aHunter4Trust (15 page)

The men left the room.

Darrogh wiped a hand over his face. The
threat to Tamsin was worse than he had originally suspected. It was one thing
to think that humans might be out to hurt her, but to know that it was
Albireons, heightened his concern. He had always been vigilant when on a
protection mission, but this was the first time he was personally involved in
the outcome.

“You look deep in thought.” A surge of joy
raced through him at the sound of Tamsin’s voice. “Are these aliens that big of
a threat?”

“They can be defeated.”

“That’s not reassuring.” Tamsin sat on the
sofa. “You sound as if you’re planning a battle.”

“I am.” Darrogh sat beside her. “Why is it
necessary to control your father’s bank? Albirsion Corporation already owns
over fifty banks world-wide.”

“The more banks you have, the greater your
power?” Tamsin shrugged her shoulders.

“Is there something special about
Creighton’s bank?”

“Creighton’s holds the money of many of the
world’s richest families. We have always been the bank of choice for those with
wealth. Our reputation has been built on service and discretion.”

“Controlling Creighton’s gives them a
position of power over those who have influence.” Darrogh was beginning to
understand the necessity of keeping Creighton’s free from the Albireons. “If
they are targeting your father’s bank, they do not yet have control of the wealthiest
people on this planet.”

“It would make sense.” Tamsin clasped his
hand. “If they have that much power are you going to be able to keep us safe?”

“Always.”

Darrogh looked down at their joined hands.
A sense of peace and purpose filled him. It was right that he was here with
Tamsin. He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it.

“I told you I was uncertain of the
attraction between us.” Darrogh’s voice was hoarse. “I have no doubts now.”

“You have decided it is too great a risk.”
Tamsin’s voice sounded resigned.

“Never.” Darrogh lifted her chin so that
their eyes met. “You are my pair bond. It does not matter if you accept the
connection because I know it to be true.”

“You had doubts earlier. What changed?”

“I realized that my feelings and bonding
had nothing to do with this planet.” Darrogh’s voice was serious. “I am a
Hunter and we form pair bonds with one woman only. That is part of our
breeding. Implants were the only reason that it had not happened in the past.
Being on Earth has nothing to do with our ability to find a mate.”

“So what does that mean for us?”

“I trust who I am as a warrior and as a
Hunter.” Darrogh’s words were like a vow. “I am bonded to you and I will always
be with you. You are a part of me. Your wishes are my desires.”

Tamsin’s eyes filled with tears. “I still
don’t know if I believe what is happening between us.”

Darrogh wiped away one of Tamsin’s tears
with his thumb. “I am completely committed and bound to you. Nothing can change
that. I will protect and defend you with my last dying breath.”

Darrogh gathered her close.

He sensed her indecision.

It did not change how he felt. She was in
danger and for the first time he realized that his years of fighting and battle
had prepared him for this moment. Tamsin needed his protection and skills. He
would defend her to the death and beyond.

Tamsin woke up refreshed. She couldn’t
remember feeling this good since before her mother had died when she was ten
years old. That seemed a lifetime ago. She sat up in bed and stretched her arms
over her head. That’s when she saw him.

Darrogh.

The man who claimed her as his pair bond.

She wasn’t exactly certain what that meant,
but she knew she’d never felt this way about any other man. It was terrifying
and glorious at the same time. He sensed her thoughts and if he was telling the
truth, she would be able feel his also. Right now, all she had to do was look
at him to know what he was thinking.

Tenderness and concern shone from his eyes.

A fierce protectiveness underlined his
whole being. It was in his stance and the way he moved. This man was definitely
the warrior he claimed to be, and he had vowed to keep her safe. With him
beside her, she knew there would never be any need for concern. It was a shock
to realize that she didn’t question this knowledge.

The first glimmer of belief was seeping
through her doubts.

Trust would follow.

“Did you stay awake all night?” Tamsin
hugged her knees under the bed covers.

“Firbin and Savis took a shift.” Darrogh’s
voice was low. “I just came in a few minutes ago.”

“Have you had breakfast yet?”

“We have fed ourselves.” Darrogh leaned
forward in the floral armchair he was sitting in. “Are you ready to start the
day? We have a lot to accomplish and time is important.”

“You mean the Albireons will be after us
shortly.”

“They will try.” Darrogh’s eyes narrowed.
“They do not move as quickly as other races. They are slow and methodical. It
will take them a few days to process what has happened and that will give us the
time we need to defeat them.”

“You’ve done this before.” Tamsin had a
brief flash of light and explosions. Intuitively, she knew that she was seeing
something that had happened to Darrogh in the past.

“I have fought many a battle with this
enemy.” Darrogh nodded. “My experience will be useful for this fight.”

A shiver raced through her. The thought of
blood being shed and people dying because of the need to protect a bank was
repulsive. She valued life too much to believe that any good could come from open
warfare. She would never forgive herself if others had to die to protect
Creighton’s.

“I am guarding you, not a bank.” Darrogh’s
words brought her focus back to him. “Protecting Creighton’s bank from Albireon
control means that we are stopping the complete annihilation of this planet.
Many lives will the saved.”

Tamsin nodded. “I hadn’t considered that.”

“There would be no honor in endangering
people needlessly.” Darrogh’s voice was matter of fact.

“I’m learning to trust you.” Tamsin smiled
and leaned back against the cushioned headboard of her bed. “You live by honor
and truth.”

“And the Sacred Code.” Darrogh’s gaze
softened. “To know that my skill and training are being used to protect you has
given me a true purpose in life.”

A warm glow filled Tamsin. There was
silence for several seconds as they gazed at each other. She was drowning in
his eyes and only the rumbling of her stomach brought her back to the present.
They had real enemies to defeat, and the sooner they started, the better.

“I need coffee and then I’ll be ready to
face the day.”

Darrogh stood.

At that moment, the door burst open, and
her father rushed in shaking a newspaper in the air. “What the hell were you
thinking?”

Darrogh reacted faster than she’d ever seen
a person do before. He reached her father and pushed him back against the wall
before she could blink. Her eyes widened as she watched her father struggle
against Darrogh’s grip on his coat lapels. Darrogh raised him from the floor.

“Put me down.” Her father’s words came out
in a burst of rage. “I’m her father. I have every right to see her.”

“No one speaks or approaches Tamsin in
anger.” Darrogh’s voice came through clenched teeth. “It does not matter who
you are.”

“It’s fine Darrogh.” Tamsin motioned to put
her father down. “My father would never harm me.”

Darrogh let her father slip down the wall.
He stepped back and shut the door. “I will not leave you here with her alone.”

“This concerns both of you.” Robert
Creighton straightened his shirt and jacket. “Have you seen the morning
papers?”

“I just woke up.” Tamsin reached for the
paper that her father threw at her.

She took one look and her stomach dropped.

Plastered on the front page, was the photo
that Peter had taken of Darrogh carrying her in his arms. Below that, was a
picture of her getting into Saxby’s car. The headlines read ‘Banker’s Daughter
Caught in Drunken Orgy’. There was no hiding the fact that she’d been with
Saxby. The evidence was there for all the world to see.

She handed the paper to Darrogh.

His eyes narrowed. “Now we know what
happened to the photos.”

Tamsin sighed. It was too early in the
morning for this. She needed a coffee and a few minutes to consider what this
would mean, not only for her, but for Creighton’s Bank. If they were trying to
undermine the bank’s reputation by smearing her name, they were doing a good
job of it.

“What pictures?” Robert Creighton looked at
her and she shrugged.

“I’ve been followed by a detective for
months now.”

“We caught him yesterday.” Darrogh tossed
the newspaper on the bed. “We knew about the photos and we found out who his
client was.”

“I should have been told immediately.”
Robert Creighton pointed his finger at Darrogh. “You answer to me.”

Darrogh shook his head. “I protect Tamsin
and that means I do what is best for her safety.”

Robert Creighton swatted the paper against
his hand. “It looks like you’re doing more than that. I hired you to guard my
daughter, nothing more.”

Darrogh’s chin jutted out and for a second
Tamsin thought that he was going to react to her father’s taunt. Instead, he
took a step back. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her. She
could have sworn she heard his voice asking what she wanted. Despite the
differences she had with her father and his efforts to control her life, she
loved and trusted him. He needed to be told the truth.

“Sit down, Dad.” Tamsin motioned her father
to the chair that Darrogh had vacated. “A lot has happened since Saturday night.”

“The whole world knows that, thanks to
those pictures.” Robert Creighton sat. “Why didn’t you tell me about this
sooner?”

“We just found out yesterday.” Tamsin
glanced at Darrogh. “Could you get us some coffee?”

Darrogh looked at her with a stubborn intensity.

“He needs to hear this from me.”

She sent the message to Darrogh through her
mind. If he could truly connect to her, he would hear her words and understand.

“Your daughter’s safety is the only thing I
care about.” Darrogh’s voice was low. “If you endanger her in any way, you will
answer to me.”

He left the room.

She released the breath she’d been holding.
Darrogh had told her the truth when he’d said they were connected on more than
one level.

“I’m waiting.” Her father’s voice dragged
her back to the room.

“I wish you had told me why you had hired
bodyguards for me in the beginning. It would have made things easier.”

“I’m your father and I was protecting you.”
Her father’s voice was sharp. “I don’t have to explain all of my actions to
you.”

“When they involve me, you do.” Tamsin kept
her voice low. “I’m an adult now and capable of making my own decisions.”

“Like you did with Winchester and the
wedding.”

Tamsin nodded. “Exactly like that. I knew I
couldn’t marry him, but I went along with it because you wanted the union. When
I found him in bed with Liz that was the last straw. I didn’t care what it
took, I was going to cut my ties with him, and you, if necessary. I wasn’t
going to be married to a man who didn’t love me.”

“Is love what you think you’ve found with
Darrogh?” Robert Creighton’s words sounded more like an insult than a question.

Tamsin took a deep breath. “I don’t
understand what is happening between Darrogh and myself. I do know he doesn’t
lie to me, he’s saved my life, and he will continue to protect me no matter
what I do.”

“He’s a bodyguard for God’s sake. He’s
beneath you in class and education.”

Tamsin couldn’t believe her father’s
prejudice. “I’m not prepared to discuss him with you. Do you want to know what
happened on the night these photos were taken?”

Her father crossed his arms and looked away
for a few seconds before turning back to her. It was a tactic he’d used since
she was a child whenever he’d been displeased with her behavior. The familiar
knot in her stomach tightened before a sense of calm came over her. She
couldn’t be certain, but it felt as if Darrogh was reaching out to her.

“Tell me,” her father ordered.

“I resented you hiring men to guard me. I
thought it was another trick you were using to get me under your control again,
so I did everything in my power to escape. Saturday night was the first time I
succeeded.”

“So you went to a party where you got
drunk?” Her father shook his head. “You’ve just proved my point that you need
looking after.”

“I wasn’t drunk in that photo.” Tamsin
paused for a second. “I’d been drugged with Rohypnol. If Darrogh hadn’t arrived
when he did, I would have been raped and murdered.”

Her father’s eyes widened. “How could you
let yourself get into that situation?”

“I met someone that I had gone to school
with and he agreed to help me evade my bodyguards. I thought I was safe with
George Saxby, so I pretended to go to the Ladies Room and then ducked out the
fire exit.”

“Where were your bodyguards?”

“Luckily, they weren’t far behind.” Tamsin
pushed past her reluctance to remember what had happened that night. “George
said that he would drive me home. After I got in his car, he insisted on going
back to his place for a drink.”

“You know better than that.” Her father’s
criticism stabbed like a dagger.

“I went to university with him. How was I
to know he’d become a predator?” Tamsin lifted her chin. “I was desperate to
get away from the men that I thought were spying on me. I took a chance.”

“What happened next?”

“I took a couple of sips of wine and then I
couldn’t move.” Tamsin blinked back her tears. Images from that night were
still coming back in pieces. The horror, and fear were still with her.

“George hit me and ripped my clothes, and
when I threatened to tell the police, he swore he would kill me.” Tamsin’s
voice shook. “That’s when I realized what a fool I’d been to leave the
protection of Darrogh and his men.”

“It was a little late by then.” Creighton’s
voice cracked. “How did you escape?”

“I swore I heard Darrogh’s voice in my head
telling me everything would be okay and then they rescued me.” Tamsin wiped the
tears from her cheek. “That picture was taken after they had made certain
George would never hurt another woman.”

“You’re okay?” Her father reached over and
clasped her hand. “Thank God the men arrived in time. I couldn’t have handle it
if that monster had killed you.”

There was a knock at the door and then
Darrogh came in with two mugs of coffee. He handed her one and then went to her
father. Robert Creighton’s hand was shaking as he took the cup from Darrogh.
The two men looked at each other for a second and then Darrogh closed the door
and leaned against it with his arms crossed. Relief flooded her. She needed
Darrogh’s support for the rest of the interview with her father.

Robert Creighton took several sips of his
coffee before he looked at Darrogh. “What did you do to Saxby?”

“He is dead.” Darrogh’s voice held no
emotion. “He pulled a gun on me and we wrestled with it. I made certain he was
shot in the head.”

“So it was self-defence.” Her father’s
voice held relief. “There will be no legal ramifications.”

“He had broken the code all Hunters live by
and death was the only choice for him. He knew I was going to kill him for
harming Tamsin.”

Her father’s mouth dropped open. “You can’t
go around killing people. I don’t need the kind of publicity a trial would
bring. I asked you to keep my daughter safe, nothing more.”

“Honor and justice demanded that George
Saxby die.” Darrogh’s voice was firm. “Tamsin was not the first women to be
hurt by that man.”

Sir Robert exhaled. “Even though I would
have liked to kill him with my bare hands for touching Tamsin, I would have let
the law deal with it.”