. If you haven't bought a copy yet check out the blurb and chapter one below. Remember if you like your alpha males to be sexy, ex military and a bodyguard hell bent on throwing his reckless stubborn ex girlfriend over his shoulder to carry her out of danger, then this is a story for you. :)
Remember you can read an interview with the male character, Dominic Kane in the previous post!
Chapter One
London – Docklands – Three days
later
Dominic Kane sat in Anna Harker’s penthouse office
overlooking the Thames. He studied
Harker as she leant against the front of her large ornate desk next to his
chair, watching the news on the middle of three LCD TVs on the wall ahead of
her. She was now in her late sixties and
was one of the most powerful noises in the British and global media. She was a strong ruthless businesswoman who
didn’t suffer fools. At twenty seven she
had run the small press Dolls House Publishing and later bought it from its
owner when he was financially ruined. By
the age of forty she owned a string of successful newspapers and publishing
companies and turned her attention to cable networks. This was the woman who fought off a massive
takeover bid of her holding company Turnstile
Communications from her hospital bed when the vultures smelt death last
October.
She was also the woman famous for being attacked one night
in Central Park and successfully fighting off her assailant, armed only with an
umbrella, at the age of sixty-three. A
fierce supporter of human rights and the abolition of violence against women,
Harker wasn’t afraid to speak out and cause a stir. She was a powerful woman and needed to be
handled with great respect.
She was still a good looking woman. Her appearance was immaculate, crisp and
clean in her black suit. Her blonde hair
was cropped in a no nonsense short bob and her attractive hazel eyes told Kane
that she knew more about him than he was comfortable with.
He turned to watch the screen once more. ATM’s newsreader Monty Turner was serving up
the latest on their missing star correspondent.
She had been found at the North Bundenese border less than twenty-four
hours ago. She had been making headlines
all around the world since her disappearance in South Bundhara three days ago,
straining the tense relations between Britain and the US who were threatening
air strikes and retaliation if South Bundhara decided to make good on its
threat and invade North Bundhara.
Another glance at Harker’s face told him of her concern for
Rebecca. Kane had done his
research. Rebecca wasn’t just another
employee of her channel, ATM, she was one of Harker’s friends. Harker was almost a replacement mother figure
and like him she had been listening to the harrowing rumours of torture, rape
and other physical crimes forced on Rebecca’s body. The woman looked ill with worry. He turned his attention to the screen once
more, back to the interview with the UN soldier who had found Rebecca. It was the sixth time he had seen the report.
‘She was just walking along the road behind some of the
refugees. She looked out of it. I didn’t recognise her at first. When I ran up to her she backed off. She tried to make a run for it down the bank
into the trees. I am sure it was my
uniform that made her frightened. I took
off after her and brought her back. She
was so dazed she didn’t even know her own name.’
‘And what condition was Rebecca in? I mean, was she injured? I am sure you realise how concerned we are at
ATM,’ one of the correspondents crowding around him jostling for position
asked. Kane watched the soldier smile
and nod, clearly loving the limelight.
‘Yes of course I do.
She was exhausted, dehydrated, I guess.
She had obviously been beaten and she was clutching at a wound on her
left side that was bleeding. She
collapsed in my arms. She has been taken
to hospital now.’
The interview continued to play but Harker talked over
it. She spoke suddenly, the emotional
strain clearly audible in her voice this time.
‘I want you out there.’
Kane simply nodded.
Inside he was elated. ‘I take it
the rumours are true then?” he said carefully.
There was a pause from Harker. She turned to face him directly and he could
clearly see tears brimming in her eyes.
‘Yes, they are. She’s been
beaten, tortured, raped, starved...’
Another pause. Kane noticed she
took in a breath before she started again.
‘And that’s not even the worst. She’s been cut open, and operated on. One of her kidneys has been removed,
stolen. She was butchered. It wasn’t a neat job and from what the
doctors can gather there were some intra-operative complications.’ Harker raised her eyes to the ceiling and
took another breath as she composed herself once more.
She continued, ‘That’s where the mystery comes in. Those complications appear to have been dealt
with well, as though someone skilled intervened in the operation to tidy it
up. But her surgical wound has become
infected and the doctors are worried that she might develop pneumonia. She can’t remember anything that has happened
to her. She can’t remember her own name
or her past. Not even her family or
friends.’
Harker paused, watching the screen once more, ‘They call it dissociative fuge. It’s some form of amnesia that occurs after a
traumatic experience. And you will
already know that an attempt was made on her life when she was brought into the
hospital.’
Kane gave her a confused look as he noticed her eyes
suddenly look down at his hands on the chair and widen with surprise. He followed her gaze. He felt his mouth tense. He was gripping the arms of the chair so
tightly as she talked of Rebecca’s injuries that his knuckles had turned white. He had betrayed himself and given the whole
game away.
‘I know you and Rebecca have a history,’ she said eyeing him
closely. ‘Together. And I also know your parting wasn’t exactly
on amicable terms. But I can see that
you obviously still feel something for her.
I hope this won’t be a problem and that you won’t let it affect the way
you do your job. I want her to have the
best security money can buy. You come
highly recommended from the powers that be.’
He felt uncomfortable.
He made a conscious effort to loosen his hold on the arms of the
chair. She was waiting for his
response. She would be judging as to
whether or not he was telling the truth.
He was going to have to be careful.
She wouldn’t respect him for denying his feelings.
He spoke softly making sure he held eye contact with
her. ‘I don’t allow my personal life to
interfere with my work and I am not about to start now. I am flattered that you believe my company
worthy of providing high calibre security, but I have to warn you I am not so
sure this is the best for Rebecca. When
her memory returns she is liable to be obstructive and distrustful of my
presence.’
‘Yes, I can more than imagine.’ Her lips crinkled into a knowing smile. ‘But I am also aware that you won’t let that
stop you. That is why you are sitting
here now and why you got your stepfather’s
influential friends to recommend your company to me. I know that you have been planning to go out
there anyway whether I chose you or not.
From all reports, Mr Kane, you were packed and ready to go with a team
to get her out of South Bundhara the moment you heard she’d disappeared.
Unfortunately for you that proposed mission was stopped because there was
already a team out there looking for her.’
He felt uneasy when she talked about his stepfather. It was the one and only time Kane had asked
for his help. He hated the man who had
wormed his way into his mother’s life and taken it over. He had never needed anyone’s help to get a
contract for his company, Kane Security & Close Protection Services. But this was one job he didn’t want to take
his chances on. Rebecca’s safety was
worth the humiliation and condescension he’d had to take from the man. Still, Kane knew that his step father would
do anything to get him on side for the sake of his mother and he had taken
advantage.
He smiled and told Harker confidently,’ I will bring her
home safely.’ The smile on Harker’s face
widened and then receded quickly. She
nodded. She appeared convinced. He watched her return to her throne behind
the desk. She carried her small frame
awkwardly, shuffling her walk, a cause of recent surgery on her feet, the
removal of a toe he’d heard, another effect of her crippling diabetes. She had been in and out of hospital recently
and the rumour was she was living on borrowed time once more. The woman had no kids, no family to speak of,
and he couldn’t help wondering who would inherit her fortune.
He got his mind back on the job at hand and started
gathering as much information as he could.
He wanted to be aware of all the facts so he could arrange effective
protection for Rebecca, so he started questioning Harker. His first question was the one burning a hole
in his head, the one that had kept him awake night after night whilst he’d
waited for any news of Rebecca. ‘Why did
she cross South Bundhara’s closed border?
What was so important that she had to take a risk like that? Why was she sent out there?’ He made every effort to hide his frustration
but he could hear it slip past the polite tone he used as a barrier to disguise
it.
Harker sounded irritated, ‘No one sent her anywhere, Mr Kane. Her little trip was unauthorised.’ He wasn’t the only one who was frustrated at
Rebecca’s latest reckless stunt to bring in the news.
Harker continued. ‘No
one knew apart from Jed, her cameraman.’
‘Does she know about his death? That his decapitated head and body were found
at the border?’
Harker squirmed and shuddered in her chair before she
answered. ‘No. I keep thinking that could have been
her.’ Kane bowed his head, the very idea
making him feel nauseous.
‘She and Jed made one hell of a team, Mr Kane, as I am sure
you well know. She will take his loss
very badly when she remembers. I believe
they were once linked romantically. But
Rebecca is a very private person, even with me.
She likes to keep you guessing.
Maybe you know more than me on that one?’ He smiled and remained silent. He did and, yes, she was right, but he
wouldn’t betray Rebecca. There was
obviously some reason why she hadn’t told the woman. ‘You are very loyal, Mr Kane.’
Harker sat forward, leaning her elbows on the desk and
looking directly at him. She continued,
‘I don’t agree with the rest of the media that she was tortured by this Doctor
Tasanee Somwan and her terrorist group, “The South Bundenese Liberation Army”. I have been told that Doctor Somwan asked
Rebecca to go out there and interview her.
She would only trust Rebecca to present her peaceful request to the
British government for their help. She
had something to offer them. Besides, Mr
Kane, MI5 intercepted the e-mails Somwan was sending Rebecca. They encouraged her to go, asking her to
carry a message from the British government.’
Harker shook her head with disbelief as she finished her last sentence.
‘They gave her no support?’ Kane asked.
‘They said she had to go it alone. If they were seen to be involved in
negotiating with a terrorist there would be political hell to pay for the
government.’
It was almost a black op.
Harker broke into his thoughts.
‘I really believe it was the South Bundenese government who were holding
her. I also believe Somwan told Rebecca
and Jed something that was going to provoke the British and Americans into
action and stop them sitting on the fence on whether to authorise air
strikes. Anyway, I don’t know what is
going on and I want you to find out. I
want whoever is responsible for doing this to Rebecca held accountable. Whatever it is she knows, the information is
enough for them to want to kill her.’
‘I have a plane and a team ready and waiting at Heathrow.’
‘Good. I need you
there, Mr Kane, as soon as possible. Hospital
security is practically non-existent and the police that are guarding her are
inadequate, hence the attempt that was so easily made on her life. I will have you flown from here to Heathrow
by helicopter.’ She sat back in her
chair suddenly grimacing with pain. She
turned pale for a moment making Kane wonder whether or not he should get
help. But she waved her hand at him when
he politely expressed his concern.
‘I’m fine. The North
Bundenese police don’t exactly have the best reputation in the world. Apparently the custom is to offer a bribe if
you want their co-operation – and they will be awkward in surrendering
Rebecca’s security to you. They will be
loving all the attention from it. I am
sending my personal assistant Charles with you.
He will get you any funds you require.
He will also handle the media.’
Kane wanted to object.
He didn’t want anyone else along for the ride. He was taking a large team of men out there,
a bigger number than he would normally use, purely because he was unsure of
what to expect. If a war did kick off
he wanted to focus all of his attention on getting Rebecca out of the country
not worry about another mark. But he
nodded in agreement. The client was always
King. He started to move from his chair
to get on his way but she raised her hand making him sit back down again.
‘There is something else you should know. There are some Embassy officials out there
hounding Rebecca for information about her interview with Somwan. I am pretty sure they are MI5 trying to keep
their involvement under wraps. They have
managed to get the doctors to stop her medication to keep her lucid so they can
pump her for information. She can’t
remember and she is in agony without pain relief.’
There was a fierce anger boiling through Harker’s speech,
displaying a hardness in her eyes. ‘They
are putting her at more risk of developing pneumonia. She could die, Mr Kane. It’s nothing short of torture.’
He told Harker quietly, firmly, ‘If I know Rebecca she will
be giving them a hard time back. She is
a fighter, she will hold up until I get there.
They won’t be allowed near her after that. I will personally make sure of it.’
A brightness slowly returned to Harker’s eyes. ‘I don’t doubt it.’
The door opened making them both look up and turn towards
it. A young man of Indian English
descent came into the room. The man
smiled at them both.
‘Charles, come in.
This is Charles Beaumont, my personal assistant. One more thing before you both go. Michael Eaton, Rebecca’s brother is already
out there. He left the moment she was
reported missing. You never met him, I
know... he may get in your way.’ She
raised her eyebrows and smiled with sarcasm as she spoke about Michael.
Kane got the impression that Michael Eaton was not one of
her favourite people. ‘He’s the tall
dark and handsome type, an internationally renowned cardio thoracic surgeon,
who really believes he is something.
Just like most surgeons in my experience. But he is a notorious womaniser and a
gambler. He’s arrogant and believes he
always knows what is best for everyone, especially his sister when she is in
trouble. He thinks he can look after her
and get her home on his own. He won’t
trust her safety with anyone. Rebecca
and he are very close, very protective of each other. I suppose you can’t blame them. They are all they have, there is no other
family. Did she ever tell you about her
parents and what happened to them?’
‘No. I knew that she
had a brother she doted on but she always clammed up when I mentioned her
parents.’ Kane watched Harker with
interest, always eager to learn something new about Rebecca. She had never given much away.
‘Their parents were murdered in front of them when she and
Michael were children.’
Kane stared hard at her.
‘They were journalists, well the wife, Janice. She was an award-winning photographic
journalist. They did a piece together on
a Mafia sex-slave ring in 1981 and made some dangerous enemies. When the gunmen finished with their parents
they went looking for Michael and Rebecca.
She was only eleven, Michael was eight.
She hid Michael and faced them alone.
Michael told me – she would never tell me anything. They hit her several times but she wouldn’t
give up Michael’s whereabouts... they tore the place up looking for him. But the Eatons lived in a large old cottage
and there was many a nook and cranny. He
could have been anywhere. Turns out he
was right under their noses and could see everything that went on. They put a gun to her forehead...’
Harker recounted the tale with disgust now but her hard tone
was punctuated with bitter emotion. Kane
just felt numb as he listened in horror.
‘Michael, he wanted to go to her aid but she had locked him
in this vent or whatever it was... I don’t remember... not that he would have
been able to do anything. He watched the
man holding the gun to her head pull back the trigger. He really thought she was going to die. He told me that he would never forget how
courageous she was, how she faced her fate with dignity. Tears were rolling down her face but she
didn’t flinch with fear. To him, she was
regal, serene, braver than he could ever be – he will never forget the way she
protected him with her own life. I think
he is in awe of her: it’s the way he
talks about her with such pride. If the
police had been a second later in barging through the door she would have been
dead. They shot the gunman dead and he
fell on top of her. Michael said he
remembers screaming with her and he is sure a part of him still is.’ She paused for a moment before continuing,
‘Michael will get in your way and try to control the situation. He won’t trust anyone with her protection. He believes he owes her that much.’
Kane suddenly realised he was still staring at Harker. But he was looking through her. He was stuck in the scene she had described,
watching Rebecca as a child facing death in the eye. He felt pain, loss, anxiety beginning to gain
a strangle hold on him. It was the
culmination of the fear he had experienced wondering if she was dead or
alive. A reminder of how close she had
come to death before he could make it right between them. He’d been wasting time. No more.
He was going to make her see that they belonged together
before her job got her killed. He always
said she had a death wish. Now he knew
why. She had been repeating the same
scenario over and over in her mind. She
must have thought she should have died along with her parents. She’d been trying to get herself killed. She must have felt guilty about
surviving. It explained so much about
her. It was almost a textbook manoeuvre.
She was starting to make sense to him now. You are more messed up than I thought
Rebecca. Trouble is, you never counted
on the part of yourself you showed me, the part that is damned if it is going
to let you kill yourself to prove a point.
No more games. This is going to
end. I am going to make you see sense
whether you like it or not.
‘Mr Kane, are you all right?’ He raised his head quickly, jumping to
Harker’s attention. She gave him a
sympathetic smile. ‘I am sorry, Mr
Kane. I should have been more careful
how I told you. I can see how much you
still care for Rebecca. Now I am even
more convinced that I have chosen the right man for the job. She doesn’t need some faceless security
expert who will boss her around. She
needs emotional support.’
Kane felt uneasy again.
He shouldn’t really go. He was
too involved with Rebecca, albeit their relationship was in the past. It was unethical. He shouldn’t be involved with the client, it
stopped you doing an effective job. It
made you careless. But then this wasn’t
any ordinary assignment and he was too stubborn and, dare he say it, arrogant
to let anyone else provide her security.
He was the only one he trusted with her life. He stood up fastening his suit jacket and
moved to shake Harker’s hand.
‘I will call you when I have seen her.’
‘Mr Kane, if Rebecca does not co-operate with you and fails
to follow your instructions just tell her she is fired. When she gets her memory back that will help
you to keep her under control and stop her from trying to sort this mess out on
her own. We both know that is what she
will try and do. It’s too
dangerous. Tell her I want her safe or
she is out of a job and I mean it.’
He grinned and followed Charles. She’ll
love that!
