Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 109368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
“James looked into it for me. Hugh’s father has friends in high places. It was a team effort from all those bastards to make it look like Michelle was at fault. They considered it easy enough since she was a well-known party girl.”
Those bastards. The level of corruption was devastating. “What did you threaten Hugh with doing?”
“The men who helped Hugh out of the scrape, they’re holding on to evidence that they use every now and then to force Hugh’s father to do their bidding. James could easily acquire that evidence. I threatened to use it if Hugh didn’t leave you alone.”
Before I could respond, there was a knock on the adjoining door, and it suddenly opened. Ramsay turned to look over his shoulder as London stepped into the room in the hotel bathrobe. Her hair was wet and slicked back from her face.
And her black eye was more prominent than ever.
“Oh.” She halted, her good eye widening. “I didn’t … who is …”
“London.” I stood, my tone reassuring. “This is Ramsay.”
Ramsay slowly rose at my side and London’s eyebrows lifted as she took in the size of him.
Feeling his tension, I looked up at him and saw the muscle flexing dangerously in his jaw. “Who the fuck did that to your face?”
44. Ramsay
My purpose in coming to New York was to show Silver who I was and hopefully win her back.
Now, I put my selfish wants to the side.
I’d seen the worst of humanity as my time as an intelligence agent. Abuse I’d sometimes had to ignore because it interfered with the bigger picture.
This, I didn’t have to nor could I ignore.
London was understandably brittle and was reluctant to explain her black eye when Silver asked her permission to confide in me.
“You can trust him,” Silver had promised.
Because she trusted me.
After everything … she trusted me.
I felt about ten feet tall.
London gave her the go-ahead, so Silver told me about London’s fiancé Nick. His abuse over the last few months. The control. Everything spoke to a very typical pattern in emotionally and physically abusive relationships. The abuser would systematically attempt to isolate their victim from the world. It made them easier to manipulate, control, and threaten by first creating the isolation and then insisting they were the only people who could be counted upon. That they were the only people who loved them.
I’d seen it many times, and it didn’t matter who you were, how strong you were, how independent, how fierce … it could happen to anyone. Staring into London’s eyes, I knew more than anything her struggle would be with herself and the irrational blame she laid at her own feet. Even once we got her free and clear, her path to freedom from her misplaced shame would not be an easy one.
As I took in the friends, it was only seeing them together in real life for the first time that I recognized how close they were. It was clear Silver hurt when London hurt. She’d taken on her friend’s troubles even while dealing with her own. I worried about her. Yet it made me more determined to win her back.
To be the person she could lean on. To be the person to shoulder the weight.
And I had broad shoulders.
I’d shoulder the world for her.
They laid out their plan to bring London back to Scotland but explained London’s passport was locked in Nick’s safe. My brain was already at work, figuring out our next move.
“Do you know what kind of safe it is?”
“Digital.” London shrugged wearily.
“Fingerprint, retinal, or code?”
London frowned. “Um, code. I think I know it. I’ve been waiting for him to open it again and watched him put some money in it the other night.”
Well, that made things easier.
“Nick isn’t … he’s a powerful stockbroker. His family are the Hustons. Old money. They made their fortune in railroads back in the day and then became one of the biggest financial investment groups on the East Coast. Their company is publicly traded now, but they still have a lot of influence and power. Not to mention, Nick is best friends with Hugh Inchcolm. Tierney’s ex. Heir to Pioneer Motors.”
I sneered. “I know who Hugh is. He’s not a problem. If your worry is Nick’s connections, we can deal with that.”
“How?”
I pulled out my phone. I didn’t want to take advantage of James, but this was a wee bit above Jay’s pay grade. It was Tuesday afternoon in London and James was probably at work where there were eyes and ears everywhere but, still, I called him.
A few rings later, my friend picked up. “Twice in as many months when I hadn’t heard from you in a year.”
“Sorry to call again.”
“I’m not sorry. How can I help? Is this about your lady friend? Again?” James’s tone was teasing.