“Is everything in place?” he asked.
The man on the other end of the phone grunted. “Oh, aye. The wench is almost too easy.”
“I wouldna say that. You’ve no’ even managed to get her to agree to go to dinner with you, Ben.”
“Oh, doona worry. She’ll be yours to do with verra soon, Wallace. I’ve given my word.”
Jason squeezed the phone. “And I’ve given mine. If you fail, your life is forfeit.”
“I willna fail,” Ben declared.
Jason ended the call and looked out over the kitchen sink to the long drive overgrown with low-hanging trees limbs in desperate need of trimming. Any moment, Dale, his only remaining Warrior, would return with Mindy.
Mindy would be furious she’d been left behind, but she had to know getting out had been his only priority. It was up to everyone else to find him. Just because they were lovers didn’t afford her special privileges.
Mindy was a hellion in bed. Her white thighs would part for him with just a smile as she waited for him to tell her how he wanted her and when she could come. As fun as she was to fuck, it was her propensity for evil that drove him wild.
As he watched, a small dark green car came into view. A moment later it parked and Mindy bounded out of the car, shouting Jason’s name.
He turned to the door as it was thrown open. Mindy’s eyes glared daggers at him, and her lips—coated with her usual red lipstick—were flattened in fury.
“You left me,” she stated.
“You didna keep up.”
“I could’ve been killed.”
He leaned a hip against the kitchen counter and shrugged. “Aye. But you were no’. You’re alive.”
She took a step toward him, and her feet faltered when she caught sight of his face. The anger drained away, replaced by concern with a hint of disgust. “What happened?”
“The damned Warriors happened. Arran, point in fact.”
Mindy closed the distance between them and put her hands on his chest as she gazed up at him adoringly. “Have you tried to heal yourself.”
“Aye. Nothing works.”
“We’ll kill Arran together, and then we’ll take his woman and make her suffer. No one harms you. No one.”
Jason pulled her into his arms and smiled.
Laura rolled her head from side to side to stretch out the tight muscles from sitting at the computer all day. She saved her current spreadsheet after entering in the week’s total sales before pulling open another document to place an order for the alcohol they were running low on.
Four orders later, she glanced at the clock to see it was half past six. Charon still hadn’t returned.
She worried her bottom lip with her teeth and clicked her e-mail instead of leaving. Upon seeing a message from Dreagan Industries, she quickly opened it.
Dreagan had the best scotch in all of Scotland, but they were choosy about who they allowed to sell their liquor. She had been writing them for over a year now proving how well Charon’s business was doing and why the sale of Dreagan scotch would be a boon for both of them.
So far they hadn’t bothered to answer. So why the sudden response now?
Laura was too excited to care. She opened the message and hastily scanned it. When she didn’t see a refusal, she paused and read the message more slowly.
“Good,” she said as she leaned back in her chair and let out a sigh. “I’ve finally got some great news for Charon.”
Laura looked behind her to the deck where the shirt she’d set out and the tea—replaced three times already—still sat untouched.
Charon had to be deeply bothered to stay away from work so long. He rarely left, and when he did, it was usually for something important.
Though he kept his whereabouts a secret from her, if she called him, he always answered the phone. Except for this last time. She’d called to let him know there had been a brawl in the club with several broken windows.
When he hadn’t answered, she’d grown concerned. When he didn’t return her call, she had almost phoned Scotland Yard. Charon always kept in touch with her.
Always.
She hadn’t realized how worried she was until she looked out the window that morning and saw his car. The brief glimpse she got of him had been enough to know something wasn’t right. Was it regarding the business or personal? She didn’t know.
At least when he returned she could tell him the news about Dreagan. The fact they wanted a meeting could only mean great things. Their first hurdle was over with. Now, all Charon had to do was charm them as he did everyone, and the deal would be sealed.
Laura rose from her chair and walked to the row upon row of CDs lining the far wall. Charon’s offices weren’t like most employers’. Few people ever had the opportunity to come upstairs, and when they did, they were treated to a spectacular sight.