aHunter4Trust (7 page)

“We understand how they work.” Darrogh
glanced at Henry. “Do you have any contact information for this organization?”

Henry ripped a page from his notebook.
“This is all I have.”

Darrogh glanced down at the sheet. There
were a couple of names and telephone numbers and one email address. It was a
start. He handed the sheet to Savis.

“Give this information to Ardal.”

He went over to Tamsin “It is time we
left.”

She nodded and stood. “Give me a few
minutes alone with my father.”

“We will wait outside the room.”

He motioned for the rest of the team to
leave. Henry followed them out too. When the door was closed behind them
Darrogh sent Kerm to guard the entryway. Now all he had to do was convince Tamsin
that staying in London was not the best option.

Henry cleared his throat. “Do you really
think you can stop this organization?”

“They have gained much control, but we are
familiar with their tactics. It is not the first time we have battled Albireons.”

“You keep talking about them as if they’re
a race or citizens of another country.” Henry gave a short laugh. “This is
business, pure and simple.”

Darrogh considered the man for a few
seconds and then shook his head. “It is about world domination.”

Henry crossed his arms. “It’s simple
economics.”

“If the Albireons gain control of this
planet’s resources and industries, it means the decimation of the human
species.”

“That’s nuts.” Henry shook his head. “You
guys are crazy. I’m not certain where Mr. Creighton found you, but I doubt
you’ll be able to stop anyone from hurting his daughter. Don’t think I’m not
going to tell him about this conversation.”

“Just because you do not believe in the
threat does not make it less real.”

Darrogh turned away from the assistant. It
was a waste of his time to convince this man. The Albireons were on earth and
if they had power over so much of this planet’s assets and institutions, then
their threat was greater than they had guessed.

The study door opened and Tamsin came out.
“I’m ready to go home.”

Darrogh started for the entrance. “Wait
until the car arrives.”

Jehon pulled up a few seconds later.
Darrogh stood beside Tamsin, covering her body with his, until she was in the
vehicle. Then he signalled the rest of his team. They would follow in the van
and keep the car in sight at all times. Darrogh sat beside Tamsin and shut the
door.

“Do you believe that my father has any
chance of holding off this corporate takeover?”

Darrogh glanced over at Tamsin. “They will
succeed unless he has something to threaten them with.”

“So he might as well hand the bank over
now?” There was disbelief in Tamsin’s voice.

“That is not what I said.” Darrogh kept his
tone neutral. “We will find a way to stop them, but it will take time. Until we
have a solution, you need to let us protect you.”

“By taking me out of London?”

“Yes.”

“This is my home. I refuse to leave it.”

She was being illogical. Darrogh knew that
he should obey her wishes because she was a woman. This situation was
different. He had to do what was best for her security. Now was not the time to
insist she leave the city, though. He would try and convince her of that once
they were safely at her home.

“You told my father you could protect me.”

“Not this way.” Darrogh turned in the seat
to look at her. “You cannot expect me to continue guarding you without your
cooperation.”

Just then, there was a loud noise and the
car jerked to the side. Darrogh threw himself over Tamsin. Jehon was fighting
to gain control of the vehicle as it skidded across the road and over the
sidewalk.

They came to a stop just before crashing
into a pole.

When he looked down there was blood on his
hands.

Tamsin was injured.

“I can’t breathe.” Tamsin tried to push
Darrogh away.

“Be still.” His voice was a low whisper as
he shifted his weight off her. “We must be certain it is safe.”

“It was a tire blowout, that’s all.”

“Jehon is very thorough about checking the
vehicle.”

She could feel the tension in Darrogh’s
body.

“The tires were fine.”

Darrogh wasn’t going to let her up until he
was ready. She took a deep breath and relaxed. She felt safe with him and even
though it was probably just a freak accident, she’d let him play the hero.

A vehicle stopped beside them. The door
opened and she could hear footsteps running toward them. Could Darrogh have
been right about them being followed? It was crazy to think that someone could
be attacked in broad daylight in a city as busy as London. Surely someone would
stop them?

“There is no need for concern. It is my
men.” Darrogh eased himself away from her. “You are bleeding.”

Tamsin brushed her fingers across her
forehead. It was sticky and wet. “I must have hit my head when the car lurched
forward.”

Darrogh turned her so that she faced him.
He moved her hair away and examined the cut. “It is minor. It has almost
stopped bleeding.”

Tamsin leaned back against the seat. “What
do we do now?”

“Once the area is secured, we will move you
to the van and continue to your house.”

It took a few minutes before she was
hurried into the rear of the van. Darrogh used his body to shield her, and only
left her side once she was safely inside the vehicle. Firbin was in the
driver’s seat. Breanon sat with his rifle aimed out the tinted window on one
side of the van, while Kerm did the same on the opposite. A shiver went through
her. These men didn’t think this had been an accident.

When had her life become so dangerous? All
she wanted was to go home and relax. To put her feet up on the couch and forget
about the ordeals she’d been through in the last twenty-four hours.

The van door opened and Darrogh and Savis
jumped in before slamming the rear door closed. Darrogh sat beside her while
Savis went to a computer that was mounted on a shelf behind the driver’s seat.
Neither man looked at her or spoke. As if on silent command, both Kerm and
Breanon seemed to tense and tighten their hold on their weapons.

The vehicle jerked forward.

“Is everything all right?”

“There was a bullet in the tire.” Darrogh’s
voice was matter of fact. “It was meant as a warning.”

Tamsin’s heart started to beat at a furious
rate. “How can you be certain?”

“We would be dead otherwise. They need you
alive until your father submits to their demands.” Darrogh’s tone was dry. “We
have to get you to safety.”

“If I start running, I’ll never stop.”
Tamsin pushed away her fear. “You can’t submit to people like this.”

“Protecting yourself so that you can fight
another day is not giving in. Retreat is an honorable and often successful
strategy.” Darrogh’s voice remained calm. “These people will not stop until
they have carried out their threat. They have no concern for human life and
they consider you disposable.”

“We should go to the police and tell them.”
Tamsin clasped her hands together to prevent them from shaking. She had never
seen Darrogh so serious before and it scared her. “If they’re as bad as you
say, then they shouldn’t be walking around free.”

Darrogh’s jaw clenched. “They do not answer
to anyone.”

“That’s ridiculous.” Tamsin muttered.
“Everyone has to be accountable or there would be chaos.”

“Exactly.” Darrogh gave her an intense
stare.

His eyes were cold with determination and
knowledge.

A shiver of fear raced up her spine.

What wasn’t he telling her? She needed
answers. First, her father tells her that some organization is demanding he
hand over his bank or she’ll be killed. Then Darrogh is insisting that there is
no way to combat these people.

“I didn’t say that.” Darrogh leaned close
to her. “We can fight, but not in London.”

Tamsin’s eyes narrowed. “You read my
thoughts again.”

Darrogh nodded. “We will talk about this
once you are safe.”

Tamsin crossed her arms and leaned back
against the side panel of the van. “I intend to know about everything that is
happening.”

“As you wish.”

There was silence until they reached her
house. The van pulled up to the curb and everyone except Firbin, jumped out and
surrounded her. If she hadn’t just been shot at, she would have thought it was
ridiculous. When she had the answers to her questions, then she would decide
what needed to be done.

Darrogh used her key to unlock her door and
then waited with her outside until the rest of the team had cleared the
apartment. Only then, was she allowed to enter her home.

“Are there any listening devices?”

“None.” Savis stated in a matter of fact
tone. “Ardal has been informed of the current situation. He will be in contact
with further instructions.”

Darrogh nodded and then turned to her. “You
may relax now.”

“I’m going to lock myself in my bedroom and
take a nap.” Tamsin turned to Darrogh and poked her finger into his chest.
“After that, you and I are going to have a serious discussion.”

A fission of heat raced up her arm.

The breath caught in her throat.

She’d never experienced attraction like
this before. It was raw and primal. She fought the urge to fling herself into
his arms and beg him to hold her forever. As soon as the thought had crossed
her mind, she was appalled with herself. He was her bodyguard. She might trust him
with her life, but never with her heart.

She swallowed and backed away.

Darrogh’s gaze never left her face. She
could have sworn she’d felt his thoughts brush across her mind. A calm
acceptance of what had just passed between them. It was impossible. It had to
be her imagination brought on by her throbbing headache, and the aftereffects
of the drug that Saxby had given her. There was no other explanation.

“You should rest.” Darrogh’s voice was
hoarse.

Tamsin nodded and turned to go to her room
when the phone rang.

She sighed and picked up the receiver.
“Hello.”

“Tamsin, we need to talk.”

It was Winchester Nethercott.

Darrogh looked at her and she shook her
head. After everything that had happened in the last day, she couldn’t face her
ex-fiancé right now. The truth was that there would never be a good time to
face him.

“We have nothing to discuss.” Tamsin went
to hang the phone up when Winchester’s voice stopped her.

“Your father told me everything that is
happening. I can help.”

Tamsin hesitated.

She didn’t trust Winchester, but she
couldn’t afford to refuse help right now. Men were threatening her father’s
bank and her life. If Winchester had a way to deal with this threat, then she
needed to listen to him.

“How?”

“I can’t discuss it over the phone. Meet me
at the Café Organic on Kensington High Street. I’ll tell you then.”

Tamsin was familiar with the café. It was a
risk leaving the house, yet could she pass up the chance that Winchester might
be able to help? She couldn’t bear to see her father upset anymore over her
safety. If she could stop this crazy takeover and threats, then she had to try.

She glanced down at her watch. “I’ll meet
you there in one hour.”

“Great. You won’t regret it.” Winchester
hung up.

“Where are you going?”

“My ex-fiancé says that he has a way to
help me.” Tamsin put the receiver down. “He wants to meet me.”

Darrogh shook his head. “We need to guard
you and the best place to do that is here.”

“I have to see him.” Tamsin’s voice rose.
“I need to hear what he has to say. He and my father might have hatched this
plan about threatening letters and corporate takeovers between them. All of it
might be nonsense.”

“The bullet was real.” Darrogh’s voice was
solemn.

“It might not have been for me.” Tamsin
shook off her feeling of dread. “If Winchester can help, then I want to meet
with him.”

Darrogh frowned. It was several seconds
before he answered. “We will go with you.”

“You can stay outside the café while I talk
to Winchester.”

“No.” Darrogh crossed his arms. “Your
protection is my responsibility. Either I sit with you or you will stay here.”

Tamsin thought about arguing, but it would
be senseless. Darrogh wasn’t going to relent. She bit her lower lip and
considered her options. She could lose them along the way. She glanced up to
see Darrogh staring at her with an intense expression on his face. A shiver
went down her spine. She didn’t know how he did it, but he knew what she was
thinking.

Heat flooded her cheeks as shame and
chagrin filled her. She’d almost died last night because she’d tried to escape
their protection. She was lucky that they’d found her before she’d been
injured. She refused to believe that there were threats on her life. She
couldn’t ignore it though.

“You can come.”

“A wise decision.”

“You would have followed me anyway.” Tamsin
rolled her eyes. “I’m not a fool. I know I took a crazy risk last night. Is it
so wrong to want privacy and independence?”

“You will have that once we have taken care
of the Albirsion Corporation.”

Tamsin sighed. “Corporations like Albirsion
run the world. There is very little that can be done about them.”

“You would give up?”

“I think we should be realistic about what
we can accomplish. Some things are bigger than us.”

“A Hunter does not stop until he has
succeeded.” Darrogh turned to go into the lounge. “I will advise the team of
your excursion.”

Thirty minutes later, Tamsin found herself
sitting in the rear of the van. Her car had been repaired and was following
them. They stopped in front of the Café Organic. Breanon and Kerm left the
vehicle first. Darrogh waited with her for several minutes before helping her
out.

“Was that necessary?” Tamsin didn’t hide
her irritation. The cloak and dagger stuff was making her tense.

“The men are in position and can provide
protection in case something goes wrong.”

“Winchester might be a poor excuse for a
human being, but he isn’t stupid.” Tamsin’s tone was dry. “If he’s been talking
with my father, he knows that I have protection.”

“Most humans underestimate a Hunter’s
abilities.”

Darrogh’s expression was impassive and
Tamsin shook her head. He kept referring to Earth and humans as if he were
separate from it. She wanted to ask him to explain, but this wasn’t the time.
She spotted Winchester across the small café. Blonde with grey eyes, he used
his good looks and charm to get what he wanted and it looked as if he intended
to do the same today. He was waiting beside a table, a chair pulled out and a
wide grin on his handsome face.

Winchester Nethercott stood there as if he
expected her to welcome him with open arms. He had betrayed her a week before
their wedding in the worse possible way. She’d sworn never to speak to him
again, and yet here she was meeting him at a café to discuss options. She was
the one who should have her head examined.

He winked at her. “You took your time.”

He bent to hug her. Darrogh put his hand
out and stopped him.

Winchester frowned. “Who the hell are you?”

Darrogh pushed Winchester back a couple of
steps. “You can speak with Tamsin from a distance and you may not touch her. If
you cannot follow the rules, we leave.”

“Is this the new boyfriend?”

“No.” Tamsin and Darrogh answered at the
same time.

“Obviously a sore point.” Winchester
shrugged and plopped down on the metal chair. “I need to speak to you in private.”

“I stay.”

Darrogh pulled out a chair for her and
waited until she was seated before sitting himself. He crossed his arms and
leaned back from the table. He was a forbidding sight and his message was
clear. He was not going to let Winchester get away with anything. Tamsin felt
the tension leave her body. With Darrogh and the rest of his team close, she
had nothing to fear. Winchester was a liar and a cheat, but he had never
physically threatened her before. It was comforting to know that she was protected
if he tried anything.

“Tell me what you have to say.” Tamsin bit
the words out. “I don’t want to be here longer than necessary.”

“Still sore about Liz?” Winchester
shrugged. “It was just a hook up. It didn’t mean anything. Besides, you and I
weren’t legally wed yet.”