To Have A Heart (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 7)

“They are discrete,” Callum protested, being very quick to defend his colleagues.

“I know, but with the dogs-” Sir Hugo shook his head and sighed heavily.

Callum understood but still felt that they needed the men’s support to get a kidnap victim out of such a heavily fortified building, and away from Melrose and his brutality for good.

“Melrose definitely has something inside that house worth protecting, doesn’t he?”

“Yes, the proof of his guilt of the kidnapping and false imprisonment of several innocent young women,” Sir Hugo snorted coldly.

They watched the patrol pass by once more.

“He is even more on edge now that Argent has been put behind bars.”

“It has been three months now,” Callum growled.

“Melrose has been here for three months,” Sir Hugo warned. “While it would have taken time for him to hear of Argent’s fate, he would have heard about what happened from his friends weeks ago.”

“So why has he only just decided to do something about getting rid of the victims?” Callum challenged. “Why kill Jemima now?”

“Because he is moving on,” Sir Hugo said. “He can’t traipse to London with a kidnap victim, especially after Argent’s arrest.”

“Maybe Jemima’s murder is a warning to us that he is prepared to the victims if we stray too close.” Callum looked sharply at his boss. “Do you think he knows you are here? Might he have seen you?”

While he asked the question, Callum immediately dismissed the possibility. Sir Hugo was better than that.

“No. I think he might have heard that we have put several of his partners in crime behind bars and is worried about being caught with his victims on his property,” Sir Hugo sighed. “He might have killed Jemima as a warning to us, though.”

“Why would he know to warn us? How could he know that we have been anywhere near him?” Callum was starting to wonder if he had missed something.

“Have you not heard? Ranolph Squire has been killed,” Sir Hugo informed him. “Recently.”

“Ranolph Squire?” Callum scowled while he tried to remember who the man was but couldn’t ever recall having heard of him before.

Sir Hugo nodded.

Callum lifted his brows. “Is he related to Melrose?”

“They are best friends,” Sir Hugo replied. “Squire died suddenly in his sleep.”

“From old age?”

“Knife.”

Sir Hugo’s face closed leaving Callum in no doubt that Sir Hugo had had a hand in the man’s demise.

“Squire is – was – responsible for moving the kidnap victims around the country. He arranged for some of them to be kept below stairs in his friends’ houses. Squire employs – employed - some of the men who snatched the women; Melrose employs the men who move them up and down the country and hides the victims. Now that Squire has been removed, there is no chance that Melrose can move the victims on without having to move them himself. With Argent behind bars, and Squire now dead, people are warier about accommodating the victims. Melrose is running out of options. He might have killed Jemima because nobody would accept her; he had no place else to put her.”

“What about Mallory?”

Sir Hugo sucked in a deep, hissing breath.

“Time is short, Callum. There is no place for her to move to either, or she would have been moved by now. Unless Melrose plans to take her to London, and we have no reason to believe that he does, we must assume that her fate is likely to be the same as Jemima’s. Right now, she is alive. We must keep her that way.”

“Melrose will be prepared to kill his victims to stop them talking about him and his little organisation.” It wasn’t a question. Callum was stating fact.

“Wouldn’t you if you were in his situation? He is hardly going to leave her here to fend for herself and take a chance that she won’t tell everything to the authorities if they find her. She can identify people, names, those guilty of stealing her life.”

“She is a very credible witness no magistrate would ignore.”