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Something wasn’t right. Call it a gut instinct. I glanced across the table at Lars De Witt, engaged in casual conversation with Michael Lowry. He was relaxed, swirling the whiskey in his glass absentmindedly. Nothing wrong there. The official signing of the deal tomorrow was only a formality; this would benefit all of us greatly. These drinks were a chance to show him that we’d accepted him as one of our own. Of course, he already belonged to Alstone Members Club, but here, in our inner sanctum, we only allowed a trusted few.
Still, I couldn’t seem to shake the unease gnawing away at me.
“Sir?” At the low voice of my security guy, I sat up straight. “We have a gentleman at the door of the club. He wishes to speak to you, and he’s refusing to take no for an answer.”
I frowned. “Who?”
“The Granville boy. James. He’s, uh, rather agitated.”
“Right. Leave it with me.” I turned to address the table. “Excuse me, gentlemen. Something has come up that requires my urgent attention.” With that, I strode from the room, making my way out to the main floor of the club. At the doorway, I paused. James Granville stood, being held back by the doorman, his face desperate and panicked.
“Let him go,” I commanded the doorman, before turning to James. Before I could say anything, urgent words were tumbling from his lips.
“Do you have your phone? You need to come with me, now.”
I reached into my pocket, pulling out my phone and turning it on. “What’s this all about?”
“Caiden and Winter. They’re in trouble.”
A sudden, sharp pain pierced my chest, and I immediately reacted, not wasting a second. I barked out an order as I headed in the direction of my Range Rover, James Granville hot on my heels.
“We’ll take my car. You drive.”
There was no time to do more than take a quick glance at the emails Weston had sent me, but my heart broke for my eldest son as I listened to his voicemail. The sheer desperation in his voice, his words of forgiveness. I had to get to him. I hoped and prayed we weren’t too late.
As we drove, I made calls, barking out orders over the speaker. I’d never been so grateful for my connections, as I threw everything I had into this. I didn’t allow myself to think of the double betrayal of both my wife and butler; that could wait until afterwards. Once I knew my son was safe.
James Granville was silent next to me, other than giving brief answers to my questions. I knew there was no love lost between him and my son, but I had the distinct impression that there was respect there between them. Afterwards, once this was over, maybe I would find out what had happened to change their relationship. My money was on my stepdaughter.
Now wasn’t the time to think about that, though.
As James brought the SUV to a careful stop, I unsnapped my seat belt and dragged my finger along the side of the centre console, feeling for the button that opened the hidden compartment where I kept a small pistol, loaded and ready. It had always been a precautionary measure, advised by my security team, and I’d never dreamed I’d actually have to use it.
Easing the pistol from its cradle, I grasped the smooth, cool metal in my palm, and turned to James. “We’re here. Everything is in place, on my end, but I have no idea what kind of situation we’re going into. Stay in the car.”
“I’m coming with you.” James’ words were uncompromising, and I nodded in acceptance.
“Fine. Do you know how to fire a gun?”
He hesitated briefly, then shook his head. “No, but I have this.” He brandished an innocent-looking small metal tube.
“Retractable baton?” I raised a quizzical brow. “That’ll do.”
We exited my Range Rover and crept through the entrance to the docks, sidling down the side of the SUV blocking my view. James Granville disappeared, off to the left, and I hoped he’d stay out of trouble.
I stopped dead, hearing Christine’s voice. “Arlo’s wife was easy. The right words whispered in her ear, the open bottle of pills…I barely had to do anything. Arlo will have a car accident tomorrow, on the way back from signing the contract. Weston will go mad with grief, once he finds out every member of his family is dead, and it’ll be a simple matter to stage his death to look like a suicide. Now, be a good girl, and step aside so I can eliminate one of them here and now.”
It was like the scales suddenly fell from my eyes and I could see properly for the first time in years. I staggered backwards at the venomous words spewing from her lips, clutching my heart.
At the sound of gunshots, I leapt into action. Lives depended on me keeping a cool head, and I needed to stay focused.
The back door of the SUV abruptly sprang open, and Allan fell out at my feet. Two things happened in quick succession—he scrambled to his feet and saw me; then he looked over my shoulder, and raw fear filled his eyes.
Throwing himself at me, he pressed me into the side of the car. Temporarily stunned, I froze in place as his body jerked against my chest to the sound of another gunshot.
Suddenly his weight was gone, and he fell to the ground, the life draining from his unseeing eyes.
What?
