To Have A Heart (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 7)
Page 38
“Do you think it is safe for them to go alone?” she whispered to nobody in particular.
“They know what they are doing,” Oliver assured her. “Try not to worry about them, eh?”
But Mallory did worry. She worried about Will, and Phillip, Callum, and the rest of the men who seemed to move about the county and turn up right when they were needed with surprising ease.
“We can enlist the townsfolk to help us get rid of this lot, but it is going to take an hour or two to get them all cleared away. You two need to lie low for a while,” Oliver suggested with a nod at the pile of bodies.
“Let’s get you to the safe house. You can at least get something to eat and some sleep while we go about trying to find out what Sir Hugo is up to,” Harry suggested once he had stepped forward to introduce himself.
“Has anybody seen him?” Callum asked.
Grimly, Oliver shook his head.
“He will show up when he is ready,” Harry mused, but he didn’t sound convinced.
Callum knew that the longer Sir Hugo remained uncontactable, especially now that Melrose was making his intentions clear, the less the Star Elite were prepared for any major events Sir Hugo had planned, like another explosion, house fire, or gun battle in forests.
“What now?”
“We get her to safety,” Oliver breathed. “That plan cannot ever be suspended. Leave us to clear this lot up.”
“We need help,” Callum snapped. “We cannot just keep stumbling from one crisis to another. I need men who can keep an eye on the area and make sure our path is cleared. I am also nearly out of shot and need to let Horace rest.”
“Horace can rest when he gets to the safe house. For now, let’s go and use this old tavern as a place for you to wait while we clear up this mess. Once everyone is ready, we can all move out together,” Oliver suggested.
This was a plan that eased Callum’s mind. Without releasing his hold on Mallory, he walked away from the carnage, and the market square, but unconsciously headed in the direction of the old tavern.
“Do you really work for the War Office?” Mallory asked as they walked through the streets.
She suspected this was the last time she would ever be alone with Callum but had no idea what gave her that impression. While she was infinitely grateful that they had support should they face Melrose again, she was also a little sad that her time alone with Callum was over.
“Yes. I wouldn’t lie to them about that. They must realise that this is not just some haphazard gang they are picking on. We have all trained in the army, fought the French, and lived to tell the tale. Moreover, we have fought hardened criminals in this country, and have either arrested or killed them all. Nobody ever gets away with killing officers of the government, no matter who they think they are.”
“But the men are dead now and cannot tell Melrose,” Mallory argued.
“If someone in the village overheard what I said just now, they would report back to Melrose if he challenged them. At least the locals know who we are and that the deaths were caused for a purpose. We are not cold-blooded killers, Mallory. We kill because the criminals we encounter won’t surrender without a fight.”
“I know that now,” Mallory snapped.
“I know you do,” he sighed. “I am sorry about that. It is more than you should be subjected to.”
“It cannot be helped, can it?” she replied.
Several minutes later, Mallory had another question.
“How did you know where to find me?”
Callum sighed. There was just the two of them, outside in the middle of the street where nobody was likely to overhear them. If there was ever a time to tell Mallory what she wanted to know it was now.
“We have been investigating the disappearance of several women in Leicestershire and Derbyshire for a while now. I don’t know how much you read the newspapers, but there are now a lot of women who have been kidnapped just like you. We have been following the trail the kidnappers have left. It led us to a highly sophisticated network of people in the upper echelons of society who, for reasons only known to themselves, have turned to crime to keep themselves occupied. Some of them have connections founded in the ballrooms of ton. All of them have wealthy and highly influential connections, which is most probably why they mistakenly believed that they could kidnap women off the streets in Leicestershire and Derbyshire and not get put in gaol for it. They truly believe they can call upon their associates, who would have a quiet word in the ears of their contacts who would ensure their release should they be arrested. Unfortunately, our investigation led us not only to a group of criminals in London’s backstreets, but the leaders of the group.
The Smidgley brothers are twins who have grown up in London’s high society. We think, and only think, that they have been helping their uncle, Claude Smidgley, who is one of the ringleaders of the kidnapping gang. Claud is – was – a good friend of the Attorney General’s associate, a man called Argent. Argent and the Smidgleys are best friends with Melrose, the man who agreed to hide you in his kitchens.
“Why? Why are they kidnapping people and forcing them to work for nothing? I mean, surely they have enough money that they don’t need to force people into slavery?”
“They do. This isn’t about the money. Melrose has a steady income of about four thousand pounds a year. He has a portfolio of several houses and businesses the likes of which he can easily afford to maintain.”
“Well, why is he kidnapping people then? Why is he sending men out to kill me?”