For Love Alone (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 8)

Phillip nodded. He had no idea why he was telling her this now. It was probably because he wanted her to know just how damned foolish it was for her to be going anywhere around the countryside with a stranger. It annoyed him that she had no idea who he was, whether he was trustworthy, yet he already knew a lot about her and had already been close enough to ruin her, yet she kept looking at his lips. There was something hidden in her eyes that resembled how he felt: needful. It was annoying because it was damned difficult to try to ignore how he felt. He didn’t need his task made any harder by having to ignore her yearnings as well.

‘We have found two alive so far. Some of the young women were murdered when we ventured near the houses they were being held captive in. One of the women we found alive had been persuaded by one of the leaders of the gang to take him as a lover. Consequently, when we found her she was less than happy to be found and tried to kill us. She is now dead.’

‘What about the other woman?’ Carlotta almost dreaded to ask but had to know.

Phillip suddenly grinned. ‘My friend married her. Her name is Mallory. She married the man who rescued her from the house she was held captive in. They had to make a break for freedom and fell in love.’

Carlotta stared at him. ‘Really?’ A small sigh escaped her.

Phillip heard it and rolled his eyes. ‘Don’t tell me that you think it is sweet. They fought kidnappers and were nearly killed several times.’

‘They married?’

‘Yes, they married. When it came for Callum to let her go he just couldn’t. She saved his life too.’

Carlotta contemplated that. ‘So, again, who are you?’

Phillip mentally winced. He wanted to object to her questioning but in her situation would have asked the same kind of questions. It was understandable, her curiosity. He knew she was just trying to understand if she was right to trust him. However, he also knew it was far too late for her to have doubts about him now. He was there and not going to leave her alone now.

A little like Callum, I refuse to just leave Carlotta behind even though I know it is safest for her if I do.

CHAPTER FIVE

‘I work for the War Office,’ Phillip said quietly, stepping closer and taking another look around to make sure they were truly alone.

‘The War Office?’ A small voice warned her that she already knew what he was going to say but she had to ask: ‘The Star Elite?’

Carlotta blinked when Phillip nodded. Her heart flipped. She had heard of the Star Elite. Everyone had. They had been all over the newspapers of late and were the country’s heroes. She had never expected to meet one. Nobody really knew much about them except that they had earned a reputation for being the men who got results. They had destroyed several murderous criminal gangs over the last few years, and left most of the country in awe of them.

‘You don’t seem surprised,’ he drawled as he studied her thoughtful look.

‘That is because I am still mulling it over. I know that the Star Elite were involved in the rescue of those young women. It was all over the newspapers that a few of the bodies had been found,’ she replied. ‘I just don’t understand how Claude Smidgley could find his way here.’

‘He was trying to leave the country. He wanted to go to Europe to start again and avoid gaol.’

‘From Bladley Weeks?’

Phillip nodded. ‘A small, nondescript fishing village like this is perfect for him. Nobody would think to look at all the fishing boats leaving the harbour. It isn’t a large seaport most of the magistrate’s men would expect Smidgley to appear in. Bladley Weeks is not all that far away from France. Any fishing trawler docked here could be make it across the English Channel. Smidgley arranged for the use of a fishing boat, the owner of which was waiting for Smidgley and his friend, Connor Haugham, in the harbour last night. We had a tip-off from a connection who lives near here who saw Smidgley heading this way. What we didn’t expect was for that informant to betray us as well. It appears that he also tipped off Smidgley to our presence in the area. Smidgley arranged for armed thugs to intercept us. We found ourselves in the middle of a gunfight. We were so heavily outnumbered we didn’t stand a chance. I don’t know if my colleagues survived.’

Carlotta nodded sadly. She reached out and placed a gentle hand on his arm and looked around the village. ‘The villagers in Windwidger were talking about it this morning. They were staying that there were bodies everywhere this morning. Everyone is unsettled, and angry because nobody could find the magistrate. Do you think they hurt him?’

‘No. He is away with our boss, Sir Hugo, trying to find the last kidnap victim. Sir Hugo thinks she is nearby.’ Phillip replied.

‘It isn’t me,’ she whispered.

‘I know,’ Phillip replied. ‘However, because you have got two thugs after you who are armed and prepared to kidnap you, I have to look after you. I cannot let you go.’

‘But my situation is different,’ Carlotta argued.

‘My boss won’t see it that way. We are the Star Elite. We have been working to stop young women being snatched off the streets. What kind of organisation would we be if we allowed a young woman to be snatched while with one of us,

even if it was by her own father? You are three and twenty and old enough to make your own decisions. Forced marriage is illegal in this country. Nobody should be made to enter a marriage if they don’t want to whether their father thinks it should happen or not. That includes you. Because you are facing a similar set of circumstances to the kidnap victims we have been working to recover you have to be put under our protection. If your father does try to kidnap you, he will be arrested and so will those thugs he has sent after you.’ Phillip gave her a moment to think about that.

Carlotta lifted her brows at him. ‘You would arrest Horace?’

‘If he tries to kidnap you, I have no choice,’ Phillip replied. He smiled and closed her open mouth.

‘He would be furious,’ she whispered.