Private Princess (Private 14)

“Hooligan left once Patel was taken into custody,” the watch manager explained. “I’ll put you through to Denise.”

“Who’s Denise?” Morgan asked Knight as the call went through.

“We recruited her last year straight from Cambridge. Hooligan hand-picked her. She’s quite brilliant, really.”

“Denise, this is Jack Morgan. Are you OK with breaking the law?”

“I am if it’s for a good cause,” the young woman answered without hesitation.

“I need you to hack into any and all CCTV systems within five hundred yards of Mayoor Patel’s home, and then feed them to me. Can you do that?”

“I can.”

Morgan hung up the call.

“Why the hell isn’t Hooligan there?” he asked Knight.

“Jack, he’s been working non-stop. As far as he was concerned, our cases both wrapped up once we took Patel into custody. He couldn’t have foreseen…this.”

“Private isn’t a part-time gig.” Morgan spoke through clenched teeth. “If this new girl is as good as you say she is, then Hooligan’s gone.”

“Gone?” Knight stammered, flabbergasted. “He’s a lynchpin in Private London, Jack. I know things are not great right now but—”

“Not great?” Morgan cut him off, seething. “Jane is dead, and my people are not where they should be.”

“He didn’t know,” Knight pressed.

“And whose fault is that?” Morgan shot back, his eyes burning into Knight. “You are the head of Private London, Peter, and Flex is on your turf. If he was planning this, you should have known about it.”

Knight didn’t know what to say.

“Cook is dead because Private London didn’t see this coming,” Morgan warned. “Hooligan isn’t the only one that’s replaceable.”

Chapter 56

INSIDE THE HELICOPTER was tense, and silent. Beside Knight, Morgan sat like a coiled spring. Then, without warning, the American’s body sagged into his seat.

“I’m sorry, Peter,” Morgan sighed.

“You don’t have anything to be sorry about.”

“I’m the head of Private, and all mistakes belong to me. If anyone killed Jane, then it was me.”

Knight turned in the helicopter’s tight confines so that he could look directly into Morgan’s face. “Flex killed Jane. Don’t forget that, Jack. Nobody else. Flex.”

After a moment Morgan grudgingly nodded. “I should have seen this coming, though, Peter. We beat him down when we were searching for Abbie Winchester. We kicked his ass. Reputation is everything in the security business, and Flex must have lost his when he took that beating.”

“Not everyone kills over a reputation.”

“But Flex would,” Morgan countered. “I should have known that. I should have seen it. I came into this situation with blinkers on, and led us into one trap after another. Jane’s dead because of me.”

“Bollocks, Jack!” Knight grabbed his friend’s shoulder. “She’s dead because of that bastard!”

“She’s dead because of me. And Lewis too. Flex won’t take prisoners.”

Chapter 57

FLEX PULLED HIS gun from Sharon Lewis’s mouth and looked down at the policewoman.