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I glanced at him and saw my own fury reflected in his eyes. They were deep gold, and I saw the lion inside. I gave a sharp nod and eased off the accelerator slightly. We were going to get there in time, and we were going to get our girl back, and the gods help anyone who got in our way. When we were done punishing those who were involved, I would tell Tory everything.
As it turned out, Bainbridge was worth his weight in gold. Seven minutes later, we had the location of the transit van, and two minutes after that, he rang to tell me Fallon was attending a garden party at another estate just outside of London. Having relayed the van’s location to Jasper and Zayn, I headed for the estate. It belonged to another minor noble, though not one that Tory’s family had associated with, so I didn’t know much about them. The gravel crunched under my tires as I sped down the drive under the trees that lined the road. It looked like a busy event, and I took a moment after getting out of the car to take a couple of breaths and straighten myself up. Jack and Wesley did the same, and I passed around handguns.
“Calm and cool,” I said, though it was more to myself than to Jack, but he nodded.
We headed around the back, following the hand painted signs to the large marquee that hardly needed pointing out. A man in a suit approached us, and I recognised him at once from my days in the US military.
“Leon, good to see you,” I said, smiling to cover my worry and holding my hand out for him to shake.
He took it, returning the smile. “Austin, it’s been a long time. I heard you’d gone into private security?”
I nodded, flashing my badge quickly at him. “Yes, just minor landowners, nothing as swish as the US Ambassador though.”
Leon grinned. “Ah, well, there’s time for you to catch me up yet, mate. You’re on duty today, I assume?”
“Yeah, the family is following in another car with a couple of my agents. We’ve had a bit of trouble with a stalker, so we’re just giving the place a quick check over before they get here to reassure the daughter, you know.”
Leon nodded. “Ah, well, here.” I took the business card he offered and stuck it in my pocket. “Look me up when you’re off duty, we’ll have a drink.”
“Yeah, that’d be great. Must be somewhere in London that sells a decent cold beer.”
“If there is, we’ll find it.” Leon grinned, clapping me on the shoulder. “Catch you later.”
He ambled off towards the crowd, and I nodded to the other to follow.
“Trouble?” Jack asked.
I shook my head. “No, he’s a good guy. I knew him in the army, but he left before you signed up. We’ll need to be a bit more subtle if he’s about.”
We meandered through the crowds of men in linen shirts and women in flowing summer dresses. It seemed there had been a sudden surge of warmth before the temperature dropped again, and I was feeling distinctly warm in my suit.
“There!” Jack whispered, catching my sleeve and gesturing over to the edge of the crowd. Fallon was talking to another elderly man.
I nodded and made a beeline straight for him. I didn’t even need to tell Jack and Wesley to spread out, they did it without thinking. Fallon looked up from his glass of Pimm’s, and his eyes widened at the sight of me. I watched as he quickly made his excuses to the man he had been chatting with and took off as quickly as he could without actually running. Three steps, and he collided with another black suit and looked up at Jack, who smiled down at him with all the warmth of a hungry predator. Fallon turned, but Wesley was behind him, and then I reached them, effectively cornering him.
“Lord Fallon, fancy seeing you here,” I said, smiling down at him.
“I, er... don’t believe we’ve met,” Fallon replied, his eyes darting nervously about the crowd.
“Oh, possibly not, but I think we’ve got a mutual acquaintance.” I reached out and took the glass of Pimm’s from his hand. I downed it, cringing slightly at the sticky sweetness, then I passed the empty glass back and he stared down into it.
“Now then, it’s getting rather warm, and as you’ve finished your drink, perhaps it’s time to leave the party,” I suggested.
He glared up at me, finally recovering his stiff upper lip. “I am not going anywhere with you gentlemen, and I have no idea whom you’re referring to.”
“I’m referring to the young lady you had in your sitting room only an hour ago.” I held up my phone with a screenshot taken from his own CCTV. “You know, the one you agreed to murder.”
Fallon’s face paled, but he stood his ground. “I am not going anywhere, so if you think you can make a fuss here, with all the security Lord Elliot has on the grounds, you’re sadly mistaken.”
“Oh, I’m not going to make a scene, Lord Fallon. That’s what silencers are for.”
He looked down as the barrel of Jack’s gun dug subtly into his ribs. Fury was in his eyes when he looked back up at me.
“You’ll never find her now.”
“Oh, I’m sure we will with your help. Let’s go.”
To his credit, Fallon didn’t try to take us on a wild goose chase. We already knew where the van was, I just wanted him there to see his plan fail, and to let my love enact her revenge if she cared to. We arrived at the docks just as the sun was dipping low. A quick phone call to Zayn had us all meeting on the waterfront, Fallon still at gunpoint.
