Risking It All: London Calling Book Three (23 page)

By summer, the flowers would grow tall and their leaves would turn a silvery hue. During that time, Dominic could choose to help a worthy cause and make a real difference in the world. Or he could keep his promises, but be resigned to existing well within the acceptable and legal sectors of business.

Surrounded by sand, sea, and beauty, Dominic considered his own nature.

He shoved his hands into his pockets, turning back to walk along the road.

Dominic knew who he was. The decision had really been made as soon as Angeline voiced her request. He could no more turn her down in favor of the safe option than he could sprout wings and fly.

At his heart, he was a man of action. Now that he’d lost Natalie, he knew there was every likelihood he’d spend his life alone, much like Angeline. More than ever, it mattered that he do something tangible and right.

But more than anything, he believed in Devvie. He would tell her the truth, despite Angeline’s wishes, and would stress the need for her caution and patience. She would hear him out and understand it was about doing the right thing for people who had no one else to help them. He only hoped she forgave him for doing it at the side of the woman who abandoned her.

***

With her legs curled up in the overstuffed library chair beside a flickering fire, Natalie could hardly be bothered to get up when she heard someone come into the house. Footsteps echoed as the visitor made his way from the marble-tiled entry into the parquet hallway. Scattered rugs muffled the sound until finally, a man stopped in the open doorway to the room she sat inside.

Hardly a visitor. Sebastian Payne owned the estate she lived in, the club she worked at, even the chair she was seated on. Dominic’s harsh words still rang in her mind, accusing her of aligning herself with powerful men so she could further her career while admiring them from an unreachable distance.

It still stung. Sebastian’s absence had allowed her time to unpack everything else Dom said. She was coming to some awful conclusions about herself. First, she’d gone at her mother, clearly wounding her with a vicious, mean-spirited speech. Then she’d hatefully thrown Dominic’s feelings back at him, as if they were repugnant and worthless to her.
 

Nausea cramped her stomach as her mind echoed with her bitter words.
 

Sebastian dropped his suitcase on the floor, garnering her attention.
 

She looked up. “Welcome back. You’re days early.”

“I cut the visit short. We had an unexpected guest, one best handled by my business partner.” He smiled. “I thought you’d moved out.”

Bas was teasing her about the nights she’d spent with Dominic at his hotel. He never asked, she never explained. She wouldn’t now, either. “The partner. The one you won’t tell me about?”

He rubbed a hand around his collar then shrugged off his jacket. Going over to a small bar, he poured himself some orange juice topped off by seltzer. He raised a bottle of cognac in her direction. “Want a refill?”

She held out her empty large-bowl snifter. This would make her third, but she hardly cared. Since Sebastian was pouring, she didn’t have to worry about walking just yet. “Sure, but take it easy. It’s pretty potent stuff.”

“A good choice for the club? Or no?”
 

“Very.” One of her many odd duties was tasting fine spirits. Since Bas didn’t drink, he left the ordering decisions to staff. The club sommelier covered all the wines. Somehow Natalie inherited cognac and Armagnac.
 

He set his drink down then pulled another armchair closer to hers. Clasping his hands loosely between his knees, he addressed her. “I’d like to talk to you.”

His serious demeanor caused faint alarm bells to sound off in her head. “About brandies?” she joked.

He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “No. About my partner you saw and the business we handle together.”

“Okay.” She drew her legs down until her feet touched the floor. “Go on.”

“I’m currently funneling personal money into a company we call Artemis Ventures. It’s a shell with headquarters based on Jersey. From the outside, it doesn’t look as though it does much except take in money to be redistributed elsewhere.”

She interrupted. “Is that legal? Are you caught up in money laundering?”

He laughed, humorlessly. “Not quite. If anything, I’m dirtying clean cash.” He took a breath, his cheeks pushing out a little before hollowing on the exhale. “That’s only the outside. Inside, we’re doing something very different. Together, Angeline and I are infiltrating a large child trafficking ring. We already managed to shut down some minor exploitation scams. This is bigger.”

Natalie couldn’t have spoken if her life depended on it. Of all the things she expected Sebastian to say, this would have been last on the list. It wouldn’t have even made the list. It was unimaginable.

She cleared her throat. “I…I don’t know what to say.” Her voice sounded raspy, and she was unconsciously shaking her head back and forth.

“You don’t have to say anything. I never wanted you to know, as the fewer people involved means less risk to everyone.” He let his words soak in for a second.
 

“Am I in danger? Are you? And this Angeline?”

“No, you’re not.” He didn’t answer the rest. “I’m not going to go into any more detail, though, since I want to keep you safe.” He pressed his lips together in a slight frown. “As I said, I never wanted to involve you, but circumstances have changed. We are recruiting a third partner. The unexpected guest on the island. And it’s someone you know.”

Utterly blank, she blurted, “Who?”

“Dominic Martin.”

His name registered in some dim recess of her mind. Sebastian and his current partner, Angeline, were clearly up to their necks in alarming, nasty people. Now, Dominic was about to join their ranks. An unspeakable fear took root inside.

“No.”

“Yes. We need him. He could do more to help infiltrate and weaken our enemies than we’ve been able to accomplish in years.”

“You sound like it’s a war.” The leather creaked beneath her as she shifted, crossing one leg over the other.
 

“It is. Make no mistake, we are battling for the innocent.”

“Why?” she cried. “Why can’t you leave it to the authorities?”

“Because they never get to the big players, Natalie. They never do.” He exhaled and closed his eyes for several long moments.
 

Natalie had the impression he was remembering other, darker times. After months of working for him, she still barely knew the man behind his powerful, rich persona.
 

“All right.” She was desperate to convince him of a safer route. For him, but most especially for Dominic. “Get close enough to find out names
then
turn them over to the police. You’re not a vigilante, Bas.”
 

 
He opened his eyes, and they gleamed dull black in the firelight. “We’ve tried every other option. These are powerful people with enough money to keep themselves out of trouble. Angeline and I have burned through all the alternatives.”

She wasn’t going to convince him. But she could try to keep Dom out of it. “It’s a mistake to involve Dominic. He’s unreliable. A reckless maverick. He won’t take orders, and he’ll put the whole operation in jeopardy.” Sebastian looked unconvinced. Unaware her voice was climbing, she said, “Trust me on this, I
know
him. Better than all of you.”

Bas cocked his head. “That’s arguable, but it doesn’t matter. The decision will be his.”

“Why did you even tell me this?” she croaked. “Why tell me when you knew I’d be worried to death?”

“Because I had to, and I’m sorry for it. If Dominic agrees, you may see him on occasion in the casino. Depending on the situation, you might have to act as though you don’t know him, or at least only in the context of him as a member of the club.” Sebastian was monotone, his face blank.
 

She couldn’t ask the question screaming in her mind. Why would Dominic, acting on behalf of Artemis Ventures, need to be in Club Hobart? Did that mean some of their members were involved in child trafficking?
 

Sebastian didn’t need her to speak. Apparently, her face said it all. “Yes. Unfortunately, some of our clientele are not the best of people.” He leaned back, taking a sip of his juice seltzer. “It’s funny how excess attracts corruption. It was the main reason I had for buying a private gaming club.”

She was getting angry. Another man was deciding what was best for her to know and when. Her fingers dug into the armrests of her chair. She wouldn’t stand for it. “Well that’s just
great
, Sebastian.” She was practically spitting with rage. “While you charge off on your white horse, I’m left with a business I now know to be tainted with low-lifes.
Great
,” she sneered. “And here I thought you’d saved my career. I’ll never get another job after this!”

“If anyone’s charging forth on a white horse, it’s your boyfriend. Apparently, he showed up on Jersey ready to knock my teeth in.” Amused, Sebastian shook his head.

That got her attention. She leaned forward. “Wait, what? What do you mean Dom went to Jersey?” She kicked herself. Shocked by Bas’ announcement of his side crusade, then surprised by their recruitment of Dominic, she’d missed the obvious question. “And how did you get close enough to Dom to try to sign him up?”

“He did that all on his own.” Sebastian had the gall to chuckle when Natalie was wound tighter than a drum. “As I said, he showed up primed for battle, ready to slay dragons. He found Angeline instead. Apparently, they have some sort of connection from years before.”

She let that go. “He came to Jersey. How did he know your company was based there?”

He quirked a brow. “Come on, Natalie. He’s a professional at rooting through information to get at what he wants. He wanted to know what I was up to. He found enough to send him to Jersey.” He scratched his chin. “Actually, he sent his assistant, which I handled badly. Anyway, same difference. When I scared off his employee, he came over himself.”

“You’re saying Dominic has been investigating you.” A log shifted in the grate, setting off a shower of sparks.
 

“Yes. Surely you had some idea?”

“I knew he was suspicious, yes. But I asked him to lay off. He agreed.” She pushed her chair back a couple of inches, uncaring that it scraped against the walnut floor. She needed space to breathe.
 

“Clearly not. Or at least he set his watchdog after me. How the hell he got Madeleine Price to work for him, I’ll never know.” Sebastian ran his hand roughly through his black hair.
 

Natalie was too busy processing the fact that Dom had deceived her once again to serve his own ends. She could care less about his assistant right now.
 

“Anyway, I need to know you’ll be all right with Dominic showing up now and then if necessary. Very few people know about the work Angeline and I are doing. All of them are directly involved in one way or another, so they have adequate incentive to keep quiet. Your situation is different. I don’t want to involve you any further, but I need your word you can act the part.” Sebastian moved his own chair forward, eliminating the few inches she’d gained.

She huffed a sigh then took a long sip of cognac and shivered. No longer smooth, it now tasted bitter and strong. “I can pretend I don’t know him. God knows I’ve had enough practice. It seems one of us was always keeping the other secret.”

Bas rubbed his thumb over his lower lip, eyeing her carefully. “It might be a mistake to have Dominic inside Hobart. I’ll think of something else.”

“You don’t have to worry about me and Dominic.” She sounded strident even to her own ears. She deliberately lowered her voice. “Our relationship has ended.”

Bas frowned. “Why?”

“I don’t think that’s really your business, Sebastian.”

“It’s not. But you are. You’ve been through a lot in the past year. Recently, you’ve been happy for the first time since we met.” He rubbed his chin, thoughtful. “When I learned you were involved with Martin, I decided he couldn’t be all bad.”

“Don’t mistake my involvement with any man as the cause of my happiness or sadness.” Her tone was as sharp as the words. “Yes, we were involved for a while, but it’s over. It was an affair. These things aren’t built to last.” She tipped the now-hated cognac to her lips, swallowing a mouthful.
 

“That’s funny because most successful relationships I know start with an affair. There’s no shame in caring about someone, Natalie.”

“There is if you’re too weak-willed to know when you’re more invested than the other person.” Her body felt too hot. In spite of that, she rose to poke at the fire. Turning back, she wobbled, slightly unsteady.

“Is that what happened? He didn’t share the same feelings as you?” Sebastian was staring at her intently.

Enough. Sebastian’s probing was well over the boundaries they’d set during the time she’d known him. Pride demanded she clear him up on his assumption, and then the conversation was over. She made an effort to carefully walk back to her chair in a straight line. “If by that you mean he became overly sentimental and besotted when I did not, then yes.” Sebastian’s brows shot up. “He kept professing his love for me. Frankly, it was tiring and tedious. I’m sure he’s over it by now.”

“You’re saying you felt nothing for him?”

“He amused me. But other than that, no.” Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, nearly deafening her. She sat down, pressing her palms into the leather seat.
 

Sebastian erupted into laughter. “Natalie Enfeld, you are a
terrible
liar.”

Knowing she’d likely fall down, she caught herself before she jumped to her feet, ready to bolt. Instead, she steepled her fingers, pressing her nails into the flesh beneath her chin. “I am not lying, thank you very much. That’s Dominic’s domain. He’s practically a professional at it.”

Thankfully, Bas stopped laughing. “Say what you want, but if he helps us, he can’t be all bad. Plus, Angeline has only good things to say about him. I trust her.”