Fallen Hero (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 3)

“Only because you made me your problem. If you hadn’t lied about everything you wouldn’t be in this situation, Thomas,” Elspeth said bluntly. “You have lied to the solicitor, and the bank, to me, Aaron, and practically everyone else you have met. You had to face living with the knowledge that I would one day find out about your lies. I suppose by pretending you were dead you believed you wouldn’t have to face justice for your crimes. You just needed to get your hands on the money, and the property, if you could only swindle it from Frederick and Voss.”

“You bastard,” Frederick snarled.

Elspeth glared at him. “Did you think you would be exempt from his greed? God, you are a fool.”

“Someone has to make sure the job is done properly,” Thomas declared coldly.

“What do you think you are going to do if you kill her here and now? Where do you think you are going to go? There are men all around the perimeter of this house. You can go nowhere because they won’t let you free.” Aaron waved a hand to Oliver outside the main window. “You are both under arrest for attempted murder, breaking and entering, and embezzlement. You, Thomas, are also under arrest for fraud. You are both under arrest for as

saulting Elspeth.”

“I am not going to kill her – yet,” Thomas informed them. “She has served a purpose eventually, after all. I mean, beyond being your whore she has had very little to do with her time since the day our parents died. It is about time she did something useful. On this occasion, she can provide me with a hostage.” He smirked and looked at Aaron. “You can have her back when I have done with her. She is of no use to me. I have lost enough because of her.”

With that, Thomas began to round the desk.

“Move away from the door,” he ordered Sir Hugo and Aaron coldly.

“No,” Sir Hugo declared flatly.

“What do you intend to do, shoot me?” Thomas laughed. “What good is your criminal going to be to you if you cannot put him behind bars because he is dead? I am going to take Elspeth with me – dead or alive.”

Aaron didn’t doubt it. “It will be all right,” he murmured to Elspeth.

“What?” She looked at him in horror. “You are not going to let him take me, are you?”

Her stomach recoiled in fury at the thought that they might, after everything, just calmly hand her over to her brother’s merciless machinations. She was appalled that they intended to simply allow Thomas to walk straight out of the door with her.

“He isn’t going far,” Aaron murmured.

“Say goodbye to your friend here, Thomas, because he isn’t coming with you,” Sir Hugo warned. “Frederick is our prisoner now.”

“Keep him,” Thomas shrugged. “He is no good to me either. He has tried to double-cross me. I don’t care if you kill him.”

Frederick was left staring open mouthed after his associate. Now that he realised he was all alone in facing the consequences of his criminal activities, Frederick completely lost his willingness to fight. It was with a new meekness that he held his hands out when Callum moved forward with the manacles.

“Aaron,” Elspeth pleaded.

“Don’t fight him,” Aaron warned. He was sick with worry at the awful situation that had unfolded. “If his finger slips on that trigger you are going to die. Just go with him. He can’t out-run us. We will be with you every step of the way.”

“Where?” Elspeth demanded of her brother. “Where do you think you are going to go that they won’t follow?”

“It is no good going after the money, Thomas,” Sir Hugo drawled.

Thomas stopped and turned to face him.

“We have it.”

Thomas looked from Sir Hugo, then to Aaron. He was stunned and took a moment to try to decide what to do.

“You are lying,” he growled.

“Go see for yourself then,” Sir Hugo replied with a smirk of satisfaction.

Elspeth gasped when the gun dug into her temple and made the delicate flesh start to ache fiercely. She struggled against the burgeoning headache that threatened to make her feel sick, or maybe that was brought about by her situation. Either way, she struggled to stand upright with Thomas pulling her backward at an uncomfortable angle, but she was dragged resolutely out of the house nonetheless.

“I love you,” she mouthed to Aaron as she was hauled unceremoniously down the garden.

“It will be all right,” Aaron bit out.