aHunter4Trust (16 page)

“They would not have brought justice or closure
to those he harmed. His death will do that.”

Her father turned away from Darrogh and
looked at her with a stunned expression. “Do you condone what they did?”

“He caused his own death in this case.” A
chill rushed through Tamsin. “He would have killed me if they hadn’t stopped
him.”

“I understand.” Her father’s voice was
filled with empathy. “That is why we have the police and laws, though.”

“I wasn’t in any state to think.” Tamsin’s
voice trembled. “I couldn’t move. Darrogh carried me out of the building and
that’s when the picture was taken.”

Her father stood and picked up the paper.
“All you can see is a brick wall in the background. Nobody should be able to
connect you with Saxby’s death.”

“We cleaned up all evidence of Tamsin,”
Darrogh said. “This is not our first time circumventing the law.”

A vein bulged in her father’s neck. “I
appreciate and thank you for saving my daughter’s life. I can’t condone you
killing people, though. If you can’t follow the law, I’ll have no choice but to
fire you.”

“I vowed to protect Tamsin.” Darrogh kept
his voice calm. “I am not leaving.”

“I’d be an accomplice if I allowed you to
kill people.” Tamsin’s father’s face was twisted with anger. “It’ll look worse
because I pay you. That makes it murder for hire.”

“We do not need money to do what is right.”

Darrogh walked over to Tamsin. He sensed
her frustration and disappointment at her father’s reaction to her ordeal. A
part of him wished to order the man out of the house, but they needed his help
with the Albireons. It would be easier to gain access to the bank’s computers
if Sir Robert sanctioned it.

“Tamsin was almost killed by that monster.
She still has the bruises from his attack.” Darrogh’s hands clenched into
fists. The faint discoloration on Tamsin’s cheek was a reminder of his failure
to protect her. “She needs your love and support.”

Robert Creighton looked over at his
daughter. “Are you certain you want these men protecting you?”

“They’re the only ones keeping me safe.”
Tamsin’s voice shook. “Please listen, Dad. Something else has happened.”

Creighton sighed. He glanced up at Darrogh
before looking back at Tamsin. “You have ten minutes to explain.”

“Let me get dressed.” Tamsin pushed back her
bed covers. “I’ll meet you downstairs in the lounge.”

Darrogh opened the door and waited for Sir
Robert to leave before closing it. “Do you need me to stay?”

Tamsin shook her head. “Give me a few
minutes and I’ll be downstairs.”

Darrogh sent her a surge of calming energy
before leaving the room. When he reached the first floor, Sir Robert was pacing
in the lounge. Darrogh went to the fireplace and crossed his arms. He motioned
to Savis.

“Show Sir Robert the photos of Tamsin.”

Savis had been working on his laptop at a
desk in the corner. When Creighton sat beside him, he started to scroll through
the photographer’s pictures. It took several minutes. Tamsin had joined them by
the time they were finished.

She was wearing black pants and a bright,
floral silk blouse with a matching jacket. Darrogh’s breath caught in his
throat when she entered the room. She gave him a smile that sent his heart rate
soaring before she sat on the sofa.

“This man has been following you for
months.” Creighton looked up from the computer screen. “Why didn’t we see him
earlier?”

“Because I’m good.” Peter’s voice rang out
from the doorway. He was standing there with a cup of coffee and a grin on his
face. “You should be thankful I’m part of your security team now.”

“I hired him,” Tamsin added.

“Without my permission?” Her father leaned
back in his chair and looked at Tamsin. “You can’t be serious.”

“You need me.” Peter took a sip of coffee
and sat on the edge of the desk beside Savis and Sir Robert. “I’m the one who took
the photos that the newspaper printed.”

“My daughter doesn’t need a paparazzo.”

“I’m a private investigator.” Peter’s voice
was defensive. “I handed those photos over to my client. He’s the one who sold
them to the papers.”

“Who is your client?” Sir Robert spoke
through gritted teeth.

“We set up a meeting last night and
followed Peter.” Darrogh nodded to Savis who pulled up their surveillance from
the previous night.

Creighton jumped back when he saw Henry
Kingsley. His eyes widened as he watched the slide show of photos on the
screen. When it was over, he sat back.

“I don’t understand. Why was Henry there?”

“He was my client.” Peter pointed to the
last picture of Kingsley meeting with the Albireons. “It looks like he’s working
with these guys.”

“Who are they?” Sir Robert looked up at
Darrogh.

“They are Albireons.” Darrogh walked over
to Tamsin and stood behind her. “If you searched Peter’s photos from the past
few months, you would have seen similar men following her.”

“Are these the people threatening my
daughter?” Creighton’s voice rose. “You have the evidence. Call the police and
charge them with stalking.”

“It’s a bigger problem than you understand,
Dad.” Tamsin’s voice was calm. “These aren’t normal men.”

“Supposedly, they are extra-terrestrials.”
Peter’s voice held a hint of laughter. “And apparently these men you hired to
protect your daughter, are also aliens.”

Creighton’s eyes bulged. “Is everyone here
crazy?”

Darrogh was about to speak when Tamsin put
up her hand. “This is not a laughing matter. You need to listen. Darrogh and
his men have dealt with these people before.”

“Don’t tell me you’re buying all this alien
stuff?” Creighton’s voice was accusing as he turned to his daughter.

Tamsin hesitated a few seconds before
nodding her head. “I believe them. I think you should too.”

Creighton gave his daughter a long
considering look and then took a deep breath. He turned to Darrogh. “Explain.”

“We have encountered this race in
Australia.” Darrogh’s voice was low. “They are partnered with a covert agency
that does not have ties to any country. They are experimenting on humans.”

“Do you have proof?” Peter’s voice was
filled with doubt. “People go around saying they’ve seen aliens, but when it
comes down to it, there’s no evidence.”

“That’s because there are humans who are
working with the Albireons.”

“I need a photograph or something more
concrete.” Peter took a sip of coffee. “Hearsay won’t do.”

“The mate of one of our warriors was
captured. She had been in the FBI.” Darrogh kept his impatience under control.
He knew it was difficult for humans to believe that life existed on other
planets. “She was close enough to the Albireons to see that they were not from
Earth.”

Peter shook his head. “Anybody can say
that.”

“The photographs show the truth. The men
are not human.” Savis magnified one of the Albireons from Henry Kingsley’s
meeting. “Take a close look at their faces. There are no eyebrows, facial hair
or lips.”

Peter and Robert Creighton moved closer to
the screen. They watched as Savis enlarged a number of the images from the
previous night. Savis also went through some of the photos of the men who had
followed Tamsin over the past month. They all showed the same defects; no
facial hair, a slit for a mouth, and pale pasty-colored skin. They wore the
same uniform of a dark overcoat, black pants, and a black fedora hat.

“It’s impossible to believe that there
would be so many men with the same defects.” Robert Creighton leaned back. “You
believe that they’re extra-terrestrials?”

“I know they are.” Darrogh pulled his shirt
out of his pants and turned so his back was exposed. “These scars came from the
Boglara Frontier. I was captured by Albireons and before I could escape, they
had taken slices of me for their experiments and genetic database.”

Tamsin inhaled a sharp breath. “Your back
is a mass of scars.”

Darrogh let his shirt drop. “I was lucky. I
freed myself and then killed my captors. I know first-hand the damage that
Albireons can do. On the Boglara Frontier, they had conquered and decimated
several planets before we defeated them.”

“Why are they on Earth?” There was a tremor
of shock in Creighton’s voice.

“It is the same wherever they go. They
gather all of the genetic material, strip the planet of its resources, and then
destroy it. They leave with everything necessary to carry on their business.”

“You mean it’s a matter of economics?”
Peter’s tone held disbelief. “That seems extreme. What business are they in?”

“Genetic recombination for the purpose of
selling slaves and new species.” Savis shut his laptop. “They destroy all of
the living components of a planet so that they hold the only copies of the
genetic code.”

“They mine our genes?” Creighton’s voice
rose in outrage. “How could humans possibly go along with this scheme?”

“The Albireons disguise their true
purpose.” Darrogh crossed his arms. “They promise wealth and knowledge in
exchange for a chance to study a world. Over the years, they give away small
amounts of technological information as they slowly infiltrate and take over
the planet.”

“So they hoodwink us.”

Darrogh nodded. “They are masters of
deception.”

“There are very few galaxies that will
allow them to do business,” Savis added. “That is probably why they are on
Earth. You are not advanced enough for extended space travel.”

“How long have they been here?” There was a
quiver in Tamsin’s voice.

“Seventy or more years.” Savis stood. “We
are working on a way to defeat them. Right now there is a bigger problem.”

“One that requires your help, Sir Robert.”

Darrogh kept his voice unemotional.
Creighton must understand the full extent of the Albireons’ intrusion. Once
they could manipulate the economics of Earth, they could start a world-wide
panic that would result in them grabbing even more power.

“What can I possibly do?”

“We need access to your bank’s computer
records.”

“Impossible.”

“We believe that the Albireons have already
infiltrated your bank.” Darrogh straightened his shoulders. “They have been
watching Tamsin for months, and they had an insider, Henry Kingsley, close to
you. Who knows what damage has been done.”

“Why Creighton’s? Wouldn’t the Central Bank
make more sense?”

“They may already have that under their
rule.”

Darrogh looked at Tamsin’s pale face and
sent her a wave of strength. Neither she nor her father could imagine the
extent of damage that the Albireons left in their wake. Darrogh never wanted
them to experience that kind of devastation. It was imperative that they see
the bank’s files.

“Creighton’s holds the money of many of the
oldest and wealthiest families in the world. The Albireons could gain a lot of
cooperation and power if they had these people in their control.” Darrogh’s
explanation caught Creighton’s attention.

“They want contact with my clients.” Sir
Robert nodded. “It makes sense. If what you say about Henry is true, and he has
already given them access, how do you plan to remedy it?”

Darrogh looked at Savis.

“I have much experience with these
systems,” Savis said. “Once I know what has happened I will not only reverse it,
but I will have a way to infiltrate their assets and holdings.”

“You plan on taking everything they have.”
Creighton’s voice was dry.

“It would be a mistake to do otherwise.”

“We’ll go to prison if we’re caught.” There
were several minutes of silence while Sir Robert considered the proposition. He
looked over at Tamsin. “Do you trust them?”

Darrogh’s heart stopped for the few seconds
it took Tamsin to answer.

She looked up at him and smiled.

“Yes.” She turned to her father. “The
Albireons have threatened us and Creighton’s. It is our responsibility to stop
them, no matter what.”

“We’ve no choice but to take the
offensive.” Sir Robert heaved a sigh and stood. “Come around to the bank when
you’re ready and I’ll give you the codes.”

There was silence for several minutes after
Sir Robert left the house.

“I never thought I’d find myself believing
in aliens, but you guys are pretty convincing.” Peter pushed away from the
desk.

“Your photographs were the evidence.” Savis
put his computer into a slim bag that he threw over his shoulder. “The
Albireons have had many years to do damage. It will take us a while to reverse
it.”

Tamsin stood. “I can help. I used to work
at Creighton’s. My father might find it easier if I asked all of the difficult
questions.”

“I am going with you.” Darrogh’s voice was
sharp. “I will not risk your life.”

Tamsin touched his hand. “I’ll do what you
want. We need to get busy on those files.”

“Breanon you are to take point outside of
the building. Firbin and Jehon will come with us.”

“What about me?” Peter picked up his
camera. “I can still shoot pictures of people coming and going.”

Darrogh nodded. “Do not get in our way.”

“Kerm will stay at the house. We cannot
risk someone breaching security here.”

“I’ll get a jacket.” Tamsin turned to go to
her room, when she was stopped by the doorbell.

Darrogh stood in front of her and motioned
for Kerm to answer it.

A minute later Kerm reported through mind
connection. “
The police are here.
”