aHunter4Trust Read online

  “She has gone into the restroom again.”

  “Go after her.” Darrogh bit the words out. “We need to leave immediately.”

  “It is restricted to women.” Firbin’s voice held a note of horror. “It is wrong to invade a woman’s space.”

  “I’ll do it.” Darrogh had reached Firbin’s side. There was no longer any need to mind connect. “How long has she been there?”

  “Ten minutes.”

  “Prepare to leave as soon as I come out with her.”

  Darrogh opened the door that led to the Ladies’ Room and found himself in a long hallway. There were several doors on one side and one at the end of the hall. The knot in his stomach grew tighter. He pushed the door labeled Ladies’ Room open and was greeted by several shrieking women.

  He ignored them.

  “Tamsin.”

  There was no answer.

  He went down the long row of stalls and pounded on the doors. Only two were occupied, and neither one by Tamsin. He turned back to the group of outraged women clustered at the sinks.

  “Did a woman with long, dark hair and a short, red dress come in?”

  “I’m a sucker for the tall, dark, and jealous act.” A blonde woman in her early twenties staggered toward him. “Will I do?”

  Darrogh clenched his jaw. “Have you seen her?”

  “Have it your way.” The girl shrugged. “She came in and then left again.”

  “How long ago.”

  “Ten minutes, maybe more.” The girl looked back at her friends and they nodded.

  “She was not seen leaving.”

  The girl giggled. “I guess she used the escape door.”

  “Where is this door?”

  “It’s at the end of the hallway.” One of the women leaning against a sink answered. “Every club has one. You never know when you’ll have to evade a possessive man’s attention.”

  Darrogh ignored the laughter behind him as he left the room. He rushed down the hallway and pushed open the escape door. Stairs led down to an alley between the buildings. Tamsin was not in sight. If she had left this way, then they would have difficulty locating her. This door was locked from the outside so they had never considered it an access point for an assailant. He went back into the club and stopped beside Firbin.

  “Has she come out?”

  Firbin shook his head.

  “Was she talking with anyone before she left you?”

  “There was a tall, dark-haired man that she seemed to know. They were chatting for several minutes before he left the club.”

  “You are certain of this?”

  “Yes.” Firbin’s tone was clipped. “What is the problem?”

  Darrogh started to the door. “Tamsin has escaped.”

  “She has probably returned to her house.” Firbin kept pace beside him. “She had been complaining about the noise.”

  “Perhaps.” Darrogh motioned for Jehon to follow them outside. “I need access to the CCTV cameras on this street and the alley between these two buildings.”

  “Savis can access the feed,” Jehon said as they were joined by Kerm.

  “Take Firbin with you. We are looking for a dark-haired man that she was last seen speaking with.”

  “We will find him.” Jehon’s tone was brisk.

  “Get all of the details and then destroy the feed. We do not want the authorities following her.” Darrogh watched the two men walk across the street to where their cube van was parked. It contained their weapons and equipment, and the last man of their team, Savis, their communications and computer expert.

  Darrogh walked to the alley where Tamsin had escaped. Kerm followed. It smelled of urine and rotting food. Trash containers lined the wall, and refuse littered the pavement. His stomach clenched at the thought of Tamsin walking through this filth. He would have taken her anywhere she wanted. Why was it so difficult for her to accept his protection?

  “There is only one entrance to this alley.” Kerm pointed to the fence that blocked the laneway at the opposite end.

  Darrogh looked up. “There’s a security camera on the opposite building. Access it and meet us back at the van.”

  Kerm nodded and left.

  The knot in Darrogh’s stomach tightened.

  It was possible Tamsin had just gone home, yet his senses said different. He did not want to examine how he knew. Ever since he had accepted this mission he had been aware of a link with Tamsin. He hoped it was only this planet’s effect on him because he refused to consider what else it could be. Whatever the reason for his connection, he knew one thing for certain.

  Tamsin was in danger.

  Chapter 4

  She was free.

  A rush of adrenaline raced through Tamsin as she fought the urge to shout with glee. After a week of constant surveillance, she had finally escaped the suffocating presence of the men her father had hired to watch her. She didn’t care what excuse they gave, she knew it was just one more of her father’s tactics to control her life.

  Darrogh’s image flashed through her mind. She envisioned the familiar scowl on his face when he learned that she’d escaped. He insisted that she was in danger. Several times during the past week she had almost let herself trust him, until she remembered.

  Men lied.

  Darrogh wasn’t like any man she’d met.

  He seemed more concerned with her safety than spying on her. She’d been dragging his team to every obnoxious and loud nightclub in the city of London for the past several evenings, and they never voiced any objections. It was as if they expected her to do outrageous things. She shook the thought from her mind and ran down the fire escape.

  She could take care of herself.

  George said he’d bring his car to the entrance of the alley and then drive her home. She almost reeled from the stench of the laneway, bringing her hand up to cover her nose and mouth. She quickened her pace. When she saw an electric-blue Mercedes AMG pull into the lane she ran.

  Her ride was here.

  George Saxby was a couple of years older than her. They’d been in the same class at the London School of Economics. He was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome, with intense brown eyes and a smile that had charmed many of their fellow classmates.

  George grinned as she opened the passenger door and slid in. “Do you like my car?”

  “Very much.” Tamsin put her seatbelt on. “You always said you’d get a fancy sports car when you were making money.”

  “It impresses the women.” George reversed and headed down the street.

  Tamsin rolled her eyes. “You haven’t changed. When are you going to settle down?”

  “Never.” George shifted gears and the vehicle lurched forward. “I enjoy a different woman every night.”

  “That’s why I never dated you.” Tamsin leaned back into the soft-leather seat. “It would have spoiled our friendship.”

  “Is that what we were, friends?” George’s voice was low. “I thought you couldn’t stand the sight of me.”

  Tamsin inhaled a sharp breath. “Why would you say that? We hung out with the same group of people.”

  “You avoided me whenever possible.”

  A shiver of warning raced through her and settled into a knot in her stomach. She’d been so happy to see a familiar face that she’d forgotten how George’s intense stares had made her uncomfortable in the past. There had been rumors about his rough behavior with women. No one had come out and accused him of anything, but she’d avoided him. So many years had passed since then. It was ridiculous to still harbor doubts about him.

  “I thought you were too busy being the big man around campus to notice me.”

  “I noticed.” George’s voice was wry. “Are you going to tell me what all the cloak and dagger stuff was back there?”

  “My dad is having me followed.” The tension eased from Tamsin. “I had to get away, even if it was only for an hour.”

  “Are they likely to pursue us?”

  “They�
��ll try. It’ll take hours for them to figure it out.” Tamsin glanced out the window. They were not driving in the direction of her house. “I thought you were going to drive me home.”

  “After you have a drink at my place.” George turned to her with a lopsided smile. “For old time’s sake.”

  Tamsin hesitated. All she wanted was to be alone. Still, she’d dragged George into this crazy escapade so the least she could do was have a drink.

  “You’ll take me home afterwards?”

  “I promise.” George down shifted and turned a corner. They were in an area of Knightsbridge that she didn’t recognize. It was an upscale neighborhood. George stopped at a converted brick warehouse and pulled through a garage door that led to an underground parking area. There were no other cars there.

  Tamsin frowned. “Where are your neighbors?”

  “I own the building.” George shut the car off. “I like my privacy.”

  It was a large building and the square footage must be massive. “Do you live in the whole place?”

  “I’m renovating.” George opened his door and waited for Tamsin to exit the car. “When I have a flat ready, then I’ll consider renting.”

  “You must have a fortune tied up in this project.” Tamsin followed George to the lift. “You’ve done well for yourself.”

  “I had to.” George held the door open for her. “I wasn’t born with money.”

  “Trust me, it can be a curse.” Tamsin leaned against the elevator wall. “My father is always worried about what will happen to the bank once he dies.”

  “I thought you worked at Creighton’s.”

  “Not since I called off my wedding.”

  The lift stopped and Tamsin waited for George to exit, before she followed. They walked into a small hallway with a door across from the elevator, which he held open for her. He switched on the lights as they entered a large converted loft at the top of the building. Windows spanned the height of the south-facing wall, giving a spectacular view of the city-scape. The rest of the area was divided into kitchen, dining, and living space. There was a partition wall on the north side and Tamsin assumed this was for the bedrooms and bathrooms. Everything was done in black and white, with an accent color of red.

  “It’s wonderful.” Tamsin walked to the windows. “No wonder you don’t want to share this with others.”

  “It’s an investment for my future.” George stopped beside her.

  “So you plan on selling it one day.”

  Tamsin did a quick calculation in her head. George would walk away with millions. He’d been one of the best students at university and it was easy to see that he had translated that knowledge into action. She’d been quietly investing herself. She might ask George for advice about some of her slower growth projects and maybe even about the real estate market.

  “What would you like to drink?” George walked over to the island that divided the living space from kitchen.

  “White wine, if you have it.” Tamsin turned back to the city view, watching the reflection of George in the windows as he uncorked a bottle of wine. He spun around and took two glasses from the cupboard. When he turned back he had two full goblets of wine in his hands.

  “Let’s get comfortable.” He walked over to a black couch and put her wine on the coffee-table. “It’s been a few years since school.”

  Tamsin took a seat opposite George on a matching leather chair. “Some things are the same. We’re both single.”

  “I heard about your engagement. The papers were full of speculation after you called the wedding off.”

  “A slow news day.” Tamsin took a gulp of the wine. It had a bitter aftertaste.

  George raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to tell me why?”

  “It was the usual story.” Tamsin put her glass back on the table. “I couldn’t trust him.”

  “You caught him with someone else.” George shook his head. “He was a fool.”

  “Not unique though.”

  Tamsin kicked her heels off and curled her legs under her. She reached for her wine and took another sip. She scrunched her nose at the taste and put it back down. She couldn’t say much for George’s wine choice.

  “Nethercott has never been known as the settling down sort. Why marry him?”

  “It’s what my father wanted.” Tamsin pushed her hair behind her ears. “Enough about me. Tell me what you’ve been doing. From the looks of this place, you’ve been very successful since uni.”

  “I’m a VP at Jefferson and Woodcroft’s.”

  Tamsin was impressed. Jefferson and Woodcroft’s were the leading stockbrokers in the country. No wonder George was able to sit on this building and not rent any of the flats out. He must be making millions a year and that was before bonuses.

  “It looks like I should be coming to you for financial advice.”

  George laughed. “Your family owns one of the oldest and most respected banks in the country. You hardly need my guidance.”

  “I don’t work for Creighton’s anymore.”

  “You might not work there, but the bank is in your blood.” George’s tone hardened. “Or are you living off your Trust Fund?”

  “I’m between jobs right now.”

  Tamsin tried to keep her voice neutral. George had never made a secret of the fact that he was disdainful of those who had come from family money. He’d worked jobs after classes to put himself through school.

  “I’m glad to see you’re not going to let your education go to waste.” George gulped down the last of his wine and pointed at her full glass. “Don’t you like the Chardonnay?”

  “I’m not thirsty.” Tamsin looked down at her watch. “It’s getting late, George. I appreciate you helping me escape my handlers, and for the chance to get caught up, but I’m tired. I’m going to call a taxi and go home.”

  “I’ll drive you home when we’re finished.” George stood. “In a few minutes you won’t be able to walk on your own.”

  Uncertainty filled Tamsin. “What are you talking about?”

  “I drugged your wine.” George’s statement was made in a monotone voice.

  “That isn’t funny.” Tamsin gave a half-laugh. “I would have thought you’d outgrown your pranks.”

  Tamsin put her feet on the ground. She had to hold onto the chair until her head stopped spinning. She’d had one drink at the club and a few sips of wine. She wasn’t drunk. She glanced at her glass and a shiver of alarm went through her. She hadn’t actually seen George pour the wine. What if he had put something in it?

  “I’ve moved beyond university.” George picked up her glass and held it out to her. “You might prefer to finish this. It’ll help you forget.”

  “Why would I want to forget?” Tamsin forced herself to stand. She swayed and it took all of her energy to stay upright.

  George shrugged. “Have it your way. Just know that if you say anything about tonight, I’ll kill you.”

  Panic rose in her throat, making it difficult for her to breathe.

  The man standing in front of her was a stranger.

  “What happened to you?”

  “I got smart.” George walked to the sink and poured her wine down the drain. “After the first girl reported me, I made sure no one said another word.”

  “What kind of man are you?”

  “I take what I want and I don’t apologize.” George swung his hands around the loft. “How else do you think I was able to afford this?”

  “You worked for it.” Tamsin tried to take a step toward the door, but her feet refused to move. She swallowed back her dread. She needed a clear head to get out of this situation and fear would only cloud her judgement.

  “If I played by the rules it would have taken me a lifetime to accumulate that much money.” George snorted. “Rules are for suckers.”

  “What about integrity?” Tamsin’s words were slurred.

  “It’s out of place in this day and age.” George took a step toward her. She tried to move
backwards. Her legs hit the edge of the glass coffee-table. “People only care about themselves.”

  Tamsin’s throat was dry. “We’re friends. I would have helped you.”

  George threw his head back and laughed. “You needed an escape from your bodyguards or you wouldn’t have lowered yourself to get into my car.”

  Tamsin steadied herself with a hand on the back of the chair. “That’s not true.”

  “Isn’t it?” George raised an eyebrow. “If I’m such a good friend why wasn’t I invited to your wedding? All your high-society pals were on the invitation list, but not your old buddy George.”

  “Most of the guests were business associates.”

  “Enough.” George shouted. “Fate played into my hands tonight and I mean to take what I want. This is payback for all of the snubs you and your friends gave me over the years.”

  “You’re wrong.” Tamsin’s eyes widened as George started toward her. There was a look of wildness in his eyes. “What are you going to do?”

  “I thought that was obvious.” George grabbed her shoulders. “I’m going to have my way with you. I’ve dreamt of this for years. Everything I would do to and with you, once I had you in my control.”

  George’s grip tightened.

  “This is better than I planned.” He shook her and threw her back against the chair. “You’ll remember every moment and touch.”

  “I’ll scream.”

  “Go ahead. No one can hear you.” George pulled his tie off. “Do you think this is the first time I’ve had a woman here against her will?”

  She forced back her revulsion.

  “Do you hate us so much?”

  “Quite the opposite.” George flung his jacket onto the couch. “The problem is that most woman won’t give me what I want. I like it rough. Women are ashamed that pain could give them pleasure and they cry foul.”

  “So you drug them?”

  “It’s easier than foreplay.” George walked over to a cabinet and opened the doors. His back was to her so she tried to stand. When her legs wouldn’t work, she dropped to her knees and crawled. She had barely made it past the living area when George hauled her back by her hair.

  Pain screeched through her scalp.