by Clare Revell
“Well?” Her voice came from behind him.
“I told you about Endarra and watching Sally die. I made a promise that those responsible for her death would pay. I’ve been saving for months. That money in the building society is to fund my trip back there, to hunt down the men that killed my wife, my friends, and the kids we were caring for. The plan—once term finishes next week, and assuming I could get a flight, was to kill the men who killed the people I cared about.”
“Liam.” Her shocked gasp hit him hard. “Vince said...”
“He lied, Jacqui. The police did nothing. The missionary society did nothing. They didn’t catch or hold anyone accountable for this. I had someone investigating. The day you met Vince was the day I heard from my contact. He sent me an email proving that Vince was responsible for the attack. He wanted the mission gone, so he could use the land himself. I passed the information on to Patrick, and he’s spent the last few weeks looking into what I sent him.”
Jacqui turned, her face pale and her hand covering her mouth. “I don’t believe this.”
“I’m sorry. I wish there were some other way to say this, but there isn’t.”
“You lied to me.”
“I didn’t.” Outrage filled him. “I’m not the one in the wrong here.”
“Lied by omission, Liam. You knew how dangerous he was, and you didn’t tell me.” She drew in a deep breath.
“Would you have gone if I had told you?”
She didn’t answer him.
“Would you?” he insisted. “You said yourself, love; he’s a hard man to say no to. The last thing you said to him was you’d consider an offer you’d already turned down. At least twice if not three times.”
Jacqui twisted her hair into a hair band, tying it back. “I don’t know. Probably, like you said he’s a hard man to turn down. So why was your brother there last night?”
“Like I said, he was looking into the information I’d given him.” Liam looked at her. “Yesterday morning he came over. He told me to stay away from Vince, but if he contacted you to let him know. He insisted on being there last night, wired me before I picked you up, so they could record the conversation.”
She tilted her head. “But you weren’t wearing a wire last night when I patched you up. And even when I did your bow tie, I didn’t see one.”
“Patrick hid the wire well. Besides, I was already dressed and my collar already done up when I got to you.” Liam pulled the wiretap from the bread bin. “You turned your back on me to find the first aid kit when I stripped. I had time to hide it.” He paused. “Terry followed me to the gents last night. He warned me to stay away from you. He hammered the point home so to speak. Fortunately Patrick was there and stepped in. I thought the plan was to leave me there when the place blew.”
“He does hammer his point home very well. He must have been a boxer at one point.”
“Or a bouncer. But, thanks to your expert ministration, it’s nothing I can’t cope with—I’ve had worse.”
“I don’t think I want to know.”
He smiled, lopsidedly at her. “No, you don’t, but it’s evident that Vince and his cronies don’t want me around.”
Jacqui nodded. “You don’t think it was just a gas leak?”
“No, I’m betting there was a plan. I think you were part of it somehow.”
“Blowing up a restaurant to kill you is a little excessive, don’t you think?”
Liam made the coffee and slid one across the counter to her. “They didn’t know I was going to be there. Vince was surprised when I turned up. Apparently that was already in play when we got there. Remember that VIP and all those security personnel?”
“What about them?”
“He was on the news too—of course no mention of him having been anywhere near that restaurant or Headley Cross last night. He’s the Endarran vice president. I’m thinking he was the original target. I was just an added bonus because I can link them directly with the attack on the mission. They know that. Also, I’m standing between you and him.”
“There is no me and him. There hasn’t been for years.”
“That’s not the point.”
“No, the point is you’ve known for three weeks that Vince was involved in Sally’s death and you didn’t tell me.” Her voice hardened, her body stiffening more with each word.
“What was I meant to say?” Liam widened his arms in a gesture of defense. “The guy you were going to marry is a terrorist and a murderer?”
“He’s no different than you.”
Her words cut him to the core. He could feel the blood draining from his face. “What? There’s a massive difference between us. I haven’t killed anyone.”
“Yet. You said you were planning on hunting down the men responsible for Sally’s death and murdering them. That includes Vince. And that, my friend, makes you no better than those men who killed your wife and whoever blew up the restaurant last night.”
Liam shifted, her words piercing his soul. “But...”
“No buts. Thinking it is the same as if you had already done it. You passed the information to your brother. Let him and the authorities handle it.” She stormed from the room, slamming the door behind her.
Liam stood there for a moment, then flung the door open and ran down the hall after her. He pushed open the bedroom door before she could close it. “Wait a second.”
“What?” Her dark eyes glittered with rage and disappointment.
“There’s a huge difference between them and me. They slaughtered those people for no reason. I was doing it for the sake of justice.” He deliberately used the past tense. He’d promised Patrick he wouldn’t go. He hadn’t booked the flights or packed or anything. The feelings were still there, but so was the desire to drink. And he hadn’t acted on that, either.
“No, Liam. You wanted revenge. Pure and simple. Justice comes from God and the law. You’re neither.”
“How do you know God won’t use me, like He used Samson and David?” The argument sounded weak even to him.
“Don’t try and justify it.” Jacqui picked up the Bible from the bedside table. “Romans twelve says, ‘Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge, I will repay,” says the Lord.’” She looked at him, her gaze going straight through him. “What you’re planning is wrong. No make that wrong with a capital W.”
Liam took a deep breath. “What Vince and his men did was wrong. Why are you madder at me than at him? I’m the one who lost here.”
“Because you know it’s wrong. You claim to be a Christian, and you say you rekindled your faith, but all along you were planning this? How do I know, more importantly how does God know you meant a word of it? Maybe it was a ruse to get me and keep me in your life.”
Another spear pierced his soul, physically knocking him a step backwards with the force of the blow. “It wasn’t. I meant it. I love you. I want to honor God by what I do, but I also wanted to bring those responsible for Sally’s death to justice.”
Jacqui laid a gentle hand on his arm. “Liam, you have to let go and leave it to the police handle. If they don’t, God will see the murderers pay for what they did. It’s not up to you. Let it go.”
“How?” The word was torn from him, another blow digging into the wall surrounding his heart.
“Pray.”
“I have, but...”
“Stop with these buts.” She pushed her hair back from her face, barely controlled irritation on her face. “God doesn’t want to hear them any more than I do. He doesn’t just want part of your life, Liam. He wants all of it. Isaiah chapter one says, ‘When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood; wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of My sight.’”
Liam’s heart stopped and he dropped his gaze to the floor. His stomach roiled, his throat burned a
nd his soul ached within him. “Oh.”
“It’s no good saying one thing when you’re intent on doing another. God knows what you’re thinking. And thinking it is as bad as doing it. Let God handle it.”
Liam sank to his knees by the bed. How could he have gotten it so wrong? He was dimly aware of Jacqui kneeling beside him as he prayed.
Her voice joined his.
And then like the clouds of a thunderstorm passing, he was flooded with a sense of peace. The burden he carried for so long completely fell away.
15
The doorbell rang, and Liam pushed up off his knees to answer it. He was stiffer than he realized. He opened the door to find Patrick and a uniformed officer standing there. “Hi.”
“You all right, bro? We’ve been knocking for a while.”
“Yeah, sorry. I wasn’t expecting anyone this early.”
Patrick raised an eyebrow. “It’s gone ten AM. It’s not early.”
Ten? Where had the last few hours had gone? Last he knew, it was five something. “Sorry. Come in.” He shut the door behind them. “Go through to the kitchen, and I’ll get dressed.”
He went back to the bedroom, knocking on the door. He smiled at Jacqui as she opened it, glad she was dressed.
“I found something of yours to wear.” Jacqui held out her ruined dress. “This is beyond redemption.”
He smiled, taking in the shirt and tracksuit trousers she’d put on. “That’s fine.”
“Who was at the door?”
“It’s Patrick and the police.”
“This doesn’t look good, does it?”
He shook his head. “Apparently, we lost five hours. It’s gone ten.”
She squeezed his hand, sending an electrical charge through him. He never wanted to take that for granted. “Time spent with God is not lost. Get dressed, and I’ll go make them coffee.”
He winked. “Good thing it’s Saturday. Else we’d both be late for work.”
“Oh yeah. Although then the alarm would have gone on my phone. It’s set to go off at seven AM on a weekday.”
Liam dressed and headed back to the kitchen. Jacqui sat at the table talking to the uniformed officer, telling him the events of the previous night as she remembered them. He crossed the room, picked up the spare mug of coffee, and turned to find Patrick standing behind him. “Hey, Pi.”
“She said she spent the night here. And she’s wearing your clothes.”
“I had the couch. Not that either of us slept much. And that would be because her dress is ruined. Apparently being blown up and women’s clothes don’t go so well together.”
“I can understand that.”
Liam sipped the coffee. “How do you do this for a living?”
“Some days I wonder. Listen, once you’ve given your statement and the police leave, I need to talk to both you and Jacqui.”
“Sounds ominous.”
“It’s important, Li. I wouldn’t ask otherwise.” Patrick lowered his voice. “One more thing? Leave out the incident in the gents for now. I know Jacqui knows, and I also asked her to keep quiet. If the cop asks, you got those bruises from the bomb blast. Let’s face it; being blown across the car park probably gave you another one anyway.”
Liam gave him a long hard look and then nodded. “It definitely didn’t help any.”
Patrick nodded. “Let’s go sit down.”
Liam sat at the table next to Jacqui and gave his statement. Going through it again was almost as bad as being there, just not so terrifying. Once that was done, he saw the officer out and then went back to the kitchen. He grinned at Patrick. “So Patrick, this is Jacqui. Jacqui, this reprobate is my big brother, Patrick. Otherwise known as Pi or Special Agent Three Point One Four.”
Patrick grinned. “We met. Last night, remember? Fire, smoke, brimstone…well no brimstone, but you know what I mean.”
Liam smacked Patrick on the back of the head. “No, I forgot. Getting blown up does that to a man, but at least I’m not old and grey like you.”
Patrick laughed. “Less of the grey. It’s about five hairs worth.”
“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Liam asked.
“How much do you both know about Vince Devlin?”
“Not much more than what you told me and we learnt last night over dinner.” Liam winced. He’d forgotten for a moment how much his ribs hurt. “I told Jacqui everything I know and vice versa, which isn’t much, but anyway…yeah…Mind filling in the gaps for us, bro?”
“Right, the Horatio Corporation owns the land the Endarra mission is built on. It bought the entire complex six months before the attack. They also own the mining rights to the surrounding area. We’re pretty sure that whatever Devlin wants to rebuild there isn’t an orphanage.”
Liam pushed his empty cup away. “Can’t you put someone on the inside?”
“We’ve tried doing that several times. Devlin’s too good. He’s also very good at keeping his nose clean.” Patrick looked at Liam. “I tried contacting Manu. No one has seen or heard from him for three weeks.”
“That’s strange. He doesn’t normally drop off the radar without saying something first.” He pulled the phone from his pocket. “Let me try ring—”
“Li…wait.” He slid a photo across the table. “Is this him?”
Liam recognized that smile and those eyes. Not to mention the shock of dyed blond hair which always looked strange against Manu’s dark skin. “Yeah, that’s him. Why do you ask?”
“He’s dead.” Patrick said.
Liam felt the blood drain from his face, and closed his eyes. He was aware of Jacqui gripping his hand tightly. He looked at his brother. “What about his wife and kids?”
“I’m sorry, bro.” Patrick shook his head.
Jacqui wrapped her arms around him.
He hugged her back. Oh, Lord, is that my fault somehow? I rang him on an unsecure line that last time. Am I responsible?
“Before you go blaming yourself, don’t. It looks as if Devlin is tidying up all the loose ends out there. Anyone who had anything to do with the original mission site is gradually vanishing or turning up dead.”
Jacqui hugged Liam again. “You OK?”
“He’s in God’s hands, with his family. Manu was a believer. But it’s still a loss. He was my friend.” He looked up at Patrick. “So, what do we do now? Are you going to send someone out there? Get the African authorities to do something? It’s not just foreign nationals he’s killing now, it’s their own people.”
Patrick’s expression became more serious. “It’s not that simple.”
He sighed. “No, it wouldn’t be. It never is.”
“I need you both to help me. I’ve been asked to ask you both—that’s why we’re doing this now and not in front of the cops.”
“Oh?”
“We need to find out what’s going on in Endarra. Like I said, we’ve tried and failed several times to get someone inside the offices. The easiest way by far, is to use someone Devlin wants, and get them into the Horatio Corporation and sent out there.” Patrick looked at Jacqui.
“Me?” Jacqui caught her breath. “You want me to take the job?”
“What?” Liam asked, sitting bolt upright.
“Yes, Jacqui, we want you to take the job. Term finishes on Tuesday, and I understand from Liam that the school grounds will be finished then, too. At least enough for you to take a break for a week or so. That gives you the opportunity to take Devlin up on his offer and go out to see what’s happening on site.”
“Wait a minute,” Liam interrupted. “Why send Jacqui? I told you what he did to her. Why not send one of your spooks?”
“I explained that. By now Devlin knows we’re investigating the Horatio Corporation. He’ll be expecting something. What he won’t expect is for Jacqui to go in.”
Jacqui shook her head. “There has to be another way. He hurt me once. He’ll do it again given half the chance.”
Patrick looked at Jacqui. “There is
no other way to do this. And you won’t be going in alone. The thing is Vince wants you, and we want you to insist Liam goes, too.”
“Me?”
“Li, you know the area. Most of the people you knew are gone, or dead. However, because you’ve been there, you can create a bond with the people, because of that familiarity. If there’s something going on, they’re more likely to talk to you than someone who doesn’t understand their customs. Don’t worry. You’ll have back up—one of the catering staff is going to need to come back to England to tend to a sick relative and one of my people will replace them—”
“Then you don’t need us. Can’t he or she snoop around and—”
Patrick sighed. “Will you just be quiet and listen? Catering staff can’t snoop around the entire site and the offices. Devlin will want to show off his operation to Jacqui. I’ll send you in with a gun.”
Liam shook his head. “I don’t want one. I have all the ammunition and protection I need in God.”
“You’ll take the gun, Li. I don’t want to lose you, too.”
“And I told you, I’m not taking one. End of debate.”
“Liam, you have no idea what you’re getting into.”
“Yes I do.” Liam grimaced. “Is this where we get the ‘Your country needs you’ speech? In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a teacher, and Jacqui’s a gardener.” He broke off as she thumped him on the arm. “Sorry, my bad. Jacqui’s a landscape architect. We’re not spies.”
“What’s changed?” Patrick asked bluntly. “Two days ago, you were screaming out for the chance for revenge.”
“God will do that. Isn’t that what you told me months ago? Jacqui said the same thing this morning. It took a while to get through this thick head of mine.”
“You mean God used a woman to get through to you when I couldn’t.”
“Something like that.”
“I want each of you to pack a bag and go away for the weekend. A taxi will pick each of you up in an hour and take you to the station. From there you take the train to Bramley. A car will meet you there and drive you to a secret location for briefing and training in what you’ll need to know.”
