The Last Blow

by Taylor R. C.

  - I don't want to get involved with Ryan. - Gisele felt disgust in her own voice.

  - How can I not?

  - The money you are going to take from James is enough.

  Her insides twisted in pure discomfort, or rather guilt, in that second she realized that was what it was. She was feeling guilty for leaving the Baron behind, this was new and clearly painful for Gisele.

  - I do not think so.

  - I don't want to get involved with any other man, I got tired, can you understand that?

  - Something's wrong with you Gisele!

  She closed her eyes tightly, took a deep breath, and when she opened them, she was a little more controlled, cooler, as she always was. Benett was right, there was something very wrong with her, and the culprit was that blue-eyed Baron who somehow got inside her walls, but she couldn't afford it anymore, she needed to protect herself, she had gone too far to regret the what he did, his life was that, a game, but with very risky consequences to afford to lose because of cheap sentimentality.

  - No, it doesn't. - His tone was emphatic. - Continue with the plan, finish with the Baron's account, you have this weekend to get it, I'll have to go to the United States, when I get back, it will be for you and me to clean up our London history and disappear into the world.

  - Damn Gisele, we could get a lot of money from Ryan Codes!

  - We will have enough Benett, we stop here, understood?

  - Oh, whatever. We stopped here!

  - Great, now focus on cleaning Blackcastle's bank account!

  £££

  James paced the office looking too calm for Jack's taste, but Jack remained silent, he had just practically told the Baron that he had achieved nothing in the meantime he was away from London, he was expecting at least a few screams, broken things or bad words, however, nothing came, just that strange tranquility.

  - Should I be worried about you?

  Jack asked, and then finally James stopped, when he looked at him he was serious, but nothing, besides that, his face showed.

  - I have three dead teams, several thousand dollars lost and I don't know who was responsible for this happening to me, so you come and joke?

  The calm in the Baron's tone of voice was appalling, and he knew, he was controlling himself to keep his head in place. As he imagined, his life seemed to screw up again, however, six years ago, the consequences were tragic, but at that time he was also a less experienced man, convinced and reckless, only now these things had changed, and no one was innocent anymore. he would get hurt, because this time he wouldn't allow it.

  - I know the situation looks very bad Blackcastle, but ...

  - Shut up, Jack, - He was sharp. - If I put you in a position of trust it is because I want you to work things out, now if you can't do that, it is better to stay in yours, and now listen to me, understood?

  - Yes! - he replied giving a wave.

  "Great ..." James said and continued. - We are going to do another important shipment, and I want everything to happen as usual, but this time I will infiltrate the team, I don't expect you to agree and I'm not even asking for permission, I'm stating what I'm going to do ... Or I'm going to find out who is behind this, or I am going to die, I hope you can avoid the second option!

  £££

  - The Baron is back sir!

  Lowe took the envelope that his security guard was handing him along with the appetizing news that would make his day and his next years much better.

  - Arrived today? - Asked for confirmation.

  - Yes sir.

  He opened what was given to him and then saw what he wanted most in the world at the moment, Gisele, she wore an elegant cream coat, was serene and looked more beautiful than Lowe could remember. He took those photographs in his hands as if they were very rare treasures, passed one by one, looking at the woman in them, however, of course he disliked seeing the Baron, he hovered close to her, like a shadow.

  - Did you find the address where it is installed?

  - Yes, it is still noted on the last sheet of the document, but I must warn you that it has a higher security apparatus than normal sir.

  That didn't surprise Lowe at all, as it seemed, the Baron of Blackcastle was known to be very discreet and also rich as a goddamn king, so that's why Gisele wanted him, and it was more than obvious that the man would protect the scammer who he should think he was an angel, the face was one at least.

  - There will be no problems, I will not invade the house to get my little bitch out of there, the Baron himself will hand it over to me. - Lowe smiled and walked away with the photo of Gisele in his hands. - Get a meeting with the half-bowl baron, it's time for him to hear some truths!

  £££

  Gisele had barely seen the Baron during those days, however, he had texted her every day, explained that he was solving some problems of the company, that were taking his time, until then it was not a surprise for her, men were like that when they got tired, however, Blackcastle didn't seem "tired" of her, in fact, the man even distant made her feel ... Appreciated, her last message doesn't even speak:

  I think of you constantly, as Shakespeare once said, "show me a man who is not a slave to your passions."

  A smile crossed her lips. He had received that text in the morning, as soon as he woke up, since then he had been looking over it repeatedly, thinking about how much he would love to see it. She was about to leave her job, she had spent an extra hour not to raise suspicions that she did not want to be there, because in fact she did not, since she was leaving London soon, the thought made her wrinkle her nose. He decided that he would pay the Baron a visit, one night with him, then it would be a kind of farewell, since Benett would soon make the final move taking the money from him. She sighed, didn't think much of it, as she felt she was doing something terribly wrong with James, however, she couldn't go back.

  - Gisele, still around here? - Ryan said, opening her office door.

  - Mr. Codes, good night! - She replied, I wasn't expecting to meet him anymore.

  - Extra hour?

  He asked sympathetically and entering, she did not fail to notice that the door was closed, which has already made her a little more uncomfortable than it already was. He approached slowly putting his hands in his pockets in the well-cut suit pants, which made him feel good, however, James came to her mind dressed exactly like that and a thousand times more attractive, once again she sighed.

  - I took a trip recently, so I kind of need it, but I'm leaving now!

  She emphasized the fact, standing up, reaching for her coat behind the desk while she turned off the computer. The man gave a positive nod, but kept moving, Gisele noticed from the corner of his eye, when he came around the table and stopped beside her, he had a smile.

  - Do you have plans for tonight? He asked, and Gisele slowly looked at him.

  - Actually, yes ... - She said trying to sound disappointed, but she wasn't at all.

  - What a pity ... - He said and a hand went up her bare arm. - I'd love to take you out to dinner and have fun ...

  Gisele well knew what kind of fun he wanted with her and that act suddenly disgusted her, only James came to her mind, just thought that she would love to be able to run into his arms and stay there, whenever she was beside him. she felt surrounded by a fortress, never exposed or used, as she felt at that moment.

  - Sorry, but I'm not interested, I believe that working relationships should be maintained only at work ...

  She barely finished speaking, and the door opened, and then James appeared there in all his glory, his hair combed to perfection, a shaved beard and a dark suit that molded to his strong body, only the sight of him there made his frequency increase, but when her blue eyes fixed on the strange situation between Ryan and her, it was as if she had a shock that spread throughout her spine, so her first reaction was to move away as far as possible, facing the Baron .

  - There is a problem here, Miss. Linsey? - His voice was unyielding.

  - What do you do
at my Blackcastle company? - Now Ryan, it sounded very angry.

  James used every ounce of his control not to advance on that bastard Mr. Codes, who stared at him, the bastard was clearly inside Gisele's personal space, when he entered the room he saw that he was touching her arm , also realized that all the people in the building had left, had met the receptionist, on that floor, leaving the place looking a little hurried, all it took was a simple question to know that she had been released, which led to the following question: O unfortunate other man in that room wanted to be alone with Gisele.

  - I came to get Miss. Linsey, then, please get out of her way, which you seem to be getting in the way of.

  - You do not give orders at my company, and by the way, whoever let you in will be fired!

  - Then fire everyone, as there is no one here or in the world to stop me from going where I want!

  A smile inevitably spread over Gisele's lips, but she knew, it was better to contain it soon, since apparently she had recovered from the fright the arrival of the Baron, who even controlled that way, looked like a predator ready to end the life of in the Ryan case.

  - Gentlemen, let's calm things down. - She looked at Ryan. - Excuse me, I'm leaving with Mr. Watts.

  She hurried to pick up her bag, passing Ryan, however, he did what he shouldn't have, grabbed his arm and looked closely.

  - I want you in my office early tomorrow morning!

  There was no time for a response from her, James stepped in, and pulled her out of Ryan's grip as she tugged at him gently and threw him to the floor violently.

  - Do not touch her, do not demand anything from her, you son of a bitch, her history of stalker is known, I will make good use of this information to screw you, let it be clear that she no longer works for you!

  James wanted to hit that guy, but he had serious doubts that if he started, he might not be able to stop, and as the public figure of the Baron of Blackcastle, he couldn't kill anyone. So she took Gisele by the arm and took her outside, careful not to hurt her, but without any subtlety and until they got into the elevator she said nothing.

  - Did you make me lose my job? She asked when they were halfway down to the ground.

  - Yes, - replied the Baron.

  - Did you do it on purpose? - This time Gisele looked at him.

  - Not!

  That was all he said, then the doors opened, and she was carried out by him, once again dragged. Gisele didn't think much about the job, after all, she really had to leave him, and what the Baron did was give him a very welcome escape, however, his mind was running around looking for, or rather, surrounded by the reason for what James did that. Still being driven, she got into the car, Bartor didn't even have to open the door, the Baron went in next, silence was what happened for the next five minutes, until he broke it, without looking at it.

  - I lost my mind, but I don't regret it and for that I won't apologize, even though I invaded your decision space, however, I did it to protect you, so be aware that in this regard we have no middle ground or discussion on the topic. - He seemed to take a breath, just to continue. - Ryan is a bastard, son of a bitch, who abuses his position of power to harass girls who work for him, I never did anything, because I am selfish and did not interest me, but now I will get them to testify against him, I will give a way of doing damage, obviously I’ll keep you out of the scandal, and the bastard won’t come near you and neither will you, so it was better to have lost your job.

  Gisele knew she must be looking upset, but she couldn't, not when James said he wasn't apologizing, but it was exactly what he did using a flowery story, being incredibly protective. She never felt or wanted to be protected by a man, not even Oliver, her dear brother, however, she was finding it delightful to be protected by the Baron, maybe it was that powerful golden that enveloped her that made her feel so good around her. , but whatever it was, it would soon be over, so I should take advantage of it, so I didn't have time for a “little scene” of indignation at the damn job.

  - It's all right! - She said and James finally looked at her.

  - It's all right?

  James was incredulous, in fact, he was waiting for Gisele to say that he was a damn dictator, sexist, totally wrong, which would not stop being a truth, because he could be all that and a little more.

  - Yes, you see mad?

  - I was hoping you were.

  Her smile took over his face reaching up to his eyes with that contagious magic and he can only smile in response. She crossed the distance that separated them, going to his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck, giving him a tender kiss and very quickly, before meeting his eyes.

  - I was disgusted by him. - That she did not lie or what would come next. - I was thinking about you, who wanted you!

  Hearing that was pure happiness and at the same time the torture of the Baron of Blackcastle, who asked himself: Can I have it? Can I have it for me? But it was clear and evident, even to a blind man, that no, Gisele did not belong to his world and therefore had to be put back in his.

  - Great, because we have this whole night just for the two of us.

  And it will be the last ... But he didn't say that, just took her face in his hands, and took her mouth in a passionate and already longing kiss.

  £££

  Gisele's flight left exactly at four in the afternoon for the United States, at the same time that James received the message from Pottes that there was a French businessman who wished to speak with him.

  - A French businessman, do I know any Pottes?

  - I'm afraid not Sir. Blackcastle.

  - Then why didn't you dispatch?

  He said with his usual bitterness back to his voice, as well as the bottle of whiskey, which Pottes frowned, however, put aside, he was already imagining that the degrading life of James Watts, the great Baron, would return in full force the minute Gisele left his life, after all she seemed to have achieved what looked like the rest of the guy's injured heart.

  "I'm sorry to say, but I thought you might be interested in talking to Mr. Carter."

  - You nosy little butler. - James snorted. - Stop going around, talk at once, why am I going to be interested in this little guy I don't even know?

  Pottes stepped out of his solemn position, taking his hands behind his back, presenting the red envelope to the Baron.

  - Open first, as Mr. Carter asked, having said that, see for yourself why I thought I would want to talk to him!

  James pulled the envelope from his hand and opened it without much patience, however, dropped the contents on his desk as soon as he saw it. They were pictures, not just ordinary pictures, but of Gisele's face, several, of the day they had arrived in London after the trip, and so on, of her leaving work, getting home, with him. His blood boiled.

  - Send that son of a bitch in, now!

  - Yes sir. Should I let Jack know? Asked Pottes, solemn and unfathomable.

  - No, I'll solve it myself.

  - Sure, excuse me Sir. Blackcastle.

  Pottes left and James stood up, running his hand over his face, taking a deep breath, he had to keep at least as little control as possible, the situation that presented there did not seem very strange, however, the circumstances did, however, it did not matter, because his only and exclusive concern was with the protection of Gisele. He heard two knocks on the door, then someone came in, he got ready, and turned, faced a middle-aged guy, dark eyes and whitish hair, a physical demeanor that could have been a sportsman, however, he looked old too much now.

  - Mr. Blackcastle.

  - Sir. Blackcastle, and Mr. Watts. Who are you? James asked coldly.

  - I figured she never mentioned me.

  Said the guy with a mechanical smile, as he moved, sitting uninvited in the chair in front of James's table, who was staring at him with pure disgust.

  - She?

  - Yes, your Gisele, or better, ours!

  - Wash your mouth to talk about it like this. - He warned feeling his insides vibrate with anger.
/>
  - Look, I know the photos will make you cranky, however, it was necessary, I tried to set up a meeting to deal with this situation as a business transaction, however, your team refused all my requests before it even reached your ears, for I had to resort to this maneuver ...

  James punched the table causing the crash to interrupt that guy's speech, his gaze became wary, however, it didn't look like he was going to back down.

  - I'll ask again, before drawing your face instead of the table. Who are you?

  - I am Lowe Carter, I was one of the deceived, like you of this slut called Gisele, I do not know what was the name she adopted, but I suppose you understand that I am talking about the girl in the pictures!

  It was as if the floor had opened under James' feet, he stepped back, stared at the guy, unable to believe what his ears had just absorbed.

  - No, we're not talking about the same person ...

  - We are, she changed her hair, but it's definitely the same person. Here ... - He took more photos from his pocket and threw them on the table. - I gathered these photos, I got some private security systems, the bitch was very careful not to get caught, but it is certainly her. I met her in Monaco a few months ago, before she disappeared taking me money, jewelry and a car, discovering recently that she came to London, she has a pen drive in the middle of these photos, they are information from my detective, you will see that there I'm lying, I tracked the car I gave her to the hotel you've been to ....

  James looked at that haunted guy, feeling his heart want to go out through the cavity that protected him in the chest. He did not want to hear or believe those facts, however, the conviction presented by that man next to those damn pictures he was seeing spread out on his desk, were strong indications that that story was not a lie. He sat in his chair because he felt his knees go weak, it was like being stabbed in the back, in front of everything he thought he knew and investigated about her.

  - This can't be real, she ...

  - She chose you to cheat, want your money, have you checked your accounts?

  - Shut up, what do you want? In exchange for what you are warning me? James looked at him painfully.