“Okay, I’m just gonna go ahead and ask because I know everyone else is too damn chicken to do it,” Caleb muttered. “Are you saying Darby is some kind of James Bond—license to kill and all that crap?”
“Pretty much.”
Jake frowned. “If Darby is all that and a bag of donuts, why is MI5 and Interpol investigating him?”
“Because Darby went rogue,” McKay said. “About a year ago, he disappeared during an operation in South America. We don’t know what happened, but by the time he resurfaced, Darby had gone from being MI6’s best agent to someone they wanted to erase.”
More photos popped up on the screen. This time there were dead bodies, blown-up vehicles, buildings with the doors torn off the hinges, and belongings scattered everywhere. Before Jake could ask what they were looking at, McKay continued.
“As far as the outside world and the media are concerned, Darby hasn’t changed a bit. He continues to travel the world and is frequently seen with all the right people. He even holds the occasional charity event just as he’s always done. In reality, he’s actually dedicated a huge amount of his time and money building a major criminal organization. And with the contacts he’d developed over the years working for MI6, it’s coming together fast. Darby has been connected to the assassination of several leading industrial figures. No one has any idea what his goal is, but it’s put MI5 and Interpol on his trail, not to mention getting him sanctioned by MI6.”
“Sanctioned?” Jes said in surprise. “MI6 put out a kill order on him?”
McKay nodded. “We think they’re worried he’ll leak secrets if he’s caught. MI6 operatives have made multiple attempts against Darby in the past few months, though none have come close, even though Darby doesn’t seem to go out of his way to make it difficult for them. He acts like he’s not worried about anything.”
“He’s taunting them,” Jake said.
“Seems like it,” McKay replied. “MI5 and Interpol aren’t aware of the kill order, of course. They’ve been going after him hard for some time with the intention of putting him in prison. Until recently, they were getting close.”
Jake snorted. “‘Until recently’ meaning when Olivia Phillips was abducted.”
“And Jack Phillips stopped going to work, yes,” McKay confirmed. “The investigation against Darby has ground to a halt while Phillips has been sidelined.”
“I can see why Darby’s your lead suspect then,” Forrest said from where he stood beside Misty. “Damn convenient how the case against him has fallen apart. Almost like it was planned.”
McKay spent the next few minutes outlining everything else STAT had dug up on Darby and his connection to Jack Phillips. By the time he was done, there was little doubt Darby was the one behind Olivia’s abduction.
“Okay, so Darby’s our guy,” Jake said. “Do we have any idea where he’s holding the girl or even how these supernatural creatures are involved?”
McKay shook his head. “Short answer to both questions—no. Darby owns dozens of properties in the London area alone. Expand that out farther to the remainder of Britain and Europe, and the number quickly climbs into the hundreds, maybe even thousands. Finding the girl won’t be easy. As far as how he got supernaturals working for him—if that’s what’s going on—it’s anyone’s guess. That’s what your team is for. You’ll need to insert yourselves into Darby’s life and find out where the man keeps all his secrets. I have a support team on the way to London right now to provide any kind of backup you might need, but I expect your team to handle all the heavy lifting.”
“What’s the plan?” Jake asked.
“There’s an event at Darby’s manor in two days, which will get your team inside the door and allow you to get close to him.”
Jes frowned. “And how do we do that when no one else has been able to?”
McKay smiled. “We’re going to get creative.”
Jes exchanged looks with Jake. Something told him they were thinking the same thing—that they weren’t going to like whatever McKay was planning.
Chapter 4
“Okay, I knew Darby was rich and supposedly related to royalty,” Forrest said in awe as he maneuvered their luxury Rolls-Royce SUV up the driveway toward the lavish house ahead of them. “But I never thought he lived in an actual castle.”
Jes glanced out the window, ducking her head a little to try and see all the way to the top of the house…and failed. Even though the driveway to the Darby manor was well lit and every window was ablaze with light, she still couldn’t see all the way to the peak of the roof. The place was immense. Forrest was right—with its rough, stone facade and turrets at intervals along the upper floors, it did look like a castle.
Forrest slowed the Rolls, getting in the long line of expensive vehicles that were dropping off guests for Darby’s Hope for Darfur charity event. As each vehicle reached the broad flagstone steps leading up to the manor, flashes of light illuminated the night as the London paparazzi took photos and videos of the rich and famous arriving for the party.
“So, Ms. Howard, you ready for your close-up?” Jake murmured from beside her in the backseat of the heinously pricey SUV.
Rose Howard was an American socialite who frequently moved in Darby’s social circle. She and her personal bodyguard had arrived in London earlier today, coming to the country specifically for the event. Tricking her driver into pulling over several miles down the road so Jes, Jake, and Forrest could assume their identities had been incredibly easy. Hopefully, tonight’s mission would be as easy as taking Rose’s place at the charity function. She and Jake definitely looked the part, and there would be hundreds of people here for them to blend in with, so it should be. If they were lucky, maybe they’d stumble over something that’d tell them what Darby was up to with these supernatural creatures and where Olivia Phillips might be.
It was a long shot at best. If Darby was as intelligent and careful as his file suggested, would he really leave incriminating information lying around his home?
She glanced at Jake. Between the impeccably tailored suit he wore and the hint of scruff covering his jaw, she had to admit he looked every inch the bodyguard. She could see herself putting her life in his hands. If she really were Rose Howard, of course. And if Jake really were her bodyguard.
Pushing those distracting thoughts aside, she nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be. I only hope I can pull this off. I’ve barely had two days to try and memorize every factoid of Rose Howard’s life. If someone at the party knows her well, this could go bad really fast.”
