The Price of Winning: London Calling Book Four (19 page)

“Will you tell me?”

Her voice was tender and undemanding. He knew he could refuse, and she would accept it until the next time.
 

He also knew she deserved better than that. He sighed, separating them. He tucked the blanket around her, then stood and lifted her into his arms. He walked through the door, which was still open as he’d left it.
 

He carried her through the house until he reached his ensuite. He carefully lowered her, setting her on her feet. She stood still, big eyes watching as he twisted the bath knobs, sending water cascading into the oversized tub.

He shook in some bath salts then tested the water. He looked up at her. “A few more minutes. That’s all.” He unwound her from the blanket then took care to lead her into the steaming bath. She reclined, a sigh parting her lips.
 

She shifted when he came in to straddle her narrow hips and settle behind her. As the hot water worked its magic, he felt himself relax fully against the angled porcelain.

He took her hand, threading his fingers through hers.

“I was kidnapped when I was ten,” he began. “The short version is they kept me locked in a tiny cage in a basement somewhere in France.” Madeleine was already crying, but he knew he needed to get the whole story out while he could. All of it. He rubbed her arm, trying to soothe her. “They had me for twenty days. They tortured and beat me. They’d get drunk and play games where they took turns burning me with their cigarettes. The cuts are from a straight razor. They hit me so hard the day they grabbed me that they broke my nose.”

A strangled sound escaped Madeleine. She tried to turn to face him.

He stopped her, not ready to accept the compassion he knew she’d offer. “When the ransom came, they took me out to abandon me in the midst of a field. I was disoriented from fever, my wounds already infected.” He breathed, concentrating on the way his diaphragm pushed down then lifted on the exhale. “But that’s not the worst of it.”

Madeleine reached behind to cup his face. “Tell me.”

“I was alone a lot as a child, being the lone offspring of my parents. When I was six they hired a housekeeper. Betty. She was widowed, a single mom. When she came to live here, she brought her five-year-old daughter, Poppy.”

He gritted his teeth, old heartbreaks clogging his throat.

“I adored her, Madeleine. From the very first day.” He swallowed hard. “We were inseparable, fast friends from the beginning. We explored the house and gardens, playing hide and seek when we weren’t concocting elaborate scenarios as ghosts and witches.” A smile broke through the grief. “She was a redhead, like you. She loved fish and chips but hated peas. She adored kittens and puppies. Her favorite color was purple.”

Madeline listened, completely still.

“And Poppy loved
me
.” His breath hitched, the old wound still raw. “She followed me everywhere, like a shadow. So when they grabbed me, they took her too.”

Madeleine inhaled, the slight movement of her body sending waves up the side of the tub.
 

“She was so little and scared to death. They put us in separate cages, and I kept talking to her, whispering until I was hoarse. I promised that we would get out together, that I would never leave her behind.” His shoulders drooped. “But I did.”

“No.”
 

He knew it was an instinctive protest, the kind people made when the harshness of reality was too terrible to bear. “By the time they dragged me out of there, I was too weak to fight. I couldn’t defend myself let alone Poppy.”
 

His lungs constricted, making it hard to breathe. He stopped, pressing a fist against his mouth.

“Bas? What happened to Poppy?” Madeleine’s voice seemed distant and weak.

Long-held tears threatened, choking him in his throat.
 

“They killed her, Maddy. They murdered a little nine-year-old girl, then threw her body in a ditch, like she was nothing.” He wrapped his arms around Madeleine, hugging tight as she sobbed.
 

“She wasn’t nothing. She was everything to me, my whole world.”
 

He laid his head on Madeleine’s back, breathing in the scent of roses.
 

And finally, decades after it all happened, Sebastian allowed his tears to fall.

CHAPTER SEVEN

A
S
SOON
AS
the pilot opened the door for her, Madeleine was out of the helicopter. She hadn’t seen Angeline in months, and it would be good to spend some quality time with another woman.

Madeleine had grown fond of Angeline during her stay earlier in the year. The other woman had respected Madeleine’s privacy while quietly nurturing her through the darkest days of her grief.

The pilot joined her side as she strode across the grounds to the estate. Sometimes he dropped off his passengers then immediately took off again, usually heading back to London, depending on the itineraries of anyone else on board. Other times he parked the helicopter on the landing pad and came inside for a visit.

And, more often than not, a meal.

Madeleine grinned. Angeline was a marvelous cook. Her pleasure in preparing meals was evident and usually embodied her affection for those at her table. Madeleine knew that Dominic came to the island frequently for a dose of Cajun cuisine.
 

Personally, Madeleine would consider swimming the Channel for a plate of her garlicky shrimp and tomatoes with a side of crusty french bread.

Her mouth watered.
 

Maybe this trip was exactly what she and Sebastian needed. She’d been hesitant about agreeing to it at first. He’d finally opened up to her, both physically and emotionally. He’d told her about the scars but, more importantly, he’d confided about Poppy.

Madeleine’s heart still wept for the little girl whose life had been stolen too soon. And she ached for Sebastian, for adopting a burden when he was too young to carry it and too heartbroken to know it was never his to bear.

None of it had ever been his fault. Yet, he’d carved his life around that one devastating event. It molded and defined him, casting itself as the compass for the direction his future would take.

She would work on that and eventually make him see that he could honor Poppy in other ways besides hunting predators. He didn’t speak about his work with Angeline, but Madeleine had learned a great deal of the details when she looked into it for Dominic.

It was dangerous, and it scared her. She knew he could fight, but she also knew the damage a single gun in the wrong hands could yield.
 

She would have to wait, bide her time. For now, he was overburdened with his other work at Club Hobart. He’d been planning a private event for months that would finally begin later today. After their time in the garden, when they’d settled between the cool linen sheets of his oversized bed, he’d asked if she would mind a few days away.
 

He was always thinking of her, considering her needs. It took little effort for her to agree to an extended weekend on Jersey, where ocean breezes would be a welcome relief from the heat of London in summer. He could finish his work and carry off the tournament without being distracted by her. And she, if she were honest, could immerse herself in the peaceful setting and do her best to forget about the fact that her attacker’s parole hearing was only days away.
 

She walked through the side entrance to the estate, stopping when she saw Angeline, Dominic, and Natalie standing in a semi-circle.

Madeleine glanced over at the pilot, who shrugged his shoulders.
 

Angeline approached the man, leading him out of the room toward the kitchen. Distantly, Madeleine could hear her offering him iced tea and a snack before he left again.

Madeleine pushed her sunglasses on top of her head. “Hey Dom.” She nodded toward Natalie. “What are you guys doing here? I thought you were off to the Alps somewhere.” Madeleine was thoroughly versed with Dominic’s plans since she made most of them herself as his personal assistant.
 

Dominic opened his mouth, but then shut it again when he saw Angeline coming back into the room.
 

Angeline addressed Dominic and Natalie. “He said he can be ready to go anytime. I gave him some tea and a bite to eat while we explain things to Madeleine.”

Curiosity was fast becoming confusion. Madeleine swiveled her head between the three of them. “Explain what things?”

Angeline stuck out one hand to indicate they should all follow her to the breakfast table. A pitcher of iced tea, three glasses, and a plate of freshly cut fruit waited for them.

They sat, arranging themselves so Madeleine was on one long side with her back to the windows. The awkwardness of the silence was excruciating. She looked from one of them to another, her cheeks puffing out then releasing. “Um, what’s going on? I feel like I just stumbled into an intervention.”

Dominic laughed, the sound a little too loud. He wet his lips then faced Angeline. “Shall I? Or would you prefer to?”

Madeleine rubbed her hands together then busied herself by pouring tea. “I don’t care who says it, but someone should speak up here. I’m getting nervous with all the intrigue.”

Angeline touched her lightly on the wrist. “There’s nothing to be anxious about, Madeleine, but we did feel you had a right to know.” Angeline looked at her squarely. A plane flew somewhere overhead, the sound fading in the distance. “I don’t believe Sebastian has been entirely forthcoming with you. Are you aware of his plans this weekend?”

Stupidly, Madeleine blanked. “What?”

Patiently, Angeline rephrased the question. “What do you know about Sebastian’s plans for this weekend?” Angeline waited while Madeleine continued to stare dumbly. “Madeleine?” Madeleine raised her eyes. “What’s happening at the casino?”

“Oh!” She shook herself. The intensity of the three people sitting around her was weirding her out. “That. Yes, he’s hosting a poker tournament for an elite group of guests that he’s trying to recruit for membership. We’ve been practicing Three Card Poker for weeks.” She sagged against the back of her chair. Her imagination was getting to her. “Why?”

Dominic held up his hand before Angeline could speak. “Since when does Payne gamble?”

Madeleine grabbed a pick, stabbing a chunk of pineapple to eat. “Since when doesn’t he, Dom? He owns a casino.” She chuckled but quickly subsided into silence as Natalie gawked at her.
 

“He
never
gambles, Madeleine. He doesn’t drink or smoke or do any of the things you’d think a casino owner would do.”
 

Madeleine chewed the fruit, letting its tart juices explode over her tongue. She swallowed, shaking her head. “He taught me how to play.”

Natalie held her palms up and out. “Doubtless he knows how to play, but he
doesn’t
. Never.”

Angeline cleared her throat. “Which brings us nicely to the point.” She looked at Madeleine, matter-of-factly. “Sebastian is hosting a tournament for the next three days. What he failed to tell you is the guest list is largely comprised of people actively involved in Russia’s sex trade.” She paused, allowing Madeleine to take it in. “At the very highest levels.”

Months before, Madeleine had looked into Sebastian’s business dealings as part of her work for Dominic. Later she learned about his efforts to catch sexual predators. “I thought he only used Club Hobart to help fund your work.” She looked around the room. “Are you saying he’s directly involved himself with criminals?”

Angeline nodded.
 

Madeleine slumped. This was exactly what she’d worried about. In all the time she’d been living with Sebastian, he’d never so much as hinted he was anything but peripherally involved in pursuing criminals. Clearly there was more to it. “Then he’s in danger.”
 

“That’s what we’re trying to prevent.” Angeline gestured between herself and Dominic. “The two people most able to help are nowhere near London. For now.” She leaned forward, capturing Madeleine’s gaze. “He’s trying to keep the people he cares about safe. But the Russians are extremely dangerous, some of them volatile.”

“Do you know some of them?” Madeleine’s words were coated in horror.

Angeline waved away the question. “I know enough.” She tilted her arm, checking the time on her wristwatch. “We need to get moving. So Madeleine, we’ve decided that rather than Dom going with Natalie to Austria, you will accompany her.” She patted Madeleine’s hand. “Dominic and I will take the helicopter back to London. We’ll call in some favors, make sure Sebastian has all the backup he needs.”

She rose, gathering the empty glasses along with the plate of fruit. Madeleine just stared.

Angeline returned her look then gave a short nod. “Right. Let’s move.”

Madeleine found herself being hustled out of the house to watch as the helicopter lifted off with Dominic and Angeline. A taxi had been called and waited to take her and Natalie to the Jersey airport.
 

Once inside the car, Madeleine seethed with fury. How dare they all just order her around, expecting her to fall in line like a good little girl? She crossed her arms and snorted.