Page 98 of Peyton's Price

Matthias groaned, and Liam shot the agent a dirty look.

“Sorry.” Mason coughed, turning to look around him. “But I’m sure she’s fine. They brought her here for a reason.”

Slipping the remains of the bracelet into his pocket, Liam straightened, scanning the house and its various outbuildings.

It wasn’t the palatial estate people saw in English movies, but it was a well-maintained and comfortable house, the kind a reasonably wealthy family would have as a country retreat.

“We have to find out who this belong to,” Matthias said, keeping his voice down. “I’ll call Priya. She’ll hunt down the owner.”

Mason, who’d been half-listening to their conversation, stopped short in front of them. “Don’t bother. I recognize the bloody Rolls.”

Liam grabbed his shoulder. “What?”

The agent grunted. “I said I know the vehicle. It’s hardly standard issue, but the bastard claims to have inherited a hefty sum a few years back. That’s why he’s taking early retirement.”

Matthias’ snapped toward Ward. “Then you know who owns this house?”

Ward exhaled wearily. “Yes, it belongs to one of my supervisors.”

* * *

Peyton was tooafraid to turn over.I don’t believe this.On top of the risk of getting shot, she was going to get a bad sunburn.

Somehow, she had managed to climb the drainpipe to the slate-covered roof just over the office, using the unevenness of the stone walls to give her bare feet purchase. However, once she climbed up, she realized there was nowhere to go. There was a cluster of small buildings scattered around the house, but no other signs of life as she’d hoped. Just hills and trees.

The terrain didn’t look rough. Peyton didn’t think she’d be able to get far in her bare feet—especially since her escape had been discovered. Travis and the Englishman were arguing about it as they searched the other buildings.

“Where the hell is she?” the Englishman shouted.

“I don’t know,” Travis yelled back. “You were the one who tied her up.”

“You were going to scratch the chair. It’s a Queen Anne!”

“Whatever. We have to find her.”

“Fine. But remember—don’t kill her. She’s worth a lot of money to me.” The Englishman’s voice had grown nasal.

“You mean tous, you prick.”

Stomping footsteps followed, their tempo increasing until she guessed they were both running, throwing doors open and them slamming them shut in their efforts to find her.

Peyton decided her best course of action was to stay where she was. Lying flat, she held her breath, the sun beating down on her. She couldn’t even risk turning around in case she knocked one of the slate pieces loose and gave away her location.

They’re going to find me anyway.It was only a matter of time before they realized she hadn’t hidden somewhere on the grounds, but she’d deal with that when it happened. She just had to remind them she was more valuable alive than dead.

An ominous thump sounded nearby. Risking movement, Peyton shielded her eyes, turning her head to look behind her. She half-expected to see Travis climbing the roof, but there was nobody there.

“Hey.” Another thump. Peyton recognized the sound this time. It was the distinctive crunch of a fist hitting flesh.

Her vision blackened momentarily as panic and adrenaline flooded her body. More sounds of fighting followed. Getting on her knees, Peyton crawled to the end of the roof in the direction of the fight.

She almost sobbed in relief. The Englishman was down. Mason held a gun on him. Liam and Matthias were there, too. They fought with Travis.

The younger villain was vicious. He fought like a cornered wolf, snapping and snarling, his fists and feet flying in a series of kicks and punches that would have taken down ninety-nine out of a hundred men.

But Liam wasn’t an average man. Her lover fought like a warrior, grappling and returning punches with such speed and fury his movements were a blur. She’d expected no less.

Matthiaswasa surprise. She knew he was fit and strong, but she hadn’t expected him to fight like that. He wasn’t as skilled as Liam, but it was obvious the man had extensive self-defense training. Travis didn’t have a chance against them as a team.

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