Risking It All: London Calling Book Three (12 page)

M
ADELEINE
STARED
AT
the screen of her laptop, sweat beading her upper lip. One click of the mouse and she’d connect with Dominic for one of their routine biweekly calls.

Except it wasn’t routine. Not for her, because she was determined to use the video application so they could speak face to face, for the first time ever.

She rubbed her hands down her pants and crossed one leg over the other. Then uncrossed it.

Sick of herself, and before she could change her mind, she clicked the link. Immediately, her face filled the screen as the call waited to connect. She smoothed her hair then pressed her lips together before blotting her lipstick on a tissue.

As the connection clicked through, she forced herself to still. Vaguely, she felt a headache forming near her left temple.

“
Moneypenny
?!” Dominic’s voice boomed out, causing her to jerk the mouse sideways.
 

Nerves wound tight, she let go of it before she accidentally cut off the call. “STOP YELLING!” She tucked her hands into her lap. “Sorry. Yes, it’s me.”

He gaped at her, open-mouthed. Several seconds passed.

“Dominic, stop staring. You’ll give me a complex. Can we get on with it?”

He grinned. “Are you kidding me? The object of my youthful fantasies just called me to video chat. Allow me to ogle you.”

A furious blush heated Madeleine’s face, all the way to her ears. “Stop it, you sound creepy. Or depraved, I’m not sure.”

In reply, he propped his chin on a fist and continued to stare.
 

Finally, she exhaled loudly then spun her chair so all he’d see was the back of her head.

“That works too. In fact, that glorious head of hair got better with time. It’s darker, isn’t it?”

She glared over her shoulder. “Would you quit? Honestly.” The chin stayed on the fist, but she could see the amusement crinkling his eyes. She huffed out a laugh, and then swiveled back to face him. She knew from experience he was a harmless, if an unapologetic flirt. And that had been before he knew who she was. “It used to be lighter. Probably because I traveled and visited places where the sun shined occasionally.” She leaned to the side so he could see the view from his old penthouse’s floor to ceiling window behind her. Predictably, the sky was gray.

“Well, if it makes you feel better, it’s the same here.” He paused, his face growing serious. “Thank you for what you did today. For this. I know it can’t have been easy.”

The headache pounded harder. Rubbing her temple, she grimaced. “It’s past time. Besides, there wasn’t any point in carrying on like before. You know who I am now. And for people that recognize the name, it’s guaranteed they know what I look like.”

As a child, she’d starred on Broadway as the precocious, freckle-faced orphan in Annie. Magazine and newspapers devoured her story after she was discovered trailing after her mother in a suburban Cincinnati mall. They played it as if
her
story was rag to riches. In fact, her father was a chemistry teacher for a local high school and community college. Her mother a regional bank vice president.

After outgrowing her role, she left theater to accept a contract from one of the world’s top modeling agencies. She’d graced all the fashion, fitness, and beauty magazine covers she could. Her face became synonymous with runways, glamour, and an elite lifestyle. The excitement had been addicting, the attention seductive.

Until it wasn’t anymore.

She shut the memories down before they ruined what little control she maintained. Pinning on a false smile, she focused on her employer.
 

Dom was frowning. “Moneypenny, are you sure you’re okay? With this video call? Because we don’t have to do a face to face.”

“No,” her words came quick. “I need to do this. I
have
to do this.”

He looked uncertain. “If you’re sure…but if you change your mind, just say the word.”

“Will do. Now can we get on with it?” Teasing, she felt her face relax into a natural grin.
 

Dominic seemed to notice, because he heaved a dramatic sigh and played along. “If you insist—”

“I do.” Madeleine turned serious. “I’ve made serious inroads into finding out what Mr. Payne might be up to. And I think you’re on the right track. It doesn’t seem to be anything good.”

Dominic straightened in his chair, his attention laser sharp. “Tell me,” he commanded. Gone was the facade of easy-going charm. In its place, an intensity that reminded her of another man who became dangerously fixated.

Madeleine ignored the alarm bells clanging in her mind. Not everyone with an ability to concentrate and focus was like her attacker. Dominic Martin was nothing like the man who demolished her life with cataclysmic obsession.
 

Breathing deep, she calmed herself. It was important Dominic saw her as a professional. He might know some of what happened to her seven years ago, but that didn’t mean she had to keep reminding him.

For the sake of pride, she preferred to act normally.
 

So she launched into an account of her findings. Aside from old family interests in Britain, Sebastian Payne owned multiple holdings in various countries. Digging down through layers of front companies and dummy corporations, one stood out differently from the rest.
 

“What’s the name of it?” Dominic fired questions without waiting for her reply. “Where is it supposedly based?”
 

“Artemis Ventures. It’s a legal entity filed in Jersey.”

Dom interrupted, baffled. “
New Jersey
?”
 

“No, the island of Jersey. Between England and France, idiot.”

He laughed. “Thank you for that. I’m glad we’re all back to normal.”

She continued as if he hadn’t spoke, but the corners of her mouth tilted. “No real address located as yet, just a postal box.”

“Hmm.” He tapped a finger on his chin. “Is that everything?”

Madeleine hesitated for a fraction of a second. “It appears Mr. Payne owns a property on the island too.”

“Does he go very often?”

“I’m not sure. He has live-in caretakers.”

“Find out.” The tapping continued. “I feel like this is important.
Artemis Ventures
. Why that name?” He jotted down a note. “Artemis was the Greek goddess of the hunt. Why would Payne choose a female name for his company?” He didn’t wait for her to reply, rather continued thinking out loud. “Why not Apollo? Ares? And why call it a venture? That usually implies investments.”

“It appears he funnels some of his real estate earnings into that shell.”

“Keep digging, MP. I need more. And you’ve got to get something on Payne. The man.”

She drew back, looking away from the monitor. She thought of her parents and everything they sacrificed so she could chase dreams that turned out to be nightmares. By gifting her his penthouse, Dominic made it possible to repay some of their financial debt. The rest could never be compensated.

For her parents, she would put aside her reservations. Privacy and respect for solitude were luxuries she couldn’t afford. Besides, it was becoming more and more obvious that Sebastian Payne was not a very good person.

“Moneypenny, I know you’re uncomfortable.” His voice soft, he implored her. “But I cannot do this myself. Natalie already caught me out and I can’t afford to break another promise to her.”

Putting her on the job of investigating Sebastian Payne wasn’t exactly backing off. He’d just delegated the work. Even though his intentions were usually good, Dominic often lost sight of the bigger picture.
 

Well, Madeleine had her own code of honor. She owed Dominic her loyalty. And from the facts uncovered thus far, Sebastian Payne had done nothing to earn her sympathy.

In fact, he could easily be a felon.

She squared her shoulders and looked at Dominic. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep looking into him. If there’s something amiss, I’ll find it for you.”

Even so, Madeleine didn’t mention the shocking story she’d already uncovered from Mr. Payne’s childhood. When she read about it, and because of who she was, her heart stuttered in sympathy and sadness.
 

She wouldn’t share that with Dominic. He may not be all he seemed, but Sebastian Payne was a human being and still deserved some consideration.

Besides, that was his past. It had nothing to do with the present.

***

Sweat ran down her face, trickling onto her neck. Unbothered by it, Natalie continued to run, her shoes slapping the pavement as she moved along the south bank of the Thames toward the Millennium Bridge.
 

Rather than listen to music, she opted for the busy sounds of London and the random chatter of people around her. Occasionally, she heard a bicycle bell and veered as far right as possible on the sidewalk. Luckily, it was early Saturday morning and still relatively uncrowded.

Natalie was an avid runner, but the last year had eaten into her normal routines. Being recruited and hired by Sebastian turned out to be an exciting if unexpected detour in her professional life. She’d been content in the corporate world of finance, standing at Bennett’s side as his PA. But Sebastian saw more in her. Citing her university degrees in management and finance, he wasted no time promoting her as director of operations for Club Hobart.

She could recite her interview word for word. “Why on earth were you a personal assistant? You have the education, skills, and experience for more than that. Why’d you settle?”

She’d fumbled with an answer. “I, well, I suppose—” she stopped. Tried again. “My work with Sterling International engaged and interested me. I see now I should have expected more.”

Sebastian had grimaced. At the time, she’d been certain she’d blown the whole thing and remembered feeling a little relieved. It was a job interview, not a dissection of her character. Instead, he shocked her with an offer.
 

“You’re hired if you want it. If you do well as the casino general manager, we’ll reassess your role in six months.”

“What does that mean?” she’d asked.

“It means I really need someone to direct my operations. I can’t be there all the time, nor do I want to be. But it’s important to recruit new members. Wealthy members.”

Excited for the opportunities unfolding at her feet, she opened her mouth, but Sebastian held up a hand to stop her.

“I don’t want to discuss this any further until I see evidence of ambition in you.” She gasped, but he’d bluntly continued. “
Real
ambition.”

She got the promotion in less than half the time. A little over a month after walking through the doors of Club Hobart for the first time, she switched her efforts from immediate guests to recruiting new members. VIP clients received her personal attention. Soon, she’d travel to Europe and Asia to beef up their international presence while actively scouting new prospects.
 

The Tate Modern’s looming smokestack pulled her up short. Deeply mired in her own thoughts, she almost missed her turn for the Millennium Bridge. She stopped to stretch in front of the museum. An imposing structure, it was a former power plant that closed and fell into disuse for nearly twenty years. Now it housed the city’s premier collections of modern and contemporary art.
 

Working for Bennett in the City, the museum became a familiar sight. Some days, she’d visited the museum after leaving work, intrigued by the enormous open spaces with paintings to match the building’s scale. Installation art displays were common, popular, and a personal favorite of hers.
 

But it was the building’s history that intrigued and fascinated her. It began its life as a coal-fired plant. When technology and concerns about pollution forced it out of use, a new building was erected, the same one standing today. Brick-clad with its towering smokestack, it struck a powerful pose and, for the time, used state-of-the-art oil-fired technology.

Ultimately, rising oil prices forced it to close again. Its new life as an old facility housing modern art sparked Natalie’s sense of romance. If the Bankside Power Station could be repurposed into the Tate Modern, there was hope for anything.
 

Anyone.

She set off for the pedestrian bridge that would take her across the Thames. Breathing easier after her stretch, she promised to get out and run more often, as she used to do. The smell of brine coming off the river, whispering of a distant sea, was strong in the mornings and acted like a jolt of caffeine.
 

Picking up speed, she headed west along the north bank, back to where she’d started. After that, she’d catch a cab to Payne Manor and clean up. The whole day stretched ahead. She jogged to a halt in front of Parliament and Big Ben, coming to a decision. Panting a little, she braced her hands on her knees, bending over to ease the stitch in her side.

Her personal life could do with some clearing out. Before she lost her nerve, she took out her phone and tapped in a number she still remembered by heart.

“Bennett.”

He always answered that way when he was preoccupied. Hoping for good timing, she crossed her fingers. “It’s Natalie.”

A quick intake of breath, barely audible. She’d surprised him.
 

“Hi Natalie. It’s great to hear from you.” He sounded genuinely pleased. “How are you?”

She was grateful he didn’t mention his ignored calls and texts. It made what she had to say easier. “I’m doing well, Bennett. Do you have a minute?”

“Sure. Do you prefer to talk in person? I can meet you somewhere.”

“No, no, that’s not necessary.” Realizing she sounded panicked, she moderated her tone. “I want to say I’m sorry. I never apologized before, I just walked out. I’m sorry for that too.”

Silence. Her heart was beating so fast, she was sure Bennett could hear it through the phone. Pressing the mute button, she took in several huge swallows of air.

He spoke. “Natalie.”
 

His voice was so gentle, so deeply understanding, she abruptly sat on the bench behind her.