Reckless Desire

by Rebecca King

  Kerrigan swore. “Sayers would have gotten you out of the way quite neatly. It would then leave this place empty for him to use at will, and without any fear of being challenged.”

  “It could take years for Eustace to be officially declared dead and his estate broken up,” Joe added. “There are a lot of clocks in that shop which are worth a veritable fortune. Sayers wouldn’t be able to keep his hands to himself.”

  “Oh, good Lord,” Marguerite whispered.

  “We are not saying it is definite, you understand? We are just considering the possibilities right now,” Joe added hastily.

  “I had never met the man before last night. No wonder he was so determined to cart me off,” she whispered.

  Suddenly, she looked back at what happened last night from a fresh perspective, and realised then just what a blessing Joe’s appearance in her life had truly been.

  Heaven only knows where I would be if it wasn’t for him, she mused as she studied him.

  He looked exhausted, dirty, and was probably as hungry as she was, but he didn’t moan about it or show any outward sign of discomfort. He was so focused on getting to the bottom of the mysteries surrounding them that she suspected he could continue to work for several more days yet and not be affected. Unfortunately, Marguerite was flagging dangerously. She was beyond tired. So much so that she wasn’t sure she would be able to run anywhere else if the need arose. She was certainly struggling to comprehend what was going on, especially when her mind preferred to focus on just how handsome Joe looked bathed in the solitary glow of flickering candlelight.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  “Joe,” Kerrigan murmured suddenly.

  The intensity in the man’s voice warned Joe that he had found something. Joe looked across the room and saw the hesitant look Kerrigan threw at Marguerite. He knew immediately that whatever Kerrigan had just found in the packaging crate was not good news.

  They all ventured closer. Kerrigan left the contents undisturbed and stepped back.

  “What is it?” Marguerite’s entire being froze when she looked inside the crate. Her stomach dropped to her toes. She wanted to demand if it was her father, just so she could deny it was possible.

  “Oh, my word,” she whispered.

  “I do believe we have found Sayers’ stolen hoard of gems,” Kerrigan declared with no small measure of satisfaction.

  “God, how much is there?” Jacob whispered as he stared down into the box within which lay numerous small packages.

  Joe lifted a single pouch out of the box. Untying the laces he stared in disgust at the emerald necklace and earrings set worth a veritable fortune nestled in the palm of his hand. At first count, there were at least another dozen or so packages like it still in the box. Carefully wrapping it back up, he placed it back where he found it and swore as he stepped away.

  “Are there any markings on the box to say where it is destined for?” he murmured. He bent down to study all four sides to the box.

  Marguerite lifted the lid and tipped it over. “Paris,” she said and lifted the box up to show him the pencilled address.

  Kerrigan puffed out his cheeks and shook his head. “This just gets worse and worse and worse.”

  “Well, he is going to be desperate to get us away from here so he can squirrel this lot out of sight, isn’t he?” Joe sighed.

  “Yes, but unfortunately, it now means that we cannot leave,” Jacob snapped. “Well, I am not sitting here waiting to be swamped with killers.”

  “We need to get this out of here, and search the entire property for anything else that might be hidden,” Joe announced.

  “I will go and find someone to fetch a carriage,” Kerrigan said. “You do a thorough sweep of this room. I need to go and find Toby. We still have Marcus to find, don’t forget, but at least now we have one very valuable bargaining tool. If Sayers wants those jewels back, he has to hand over Marcus, Ben, and anyone else he might have who doesn’t want to be there.”

  He suddenly pierced Marguerite with a dark look. “I am sorry, ma’am, but if I find your father is involved in this in any way, I will put him behind bars for a very long time.”

  Marguerite wanted to deny that her father could have anything to do with this.

  It wasn’t possible, was it? He wouldn’t be that underhand. It was illegal. Highly illegal. Even if it was just shipping gems, they were stolen. But, he had been behaving oddly of late. Was this why?

  In need of support from someone, she turned to look at Joe, but he was thoughtfully studying the contents of the box.

  “Joe?” she whispered, unsure what she was asking of him.

  “He could be involved in it,” Joe replied calmly. He really couldn’t offer her reassurance until he knew the facts. He wasn’t foolish enough to lie to her, she didn’t deserve that. It was better to prepare her for the worst, or at least offer her some ray of hope.

  Especially because it now looks like Marguerite will receive the worst possible news about her father. Unfortunately, I don’t know if the worst means her father will most probably be dead or is heavily involved in smuggling stolen gems, Joe thought.

  “If he is guilty then he should be put behind bars. I just need to know,” she whispered.

  “I know. We will find the answers, Marguerite. Do I still have your help?”

  On a more personal level, Joe needed her on his side. As a member of the Star Elite, he had full authority to force her to assist him if he needed to but he didn’t want that. For reasons he daren’t look at too closely right now, he wanted her to work with him on finding out just what her father was involved in. At least if she went along with him, she would understand the fear and worry people innocent people experienced when their lives with touched by Sayers and his gang. Maybe then, if her father was helping the gangster, his guilt wouldn’t hurt so much.

  If he was honest, he quite liked her. She was strong, resilient, and level headed. There was something about her quiet manner that called to something in him. He wanted to protect her and wished now that circumstances were different so they could get to know one another in their own time. As it was they had been thrown together through circumstances beyond their control and had to make the most of it.

  “I will help you, but mainly because I want answers myself,” she whispered.

  Joe nodded his thanks. “Even if it means you might find out your father is guilty?”

  “Even if my father is guilty,” she assured him as she waved to the box. “This cannot be allowed to keep happening. It has to be stopped.”

  Relieved that he had her understanding, Joe motioned toward the door. “Let’s get out of here. I don’t know about you but I am sick of closed rooms.”

  Painfully aware that they still had to find Marcus, even though men were busy searching for them, Joe led her out of the workshop and locked the door behind them.

  They didn’t retrace their steps as Marguerite thought they would. Nor did they go back to her father’s house, or off to find Marcus and Ben. Instead, they walked for mile upon mile in a seemingly random direction across London. At various stages of their journey, Kerrigan, Brandon, and Jacob all branched off and left them.

  “Can I ask you something?” Marguerite murmured now that she was alone with Joe again.

  Joe looked at her. “Go on.”

  Marguerite hesitated. “At the safe house, I had a distinct impression that you didn’t want the other man there, Reg, to know what you were doing. Why?”

  Joe sighed and studied the buildings around them while he thought that one over. After several moments, he seemed to reach a decision and, with a deep sigh, turned to her. Rather than begin to talk as she expected, he nodded to a park further down the road.

  “Let’s go in there. The bandstand is empty. We can talk privately there without being overheard.”

  Marguerite nodded, even though her acceptance appeared to be just expected. Joe was already walking her across the road, and hustling her toward the bandstand. Curious,
she followed.

  “The Star Elite has a traitor,” Joe sighed once they were beneath the bandstand’s canopy.

  Her eyes widened. “Working with you? One of those men?”

  “God, no,” Joe huffed. He was thankful that he could call at least Kerrigan, Jacob, and Brandon trustworthy. “They are the handful of trusted men, together with Marcus, whom you met at the house, and Ben, who got beaten up.”

  Marguerite nodded. “How did you find out about the traitor?”

  “Over the last few months, there have been many occasions when our so-called clandestine operations have been thwarted. We have met with men, Sayers’ men, already in position and waiting for us.”

  “Someone told Sayers where you were?” She was appalled that someone could be that ruthless with human life.

  “Yes. We arrested a man several months ago now who told us we had one. At the time, we thought it was just one traitor, but when he died, he told us that there was someone else. We didn’t know who then. Over time, various people have been ruled out because they have been working with colleagues in the shires and couldn’t possibly have double-crossed us. It left a handful of trustworthy people who could be counted on to remain faithful to the Star Elite.”

  “That man in the kitchen, Reg, is it?” Marguerite asked.

  “I am not saying that he is. God, I hope he isn’t, but he might be. I wouldn’t put your life in his hands, Marguerite. Not until I know for certain he can be trusted.”

  “You don’t trust him,” Marguerite murmured. She knew from the look in his eye that Joe had no trust in Reg at all.

  “I hate to think ill of anybody, but he always wants to put himself in situations that might aide Sayers. If he had looked after you, I have no doubt Sayers would have, by chance, turned up and found you.”

  The weariness in Joe’s voice was alarming. “I am sorry.”

  “I thought he was a friend and could be counted on. It appears I am wrong,” Joe said quietly.

  Marguerite snorted. “Well, at least he isn’t your father,” she retorted flatly.

  Joe looked at her, his brows lifted. His lips twitched in spite of himself.

  “There is that,” he murmured.

  He didn’t think about what he was doing when he drew her into his arms. It was instinct to hold her close while he allowed the tumultuous emotions to tumble through him. Strangely, this time there was no anger, just a deep sense of disappointment that over-rode everything.

  “Do you think he has been the one behind Marcus’ and Ben’s kidnap?” she asked.

  “I don’t know if Ben has been kidnapped yet. He could be at the surgeon’s house like he said he would be. I don’t know what to think anymore. The only thing I would ask is that you don’t talk about this in front of Reg. Don’t discuss your father, and don’t tell him anything about us. Until we have evidence to the contrary, we have to consider him our traitor.”

  “How are you going to go about capturing him? I mean, you have to have proof, don’t you?”

  “Yes, we do, and we will get it, Marguerite. It would help, though, if we could catch the man red-handed as it were. You know, doing something ridiculous like talking to Sayers.”

  “Like you did, you mean?” she mused.

  Joe snorted and looked down at her. “You are far too sharp, do you know that?”

  “Well, I am just saying,” she replied.

  “I know, but our suspicions haven’t just fallen on Reg because he was nearby, Marguerite. There are plenty of reasons,” Joe sighed.

  “Can’t you just arrest him first and then find out?”

  “It doesn’t work like that,” he replied. “We have to have evidence that he has actually been involved in crime. That is the reason why we have been unable to arrest Sayers. Until we can catch him either carrying stolen goods or in the process of stealing something, we cannot arrest him. We just don’t have enough evidence to put before a judge. It’s the same with Reg. Until we have definite proof he is our traitor, we have to involve him. We just can’t trust him.”

  Marguerite had no hesitation in sliding her arms around Joe’s waist and returning his embrace. She felt sorry for him. His work was dangerous. He needed to be able to rely on the people around him. She was confused and doubtful of everyone as it was, and she didn’t have to work with them. For the first time in her life, she was glad of the London smog. While it still swirled and protected them from the gazes of people on the street, it had lifted enough for them to be certain that nobody was standing close enough to overhear them.

  “I am sorry. It isn’t right that you cannot trust even one your colleagues.”

  “It happens, I suppose,” Joe replied.

  She looked at him. “You sound as if this has happened to you before.”

  “No, well, not outside of the Star Elite, anyway.”

  Marguerite froze. She slowly and carefully put some distance between them.

  Was he married? Does he have a wife and children somewhere?

  The thought made her feel slightly sick.

  “On a more personal level? Are you married, Joe? Is that your real name?”

  Joe sighed. “Yes, it is my real name. My name is Joseph, but everyone calls me Joe, and no, I am not foolish enough to be married.”

  “You sound as though it is a fool’s game,” she murmured.

  “I am not wrong,” Joe snorted.

  “You don’t wish to get married?” Her disappointment grew. It was silly, really, because she hardly knew the man, but she was stunned and hugely disappointed that he saw marriage as a trap.”

  “No,” he declared flatly. “My work for the Star Elite is who I am and intend to keep it thank you very much.”

  “Don’t you have a wife or family?”

  Joe shook his head. “No. My parents died not long before I went into the army. My father was a baker. I hated the trade, and had no interest in going into it, so I joined the army. It was perfect for me. When I returned from the war, I joined the Star Elite. It is my life and all that I know. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

  She flinched at the fervency behind his words. In a desperate attempt not to cause herself any more hurt, she quickly looked for a way to ease the situation.

  “What is the Star Elite by the way? The name has been mentioned a couple of times as well as the War Office. Do you just chase men like Sayers?”

  “No, we fight crime on all levels, but go further than any magistrate could. We have men who work undercover and infiltrate gangs. Our work is often dangerous, and involves long hours in the dark, in the middle of the night, chasing thugs like Sayers and his men. There are small groups of Star Elite men up and down the country who work on more rural crime. Their job is just as dangerous and considerably more complex because of the rural nature of the crimes. There is more area to cover and, strangely, more places someone can hide.”

  “But who are you? I mean, where on earth did you learn all of this?”

  “I have done my time in the army. All the men in the Star Elite have served at some point. That’s why we are part of the War Office. When the war ended we remained with the War Office but were seconded to domestic crime like gangs of pick-pockets, Sayers, gun smugglers, that kind of thing. The work involves long, arduous hours, and isn’t for the squeamish.”

  “You enjoy it,” she whispered.

  “Of course I do otherwise I wouldn’t do it,” Joe replied honestly.

  He had seen that special kind of look in her eye when she had looked at him both in the workshop and just now. It warned him that she was expecting more from him than he had to give.

  “I am afraid that your brief foray into one of the Star Elite’s investigations has given you a perfect understanding of just how little my life fits into a marriage. I am gone for long hours, have no idea when I would be back, and could be killed at any time. It isn’t right to expect any woman to put up with half a marriage, especially to someone so averse to it as me.”

  There was
just something in his voice that was a little defensive, as though he was warning her not to expect more from him than what she saw. But she did want more. Somewhere inside that hardened warrior was a man. Someone who needed a little softness in his life, and somewhere to call home, or else what was the point in doing what he did?

  Joe studied her and waited for the volley of questions he usually had from her. When she remained silent, he started to become unnerved. It wasn’t the response he had been expecting, and he now regretted the force of his words. He hadn’t meant to sound so averse to the prospect of marriage, he just didn’t want her to go about with stars in her eyes and expect more from him than was realistic. After all, this time yesterday they hadn’t even met.

  But she already matters to you, a small voice warned him.

  While he couldn’t deny it, he could stop that professional concern from blossoming into something more meaningful, which would eventually lead to the altar.

  “I think we need to get back to the safe house and get some sleep,” Joe murmured. “I don’t know about you but I am exhausted.”

  “Me too. I think that is a very good idea,” she whispered.

  When he escorted her down the steps of the bandstand, there was considerably more understanding between them than ever. Unsure what that meant now, and how she could go about persuading him to remain a part of her life when all of this was over, Marguerite remained thoughtful as they left the park.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  One week later

  Joe slammed the kitchen door to the safe house and heaved a frustrated sigh.

  “Anything?” Marguerite asked hopefully.

  Joe shook his head. “Nothing. There is now no sign of Sayers either. We have men on watch all over the place and nothing. Nobody has had a sighting of anybody. Not even Ben, for God’s sake. How in the Hell could everybody just vanish? Where is everyone?”