Hiding Rose (Saved By Desire 5)

“Surely you didn’t doubt me?” Reg teased.

“I had no idea what I thought other than I was hopelessly outnumbered.”

“Good to see you, boss,” Luke muttered as he stepped over several bodies to get closer and shake Barnaby’s hand. “I heard you had trouble, but I thought it was more of the feminine kind.”

“She is safe,” Barnaby murmured with a hint of relief in his voice. “Is there any sign of Chadwick in this lot?” He asked everybody, but it was Josh who stepped forward.

“Not as far as I can tell. He is a thug but a bully who doesn’t like to fight apparently,” Josh murmured. “It appears that he slunk off at the first sign of trouble and left his men to do his dirty work for him.”

“Or he has gone to find more help,” Barnaby sighed. “Let’s get out of here.”

“What do we do with this lot?” Ryan asked waving to the sea of bodies. “It is going to take a good hour to get all of them behind bars.”

“Where is the Sherriff in this town?”

“I will go and get him,” Ben offered as he launched to his feet.

“Tell him that he needs to detain them for crimes committed in London. Give them Sir Hugo’s direction for queries,” Barnaby ordered.

“Any idea who our traitor is yet?” he asked once everyone had caught their breath. He watched as Ryan and Reg looked at each other.

“We think we do,” Reg warned him darkly. “But you ain’t gonna like it.”

Barnaby read the honesty in his friend’s eyes and knew that what Reg was about to tell him was the truth.

What he heard changed everything.

Two hours later, Barnaby reluctantly crept into the hotel room. Rather than enter the bedroom, he stood before the fire in the sitting room and stared into the flames while he braced himself for what he was about to do.

Reg’s news had shaken him. In a way, it was a relief to know who he could now trust. However, he was still reeling from the devastating revelation of just who his colleagues suspected was the spy. Barnaby had no reason to doubt them but, until he could find proof, he had to remain cautious. Unfortunately, the revelation brought about yet another change of plan.

Barnaby had to help his colleagues capture Chadwick, and then gather the evidence they needed to put the traitor behind bars. He couldn’t abandon them to fight the sinister threat from both parties alone. They needed his help and, given the kind of work they did and the dangers the faced, they had to take priority. As a result, Barnaby couldn’t go with Rose to London. He had to hand her over to Reg and Ben to escort down to London to sp

eak with Sir Hugo.

“As soon as I am done here,” he whispered aloud. He would go to her in the new safe house in London that Simon Ambrose had recently purchased and beg her forgiveness. For now, though, he had to get her to leave by any means necessary.

A discrete knock on the door broke him out of his thoughts. Barnaby watched Reg and Ben step quietly into the room. Rather than speak to them, he nodded and melted into the shadows in the farthest corner of the room.

“Ma’am?” Reg called as he knocked on the bedroom door. “Could you come out here please?”

Rose’s eyes snapped open when a masculine voice filtered through her subconscious. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Barnaby’s voice. Vaulting out of bed, she quickly dragged her dress on and hurried to the door.

“Who is it?” she called before she yanked it open.

“It’s Reg, ma’am. I need you to get dressed,” he said politely.

Rose looked suspiciously at the door. “Is Barnaby there?”

Out in the sitting room, Barnaby slowly shook his head when Reg looked at him.

“No,” Reg replied. “He has been detained elsewhere. He said to tell you that he will come and see you when he has a moment but it won’t be for a while. There have been a few problems, and a change of plan. We need to get you out of the area as a matter of urgency.”

Rose knew she had no choice but to open the door. She could hardly remain a prisoner in the bedroom while the men waited for her. Sighing deeply because Barnaby had never told her what to do in this kind of situation, Rose entered the sitting room.

“Where is he? What’s happened?” she demanded in a querulous voice. She knew something was wrong from the way the men looked warily at each other. To her disgust, neither of them wanted to tell her.

More Star Elite secrets, she thought grimly.