Betrayal of Innocence (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 1)

“So would you, we know,” Oliver replied solemnly.

Justin froze and stared at his friend.

“Don’t you think we already know how you feel about her? I know you haven’t gotten to know her yet, but there is an attraction between the two of you we would have to be blind to miss. She is just as bad. If you aren’t staring at her, she is staring at you. Do something about it,” Angus urged.

“Given this is personal for you now, we decided not to include you in our visit to her father. Before we even ask her, we had to check with her father that he was in agreement,” Aaron warned.

“And was he?” Justin wasn’t sure who to hit first.

His fingers tightened into a ball of fury, but he managed not to start swinging his fists straight away, at least not until he had heard his colleagues out. It was difficult to believe what he was hearing. To think that they had gone against his express wishes and were prepared to put Vanessa in danger left him unsure how he should feel. He was angry, yes; desperately worried, most definitely. More importantly, he was surprised his friends, colleagues, and confidants, had gone against him, and put the one woman he truly cared about in danger of being kidnapped.

“He agreed but made us give our word that we wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Of course, we gave it and will do everything we can to make sure she isn’t hurt in any way,” Angus replied smoothly.

“What do you plan to do?” Justin drawled.

He saw the looks his colleagues passed between them and knew they hadn’t got a clue how he really felt. If they had, he was sure they wouldn’t put him through it. Heaving a sigh, Justin struggled with the urge to refuse to help them. They had come this far on their own, as far as he was concerned they could damned well finish it without his help as well. Of course, he knew that would never happen because Vanessa’s safety was at stake, but it was a thought nonetheless. He had to be involved, and that was that.

“We thought we could put her on a cart, with someone in the back. A young woman going about on a cart would be easy enough to stop. She would be visible being up high. All she needs to do is take a few trips to town and be seen. It would be enough to make it clear she is going about her business as usual. Given very few other women are out and about right now, all eyes will be drawn to her. We could even stage one of her journeys at dusk. You know, just before night-fall, so the kidnapper will be more likely to try to take her. With someone in the back, armed of course, there is very little that could go wrong. We will have men lining the route at regular intervals, so you will never be without someone who has direct eye contact on you. That way, she will be protected, we will be aware should anybody go anywhere near you, and you will have the help you need whenever you need it. It is important for the safety of those who have already been snatched that we don’t kill the blackguard, we just have to capture him. We can make him talk when he is in gaol where he belongs,” Phillip explained.

“It all sounds feasible, except for the fact that very few ladies can drive a cart. We can’t just use any old cart either. We need something that has been checked so we can make sure the damned wheels don’t fall off or something. Vanessa doesn’t have anything like that. Graham hasn’t driven a carriage for years, I don’t think. They, well, Vanessa, goes everywhere on foot, I think,” Justin explained, desperate for any excuse he could use to put the men off the idea. His gaze sharpened when he looked at his friends. “Have you asked her?”

“No, not yet,” Angus replied hesitantly.

“We thought we could leave that to you,” Niall muttered.

“Oh, so now you want my involvement?” Justin snapped sarcastically.

“We need to do this as a team,” Oliver said. “If we don’t do something we are going to be made to look complete fools, despite the odds being stacked against us. We must take matters into our own hands and prod the idiot into trying to kidnap her when we are there to witness it and catch him in the act. The public are already getting angry at Weeks’s inability to catch the culprit, especially after the latest young girl, and are even more suspicious of us now.”

“We have to do something soon because we can’t stay here forever. Sir Hugo will be ordering us on if we don’t watch out, and we will have achieved nothing. I don’t want the Star Elite’s first failure to be by us,” Angus growled.

Justin sighed, fully agreeing with his sentiments. He stood in silent thought for a moment while he assessed the situation from every angle. Unfortunately, the only scenario he could come up with to try to capture the kidnapper/killer was the one his colleagues had just presented to him. Even though he didn’t agree with it one bit, he knew they had to do something. The last thing he wanted was to have to leave the village with the kidnapper still on the loose. He would go out of his mind with worry about Vanessa while he was gone and there would be nothing he could do about it.

“I suppose you want me to ask her then,” he grunted with a sigh.

“It would help,” Oliver replied with a smile. “Tell her we can show her the semantics of driving a carriage if she agrees. All she needs to do is travel from one place to the other and learn to drive.”

“And stay out of the way if we do encounter the kidnapper,” Jasper added.

“We don’t need to worry about that. Justin can be in the back because she trusts him. He can be the one to keep her out of the way while we arrest the man if he does try to strike,” Callum warned, finishing off his pie and brushing his hands with childlike abandon.

Justin hated every step he took when he slammed out of the house and marched around to the house next door. He lifted his hand to knock only to find the door suddenly yanked open. His eyes widened when he saw Vanessa standing on the doorstep and realised immediately that her father had already told her what they had planned.

“I will help,” she said without preamble. “I have to do this, Justin.”

She could see the hesitation on his face, and knew he wasn’t happy at all with the prospect of her involvement in his case.

“I don’t like it,” he growled.

Her gaze flew to his. “But I thought you had agreed to it already,” she replied without thinking, as though he should have to give his permission for her to do anything. “I mean, I thought you knew what your colleagues were proposing.”

“I had no idea until they told me just now,” Justin snapped. “Damn it, Vanessa. You can’t do this.”

“Why?” she challenged.

“Because it is damned dangerous, that’s why!” Justin bellowed. “What happens if something goes wrong?”

“It won’t go wrong. You and your colleagues will be there, won’t you?” she argued.