that the conversation might be listened to.
Tanner nodded. “Yeah, sure. We’ll see you soon. Any chance of a beer?”
Jack replied easily. “Beers are cold and waiting.”
Huh?
When they walked back to the car, Maria turned to Tanner. “You were asking Jack about beer? Some kind of code?”
Tanner huffed a sigh. “I was checking that Jack hasn’t been compromised. Beer cold and waiting means the location is secure. If he said something about the beer being warm or flat, it would mean they’ve got trouble.”
Despite being warned away from Gloria’s, they circled past it on the drive back to Charlie’s, with Tanner driving the Mini this time. It was a great opportunity for Maria to rest her hands on his shoulders; there wasn’t much room in the back of her car.
Gloria’s was a discreet-looking operation in a quiet side street, but with several gorilla-sized bouncers patrolling the doors. They checked out the nearest car parking—in the next street—and did a little reconnaissance to get a feel for how quickly they might be able to get in and out if they needed to. And then Tanner headed back to the apartment.
Aiden directed him into a basement car park. After securing the car, Tanner set off to prowl around the parking area, while Aiden and Maria headed for the lift.
“Did you really have surgery on your knee?” Maria asked. “You seem to be moving okay.”
“Yeah. It’s slow to heal, though. I’m supposed to keep my weight off it more than I do.”
“And this isn’t really your apartment, is it?” She sighed. “Damn, and I thought I’d found a nice single guy to hit on.”
“I’d rather you didn’t try to use me to make Tanner jealous. He’s a friend.”
She perked up. “Has he said something?”
“Not to me. But it’s obvious you have history.”
They arrived at the top floor, and the conversation was over. She wished she did have history with Tanner. A couple of near-misses was as close as she’d managed so far. He seemed determined to keep her at arm’s length, though she knew he felt something. She’d seen the longing in his eyes when he thought she was looking the other way. Like a starving man, sighting food.
He wanted Maria every bit as much as she wanted him. Somehow, she had to get him to admit to it.
Hmm… If there was one thing Maria loved, it was a challenge.
*
Nathan wandered around his stable yard in the fading light and tried to imagine how it could be with a substantial injection of capital. At the moment, he kept three horses of his own, and another three that he used for lessons and hacking out. Six stalls stood empty and needed to be cleaned. The old block was more dilapidated—the roof leaked, and the drains were blocked. It would need serious attention before it could be used. The feed store had plenty of room though, and the barn was spacious enough to hold hay and straw for twenty horses.
He went for a walk, unable to settle this evening and unwilling to face Shaz in her latest mood. He’d seen a tabby cat hunting in the barn last week, and wondered if it might be there again. To his surprise, he found two empty milk bottles standing just inside the doorway. Presumably two of the pints that had gone missing. Bloody kids, playing a joke on him. No doubt Shaz would use this for another rant. With a sigh, Nathan picked the bottles up, and deposited them by the kitchen doorstep, ready for collection in the morning.
Shaz was watching TV and cleaning the tack. An untidy pile of stirrups and straps lay beside her, while she watched some talent show or other. Glancing up, she opened her mouth to speak.
He pretended to be on the phone, mouthed office to her, and escaped upstairs to his laptop.
With the door securely closed and his feet propped on the desk, he stared out into the darkness and allowed himself to relive the evening.
Kate and her husband, open and friendly, welcoming Nathan into their home. Their crowd of lively friends, chattering and laughing, all relaxed together, as he perched awkwardly on the edge.
The conker-haired girl—he finally had a name for her. Daisy. He smiled at the thought of her pretty face; the sexy dimples that flashed in her cheeks when she laughed; the way she’d gazed, besotted, at the cocky guy, and showed off that ridiculous Barbie ring.
And Anita—she seemed honest and straightforward and enthusiastic to work with Nathan. What would her husband think of the idea? He must have had input into her plans.
The prospect of a business partnership sat before Nathan, gleaming like a new penny. It would be unbearable if he allowed himself to get excited about this and had it snatched away. He shuddered at the thought. He’d been there once already. He could write the book about losing everything.
Only two years ago, he was at the top of his game, show-jumping in the international competitions, with his long-held dream of the Olympics finally coming true. He was selected for the British team. The anticipation was immense. The sheer thrill of achieving what would be his greatest success made all the sacrifices seem worthwhile. He could hardly wait.
A month before the games started, it was all over. Nathan’s fall from grace was spectacular. From top to bottom, in a matter of hours.
And now, he crept slowly up the ladder again, striving to compete and aiming for glory. It was still a long way off. If it was possible any more.
*
It was close to midnight, and Jack was getting tired. He stretched his arms and closed the lid of his laptop. Emails could wait. Aiden was busy, talking to his people and collecting intelligence on Gloria’s, Tanner was working on his laptop, and Maria was chatting quietly with Juli in the kitchen.
Jack joined the women. “Hey. It’s late to be driving around the city. Why don’t I see you home, then get a cab back? Or I could ask Tanner to escort you.”
A slow, curving grin spread across Maria’s face. For a moment, she reminded him of her brother. “You should stay here with Juli. If you don’t mind asking Tanner, that’d be good. Thanks. You’ll let me know if anything else happens here?”
“Yeah, sure. I’m not sure what you can do to help, though. I don’t have any idea how this is gonna pan out.”
“I could talk to Yanni, as well as Juli. He might trust me more than you guys.”
Tanner spoke up. “Yanni’s sleeping. And the fever’s dropping.” His voice was gruff. “It was a good call about the Penicillin. Nice one, Maria.”
“Will you make sure Maria gets home okay?” Jack asked him. “Juli and I need to carry on going through Yves’ notebook, and Aiden’s busy.”
“My place isn’t far away,” she said. “I’m staying in one of the TM-Tech apartments on Canary Wharf.”
Jack saw indecision in his friend’s eyes. He tugged Juli’s arm, and she followed him to the sofa, to give them space. “C’mon.” He slipped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close as they sat down. Breathing in the scent of her hair, he longed for this to be over, for them to get their lives back. But as long as Yanni lay bleeding in Charlie’s spare bed, and Yves lay at death’s door, they were stuck here.
Juli murmured against his chest and pressed a kiss at the base of his throat. His mind flashed ahead. If he stayed on watch until Tanner returned, then Tanner could take the later shift. That meant Jack could get naked and happy in bed with Juli for a few hours. Yeah. That’d be good.
Over the top of Juli’s head, he watched Tanner with Maria in the kitchen. Tanner shrugged at something Maria said, took her offered car keys, and stalked out of the apartment.
She came over to say goodnight to Jack and Juli, then winked at Jack as she left.
He stifled a laugh. Tanner could be a stubborn bastard. It would be interesting to see who won this particular battle of wills.
Aiden reappeared and glanced around the apartment. “Did I hear the door?”
Juli pushed herself upright. “Tanner’s taking Maria home. He’ll be back soon; they’re only going to Canary Wharf.”
“Does she work for TM-Tech as well?”
“Yeah.” Juli yawned and stretched. “That’s how we met. Maria works in Research & Development, but more on the project-management side than hands-on.” She yawned again. “Anyway. What can you tell us about Gloria’s?”
Aiden pulled a face. “Not much yet. The thing about the turf wars is right, though. Soho is a melting pot at the moment, with the Russians and the Albanians fighting for territory and ownership of the vice market. Did you know the sex industry is the second largest form of organized crime in Europe? After drug trafficking, of course.”