Sydney hesitated, torn between the very fragile trust she had established with Kingsley and the desire for a shower and some food. She wanted him to remain close, but saying so would put her in a vulnerable state. Their eyes locked and for a brief moment, it steadied her which was another feat.
“I’ll stay here with Cleo while you get your shower. Cleo will bring you the clothes, and I’ll stand guard. I promise I’ll stay here until you’re done.”
A weight lifted from her shoulders, and a sense of security filled her, bringing a newfound energy. And the disturbing thought of him joining her in the shower confirmed that she was more exhausted than she thought. “Aren’t you worried I’ll escape through the window?”
As she expected, a smile tugged at his lips. “I told you that you’re free to go any time, but if you manage to escape and use my truck, please be gentle with my baby. I may be British, but I love American rides.”
7
As he watched Mercy and Caitlin disappear into the ladies changing rooms, Kingsley smiled to himself. Those two took some handling, but he had a feeling Sydney was up to it, and it might even take her mind off what had happened.
Killian was now sitting at his feet as he waited for his mistress to come back. The beast tilted his head and looked at the door when he heard laughter. The look on his face was as bemused as Kingsley felt as he listened to the lyrical laugh he instinctively knew was Sydney’s.
“Stop loitering. She’s perfectly safe.”
“Nah, I promised I would stay here, and I will.” He shrugged as if it was no big deal.
“Fine, then make yourself useful and start filling this in.” Cleo handed him a bunch of forms.
“What is it?” He picked up the form and began to scan it.
“It is one of the million forms the IRS needs to sort out your 401K,” she replied with an eye roll.
“Fine, chuck us a pen.”
Cleo threw the pen at his head. “You Brits have no manners.” She smirked as it hit him in the side of the head.
“I have impeccable manners.” He chuckled as he picked up the pen.
“Well use them, King.”
“Sorry, Cleo. You’re absolutely right. I was a douchebag, and I apologize. Forgive me?” he asked with a sexy grin and sad eyes which usually guaranteed him an out with the ladies.
“Don’t give me those eyes, big guy, it takes more than a handsome face to get around me.”
“Him? Handsome? Are you blind, beautiful Cleo?” James joked as he walked in the door before leaning against the reception desk, his arms crossed to show his muscles, the dimple in his cheek on show to full effect, his green eyes twinkling.
“Hey, women love me, it’s the accent.” Kingsley smirked when Cleo nodded her agreement.
“Whatever. When you gonna let me take you out on a date, Cleo?”
James was a former USAF pilot, and always had women throwing themselves at him, but never seemed to have any luck with Cleo.
Cleo smiled and leaned in close to James suggestively. “When Beyoncé becomes president.”
She laughed as he frowned. “That could happen you know. I’m gonna get right on starting her campaign.”
“Stop harassing the staff, James,” Mason, their close protection specialist said with a growl, his English accent showing his irritation.
James turned to look at him. “Always so serious, Mason. You need to get laid. I hear blue balls can make you a grumpy bastard. Not that I’ve ever had that problem.” He winked at Cleo as Kingsley looked on, proud at the bonds of friendship that were already forming between the group.
“Eww! Too much info. Go! Everyone out of my reception! I have work to do even if you don’t.” Cleo shooed them out as James and Mason continued their discussion.
Kingsley heard the door open behind him and turned to see Sydney. She smiled tentatively, relief evident on her face that he had kept his word. She moved closer to him, and he was glad to see the small show of trust from her.
“Ready to get some food and have a chat about the plan from here on out?”
She nodded as she ran her hands down the front of the yellow shirt with white daisies on it. He recognized it as a nervous gesture and knew he still had a lot of work to do before she trusted him, but they were making headway. He didn’t understand why it was so important to him that she trusted him, but it was.
Sydney took the coffee that Cleo passed her with a grateful smile. She sipped the rich brew before adding some sugar. She had never been one of those people who drank it black with no sweetener. She felt the caffeine hit her blood and practically purred with contentment.
“Here. Eat this. You must be starving.”
Kingsley placed a chicken and avocado salad in front of her along with a large slice of apple pie. Even though it was still early, her mouth watered as she looked at it with the faintest hesitation before she dug in.
Sydney shoveled food in not even tasting the first few bites. She looked up and saw Kingsley watching her as he ate a large sub filled with the same. She blushed at his intent gaze on her but didn’t look away. He was a very handsome man, with a strong jaw under that sexy beard, but he had kind eyes, and for some inexplicable reason she felt herself trusting him even though that probably made her a fool.
Sydney looked toward the door when it opened. She watched as two men walked in and sat down. She unconsciously moved slightly closer to Kingsley, wary of the strangers, and felt his eyes on her. She glanced at him and saw a frown marring his features.
“Knight, you save any of that for the rest of us?” the younger one asked, although neither of the men could be considered old.
The older one had olive skin, dark eyes and dark, almost black hair that swept off his head in waves. At around six foot, he was tall, he also had a severe look on his face. No, not serious, it was sadness she saw, and she wondered what had happened to him to make him look that way.
The younger man who had spoken to Kingsley was taller, probably six foot four, and was broad across the shoulders, with tattoos down both arms. He was blonde and had pale green eyes and blond scruff on his face. He also had a hard body and a chin dimple that probably made women go wild.
Her instinct was he was a player, but as he turned his cheeky smile on her she didn’t feel the pull to him she felt for Kingsley. Her unease left and she relaxed slightly. She didn’t feel any malice from these men, which was crazy because she knew in her heart they were dangerous in a way her uncle could never be.
“Get your own, James.”
Sydney laughed when the man Kingsley called James grabbed his heart. “You wound me, Knight. I thought we were friends.”
“We are, but I ain’t your goddamn mother. You want food then go get it.”
“Fine, I have a cute little redhead that works at the Pincho Factory on Kendall Drive. She’ll sort me out.” He winked at Sydney.
“Yeah, well, first off we need to talk about where we go next with Sydney’s case.”
Kingsley looked at her his face determined and Sydney felt the food in her stomach turn to lead as all eyes moved to her.
“We haven’t been formally introduced. I’m Nick Hale, and Romeo here is James Valentine.” The older man with wavy dark hair held out his hand.
“Nice to meet you.” Sydney quickly shook his hand and then James’s, keeping the contact to a minimum.
“Sorry to hear about your troubles, but don’t worry, we’re here to help you.” Nick stood with his arms crossed over a broad chest, his face impassive, tenacious. She nodded not trusting her voice to hold if she spoke.
She caught Kingsley watching, and he smiled softly in encouragement before looking away then back at her. “Okay. Let’s start at the beginning. Sydney, why don’t you tell us a little about you and your family, so we have some background.”
“Okay. Well, my mom and dad are both dead.”
“How did they die?” James asked. All signs of the sexy lothario were gone, replaced by an efficient operator.<
br />
“My mom died in a car accident when I was a child and my dad a year ago. He was killed in a home invasion gone wrong.” Her heart beat fast as she talked about the deaths of the two people she loved most in the world.
“Did the police suspect foul play?” Kingsley had turned to her, his interest obviously piqued.
“No, my mom’s breaks failed. Her car went over a small cliff on a sharp corner. The men that shot my dad were arrested but released when a slick lawyer got them off.”
“Who paid for the lawyer?” Nick asked.
“Not sure. They were gangbangers with no obvious cash. My uncle admitted he was behind the shooting, so my guess is he paid for it.”
“We need to look into that.” Kingsley nodded to Nick. “We should also investigate your mom’s accident.” His eyes went soft when he saw her look of dismay. “Just as a precaution.”
“Tell us about your uncle.”
Sydney froze and glanced up as a new man walked in and she noticed he was limping slightly. She recognized him as the man who’d caused the distraction at the bank, the man Kingsley had referred to as Malco. She hoped he hadn’t been hurt in his altercation with Troy.
“Sydney?” Kingsley asked gently.
She turned and looked at him embarrassed that she had spaced. “Sorry. My uncle and I have no relationship. He and my dad were not that close, but I found a picture from when they were younger that showed they used to be.”
“Do you know if they fell out or had a disagreement?”
“I’m not sure what happened. Whatever it was, it was before I was born.”
“Did your parents ever mention him?”
“Not really. I got the feeling it was a sore subject between them. My dad always tried to hold on to the thread of family, but my mom didn’t like it and often made herself scarce when my uncle was around. After she died my dad tried even harder, and for a while, my uncle came around more.” She stopped unable to say the next words. She knew she needed to tell them the truth but wasn’t ready to bare her soul to people she had only just met.
“It’s okay, Sydney, we won’t let him hurt you,” Kingsley encouraged with a nod.
She took a breath, knowing she needed to warn them somehow. Panic made her voice week as she gave them what she could. “My uncle is not a good man and neither is the man you saw with him, Troy, his head of security.
“We’ll make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else.” Nick had a gruffness to his voice that made her lift her head. She was shocked at what she saw as she looked around the room. They felt her fear of her uncle and Troy, and were willing to help even without knowing the full extent of what they had done to her.
“Thank you.”
What do you know of his business and clients?” Kingsley’s jaw was hard as he steered the subject away from her fear. She felt so grateful she almost sobbed and then swallowed it down not wanting to seem like a baby.
“Not a lot. I think he’s into property development and finance of some sort, but that’s all I know.” Sydney rubbed her hands on the fabric at her thighs, the conversation making her frustrated that she didn’t know more.
“That’s okay. Do you have any idea why your uncle would kidnap you?”
Sydney looked at him and realized it was the moment of truth. She had to tell them what she could and trust them. “He thinks I have some of my father’s documents. I honestly don’t know what they are, or what they contain. I’m guessing it’s something bad that would hurt my uncle as he wants them so badly.”
“Then I guess we start there. Let’s figure it out and find what he’s looking for before he does.”
“So, you’re really going to help me?”
Kingsley leaned forward and took her hand in his, it was barely a touch, and there was nothing sexual about it. It was a simple reassurance that they meant what they said. “Yes, Sydney. We will. We don’t like to be taken for fools, and we hate men like him that think they can hurt innocents.”
“I don’t have any money to pay you.”
“Don’t worry about that,” said a beautiful young woman with dark hair as she walked in with a tall, muscular man with a hard face but warm eyes. “This one is on us.” She strode forward, her face kind but unflinching. “I’m Emme Wallace and this is my partner and fiancé, Shane Rhodes. We own the Alliance Agency, and it will be our pleasure to put that asshole behind bars where he belongs.”
“Thank you.” Sydney nodded knowing she would accept all the help she could to get her dad the justice he deserved.
Another man came in the room waving a piece of paper in his hand. “Stop the press, I think I’ve got a vital piece of information here. More proof that we’ve been conned by your dear uncle. You work part-time in the auto repair shop below your apartment, right?”
Sydney nodded, not certain where the man was going with his question.
“I’m Alex by the way. I work here as well.” The man shook her hand before continuing. “Did you know they alerted the police when you didn’t show up for work? I contacted a couple more people and it seems that Rutherford was alerted to that fact, and he had to backtrack when they contacted him. He told them he had already hired an agency to find you, and that the police didn’t have to be involved. Of course, that was all before he even contacted us. The police backed down when they saw we were on it. They’re overworked and understaffed so having someone else with money to help was a godsend for them. At the same time, he did the same trick with your boss, Sydney. That way he could continue to hold you out of sight while keeping the police or anybody else off his back.”
Kingsley shook his head. “So we acted as a shield for him.” Turning to Shane and Emme, his voice was so hard it could cut glass. “I hope you were able to get all the money you could get from him, that monster.”
Shane didn’t look at all pleased himself and cursed before looking at the people around the table. “King, what’s the plan?” Shane addressed the man at her side, and Sydney could feel the quiet, controlled air about him.
“I was going to suggest Sydney and I search her dad’s place and then get Nick and James to dig deeper into Rutherford’s business dealings. Malco, could you talk to your associates and find out if there have been any other allegations of assault or harassment other than what Caitlin mentioned?”
“On it,” they said as they stood to get started.
“I need some more clothes and a place to stay.” Sydney felt her chest tightening at the thought of going to the place her father had died. She hadn’t set foot there since the night she had gotten the call. Kingsley seemed to sense her rising panic.
“You can stay here with us, and we can sort some clothes. Right, Emme?”
“Absolutely, we can.”
“It will be all right, Sydney.” Kingsley stood and held out his hand for her to take. “I’ll even let you drive.” He chuckled as she smiled and took his proffered hand. It was time to trust someone.
8
As she left the highway toward Surfside, Sydney found it challenging to keep her emotions in check. The house had been their new home when her mother died, this small, tight-knit community had been a peaceful, safe haven for Sydney and her dad in their hour of need. Now, all those memories were stained with the red taint of her father’s blood.
“Breathe deep, Sydney.”
Kingsley’s voice made her realize she was on the verge of hyperventilating, a mix of anxiety and purpose. For the first time in a very long time, she realized she wasn’t alone. People weren’t only offering to help her, they believed her.
When she glanced at the passenger seat, she noticed that Kingsley wasn’t looking at her, but was watching his surrounding and taking peeks in the rearview mirror.
“You think we’re being followed?”
When he turned to her, an adorable smile flashed on his bearded face. “I wouldn’t be an excellent secret agent if I didn’t keep an eye out. It’s like breathing. But to answer your question, I think we’re alone. As far as yo
ur uncle is concerned, you’re in the wind, and nothing links us directly to you. I seriously doubt he posted men at Alliance. At least, not for the moment. But he will, because if he or his goons have at least the intelligence level of a baboon and get their hands on the parking videos of the bank, they’ll connect the dots pretty quickly.”
Sydney slowed down as they arrived in town. “I’m surprised you don’t seem worried about that.”
“I don’t like to worry. I want to be prepared. That’s why some of the team are digging into your uncle’s past and assets, and others are keeping a discrete eye on what he might be doing at the moment. Before we left Alliance, Malco told me that nobody else was being held prisoner in the house where you were kept. And there was no evidence there ever was.”
“Is that important?”
“The devil’s in the details, as they say. I prefer not to leave even one stone unturned. You never know where a snake is hiding, ready to strike.”
The perfect analogy in her opinion. And a flicker of light on Kingsley’s personality.
“Something you learned while in the military?”
“More accurately while I was part of the EOD.”
Sydney blinked. “EOD?”
Again, he smiled, and her heart flipped. “Yeah, it means Explosive Ordnance Disposal. I was a Fleet Diver in the Royal Navy.”
“You mean you disposed of bombs?”
“Disposed of, defused, dismantled… When a bomb was found, I made sure it didn’t hurt anybody. A lot of my work was under water, but we also diffused bombs on land. We worked pretty closely with the UK Special Forces and the Marine Commandos.”
It took a moment for Sydney to process the words and what it entailed. “Wait. That means that you had to go to the live bomb and deal with it yourself. That isn’t only dangerous, but completely insane!”
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