“I remember Gus mentioning a man called Radcliff,” Cam mused.
“What investigative service are you going to see?” Max asked.
“Randall and Devlin,” Ash told them, and then glared at Cam.
“We have a better one.” Cam smiled back.
“I cannot believe you would suggest I use your siblings to track down a violent criminal who would not hesitate to murder people.” Ash knew he sounded testy.
“Do you really think we would allow our three youngest siblings to go after a violent criminal?” Cam glared back.
“How is it you allow them to run an investigative service at all?” Ash snapped. The thought of Dorrie anywhere near danger was enough to keep him awake at night. Well, it would be if everything else going on in his life didn’t already do that.
“We do not allow them to take on dangerous cases,” Max said.
“The ridiculous thing about that statement,” Lord Ryder added, “is that you really believe they would tell you about what cases they are working on.”
“They do tell us,” Cam stated.
Lord Ryder laughed. “That would be a breach of trust which I doubt their clients would be happy about.”
Cam frowned, clearly he hadn’t thought of that possibility.
“And yet we digress,” Max said. “We are not suggesting you use Sinclair Investigations, but Mr. Spriggot who has worked for our family for years. He has an associate he also works closely with who is a Bow Street Runner. You will not be disappointed, and he’ll offer you the family discount.”
“I didn’t get the family discount,” Lord Ryder protested.
Cam waved his words away before opening the hatch above his head and firing a volley of directions at the driver.
“We will visit the horses, then have a pie. You and Max can visit Mr. Spriggot,” Cam told Ash. “We will catch up later at the birthday.”
“Do I have any say in this?”
No one answered Ash. When the carriage stopped twenty minutes later, they were on a street lined with terraced houses.
Max opened the door and waved Ash to step down, which he did. What else was he supposed to do? He’d been making his own decisions and taking orders from no one for years, yet these people had a way of wrestling control from him.
“It is that place there.” Max pointed to a front door, above which a plaque said Sprigott and Brown Investigative Services.
“Thank you for the recommendation, but it is better I proceed without you,” Ash said.
He knew Max was powerful, with a great deal of money, but his life had not always been as happy as it was today. Devon had told him snatches about his family over the few days he’d spent with him in Crunston Cliff.
Ash believed Max a rational man and that he would listen to what he had to say, as opposed to Cambridge, who listened, then did exactly as he wanted.
“If you want to keep your family safe, then let me do this alone, and don’t allow Gus or anyone to see me again before I leave London. Please, Max. Do this to keep them alive.”
Max Huntington looked at him for a long heartbeat through steady brown eyes before saying, “We can look after ours, Ash. You know what the Sinclairs are capable of. You are now one of us, and we can look after you too.”
“Radcliff will not stop, Max. He will harm anyone associated with me.”
“Are you aware that he knows Gus is here, and that you have connected with family?”
Connected with family. His chest felt warm hearing those words.
“I am not aware that he knows, but that does not mean he won’t if I have contact with you.”
Max smiled. “All will go well, trust me. Trust us, Ash. We have faced a great deal of adversity and have magic, power, and wealth to protect you.”
