aHunter4Trust Read online

  “They can be defeated.”

  “That’s not reassuring.” Tamsin sat on the sofa. “You sound as if you’re planning a battle.”

  “I am.” Darrogh sat beside her. “Why is it necessary to control your father’s bank? Albirsion Corporation already owns over fifty banks world-wide.”

  “The more banks you have, the greater your power?” Tamsin shrugged her shoulders.

  “Is there something special about Creighton’s bank?”

  “Creighton’s holds the money of many of the world’s richest families. We have always been the bank of choice for those with wealth. Our reputation has been built on service and discretion.”

  “Controlling Creighton’s gives them a position of power over those who have influence.” Darrogh was beginning to understand the necessity of keeping Creighton’s free from the Albireons. “If they are targeting your father’s bank, they do not yet have control of the wealthiest people on this planet.”

  “It would make sense.” Tamsin clasped his hand. “If they have that much power are you going to be able to keep us safe?”

  “Always.”

  Darrogh looked down at their joined hands. A sense of peace and purpose filled him. It was right that he was here with Tamsin. He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it.

  “I told you I was uncertain of the attraction between us.” Darrogh’s voice was hoarse. “I have no doubts now.”

  “You have decided it is too great a risk.” Tamsin’s voice sounded resigned.

  “Never.” Darrogh lifted her chin so that their eyes met. “You are my pair bond. It does not matter if you accept the connection because I know it to be true.”

  “You had doubts earlier. What changed?”

  “I realized that my feelings and bonding had nothing to do with this planet.” Darrogh’s voice was serious. “I am a Hunter and we form pair bonds with one woman only. That is part of our breeding. Implants were the only reason that it had not happened in the past. Being on Earth has nothing to do with our ability to find a mate.”

  “So what does that mean for us?”

  “I trust who I am as a warrior and as a Hunter.” Darrogh’s words were like a vow. “I am bonded to you and I will always be with you. You are a part of me. Your wishes are my desires.”

  Tamsin’s eyes filled with tears. “I still don’t know if I believe what is happening between us.”

  Darrogh wiped away one of Tamsin’s tears with his thumb. “I am completely committed and bound to you. Nothing can change that. I will protect and defend you with my last dying breath.”

  Darrogh gathered her close.

  He sensed her indecision.

  It did not change how he felt. She was in danger and for the first time he realized that his years of fighting and battle had prepared him for this moment. Tamsin needed his protection and skills. He would defend her to the death and beyond.

  Chapter 16

  Tamsin woke up refreshed. She couldn’t remember feeling this good since before her mother had died when she was ten years old. That seemed a lifetime ago. She sat up in bed and stretched her arms over her head. That’s when she saw him.

  Darrogh.

  The man who claimed her as his pair bond.

  She wasn’t exactly certain what that meant, but she knew she’d never felt this way about any other man. It was terrifying and glorious at the same time. He sensed her thoughts and if he was telling the truth, she would be able feel his also. Right now, all she had to do was look at him to know what he was thinking.

  Tenderness and concern shone from his eyes.

  A fierce protectiveness underlined his whole being. It was in his stance and the way he moved. This man was definitely the warrior he claimed to be, and he had vowed to keep her safe. With him beside her, she knew there would never be any need for concern. It was a shock to realize that she didn’t question this knowledge.

  The first glimmer of belief was seeping through her doubts.

  Trust would follow.

  “Did you stay awake all night?” Tamsin hugged her knees under the bed covers.

  “Firbin and Savis took a shift.” Darrogh’s voice was low. “I just came in a few minutes ago.”

  “Have you had breakfast yet?”

  “We have fed ourselves.” Darrogh leaned forward in the floral armchair he was sitting in. “Are you ready to start the day? We have a lot to accomplish and time is important.”

  “You mean the Albireons will be after us shortly.”

  “They will try.” Darrogh’s eyes narrowed. “They do not move as quickly as other races. They are slow and methodical. It will take them a few days to process what has happened and that will give us the time we need to defeat them.”

  “You’ve done this before.” Tamsin had a brief flash of light and explosions. Intuitively, she knew that she was seeing something that had happened to Darrogh in the past.

  “I have fought many a battle with this enemy.” Darrogh nodded. “My experience will be useful for this fight.”

  A shiver raced through her. The thought of blood being shed and people dying because of the need to protect a bank was repulsive. She valued life too much to believe that any good could come from open warfare. She would never forgive herself if others had to die to protect Creighton’s.

  “I am guarding you, not a bank.” Darrogh’s words brought her focus back to him. “Protecting Creighton’s bank from Albireon control means that we are stopping the complete annihilation of this planet. Many lives will the saved.”

  Tamsin nodded. “I hadn’t considered that.”

  “There would be no honor in endangering people needlessly.” Darrogh’s voice was matter of fact.

  “I’m learning to trust you.” Tamsin smiled and leaned back against the cushioned headboard of her bed. “You live by honor and truth.”

  “And the Sacred Code.” Darrogh’s gaze softened. “To know that my skill and training are being used to protect you has given me a true purpose in life.”

  A warm glow filled Tamsin. There was silence for several seconds as they gazed at each other. She was drowning in his eyes and only the rumbling of her stomach brought her back to the present. They had real enemies to defeat, and the sooner they started, the better.

  “I need coffee and then I’ll be ready to face the day.”

  Darrogh stood.

  At that moment, the door burst open, and her father rushed in shaking a newspaper in the air. “What the hell were you thinking?”

  Darrogh reacted faster than she’d ever seen a person do before. He reached her father and pushed him back against the wall before she could blink. Her eyes widened as she watched her father struggle against Darrogh’s grip on his coat lapels. Darrogh raised him from the floor.

  “Put me down.” Her father’s words came out in a burst of rage. “I’m her father. I have every right to see her.”

  “No one speaks or approaches Tamsin in anger.” Darrogh’s voice came through clenched teeth. “It does not matter who you are.”

  “It’s fine Darrogh.” Tamsin motioned to put her father down. “My father would never harm me.”

  Darrogh let her father slip down the wall. He stepped back and shut the door. “I will not leave you here with her alone.”

  “This concerns both of you.” Robert Creighton straightened his shirt and jacket. “Have you seen the morning papers?”

  “I just woke up.” Tamsin reached for the paper that her father threw at her.

  She took one look and her stomach dropped.

  Plastered on the front page, was the photo that Peter had taken of Darrogh carrying her in his arms. Below that, was a picture of her getting into Saxby’s car. The headlines read ‘Banker’s Daughter Caught in Drunken Orgy’. There was no hiding the fact that she’d been with Saxby. The evidence was there for all the world to see.

  She handed the paper to Darrogh.

  His eyes narrowed. “Now we know what happened to the photos.”

  Tamsin si
ghed. It was too early in the morning for this. She needed a coffee and a few minutes to consider what this would mean, not only for her, but for Creighton’s Bank. If they were trying to undermine the bank’s reputation by smearing her name, they were doing a good job of it.

  “What pictures?” Robert Creighton looked at her and she shrugged.

  “I’ve been followed by a detective for months now.”

  “We caught him yesterday.” Darrogh tossed the newspaper on the bed. “We knew about the photos and we found out who his client was.”

  “I should have been told immediately.” Robert Creighton pointed his finger at Darrogh. “You answer to me.”

  Darrogh shook his head. “I protect Tamsin and that means I do what is best for her safety.”

  Robert Creighton swatted the paper against his hand. “It looks like you’re doing more than that. I hired you to guard my daughter, nothing more.”

  Darrogh’s chin jutted out and for a second Tamsin thought that he was going to react to her father’s taunt. Instead, he took a step back. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her. She could have sworn she heard his voice asking what she wanted. Despite the differences she had with her father and his efforts to control her life, she loved and trusted him. He needed to be told the truth.

  “Sit down, Dad.” Tamsin motioned her father to the chair that Darrogh had vacated. “A lot has happened since Saturday night.”

  “The whole world knows that, thanks to those pictures.” Robert Creighton sat. “Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?”

  “We just found out yesterday.” Tamsin glanced at Darrogh. “Could you get us some coffee?”

  Darrogh looked at her with a stubborn intensity.

  “He needs to hear this from me.”

  She sent the message to Darrogh through her mind. If he could truly connect to her, he would hear her words and understand.

  “Your daughter’s safety is the only thing I care about.” Darrogh’s voice was low. “If you endanger her in any way, you will answer to me.”

  He left the room.

  She released the breath she’d been holding. Darrogh had told her the truth when he’d said they were connected on more than one level.

  “I’m waiting.” Her father’s voice dragged her back to the room.

  “I wish you had told me why you had hired bodyguards for me in the beginning. It would have made things easier.”

  “I’m your father and I was protecting you.” Her father’s voice was sharp. “I don’t have to explain all of my actions to you.”

  “When they involve me, you do.” Tamsin kept her voice low. “I’m an adult now and capable of making my own decisions.”

  “Like you did with Winchester and the wedding.”

  Tamsin nodded. “Exactly like that. I knew I couldn’t marry him, but I went along with it because you wanted the union. When I found him in bed with Liz that was the last straw. I didn’t care what it took, I was going to cut my ties with him, and you, if necessary. I wasn’t going to be married to a man who didn’t love me.”

  “Is love what you think you’ve found with Darrogh?” Robert Creighton’s words sounded more like an insult than a question.

  Tamsin took a deep breath. “I don’t understand what is happening between Darrogh and myself. I do know he doesn’t lie to me, he’s saved my life, and he will continue to protect me no matter what I do.”

  “He’s a bodyguard for God’s sake. He’s beneath you in class and education.”

  Tamsin couldn’t believe her father’s prejudice. “I’m not prepared to discuss him with you. Do you want to know what happened on the night these photos were taken?”

  Her father crossed his arms and looked away for a few seconds before turning back to her. It was a tactic he’d used since she was a child whenever he’d been displeased with her behavior. The familiar knot in her stomach tightened before a sense of calm came over her. She couldn’t be certain, but it felt as if Darrogh was reaching out to her.

  “Tell me,” her father ordered.

  “I resented you hiring men to guard me. I thought it was another trick you were using to get me under your control again, so I did everything in my power to escape. Saturday night was the first time I succeeded.”

  “So you went to a party where you got drunk?” Her father shook his head. “You’ve just proved my point that you need looking after.”

  “I wasn’t drunk in that photo.” Tamsin paused for a second. “I’d been drugged with Rohypnol. If Darrogh hadn’t arrived when he did, I would have been raped and murdered.”

  Her father’s eyes widened. “How could you let yourself get into that situation?”

  “I met someone that I had gone to school with and he agreed to help me evade my bodyguards. I thought I was safe with George Saxby, so I pretended to go to the Ladies Room and then ducked out the fire exit.”

  “Where were your bodyguards?”

  “Luckily, they weren’t far behind.” Tamsin pushed past her reluctance to remember what had happened that night. “George said that he would drive me home. After I got in his car, he insisted on going back to his place for a drink.”

  “You know better than that.” Her father’s criticism stabbed like a dagger.

  “I went to university with him. How was I to know he’d become a predator?” Tamsin lifted her chin. “I was desperate to get away from the men that I thought were spying on me. I took a chance.”

  “What happened next?”

  “I took a couple of sips of wine and then I couldn’t move.” Tamsin blinked back her tears. Images from that night were still coming back in pieces. The horror, and fear were still with her.

  “George hit me and ripped my clothes, and when I threatened to tell the police, he swore he would kill me.” Tamsin’s voice shook. “That’s when I realized what a fool I’d been to leave the protection of Darrogh and his men.”

  “It was a little late by then.” Creighton’s voice cracked. “How did you escape?”

  “I swore I heard Darrogh’s voice in my head telling me everything would be okay and then they rescued me.” Tamsin wiped the tears from her cheek. “That picture was taken after they had made certain George would never hurt another woman.”

  “You’re okay?” Her father reached over and clasped her hand. “Thank God the men arrived in time. I couldn’t have handle it if that monster had killed you.”

  There was a knock at the door and then Darrogh came in with two mugs of coffee. He handed her one and then went to her father. Robert Creighton’s hand was shaking as he took the cup from Darrogh. The two men looked at each other for a second and then Darrogh closed the door and leaned against it with his arms crossed. Relief flooded her. She needed Darrogh’s support for the rest of the interview with her father.

  Robert Creighton took several sips of his coffee before he looked at Darrogh. “What did you do to Saxby?”

  “He is dead.” Darrogh’s voice held no emotion. “He pulled a gun on me and we wrestled with it. I made certain he was shot in the head.”

  “So it was self-defence.” Her father’s voice held relief. “There will be no legal ramifications.”

  “He had broken the code all Hunters live by and death was the only choice for him. He knew I was going to kill him for harming Tamsin.”

  Her father’s mouth dropped open. “You can’t go around killing people. I don’t need the kind of publicity a trial would bring. I asked you to keep my daughter safe, nothing more.”

  “Honor and justice demanded that George Saxby die.” Darrogh’s voice was firm. “Tamsin was not the first women to be hurt by that man.”

  Sir Robert exhaled. “Even though I would have liked to kill him with my bare hands for touching Tamsin, I would have let the law deal with it.”

  “They would not have brought justice or closure to those he harmed. His death will do that.”

  Her father turned away from Darrogh and looked at her with a stunned expression. “Do you co
ndone what they did?”

  “He caused his own death in this case.” A chill rushed through Tamsin. “He would have killed me if they hadn’t stopped him.”

  “I understand.” Her father’s voice was filled with empathy. “That is why we have the police and laws, though.”

  “I wasn’t in any state to think.” Tamsin’s voice trembled. “I couldn’t move. Darrogh carried me out of the building and that’s when the picture was taken.”

  Her father stood and picked up the paper. “All you can see is a brick wall in the background. Nobody should be able to connect you with Saxby’s death.”

  “We cleaned up all evidence of Tamsin,” Darrogh said. “This is not our first time circumventing the law.”

  A vein bulged in her father’s neck. “I appreciate and thank you for saving my daughter’s life. I can’t condone you killing people, though. If you can’t follow the law, I’ll have no choice but to fire you.”

  Chapter 17

  “I vowed to protect Tamsin.” Darrogh kept his voice calm. “I am not leaving.”

  “I’d be an accomplice if I allowed you to kill people.” Tamsin’s father’s face was twisted with anger. “It’ll look worse because I pay you. That makes it murder for hire.”

  “We do not need money to do what is right.”

  Darrogh walked over to Tamsin. He sensed her frustration and disappointment at her father’s reaction to her ordeal. A part of him wished to order the man out of the house, but they needed his help with the Albireons. It would be easier to gain access to the bank’s computers if Sir Robert sanctioned it.

  “Tamsin was almost killed by that monster. She still has the bruises from his attack.” Darrogh’s hands clenched into fists. The faint discoloration on Tamsin’s cheek was a reminder of his failure to protect her. “She needs your love and support.”

  Robert Creighton looked over at his daughter. “Are you certain you want these men protecting you?”

  “They’re the only ones keeping me safe.” Tamsin’s voice shook. “Please listen, Dad. Something else has happened.”

  Creighton sighed. He glanced up at Darrogh before looking back at Tamsin. “You have ten minutes to explain.”