“I know it’s a Jordan. There are a couple of them but I’ll figure it out.”
“We want to do this at three or four?” he asked.
“No. We do it at dawn. I want to see their faces. Find the radio man.”
“Leopold.”
“Yes, Leopold. Find him and tell him to have them meet us here at seven-thirty. We can go back to the house, get some rest, and be here refreshed long before they arrive.”
Cliff stared at his boss, then back at the other men. There were six of them, which should be enough. It should be enough with average, normal men but from what he knew, these were not average, normal men.
“Don’t look so worried, Cliff. We do this, we can return to England and continue with our business as usual.”
“Yes, sir,” he said nodding at him.
The men left the building, leaving Morris inside. He stood in the middle of the empty warehouse structure and turned, looking at the open space. Open space with nowhere to hide. They would be trapped inside with nowhere to run.
“I will have your revenge, father. I will make sure these men never interfere in our business again.”
On the ride back to his massive Virginia horse farm, Lawrence closed his eyes, remembering Natalia’s beautiful mouth wrapped around him. Except this time, he didn’t get excited. He didn’t want her. He thought of her and then immediately dismissed her.
Perhaps that was how it was supposed to be. She was never one of them. She wasn’t his biological sister and she hadn’t been born into their wealth and business. Her mother had been clever, telling his father that she would ensure Lawrence received the education he needed. And she did.
Yes, she was beautiful and she knew how to interact with London society. But his father never knew how many favors, how many beds she rolled in just to obtain what she desired.
Dear old dad never knew that it was his precious step-daughter who killed his wife. Returning home early from school, she found mommy dearest in bed with Edwin, a delivery boy from the nearby village. A delivery boy that caught the eye of Natalia. Unfortunately, mommy got there first.
“Lawrence? Lawrence, please come home,” she whispered into the phone.
“What’s wrong, Natalia? I’m very busy at work,” he said curtly.
“It’s m-mother. She’s dead.” Lawrence remembered those words so clearly. By the time he was home, Natalia was still seated on the floor outside her mother’s bedroom. He carefully opened the door, seeing the naked bodies of both Edwin and Felicity.
“Where’s the knife?” he asked calmly.
“It wasn’t a knife. It was a letter opener,” she said looking up at him. “Am I going to jail?”
“Don’t be absurd,” he laughed. “I’ll take care of it but you owe me for this, Natalia.”
“Anything. I’ll do anything.”
And she had. She’d done anything and everything he asked for and she was very, very good at it. When their business began taking off and Natalia became a star at the FBI, Lawrence knew it would be prudent to have a home nearby.
He wasn’t a fan of America. The people were too loud, the food too spicy, and the homes too new. He liked familiarity and his 17thcentury home in England was familiar.
“We’re here, sir,” said Cliff from the front seat.
Lawrence opened his eyes and nodded at his bodyguard. He was the best and longest tenured of all his men. He trusted him completely.
“Wake me at six,” he said walking into the house. “I’ll have breakfast in the car.” Cliff stared at the man casually walking into the warmth of his mansion.
“Yes, sir. Six with breakfast.”
“Hello?” said River in a groggy voice.
“I think you need to know a few things and I’m going to help whether you like it or not.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
