She stood at the podium and received a certificate. Her shy smile brought a big one to my face, helping me to forget all about Dylan Fox.
One hour later, we found ourselves at a high-spirited graduates’ party in a cavernous, grungy warehouse.
When James turned up with Lilly, Penelope ran up and hugged her.
It was a little awkward for me at first. I hadn’t forgiven James. But after a few drinks, I loosened up a little.
He drew me away from the thumping techno throb. “I’ve been doing some digging on Dylan Fox.”
I glanced over at Penelope, dancing with Lilly and Sheldon, and suggested, “Let’s go outside, where I can hear you.”
We stepped out into the back alleyway, and James reached into his pocket for a soft pack of cigarettes.
“You’ve taken them up again?” I asked.
“I need something.” He grinned tightly.
The easygoing guy I’d always known was tense and kept looking over his shoulder. His eyes were slightly baggy, and he looked pale.
“That bad, eh?”
“He’s got a few of us dangling along,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“Fox is not just blackmailing me. There’s even a prince in the mix.”
I jerked my head back. “Shit. From the pedophile-island affair you mean?”
He nodded. “Teenage girls are irresistible amongst that lot.”
“And you, it would seem,” I replied dryly.
“I swear, I thought she was seventeen. That’s what she told me.” He looked at me so earnestly that I didn’t recognize him. Drama changed people. I knew that well enough.
“Other than dragging me into this web of deceit, what else has he got you doing?”
“Nothing. But…” He held up his finger. “I’ve stumbled on something that could help. A cop, who Fox had on his payroll before the guy turned religious, has been knocked off. He was just about to talk.”
“How do you know this?”
“Because I’ve got my own private detective sniffing about. He’s come up with some CCTV footage showing a car running him down. The driver involved is one of Fox’s minions.”
“That’s useful evidence,” I said.
“We either get the bastard jailed or have him…” He ran his finger along his neck.
“That won’t be me,” I shot back.
“There’s something else.” He looked around before continuing. “There’s an investigative journalist. She’s got a couple of key witnesses from those island hookups. I think you should speak to her.”
“Do you have her number?”
He handed me a scrap of paper. Wearing a contrite smile, he said, “Look, I’m really sorry. He had me over a fucking barrel.”
“I wouldn’t have seen Penelope if I hadn’t visited the Cherry Orchard. That said, betrayal never sits well.”
“I’ll make it up to you, old man. Promise.”
I nodded reflectively. I wasn’t sure if we could ever get back to how things were.
When we returned to the pulsating warehouse, Penelope asked if we could leave. Noisy, crowded rooms had never been my thing. I was glad to be leaving.
Lilly came up and wished us a good night. By the way James held onto her, I could see that she wasn’t one of his passing fancies. He wore a protective, besotted vibe I recognized.
As we made our way to the Bentley, where Patrick awaited us, I sensed the presence of someone following. I turned, and two bearlike males overshadowed us.
“Go to the car,” I whispered.
Penelope looked at me with wide-eyed apprehension.
“Just go,” I said.
She hurried to the car, where I spied Patrick stepping onto the pavement.
I faced the men. “What do you want?”
The bigger of the two threw a punch, which I managed to block with my forearm. At the same time, the other lunged at me, and I crunched my knee into his balls. The one who had stumbled back from my punch reached into his pocket, and with perfect timing, Patrick entered the fray, brandishing a gun.
I kicked the thug to the ground and stood on his hand while Patrick had the other man in a headlock. It all happened in a matter of seconds.
I moved my foot onto the fat man’s gut. “Are you just trying to rob me? Or are you connected to Fox?”
He struggled to speak. “He’s sent us to remind you.”
“Give him this message: if he wants to talk to me, he knows where I am. He doesn’t need to send fat thickheads. Got that?”
Patrick asked, “Should I call the cops?”
I shook my head. “I just want to get home.”
Pointing his gun at the pair, Patrick waited until they disappeared before he got back into the car. That was one of the many advantages of having a driver who’d fought for the Special Forces. In addition to his unwavering loyalty, Patrick had the strength of six men.
As we drove past them, I turned and noticed the pair shuffling off, looking the worse for wear.
Penelope handed me a tissue. “Are you okay?”
Her glassy-eyed fear broke my heart. I took her hand and nodded reassuringly. “I’m fine.”
She shook her head. “I’ve seen plenty of fights. But hell, where did you learn to fight like that?”
I almost laughed, more out of nervous tension than humor. “Where I come from, kids did that for a pastime. We didn’t have coloring books or video games to entertain us.”
Her lips turned up at one end before tightening again. “Was that just a random attack?”
“Yep. Random,” I lied.
For someone running a crime syndicate, Dylan Fox hadn’t chosen his minions well. Apart from that recording, I now held another trump card. The thugs who’d attempted Penelope’s abduction had become mine to manipulate. All it took was a little cash and witnesses promising to testify against them. I shook my head in disbelief at Dylan’s stupidity, which shouldn’t have surprised me. Even as a young boy, he’d been brainless and sadistic.
50
* * *
PENELOPE
TWO SECURITY GUARDS LOITERED by my house, looking very conspicuous. Blake had arranged it. He’d also insisted that Patrick drive me everywhere, mumbling something about keeping me safe, which fed my paranoia.
Blake sent me a quick message that he had a pressing deadline. I hadn’t seen him for a whole day and night, which wasn’t long, but given how inseparable we’d become, I still felt it. I’d become accustomed to sharing my bed with him. I missed his hungry mouth crushing mine, and his hot needy body pressed against me, touching me in a way that opened me wide as his big dick ravished me.
That proposal of marriage hung in the air. I wondered if I could spend my life with such a man, who could go from being hot and passionate, to icy and remote within a breath.
Yet, my body, heart, and soul belonged to him.
All these thoughts followed me along as I made my way to his house. I thought that if Blake could pop in whenever he liked, then so could I.
I lifted the brass knocker tentatively. Pierce answered, and although normally jovial, he seemed a little taken aback.
“Hey, Pierce.” I used my jolliest voice.