Page 18 of Riordan's Revenge

“It’s delicate,” I managed.

“Then we’ll deal with the crew first then get to real talk later.”

He strode to the door, fist-bumping one skeleton crew member then giving a nod of greeting to another, all while not straying far away from me. Cool. That worked for me.

Under the cover of the porch, I joined him and hugged hello to Mick and punched Lonnie in the arm, turning to the last man with surprise. “Tyler, what are ye doing here?”

Arran’s bear of a team leader gave me a chin lift. Tyler was the tough, outdoorsman, ultra-capable type. The kind of guy who could defuse a bomb then use the cables to rewire his boat.

“Cass. Daniels pulled me in to run this show.”

He shoved his fingers into his dark-blond hair, and I tilted my head, working out why the heck an intercept guy had been put on bodyguard duties. Tyler operated undercover in remote corners of the country and over in Europe, shutting down trafficking rings. Often by force. I’d only ever met him a few times, but he was an important part of Arran’s crew. A deadly and effective killer but gentle with the women he saved.

“He wants ye in Deadwater,” I concluded slowly.

A meaningful glance was my answer. It told me to hush.

I shut my mouth. In a heartbeat, I’d worked it out. After Bronson was in our clutches, Arran still meant to take down the Four Milers. He needed Tyler there to handle the trafficking routes that brought women into their strip club which we knew also fronted a brothel. Not one where the women had any choice over being there.

I also had my own level of interest in Tyler. There was information I needed and had never been able to obtain, and had often thought that Tyler would be a good person to do some digging. I’d planned to ask Arran for his contact details, and oh look, he’d just walked straight into my house.

I sensed someone staring at me and peered up at Riordan. He glanced from me to Tyler, his jaw tight. I jumped to make the introduction.

“Riordan, this is Tyler. One of Arran’s most trusted. Tyler, Riordan’s a new recruit.”

Tyler reached out a big hand for a shake then jacked his thumb at his car. “Brought your bike. I was careful with her.”

“Appreciate that,” Riordan grumbled back.

He stomped away over the gravel in the direction of the trailer, and I stared after him. Something had pissed him off, but unlike Arran’s strategy, I was at a loss to work this one out.

A short while later, with Riordan’s bike safely offloaded, two other men arrived, the thud of rotor blades having us all gaze skywards. Max and Maddock McRae both worked for the mountain rescue service and had flown over by helicopter from where they lived elsewhere in the Cairngorm mountains.

Riordan’s face was a picture.

Max was tight with my older brother, Struan, who was also due to return home as soon as he could. My whole family had been messaging me, but I’d played down my worries. I was covered. Six men and little ol’ me. It was safer for my relatives to stay away.

The other fact was this would all be over soon. The minute Arran had Bronson, the killer would be off the streets. I’d be able to rest easy. While contributing to the torture of the misogynistic prick.

“Everyone in the great hall,” Tyler ordered. He palmed my shoulder then handed over a rucksack. “Daniels’ missus told me to give that to you. Most of it’s for your boy.”

He gestured to a silent Riordan who now had on his collarless leather jacket that must’ve been returned with his bike. Guilt panged in me. This morning, I’d thrown on a hoodie and leather boots, the corridors chilly now autumn was here. I should’ve raided one of my brothers’ wardrobes for something his size.

Then again, I was pretty certain he wouldn’t have taken it.

The great hall of our house had been rebuilt after Jamieson had burned the place down, and we’d redesigned it to be a useable space for the family. There was kids’ play equipment, a big oak table, and even a bar.

I plonked down in a seat and hugged my knees, listening to Tyler work through a plan. He had the camera and alert feed running as he spoke, arranged with each man to have access, then moved on to comms. A schedule. Exactly what they’d do if someone entered the estate or even the building.

All listened carefully, nodding when needed. Soon, Tyler was done. He dispatched Max and Maddock to one side of the house and Mick and Lonnie to the other. They’d stay close rather than head out onto our expansive estate. If the killer was coming for me, he had to get past them and into the house first.

Tyler centred his attention on us. “From what Arran tells me, Riordan is acting as close protection, correct?”

Riordan folded his arms and didn’t immediately answer. By any reasonable measure, he was free to go.

Panic clutched at me with tiny, sharp nails. I leapt up and mangled my fingers together, turning to the man I’d called mine. “Can we talk for a minute?”

He followed me outside into the entrance hall.

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