aHunter4Trust (3 page)

“Has she come out?”

Firbin shook his head.

“Was she talking with anyone before she
left you?”

“There was a tall, dark-haired man that she
seemed to know. They were chatting for several minutes before he left the
club.”

“You are certain of this?”

“Yes.” Firbin’s tone was clipped. “What is
the problem?”

Darrogh started to the door. “Tamsin has
escaped.”

“She has probably returned to her house.”
Firbin kept pace beside him. “She had been complaining about the noise.”

“Perhaps.” Darrogh motioned for Jehon to
follow them outside. “I need access to the CCTV cameras on this street and the
alley between these two buildings.”

“Savis can access the feed,” Jehon said as
they were joined by Kerm.

“Take Firbin with you. We are looking for a
dark-haired man that she was last seen speaking with.”

“We will find him.” Jehon’s tone was brisk.

“Get all of the details and then destroy
the feed. We do not want the authorities following her.” Darrogh watched the
two men walk across the street to where their cube van was parked. It contained
their weapons and equipment, and the last man of their team, Savis, their
communications and computer expert.

Darrogh walked to the alley where Tamsin
had escaped. Kerm followed. It smelled of urine and rotting food. Trash
containers lined the wall, and refuse littered the pavement. His stomach
clenched at the thought of Tamsin walking through this filth. He would have
taken her anywhere she wanted. Why was it so difficult for her to accept his
protection?

“There is only one entrance to this alley.”
Kerm pointed to the fence that blocked the laneway at the opposite end.

Darrogh looked up. “There’s a security
camera on the opposite building. Access it and meet us back at the van.”

Kerm nodded and left.

The knot in Darrogh’s stomach tightened.

It was possible Tamsin had just gone home,
yet his senses said different. He did not want to examine how he knew. Ever
since he had accepted this mission he had been aware of a link with Tamsin. He
hoped it was only this planet’s effect on him because he refused to consider
what else it could be. Whatever the reason for his connection, he knew one
thing for certain.

Tamsin was in danger.

She was free.

A rush of adrenaline raced through Tamsin
as she fought the urge to shout with glee. After a week of constant
surveillance, she had finally escaped the suffocating presence of the men her
father had hired to watch her. She didn’t care what excuse they gave, she knew
it was just one more of her father’s tactics to control her life.

Darrogh’s image flashed through her mind.
She envisioned the familiar scowl on his face when he learned that she’d
escaped. He insisted that she was in danger. Several times during the past week
she had almost let herself trust him, until she remembered.

Men lied.

Darrogh wasn’t like any man she’d met.

He seemed more concerned with her safety
than spying on her. She’d been dragging his team to every obnoxious and loud
nightclub in the city of London for the past several evenings, and they never
voiced any objections. It was as if they expected her to do outrageous things.
She shook the thought from her mind and ran down the fire escape.

She could take care of herself.

George said he’d bring his car to the
entrance of the alley and then drive her home. She almost reeled from the stench
of the laneway, bringing her hand up to cover her nose and mouth. She quickened
her pace. When she saw an electric-blue Mercedes AMG pull into the lane she
ran.

Her ride was here.

George Saxby was a couple of years older
than her. They’d been in the same class at the London School of Economics. He
was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome, with intense brown eyes and a
smile that had charmed many of their fellow classmates.

George grinned as she opened the passenger
door and slid in. “Do you like my car?”

“Very much.” Tamsin put her seatbelt on.
“You always said you’d get a fancy sports car when you were making money.”

“It impresses the women.” George reversed
and headed down the street.

Tamsin rolled her eyes. “You haven’t
changed. When are you going to settle down?”

“Never.” George shifted gears and the
vehicle lurched forward. “I enjoy a different woman every night.”

“That’s why I never dated you.” Tamsin
leaned back into the soft-leather seat. “It would have spoiled our friendship.”

“Is that what we were, friends?” George’s
voice was low. “I thought you couldn’t stand the sight of me.”

Tamsin inhaled a sharp breath. “Why would
you say that? We hung out with the same group of people.”

“You avoided me whenever possible.”

A shiver of warning raced through her and
settled into a knot in her stomach. She’d been so happy to see a familiar face
that she’d forgotten how George’s intense stares had made her uncomfortable in
the past. There had been rumors about his rough behavior with women. No one had
come out and accused him of anything, but she’d avoided him. So many years had
passed since then. It was ridiculous to still harbor doubts about him.

“I thought you were too busy being the big
man around campus to notice me.”

“I noticed.” George’s voice was wry. “Are
you going to tell me what all the cloak and dagger stuff was back there?”

“My dad is having me followed.” The tension
eased from Tamsin. “I had to get away, even if it was only for an hour.”

“Are they likely to pursue us?”

“They’ll try. It’ll take hours for them to
figure it out.” Tamsin glanced out the window. They were not driving in the
direction of her house. “I thought you were going to drive me home.”

“After you have a drink at my place.”
George turned to her with a lopsided smile. “For old time’s sake.”

Tamsin hesitated. All she wanted was to be
alone. Still, she’d dragged George into this crazy escapade so the least she
could do was have a drink.

“You’ll take me home afterwards?”

“I promise.” George down shifted and turned
a corner. They were in an area of Knightsbridge that she didn’t recognize. It
was an upscale neighborhood. George stopped at a converted brick warehouse and
pulled through a garage door that led to an underground parking area. There
were no other cars there.

Tamsin frowned. “Where are your neighbors?”

“I own the building.” George shut the car
off. “I like my privacy.”

It was a large building and the square
footage must be massive. “Do you live in the whole place?”

“I’m renovating.” George opened his door
and waited for Tamsin to exit the car. “When I have a flat ready, then I’ll
consider renting.”

“You must have a fortune tied up in this
project.” Tamsin followed George to the lift. “You’ve done well for yourself.”

“I had to.” George held the door open for
her. “I wasn’t born with money.”

“Trust me, it can be a curse.” Tamsin
leaned against the elevator wall. “My father is always worried about what will
happen to the bank once he dies.”

“I thought you worked at Creighton’s.”

“Not since I called off my wedding.”

The lift stopped and Tamsin waited for
George to exit, before she followed. They walked into a small hallway with a
door across from the elevator, which he held open for her. He switched on the
lights as they entered a large converted loft at the top of the building.
Windows spanned the height of the south-facing wall, giving a spectacular view
of the city-scape. The rest of the area was divided into kitchen, dining, and
living space. There was a partition wall on the north side and Tamsin assumed
this was for the bedrooms and bathrooms. Everything was done in black and
white, with an accent color of red.

“It’s wonderful.” Tamsin walked to the
windows. “No wonder you don’t want to share this with others.”

“It’s an investment for my future.” George
stopped beside her.

“So you plan on selling it one day.”

Tamsin did a quick calculation in her head.
George would walk away with millions. He’d been one of the best students at
university and it was easy to see that he had translated that knowledge into
action. She’d been quietly investing herself. She might ask George for advice
about some of her slower growth projects and maybe even about the real estate
market.

“What would you like to drink?” George
walked over to the island that divided the living space from kitchen.

“White wine, if you have it.” Tamsin turned
back to the city view, watching the reflection of George in the windows as he
uncorked a bottle of wine. He spun around and took two glasses from the
cupboard. When he turned back he had two full goblets of wine in his hands.

“Let’s get comfortable.” He walked over to
a black couch and put her wine on the coffee-table. “It’s been a few years
since school.”

Tamsin took a seat opposite George on a
matching leather chair. “Some things are the same. We’re both single.”

“I heard about your engagement. The papers
were full of speculation after you called the wedding off.”

“A slow news day.” Tamsin took a gulp of
the wine. It had a bitter aftertaste.

George raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to
tell me why?”

“It was the usual story.” Tamsin put her
glass back on the table. “I couldn’t trust him.”

“You caught him with someone else.” George
shook his head. “He was a fool.”

“Not unique though.”

Tamsin kicked her heels off and curled her
legs under her. She reached for her wine and took another sip. She scrunched
her nose at the taste and put it back down. She couldn’t say much for George’s
wine choice.

“Nethercott has never been known as the
settling down sort. Why marry him?”

“It’s what my father wanted.” Tamsin pushed
her hair behind her ears. “Enough about me. Tell me what you’ve been doing.
From the looks of this place, you’ve been very successful since uni.”

“I’m a VP at Jefferson and Woodcroft’s.”

Tamsin was impressed. Jefferson and
Woodcroft’s were the leading stockbrokers in the country. No wonder George was
able to sit on this building and not rent any of the flats out. He must be
making millions a year and that was before bonuses.

“It looks like I should be coming to you
for financial advice.”

George laughed. “Your family owns one of
the oldest and most respected banks in the country. You hardly need my
guidance.”

“I don’t work for Creighton’s anymore.”

“You might not work there, but the bank is
in your blood.” George’s tone hardened. “Or are you living off your Trust
Fund?”

“I’m between jobs right now.”

Tamsin tried to keep her voice neutral.
George had never made a secret of the fact that he was disdainful of those who
had come from family money. He’d worked jobs after classes to put himself
through school.

“I’m glad to see you’re not going to let
your education go to waste.” George gulped down the last of his wine and
pointed at her full glass. “Don’t you like the Chardonnay?”

“I’m not thirsty.” Tamsin looked down at
her watch. “It’s getting late, George. I appreciate you helping me escape my
handlers, and for the chance to get caught up, but I’m tired. I’m going to call
a taxi and go home.”

“I’ll drive you home when we’re finished.”
George stood. “In a few minutes you won’t be able to walk on your own.”

Uncertainty filled Tamsin. “What are you
talking about?”

“I drugged your wine.” George’s statement
was made in a monotone voice.

“That isn’t funny.” Tamsin gave a
half-laugh. “I would have thought you’d outgrown your pranks.”

Tamsin put her feet on the ground. She had
to hold onto the chair until her head stopped spinning. She’d had one drink at
the club and a few sips of wine. She wasn’t drunk. She glanced at her glass and
a shiver of alarm went through her. She hadn’t actually seen George pour the
wine. What if he had put something in it?

“I’ve moved beyond university.” George
picked up her glass and held it out to her. “You might prefer to finish this.
It’ll help you forget.”

“Why would I want to forget?” Tamsin forced
herself to stand. She swayed and it took all of her energy to stay upright.

George shrugged. “Have it your way. Just
know that if you say anything about tonight, I’ll kill you.”

Panic rose in her throat, making it
difficult for her to breathe.

The man standing in front of her was a
stranger.

“What happened to you?”

“I got smart.” George walked to the sink
and poured her wine down the drain. “After the first girl reported me, I made
sure no one said another word.”

“What kind of man are you?”

“I take what I want and I don’t apologize.”
George swung his hands around the loft. “How else do you think I was able to
afford this?”

“You worked for it.” Tamsin tried to take a
step toward the door, but her feet refused to move. She swallowed back her
dread. She needed a clear head to get out of this situation and fear would only
cloud her judgement.

“If I played by the rules it would have
taken me a lifetime to accumulate that much money.” George snorted. “Rules are
for suckers.”

“What about integrity?” Tamsin’s words were
slurred.

“It’s out of place in this day and age.”
George took a step toward her. She tried to move backwards. Her legs hit the
edge of the glass coffee-table. “People only care about themselves.”

Tamsin’s throat was dry. “We’re friends. I
would have helped you.”

George threw his head back and laughed.
“You needed an escape from your bodyguards or you wouldn’t have lowered
yourself to get into my car.”

Tamsin steadied herself with a hand on the
back of the chair. “That’s not true.”

“Isn’t it?” George raised an eyebrow. “If
I’m such a good friend why wasn’t I invited to your wedding? All your
high-society pals were on the invitation list, but not your old buddy George.”

“Most of the guests were business
associates.”

“Enough.” George shouted. “Fate played into
my hands tonight and I mean to take what I want. This is payback for all of the
snubs you and your friends gave me over the years.”

“You’re wrong.” Tamsin’s eyes widened as
George started toward her. There was a look of wildness in his eyes. “What are
you going to do?”

“I thought that was obvious.” George
grabbed her shoulders. “I’m going to have my way with you. I’ve dreamt of this
for years. Everything I would do to and with you, once I had you in my
control.”

George’s grip tightened.

“This is better than I planned.” He shook
her and threw her back against the chair. “You’ll remember every moment and
touch.”

“I’ll scream.”

“Go ahead. No one can hear you.” George
pulled his tie off. “Do you think this is the first time I’ve had a woman here
against her will?”