Page 95 of Savage Redemption

I’m fast losing the plot. “You had a complicated family,” I observe.

“Maybe. But I was very, very happy as a kid. Happier still when Eva came. That was the third-best day in my life. She was my violin tutor.”

I’ve learned more about the Darke family dynamics in the last couple of minutes than I ever found out while she lived with me. “Eva is a violinist, too?” I’d thought she was some sort of hot-shot academic.

“Oh, yes, but she’s concert standard.”

“And you’re not?” It didn’t sound like that to me when I arrived. “And if she’s that good, then surely she’d know if you were concert standard, too.”

“Maybe I was once. Not anymore,” she mutters. She glances at the clock beside the bed. “Hey, have you seen the time? Eva will be back with Erin any minute. We should get dressed.”

By my reckoning we have a good half hour left, and I somehow can’t imagine Eva barging in on us anyway. Even so, I roll to my feet and reach for my jeans. “I guess I’ll be needing my shirt. Pity, it looks better on you.”

She grabs a fresh top from one of her drawers and pulls my shirt over her head. I take a moment to savour the sight of her nudity before the new top ruins my view.

I needto give some serious thought to our future, Rosie’s, mine, and Erin’s. I suggested New York, and mercifully Rosie shot me down. Good thing, too, though not for the reason she thinks.

Kaminski isn’t going to give up. The moment either of us leaves any sort of digital footprint, anywhere in the world, he can track us and finish what he started. I’m not certain how sharp his IT capability is — I suspect Bartosz was always the real brains behind his security and intelligence operation — but I can’t take the risk, especially as I’m not the only target. He has his sights on Rosie, and probably our baby, too. Short of burying ourselves in deepest Peru, I don’t see how we can ever be safe while Kaminski is out there and hell-bent on revenge.

“Come in.” Ethan answers my knock on his office door.

I enter.

He glances up at me then gestures for me to take a seat while he finishes whatever he’s doing on his laptop. He closes the device and regards me with interest. “I see Megan turfed you out, then.”

“Yes. Today. I’m guessing you’ll be wanting me to be on my way pretty soon.”

He shrugs. “No rush. You have plans, then?”

“That’s why I’m here.”

He leans back in his seat. “Okay.”

“How well do you know Kaminski?” I ask, without preamble. I’ve found it doesn’t do to bullshit Ethan Savage.

“Not intimately. I can’t stand the bastard.”

“Is that why you came to Tenerife? I’m grateful, by the way.”

“You’re big enough and ugly enough to take your chances. Rosie isn’t. I had Nathan Darke on my back, not to mention Cristina who has a soft spot for the kid.”

I consider this for a few moments, then, “He won’t give up. Will he?”

“Probably not, but without his trusted underboss he’s a lot less powerful. Arrogant idiot should have realised that and not let him walk out.”

I nod, in total agreement, but it doesn’t solve my dilemma. “I need to be out of his reach. More to the point, I need my family to be out of his reach.”

“They’re safe here,” he points out.

“We can’t stay on Caraksay forever.”

I note he doesn’t argue with me on that.

“The construction works are more or less complete, at least the phase requiring an architect on site. And I get the impression Nathan has other pressing projects demanding his attention.”

“So, he’s leaving?”

“Probably. Soon. He’ll expect to take his family with him, back to that place of his in Yorkshire.”

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