by Imogen Wells
“Because I wasn’t certain and wanted to make sure before I told you.”
“You still should have told me,” I say, my voice rising a little in anger at him keeping things, important things, from me. “So, what does this mean? Because clearly, I am the spitting image of his dead wife. Was it just chance that he was at the hospital and saw me or not?”
Seb steps further into the room, coming to kneel beside me, and I see Jay moving to the kitchen.
“I don’t know what it means. Have you spoken to him since the station?” I shake my head. “Well, let’s hope that now you’ve made it clear you aren’t interested, he’ll leave you alone.”
“Yeah,” I reply, but there’s no conviction in my words. Something is still off about it or maybe it’s just the thought of him seeing his wife every time we’ve been together. Needing to change the subject, I ask, “You going to tell me where you’ve been all day?”
Seb leans forward and kisses me before jumping to his feet, shutting the lid on my laptop and pulling me to my feet. He takes my hand and leads me to the kitchen where there are several bags on the counter I hadn’t noticed before, and Jay is currently emptying them.
“What’s going on?”
“This, dear Jamie, is food, and today I’m going to be cooking,” Jay answers, slowly pronouncing every word like I’m a child.
“Fuck off, Jay,” I say as I pass him, but there’s no heat to my words.
While Jay cooks, we talk, and I learn that Jay is a tattooist and did most of Seb’s and quite a few of his own. He shows me a picture of a guy who had a pair of stocking clad girl’s legs tattooed around his armpit, one going up the underside of his arm and the other down his ribcage, and when he lifted his arm in the air it looked like the girl was spreading her legs. I’m equal parts amused, disgusted and shocked at the dumb-arsery of some people.
We are just finishing up with our food, when there’s a lull in the conversation, and I mention that I need to go and see my mum. Seb and Jay both pause, it’s a split second but long enough for me to notice. I suddenly realise that this whole cooking for me thing was easing me into whatever news the two of them have to share.
“Okay, I see what this is. Out with it. What the fuck’s going on?” I demand, laying my knife and fork down.
“We went to see your dad today. He’s been avoiding Rick’s calls and since Dean has been with Natalia, we’ve had no way of knowing what he’s doing.”
I sit and listen as Seb explains that they think the man my mum had an affair with is responsible for the threats, but she’s refusing to talk, and they don’t know why.
“I don’t understand. Why won’t she say?”
“We don’t know, but it’s possible the man is blackmailing her, or he knows something she doesn’t want people to know. Your dad is going to talk with her,” Seb replies.
“Maybe I should go see her too.”
“I think you should let your dad talk to her first.”
“Fine, but if he doesn’t get anywhere, then I’ll go.” I pick the plates up, taking them to the sink. “What’s the plan for tomorrow? I assume you and Rick talked about meeting with Tank.”
“We did,” he says as he joins me at the sink. “I’m going with Dean and Jay is going to stay with Natalia.”
“You think it’s a set up?” I ask concerned.
“It’s possible and why you aren’t coming anywhere near it.” I go to interrupt, but Seb holds a hand up. “I have something else I want you to do. I want you to go with Jay and try to talk to Natalia again. She seems to trust you, so she might be more inclined to tell you something important.
“I can do that, but don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing, Seb. I don’t need wrapping in cotton wool,” I tell him pointedly.
Jay laughs, and I see Seb shaking his head. “As if I could,” he mocks.
After clearing the dishes, Jay goes home, and we arrange to pick him up in the morning before going to the safe house. Seb and I sit in the lounge where we watch The Last Kingdom because I can’t believe he’s never watched it.
In the car the next morning, Seb tells me he needs Natalia to agree to testify otherwise there won’t be a case. The voice recordings aren’t enough on their own. They need a witness, and Natalia is our only hope at the moment. I agree to try but tell him not to hold his breath because if I was her and the cartel were involved, I wouldn’t be jumping up and down to basically sign my own death warrant.
Dean is waiting outside when we arrive, and we say a quick hello before swapping places. I tell Seb to be careful, and he rolls his damn eyes making me want to poke them out at his blatant boldness. Before I can reprimand him for being a too confident jerk, he grabs me behind the neck and kisses me so thoroughly I forget why I’m mad at him.
It’s early and Natalia is still asleep, so Jay and I unpack the clothes and food we brought for her, and then Jay makes poached eggs on toast for breakfast. Just as he’s plating up, Natalia comes into the kitchen, bleary eyed, but otherwise looking much healthier than the last time I saw her.
“Hey. Jay made breakfast.” She hesitantly steps further into the kitchen and takes a seat at the small corner table. “How are you feeling?”
“Good, thank you,” she says before picking up her knife and fork and begins eating.
We eat in silence, and then when she’s finished, she turns to us and asks, “How long do you intend to keep me here?”
I’m a little taken aback by her question because I thought she understood that we are trying to help her.
“Natalia, you’re not a prisoner. We simple want to keep you safe, that’s all.”
“So, I am free to leave if I choose?”
Jay looks at me with a subtle shake of his head. Great. “Not exactly, no. We are concerned that whoever took you will be looking for you. Do you understand?”
“They will look, and they will find me, you can be sure of that. These men are not to be crossed. And I know what happens to those that go against them.”
“I understand that, but you are safe here, Natalia. We won’t let them hurt you again.” I almost promise, but I’m not stupid and know that’s a promise I might not be able to keep. “Natalia, what else can you tell us about these men?”
“I’m not telling you anything more. I’ve already said too much. And you can say I’m safe all you like, but if you work for the police then I am definitely not any safer with you than I am with them or even on my own.”
I look at Jay because whilst they don’t work for the police in the way she thinks, they do work alongside them.
Tempest has an exclusive clientele, and we already know of one detective that frequents there. The fact Jasper wasn’t there Friday could mean he either doesn’t know or chooses not to partake in the auctions, but that’s not to say there aren’t others who do.
Natalia doesn’t give me an opportunity to ask any other questions as she gets up from the table and trudges back upstairs.
“That went well,” I remark sarcastically.
“I’ll go talk to her in a bit. But she’s not wrong, you know.”
“You mean about the cops?” He nods. “Yeah, I know. I looked up the cartel she mentioned yesterday, and they are ruthless, Jay. If she’s right about them, then this goes much deeper than you, me and even Rick imagined. And that means that no one can be trusted.”
Thirty-Eight
Seb
It’s still dark when we pull up to Clayton Vale and there is a sharp frost on the ground that crunches as we make our way towards the green bridge Tank mentioned. It’s quiet, only the sound of the birds can be heard above the frost beneath our feet and other than us, we pass one lone dog walker.
As the bridge comes into view, we hang back slightly and wait a few minutes, listening and checking the surroundings. This is not the best place to be meeting. We will be like sitting ducks standing out on that fucking bridge. I check my watch, and it ticks round to six just as Tank emerges from behind the trees on th
e other side of the bridge. We step out as he begins walking across, stopping in the middle as he waits for us to meet him.
Keeping a safe distance from him, I lean against the railing looking down into the icy water below.
“How is Natalia, is she safe?”
“Yes, she’s safe. What is she to you?”
“Just a girl that reminds me of a time when I was a good man. Listen, they know who you are, Seb. Even Jamie, and he won’t let this go.”
“So, tell us who he is, Tank.” He shakes his head, looking away. “We can help you, protect you if you need it, but not if you don’t give us what we need.”
He looks over at me, and I see the indecision in his eyes before he drops his head, putting his hands in his pockets, and when his head snaps up, I think he’s made his decision. But his eyes scan the park beyond, and a look of resignation crosses his face as his eyes land back on mine.
The reason for the look becomes obvious as I spot the red dot of a sniper rifle as it travels up his body before reaching the middle of his forehead.
“Tell Natalia I’m sorry. Watch out for—” His head jerks back as a trickle of blood runs down the middle of his face, and time pauses infinitesimally before he drops to the ground in a heap. I grab Dean, and we drop to the ground, but the damn railings offer no protection.
“Move, Dean,” I hiss as we scramble back across the bridge, ducking into the tree line just as bark splinters behind me. “Fuck. Fuck.” I grab my phone, hitting Rick’s number as Dean and I trek through the thick trees that run the edge of the pathway back to the car.
Rick picks up after the third ring, and I tell him that Tank’s dead, just as another shot rings out behind us.
“Seb, get the fuck out of there now.”
“What the fuck do you think we are trying to do, Rick,” I snap back.
“Don’t go back to the safe house in case they track you. I’ll meet you at yours, and I’ll send someone else to the safehouse.”
We run out from the trees just a few yards away from the car, jumping in it, I peel out of there and almost crash into a car as it turns into the carpark.
I take the longer route back to mine just to be sure no one is tailing us, and it pisses me off even more that I can’t check on Jamie. Entering the apartment, I put in the code for the new alarm I had installed yesterday. Another reason I was gone for most of the day and why we stayed at Jamie’s last night. I tell Dean to make himself comfortable while I go and check the security cameras for outside the apartment.
After Natalia’s revelation about the cartel and Jamie’s involvement now, whether I like it or not, it was agreed to organise extra security. And I’m bloody glad I did as a man I recognise approaches my door on the footage from this morning.
I watch as Jasper knocks, then knocking again when no one answers. After a third try, he turns and walks away, but not before pulling his phone from his pocket and typing out a message.
Flicking the camera back to now, I see Rick coming down the hall, and I enter the kitchen just as he opens the front door.
“In here, Rick,” I call out to him. I hear Rick speak to Dean before they both enter and sit at the breakfast bar. Rick scans my body, obviously looking for injuries. “I’m all good,” I tell him as I join them.
“What the fuck happened?” he demands.
“I’ll take a guess and say that someone didn’t want him talking to us,” I snipe at him with a raise of my brows.
“She’s on her way here.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Jamie. She’s on her way here, so you can snap out of it and stop worrying now.” Dean sniggers, and it would be amusing if I weren’t so pissed off. “I spoke with Ray after you called, and he’s sent a unit to retrieve Tank’s body. He couldn’t tell me much, but he thinks Tank was the inside man for the NCA and Organised Crime Task Force.”
“You’re fucking kidding me! Why are we only hearing about this now?”
“I don’t know. Ray seems to think it was very hush, hush because they were unsure of how high up the corruption went, so only a small number knew about him.”
“Fucking wonderful. Explains why he was trying to help Natalia though, but it now means unless we can get her to talk, we’ve got fuck all.”
“I know, but Ray is trying to find out what they already have from Tank and see if we can pair it up with what we have to strengthen the case.”
“Who’s at the safe house now?” I ask.
“I had to pull Scott from Louise for now, but Dom is staying with her, and he has a couple of guys he trusts. We are going to have to look at recruiting a few more bodies if things keep going the way they are,” Ricks muses.
“I have a buddy that might be interested,” Dean says.
“Ex-army?” Rick asks.
“Nope. Ex-marine. Guy’s a fucking machine.”
“Good. Set it up as soon as. I have a feeling we are going to need all the help we can get.”
“We have another problem.” I pause, and Rick turns to me expectantly. “Seems one Detective Williams came knocking while we were out this morning.”
Rick hums under his breath contemplatively as the front door opens and feet pound down the hall. Jamie rounds the corner going so fast she almost loses her footing on the tiled floor.
She launches herself at me before I can say anything, squeezing her arms so tight around my neck she almost strangles me. When I tell her so, she steps back, slapping me hard on the chest.
“If I had a gun, I’d fucking shoot you myself,” she threatens, and I almost laugh until I see the serious look in her eye, getting the distinct impression she’s not joking in the least.
Jay and Ryder join us in the already small kitchen, making it almost impossible to move. I sit back on the stool, dragging Jamie with me, who doesn’t object as she seems reluctant to let me go.
“How did it go with Natalia?” I ask.
From the look Jay gives me, not good, but it’s Jamie that answers.
“She won’t talk. She doesn’t believe she’s safe and definitely doesn’t trust the old bill. In fact, she outright accused them of being involved in it.”
Jamie’s phone rings, frowning as she checks the caller ID, and I watch as she steps away to answer it. As she turns her back, I silently step up behind her to eavesdrop.
At the sound of a male voice, I tap her shoulder, and she spins round as I mouth to her to put it on speaker. I wave my arm to the guys to shut them up, and as they quieten down, I tell her to put it on speaker again. Scowling at me, she slowly pulls the phone from her ear, hitting the speaker button, and Jasper’s voice fills the room.
“Jamie, are you still there?”
“Yes, I’m still here,” Jamie replies nervously. I understand this isn’t the best conversation for us to all be listening to as she just found out she’s the spitting image of his dead wife.
I offer her smile, nodding to keep going.
“I need to speak with you. Can we meet?” Jasper asks.
Jamie is shaking her head as she begins to reply, “I don’t—” I nod my head for her to agree, and swallow down the fear that the idea of her meeting him brings. “Okay. Where?” she asks.
He tells her to meet him at the coffee shop down the road from here tomorrow afternoon, which is as suspicious as hell. There’s one closer to her house, so why make her come all this way unless he knows she’s here.
Ending the call, I’m ready for the fury that’s about to be unleashed. “What the fuck was that, Seb? Why do I need to see the man who thinks I’m his dead wife reincarnated, huh?”
“Because he was here this morning while we were out.” I hear Jay cursing behind me.
“And how the hell would you know that if no one was here?” she asks suspiciously.
“I had an alarm and cameras installed yesterday for this very reason.” Some of her anger seeps away, and she goes back to the kitchen, where we talk more about Jasper’s role in all of this, and Jamie makes
a valid point about him not being at Tempest Friday, although that doesn’t mean he isn’t involved.
Jamie asks Rick about her mum and dad, and he reassures her they are both okay. The PI hasn’t managed to turn up anything other than a woman that Dom went to meet for lunch, and when Rick describes her, recognition blooms in Jamie’s eyes.
“Sounds like the same woman I saw him with outside his work, and I swear I saw her at Tempest too, but I have no idea who she is, only that her and my dad seemed…friendly.” The word friendly comes out with a slight sneer, and I guess she’s the woman she thought her dad was having an affair with.
“Well, it seems she’s a PI too,” Rick states matter of factly.
“That makes sense as dad uses one from time to time. Didn’t know she was a she, but it doesn’t explain why she was at Tempest.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Rick says, but his words are almost quiet as I watch his brain figuring something out. He shakes his head a second later, but whatever he was thinking, he’s not sharing right now.
Ryder’s been quiet, and I guess this is hard for him being out of the loop so much on this one. I get it though, he wants to be there with Cam and Jamison as much as possible, especially at this young age where they change so much.
“What you thinking about, huh?” Jamie asks, laying a hand on my chest as she turns on my lap.
“Nothing important, just thinking. Although now, I’m thinking about when I get you back in my bed later.”
“Aww, my poor baby, are you tired?” she mocks, rubbing my cheek.
I lean forward, whispering in her ear, “No, Firefly, I’m wide awake and ravenous.” Her hand on my chest tenses, fingers digging in and accompanied by a small gasp and wide eyes, and it makes me chuckle. All this talk about Tempest and Jasper has me wanting to put my mark on her, claim her and make her mine in every way.
Before she can come back at me with whatever retort is so clearly sitting on her tongue, Ryder and Dean head out. Dean tells Rick he will be in touch about his mate, and Ryder hugs Jamie, telling her to stay safe, while giving me the evil eye like he’s channelling Cam or something.
