Love and Liability (Dating Mr Darcy - Book 2) (38 page)

He hurried forward, keys jangling, and reached out to remove the gag from her mouth.

“You all right, miss?” he said uncertainly as he tossed it aside. “I’m the building manager. I’m not…er, interrupting something, am I? This ain’t some
Fifty Shades
type thing, is it?”

“No,” Holly gasped. “But the man who did this is coming back any minute, and you’ve got to get me out of here before he does—”

“Holly!”

Suddenly Jamie was there, standing in the doorway with a look of disbelief on his face. “What’s going on? Are you all right?” He rounded on the other man. “Who the hell are you? And what’ve you done to her?”

“I ain’t done nuffink!” he protested. “I came up to investigate a water leak. I knocked earlier, but no one answered, so I ’ad to go back an’ get me passkey.”

“It’s okay, he’s telling the truth. Now would you both stop arguing,” Holly begged, “and get me out of here before Erik comes back, please?”

“Erik?” Jamie came forward and knelt behind her to untie the expertly knotted rope. “How does he figure in all this?”

“He tricked me, and, like an idiot, I fell for it. He pretended to be an editor for a new magazine start-up. He must’ve known I was looking for a job. He emailed me and set up this interview.”

“Where’s he gone?” Jamie asked tersely as he continued to work at freeing her.

“He went to find Zoe… I mean, Poppy. I told him where to find her. I had to.” She turned frightened eyes on him. “He said he’d put me on the streets, Jamie, and that I’d never see my f-family or f-friends again.” Tears slid down her face.

Jamie’s hands stilled. “It’s a good job he’s not here,” he said, his words grim, “or I’d kill him.”

“Hurry,” she urged him. “He’s got a gun. He might come back any moment.”

He untied her hands and went to work on the rope around her ankles. “No worries. There, that’s the last knot untied.”

Holly stood up unsteadily. “Thanks.”

“Someone’s stopped up the loo,” the building manager grumbled as he returned. “I’ve got to go and fetch me plunger. It’ll cost to fix the flooring, and you can bet your arse Mr Ivens will pay for it.”

“How long has he been a tenant?” Jamie asked.

“Not long. Maybe a week, give or take.”

“Do you have many other tenants?”

“I haven’t got any.” The man frowned. “This place is condemned. I’m moving out myself, next week. Gonna tear it down soon. But this bloke Ivens offered me money — a lot of money — for a short-term lease.”

“Right, I’m calling the police.” Jamie reached for his phone.

“Call Zoe first,” Holly urged him. “Tell her Erik’s come after her. He knows where she is. She already knows how dangerous he is.”

Erik sat in the pub across from the
BritTEEN
building, an untouched beer before him. He’d sat here since just before noon. Although his eyes hadn’t left the entrance, he’d seen no sign of Poppy.

He pressed his lips together. Had she changed her appearance again? It wouldn’t surprise him if she had.

Or had Holly James lied to him?

Erik glanced at his watch without expression. It was nearly four p.m. He’d give it another half-hour, and then he was headed back to Edmund Street, and his clever little prisoner.

And if he chanced to return without Poppy, well, then…

Holly James, clever though she might be, would soon be very sorry she’d lied to him.

Chapter 57

At five-thirty Poppy left work and emerged on the street with a quick, nervous glance around her.

Despite her new dark red hair colour and shorter cut — she liked it; she thought it made her look a bit like Emma Watson — she was as cautious as ever. There was no letting your guard down with a man like Erik. You did so at your own peril.

She might have a new hairstyle, new clothes, and a new job…but in his eyes, she was the girl holding enough evidence on his phone to put him away for the rest of his life.

Despite the warmth of the day, she shivered.

Will’s red Fiat pulled up just then and he tooted the horn.

With a smile, she ran down the stairs and around to the passenger door and climbed inside.

“Thanks for the lift,” she said gratefully. “I’ve got some make-up samples to give to Sha, and my bag weighs a ton.”

“I don’t mind,” Will told her, and meant it. He enjoyed Poppy’s company; she was moody, but she had a smile that could light up East London. “Besides, it’s not safe for you to take the tube or the bus. Not with Erik still around.”

As he joined the flow of traffic and listened to Poppy’s chatter, he kept one eye trained on the rear-view mirror.

“What’s wrong?” she asked him, immediately tense. “You keep looking behind us. Is he following us again?”

“No, of course not.” Will dragged his eyes away and smiled over at her. “Just being cautious, that’s all.”

After he dropped Poppy off and turned around to go home, he glanced once again into the rear-view mirror. There was no sign of the black Maserati. Even so, he couldn’t shake the disquieting feeling that he was being watched.

Ten minutes later, Will unlocked the door to his flat and threw his keys on the hall table.

“Will! Finally. I thought you’d never get home,” Sasha scolded as she emerged from the kitchen.

He looked up, startled. “Sasha? What are you doing here?”

“You told me where you keep your spare key, remember? I thought I’d surprise you, come by and fix dinner. Unless you’d prefer I leave…”

“No, of course not,” he said, and leaned forward to kiss her. Although he was glad to see her, he felt a tiny flicker of irritation that she’d popped in without consulting him first. “What are we having?”

“Spag bol. It’s the only thing — besides salad and grilled fish — that I know how to make.”

He smiled. “You have a little sauce, right…there.” And he reached out with his finger to touch the corner of her mouth, then tasted it. He frowned. “Jarred sauce?”

She smacked him playfully with a potholder. “And what if it is?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Will said, pulling her in his arms, “because I have a feeling we won’t be eating it, anyway.”

“Who needs pasta,” she murmured, “when I have you?”

She kissed him, and Will bit back a groan as Sasha slid her arms around his neck and opened her mouth beneath his.

He pulled back. “Sasha, wait.”

She raised her brow. “Wait? That’s not a word I normally hear from a man who’s about to take me to bed.”

“There’s something I have to tell you first. Something you ought to know.”

“I’m not sure I like the sound of that, but…okay. Tell me. Tell me your deep, dark secret,” she teased.

His eyes met hers, and he wasn’t smiling. “I should’ve told you sooner, but the time never seemed right.”

“What do you mean?”

“I ran away from home when I was fourteen,” he said.

“I know that,” she said, impatiently. “So what?”

“I…did what I had to do, to survive. The streets of New York are pretty unforgiving. And tough.”

Sasha frowned, puzzled. “Meaning?”

His eyes met hers. “I turned tricks, Sasha. And I was a user.”

She stared at him, and the smile on her lips faltered. “A user? You don’t mean…”

“Drugs. Coke, mostly. Heroin when I could get it. And, no big surprise, I ended up…well, I’m HIV positive.”

Her eyes widened in consternation. “Will — why didn’t you
tell
me any of this?”

“Why? It didn’t exactly come up in conversation,” he said, a bitter edge to his words. “I never thought things would go this far,” he added. “I didn’t plan to
let
things go this far.”

She stared at him. “Are you saying you have AIDS?”

“No. I’m HIV positive. There’s a difference.”

“My God.”

“As long as I follow the protocol, take care of myself and practise safe sex, it’s okay.” He looked at her, his expression hard. “You’re free to run screaming in the other direction at any time. You wouldn’t be the first. You won’t be the last.”

She turned away and sank down on the sofa. “Will,” she said after a moment, her expression troubled, “I have a confession to make, as well.”

“It can’t possibly top mine.”

“I’ve made more than my share of mistakes, as I’m sure you know by now. My whole life is one big fucking mess.”

“Sasha—”

“No, it’s true. Until very recently, my job at
BritTEEN
— and my sanity — was hanging by a thread. I treated my staff and my coworkers like crap on a regular basis, especially Holly James; and I let a lot of people down, including my own sister.”

“You had a lot to deal with,” Will pointed out. “More than most people deal with in their entire lives. You did the best you could.”

“No.” She spoke firmly. “No, I didn’t. I screwed Holly over more than once in my quest to get rid of her.” As Will glanced up at her, startled, she added, “I lied to you, Will. I didn’t switch out your photo of Zoe, that much was true; but I made someone else do it for me. I told myself it was payback for Holly telling Valery about my sister. But truthfully, I was convinced she’d have my job if I didn’t get rid of her.”

As the story of Eleanor’s part in the plot to get Holly James sacked tumbled out, Will eyed her with barely concealed contempt. “How could you do that to her? Holly didn’t deserve any of it. She was only trying to help you, Sasha.”

“I know that now.” She met his gaze. “But I didn’t, then. I honestly thought that she was gunning for my job. I was ready to do whatever it took to get her sacked.”

Will was silent.

“Now that you know what a bloody-minded bitch I can be,” Sasha added bitterly, “I wouldn’t blame you if you never wanted to see me again.”

“It’s true I’m disappointed in you. You let me down. Worse, you let Holly down. You cost her her
job
, Sasha.”

Her heart sank. This was it, then. The first man she’d really cared about, the first man who’d seemed to understand her…and she’d ruined everything.

Will reached out and took her hands in his. “You screwed up, Sasha. Big time. You made some really crap choices. But…we both have, I reckon.”

“Are you…are you saying you’re willing to give me another chance?” Sasha asked, scarcely daring to breathe.

“If you’re willing to do the same for me.”

She leaned forward and flung her arms around his neck. “You’re not the first man in my life,” she said, her eyes luminous as she brushed her lips against his. “But I really do hope that you’ll be the last.”

“Alex,” his secretary ventured the next morning as he arrived at work, “have you seen the morning’s papers?”

“No, Jill,” he replied as he strode into his office and set his briefcase down on the desk, “I’ve not yet had the pleasure. I was forced to take the tube in — the Jubilee Line is one I normally avoid — and it’s left me irritable and desperate for a cup of very strong, very hot tea. Anything I should know about?”

“Only this.” And with a couple of muffled thwacks, she dropped the
Daily Mail
and
The
Telegraph
onto his blotter. “I thought you might be interested.”

With a frown, Alex picked up
The
Telegraph
. “‘Hunting Ban Faces Defeat’,” he read aloud. “Good to know. I’ll get my horse saddled up straight away.”

“Not that,” Jill said with a trace of impatience, “this!” And she pointed to a photo and headline near the bottom of the front page.

He glanced at the article.
Dashwood & James Heiress Abducted; Escapes Unharmed
. The text was accompanied by a photograph of…

“Holly!” Alex exclaimed, his face gone ashen. He sat down heavily behind his desk. “Good God.”

With a furrowed brow, he read the article. A moment later he thrust his chair back and called out, “Cancel the morning’s appointments, Jill. I should be back before lunch.”

“But you have a ten o’clock with Lady Banbury—”

“Call and reschedule. There’s something urgent I need to deal with.”

“Something,” Jill enquired, “named Holly James?”

“Yes.” Alex grabbed up his mobile and headed for the door. “And if you value that generous year-end bonus I always make sure you get, you won’t judge. And you won’t tell anyone where I’ve gone.”

“Not even me?”

“Simon!” Alex came to a stop and hoped his dismay at his boss’s unexpected appearance didn’t show on his face. “I was just on my way out—”

“Yes, I can see that. I’m sorry, Alex, but something has come up. Something urgent. I need you to go to Brisbane for a couple of days.”

“Brisbane?” His heart sank. “I don’t understand. We haven’t any clients in Brisbane.”

“We will do, and a very wealthy one, too, if you play your cards right. You’ve heard of Ferris Pharmaceuticals?”

“Yes, of course. They’re huge. They’re also under investigation for securities fraud.”

“They want us to represent them.”

Alex frowned. “I see. Well, landing Ferris would certainly be a coup. But I’m afraid I have a full caseload at the moment. Perhaps you might send John, or that new chap, Timothy.”

“I want
you
to go, Alex.” Simon’s words were firm. “No one else has the experience — or the skill at wooing a potential new client — like you do.”

“It’s just that the timing couldn’t be worse. I have an urgent personal matter I need to deal with—”

“This isn’t a request, Alex. It’s an order…from the old man upstairs himself.”

Shit. Harold Markham was Simon’s grandfather and the chief executive officer and owner of the Grosvenor Financial Group. He had one foot in the grave and the other ready to thrust itself up whomever’s arse got in his way. To say he was a demanding old git was putting it mildly.

Alex sighed. He knew further argument was futile. “I’ll make arrangements to fly out tomorrow.”

“Not good enough, I’m afraid. You’ll need to leave straight away. Grandfather wants you in Brisbane by tonight.”

Chapter 58

“You’re famous, Hols,” Jamie announced on Friday morning as he lowered
The
Telegraph
. “You’re in all the newspapers.”

She glanced up from the eggs and bacon he’d insisted on making her for breakfast. “Tell me about it! I can’t leave the flat without having a microphone or a camera stuck in my face. It’s really annoying.”