by Kells, India
Kingsley drove around the building and parked. She saw a few cars and a couple of motorcycles, which meant there were people inside the building—unknown people. Her hand tightened on the handle as he turned off the engine.
“We’re here. This is the Alliance Agency. I’m sure you’d like a shower, clean clothes, and something to eat. And if after that you change your mind about staying, you’re free to go. I won’t renege on our deal.” To her surprise, he gave her the truck’s key. “If you do decide to leave it’ll be easier in the truck.” With that, he opened the door and got out.
Strangely, the way he offered her an escape route made her decision to follow him easier. Was this some ninja move to mess with her brain? It wasn’t as if she had many choices. She knew on her own she’d be able to hide for a while, but Raymond’s resources and his extensive network would eventually track her down. Her best bet was to stay with him inside this building and pray her gut instinct was right.
It was a surprise to see a smiling receptionist at the door with fantastic violet hair framing a delicate and beautiful fairy-like face.
“Hello, I’m Cleo. You must be Sydney. I’m so glad you’re okay. You’re in good hands here. Kingsley and the team won’t let anything happen to you.”
At the familiar name, Sydney looked at Kingsley who smiled. “Sydney would probably like a shower.”
Cleo nodded. “I thought as much. The women’s locker room is free, and I’ve asked Mercy and Caitlin to get you some fresh clothes. Food and coffee will be ready in the conference room if you’re up to it.”
Sydney felt like she was caught in a small lilac tornado. “How… how do you know my size?”
Cleo laughed. “Don’t look at me like that; I’m not clairvoyant. It’s just handy that you get most of your things online. A couple of clicks and there we go.”
“Wait, isn’t hacking illegal?”
Winking at her, the pretty woman steered her toward the changing room. “Let’s say Alliance is more concerned with justice than the law.” Cleo frowned, her demeanor changing from playful to serious as she looked her up and down. “And your safety and comfort are what matters for now. You probably won’t believe me, but you’re safe here. Go and have that shower. You’ll find everything you need inside. The girls are two minutes away with some clothes. Rest assured that nobody will enter apart from them, not even the lumberjack here. I’ll stand by the door until you’ve finished.”
Sydney hesitated, torn between the very fragile trust she had established with Kingsley and the desire for a shower and some food. She wanted him to remain close, but saying so would put her in a vulnerable state. Their eyes locked, and for a brief moment, it steadied her, which was another feat.
“I’ll stay here with Cleo while you get your shower. Cleo will bring you the clothes, and I’ll stand guard. I promise I’ll stay here until you’re done.”
A weight lifted from her shoulders and a sense of security filled her, bringing newfound energy. And the disturbing thought of him joining her in the shower confirmed she was more exhausted than she’d thought. “Aren’t you worried I’ll escape through the window?”
As she expected, a smile tugged at his lips. “I told you that you’re free to go any time, but if you manage to escape and use my truck, please be gentle with my baby. I may be British, but I love American rides.”
Chapter Seven
As he watched Mercy and Caitlin disappear into the female locker room, Kingsley smiled to himself. Those two took some handling, but he had a feeling Sydney was up to it, and it might even take her mind off what had happened.
Killian was sitting at his feet as he waited for his mistress to come back. The beast tilted his head and looked at the door when he heard laughter. The look on his face was as bemused as Kingsley felt as he listened to the lyrical laugh he instinctively knew was Sydney’s.
“Stop loitering. She’s perfectly safe.”
“Nah, I promised I would stay here, and I will.” He shrugged as if it was no big deal.
“Fine, then make yourself useful and start filling this in.” Cleo handed him a bunch of forms.
“What is it?” He picked up the form and began to scan it.
“It is one of the million forms the IRS needs to sort out your 401K,” she replied with an eye roll.
“Fine, chuck us a pen.”
Cleo threw the pen at his head. “You Brits have no manners.” She smirked as it hit him in the side of the head.
“I have impeccable manners.” He chuckled as he picked up the pen.
“Well, use them, King.”
“Sorry, Cleo. You’re absolutely right. I was a douchebag, and I apologize. Forgive me?” he asked with a sexy grin and sad eyes which usually guaranteed him an out with the ladies.
“Don’t give me those eyes, big guy; it takes more than a handsome face to get around me.”
“Him? Handsome? Are you blind, beautiful Cleo?” James joked as he walked in the door before leaning against the reception desk, his arms crossed to show his muscles, the dimple in his cheek on show to full effect, his green eyes twinkling.
“Hey, women love me, it’s the accent,” Kingsley smirked when Cleo nodded her agreement.
“Whatever. When are you gonna let me take you out on a date, Cleo?”
James was a former USAF pilot and always had women throwing themselves at him, but never seemed to have any luck with Cleo.
Cleo smiled and leaned in close to James suggestively. “When Beyoncé becomes president.”
She laughed as he frowned. “That could happen, you know. I’m gonna get right on starting her campaign.”
“Stop harassing the staff, James,” Mason, their close protection specialist said with a growl, his English accent showing his irritation.
James turned to look at him. “Always so serious, Mason. You need to get laid. I hear blue balls can make you a grumpy bastard. Not that I’ve ever had that problem.” He winked at Cleo as Kingsley looked on, proud at the bonds of friendship that were already forming between the group.
“Eww! Too much info. Go! Everyone out of my reception! I have work to do even if you don’t.” Cleo shooed them out as James and Mason continued their discussion.
Kingsley heard the door open behind him and turned to see Sydney. She smiled tentatively, relief evident on her face that he had kept his word. She moved closer to him, and he was glad to see the small show of trust from her.
“Ready to get some food and have a chat about the plan from here on out?”
She nodded as she ran her hands down the front of the yellow shirt with white daisies on it. He recognized it as a nervous gesture and knew he still had a lot of work to do before she trusted him, but they were making headway. He didn’t understand why it was so important to him that she trusted him, but it was.
* * *
Sydney took the coffee that Cleo passed her with a grateful smile. She sipped the rich brew before adding some sugar. She had never been one of those people who drank it black with no sweetener. She felt the caffeine hit her blood and practically purred with contentment.
“Here. Eat this. You must be starving.”
Kingsley placed a chicken and avocado salad in front of her along with a large slice of apple pie. Even though it was still early, her mouth watered as she looked at it with the faintest hesitation before she dug in.
Sydney shoveled food in her mouth, not tasting the first few bites as she was so hungry. She looked up and saw Kingsley watching her as he ate a large sub filled with the same ingredients as her salad. She blushed at his intense gaze but didn’t look away. He was a handsome man, with a strong jaw under that sexy beard, but he had kind eyes, and for some inexplicable reason she felt herself trusting him even though that probably made her a fool.
Sydney looked toward the door when it opened. She watched as two men walked in and sat down. She unconsciously moved slightly closer to Kingsley, wary of the strangers, and felt his eyes on her. She glanced at him and saw a frown
marring his features.
“Knight, you save any of that for the rest of us?” the younger one asked, although neither of the men could be considered old.
The older one had olive skin, dark eyes, and dark, almost black hair that swept off his head in waves. At around six feet tall, he was tall; he also had a stern look on his face. No, not serious, it was sadness she saw, and she wondered what had happened to make him look that way.
The younger man who had spoken to Kingsley was taller, probably six foot four, and was broad across the shoulders, with tattoos down both arms. He was blond and had pale green eyes and blond scruff on his face. He also had a hard body and a chin dimple that probably made women go wild.
Her instinct told her he was a player, but as he turned his cheeky smile on her, she didn’t feel the same pull she felt for Kingsley. Her unease left, and she relaxed slightly. She didn’t feel any malice from these men, which was crazy because she knew in her heart they were dangerous in a way her uncle could never be.
“Get your own, James.”
Sydney laughed when the man Kingsley called James grabbed his heart. “You wound me, Knight. I thought we were friends.”
“We are, but I ain’t your goddamn mother. You want food then go get it.”
“Fine, I have a cute little redhead that works at the Pincho Factory on Kendall Drive. She’ll sort me out.” He winked at Sydney.
“Yeah, well, first we need to talk about where we go next with Sydney’s case.”
Kingsley looked at her, his face determined, and Sydney felt the food in her stomach turn to lead as all eyes moved to her.
“We haven’t been formally introduced. I’m Nick Hale, and Romeo here is James Valentine.” The older man with wavy dark hair held out his hand.
“Nice to meet you.” Sydney quickly shook his hand and then James’, keeping the contact to a minimum.
“Sorry to hear about your troubles, but don’t worry, we’re here to help you.” Nick stood with his arms crossed over a broad chest, his face impassive, tenacious. She nodded, not trusting her voice to hold if she spoke.
She caught Kingsley watching, and he smiled softly in encouragement before looking away then back at her. “Let’s start at the beginning. Sydney, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself and your family, so we have some background.”
“Okay. Well, my mom and dad are both dead.”
“How did they die?” James asked. All signs of the sexy lothario were gone, replaced by an efficient operator.
“My mom died in a car accident when I was a child and my dad a year ago. He was killed in a home invasion gone wrong.” Her heartbeat was fast as she talked about the deaths of the two people she loved most in the world.
“Did the police suspect foul play?” Kingsley had turned to her and his dark eyes shone with curiosity.
“No, my mom’s breaks failed. Her car went over a small cliff on a sharp corner. The men that shot my dad were arrested but released when a slick lawyer got them off.”
“Who paid for the lawyer?” Nick asked.
“Not sure. They were gangbangers with no obvious cash. My uncle admitted he was behind the shooting, so my guess is he paid for it.”
“We need to look into that.” Kingsley nodded to Nick. “We should also investigate your mom’s accident.” His eyes went soft when he saw her look of dismay. “Just as a precaution.”
“Tell us about your uncle.”
Sydney froze and glanced up as a new man walked in, and she noticed he was limping slightly. She recognized him as the man who’d caused the distraction at the bank, the man Kingsley had referred to as Malco. She hoped he hadn’t been hurt in his altercation with Troy.
“Sydney?” Kingsley asked gently.
She turned and looked at him, embarrassed that she had spaced. “Sorry. My uncle and I have no relationship. He and my dad were not that close, but I found a picture from when they were younger that showed they used to be.”
“Do you know if they fell out or had a disagreement?”
“I’m not sure what happened. Whatever it was, it was before I was born.”
“Did your parents ever mention him?”
“Not really. I got the feeling it was a sore subject between them. My dad always tried to hold on to the thread of family, but my mom didn’t like it and often made herself scarce when my uncle was around. After she died, my dad tried even harder, and for a while, my uncle came around more.” She stopped unable to say the next words. She knew she needed to tell them the truth but wasn’t ready to bare her soul to people she had only just met.
“It’s okay, Sydney, we won’t let him hurt you,” Kingsley encouraged with a nod.
She took a breath, knowing she needed to warn them somehow. Panic made her voice week as she gave them what she could. “My uncle is not a good man, and neither is the man you saw with him, Troy, his head of security.
“We’ll make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else.” Nick had a gruffness to his voice that made her lift her head. She was shocked at what she saw as she looked around the room. They felt her fear of her uncle and Troy and were willing to help even without knowing the full extent of what they had done to her.
“Thank you.”
What do you know of his business and clients?” Kingsley’s jaw was hard as he steered the subject away from her fear. She felt so grateful she almost sobbed and then swallowed it down, not wanting to seem like a baby.
“Not a lot. I think he’s into property development and finance of some sort, but that’s all I know.” Sydney rubbed her hands on the fabric at her thighs, the conversation making her frustrated that she didn’t know more.
“That’s okay. Do you have any idea why your uncle would kidnap you?”
Sydney looked at him and realized it was the moment of truth. She had to tell them what she could and trust them. “He thinks I have some of my father’s documents. I honestly don’t know what they are or what they contain. I’m guessing it’s something bad that would hurt my uncle as he wants them so badly.”
“Then I guess we start there. Let’s figure it out and find what he’s looking for before he does.”
“So, you’re really going to help me?”
Kingsley leaned forward and took her hand in his, it was barely a touch, and there was nothing sexual about it. It was a simple reassurance that they meant what they said. “Yes, Sydney. We will. We don’t like to be taken for fools, and we hate men like him that think they can hurt innocents.”
“I don’t have any money to pay you.”
“Don’t worry about that,” said a beautiful young woman with dark hair as she walked in with a tall, muscular man with a hard face but warm eyes. “This one is on us.” She strode forward, her face kind but unflinching. “I’m Emme Wallace, and this is my partner and fiancé, Shane Rhodes. We own the Alliance Agency, and it will be our pleasure to put that asshole behind bars where he belongs.”
“Thank you.” Sydney nodded, knowing she would accept all the help she could to get her dad the justice he deserved.
Another man came into the room waving a piece of paper in his hand. “Sydney, can I confirm how long your uncle held you?”
“About six days give or take. There were no windows in the room so it’s hard to tell for sure. I kept track as best I could with the meals they gave me. Why”
“You work part-time in the auto repair shop below your apartment, right?” Sydney nodded, not sure where the man was going with his question. “I’m Alex by the way. I work here as well.” The man shook her hand before continuing. “Did you know they alerted the police when you didn’t show up for work? I’ve finally been given a copy of the police report, and it seems that Rutherford was alerted to that fact, and he had to backtrack when they contacted him.
“He told them he’d already hired an agency to find you, and that the police didn’t have to be involved. Of course, that was all before he contacted us. The police backed down when they were told we were on it. They’re overwork
ed and understaffed so having someone else with money to help was a godsend for them. He did the same trick with your boss, Sydney. That way, he could continue to hold you out of sight while keeping the police or anybody else off his back. He told us you’d been kidnapped three weeks ago. I’m not sure how he thought he could get away with that. Surely he must have known we would check.”
Kingsley shook his head. “So we acted as a shield for him. He knew the police would contact us to see if we had found anything, so he had to get us involved.” Turning to Shane and Emme, his voice was so hard it could cut glass. “I hope you were able to get all the money you could from him, that monster.”
Shane didn’t look at all pleased and cursed before looking at the people around the table. “King, what’s the plan?” Shane addressed the man at her side, and Sydney could feel the quiet, controlled air about him.
“I was going to suggest Sydney and I search her dad’s place and then get Nick and James to dig deeper into Rutherford’s business dealings. Malco, could you talk to your associates and find out if there have been any other allegations of assault or harassment other than what Caitlin mentioned?”
“On it,” they said as they stood to get started.
“I need some more clothes and a place to stay.” Sydney felt her chest tighten at the thought of going to the place her father had died. She hadn’t set foot there since the night she had gotten the call. Kingsley seemed to sense her rising panic.
“You can stay here with us, and we can sort some clothes. Right, Emme?”
“Absolutely, we can.”
“It will be all right, Sydney.” Kingsley stood and held out his hand for her to take. “I’ll even let you drive.” He chuckled as she smiled and took his proffered hand. It was time to trust someone.
Chapter Eight
As she left the highway toward Surfside, Sydney found it a challenge to keep her emotions in check. The house had been their new home when her mother died; this small, tight-knit community had been a peaceful, safe haven for Sydney and her dad in their hour of need. Now, all those memories were stained with the red taint of her father’s blood.