Page 7 of Redemption's Inferno

Darryl “Chains” Carruthers hadn’t spent any time in London since retiring from MI6. Though he was proud to be British and to have served his country in both the Royal Air Force and as a spy, he had too many enemies here. He’d grown up in central England, far from the big city lights, but he’d loved living in London from the moment he’d arrived to attend university. There was something special about the big city, but after years of navigating the streets undercover, he’d grown tired of always having to be on guard. He worried someone would recognize him, blow an old cover—something that would tie back to his days as a spy. It was a life he’d walked away from after a mission had gone terribly wrong, and he didn’t care to revisit anything from that portion of his past.

The hunt for Emilie brought him home, though, and he cared for her enough to bury his demons and make the trip as soon as they knew when Jamie and Viggo would return from Canada. Since the trial had technically finished two days ago—there would most likely be a verdict any time now—he’d gotten on a flight. Just before he’d boarded the plane, he’d been surprised to receive an email from an old colleague, Warren Bern, and even more surprised to discover Warren and Emilie were friends. Chains had known Emilie was in London, but finding out Warren knew precisely where she was had been a strange coincidence. He wondered how the retired spy and sex club owner knew Emilie and the curiosity was killing him. Warren had said he would explain once Chains arrived, so he was more than ready to talk when he got to his friend’s Knightsbridge townhouse early in the evening.

“Good to see you!” Warren had opened the door and was pumping Chains’ hand as he led him inside.

“Likewise.” Chains narrowed his eyes. “You’re looking a bit green about the gills—feeling all right, mate?”

Warren shrugged. “Had a round of chemotherapy the other day; leaves me a bit weak. I’ll take a nap after we’ve had our talk.”

“Chemo.” Chains frowned. “You never said anything.”

“What is there to say? I’m an old man with cancer—bloody annoying.” He sank into a comfortable chair in the den. “So tell me about your new life in Las Vegas.” His eyes twinkled.

Chains leaned back in his chair and grinned. “It’s been fun—lots of pretty birds for the taking.”

Warren cocked his head. “But none that spark any interest beyond the bed?”

Chains laughed. “You know me better than that. Men like us—we don’t do relationships.”

“Don’t be like me,” the older man said lightly. “Lonely as hell getting old with no one by your side. Might be nice to have a couple of grandkids playing at my feet, a nice old bird bringing me a cup of tea…”

Chains arched his brows. “Since when? The cancer in your brain, mate?” He was trying to be funny but the joke fell flat as Warren met his gaze unwaveringly.

“Not at all, but you’re going down a path I’ve already traveled and it’s time for a detour, my friend.” He held up a hand when Chains started to speak. “You were betrayed by a fellow countryman. I understand why you left and why you’ve lived your life the way you have, but since you’re not with the agency anymore, why live like you still are?”

“Someone could recognize me,” Chains said, arms folded across his chest. “Can you imagine if I had a family? A wife, kids… They could use them against me. Especially since I don’t know who betrayed me during that last mission. It’s safer this way. Trust me.”

“No, you trust me.” Warren lifted his teacup to his lips. “It’s time for you to leave that behind.”

“We can argue all night, old man,” Chains chuckled. “My stance won’t change.”

Warren gave a small shrug. “Then we can discuss Emilie.”

“What’s your relationship with her?” Chains frowned. “I can’t believe you trained someone that young.”

“But I did.” Warren smiled. “Not in the way you’re thinking, though. I’m a bit of a pervert, but Em was just 17 when we met. Some men like them that young; I prefer a woman.”

“She’s a woman now,” Chains said dryly.

“She’s also like my own daughter…in some ways. Understand I’ve watched, but I’d never touch. Not Emilie. She’s…” He hesitated, taking a sip of tea as he tried to formulate the next sentence.

“She’s what?” Chains was intrigued, having never seen Warren behave this way. Especially not over a woman he claimed he’d never touched and thought of like a daughter.

“First time I saw her, my initial reaction was all male. She was young, beautiful, blond…stunning really. Then she turned, looked at me. And even then, I was in my 60s, not young, not interesting to a teenage girl—but she smiled. It wasn’t the polite, expected smile children are taught to give to their elders, but a sweet, genuine smile that reached her eyes. She didn’t care if I was an old pervert—she had no idea who I was—she simply smiled because she was happy and was willing to share it with whoever was nearby.”

Chains found himself smiling too, unable to help but be charmed by what might otherwise be a meaningless story yet was obviously much more than that.

“I don’t think you knew this, but I’d been involved with a woman for a while,” he continued. “Gerry—Geraldine, but she hated that, yeah? We met about 20 years ago, before I knew you, and fell in love. I was in my mid-50s, she was in her mid-40s, but we fell hard and wanted it all. Marriage, children, all of it. We tried everything, but at 44 she couldn’t get pregnant and we were devastated…that we’d waited too long, been so selfish with our careers, wasted our youth. Eventually it ate at us and we went our separate ways. Before she left she told me I should adopt a child—do something useful with my life.” He chuckled at the memory. “Two weeks later I met Emilie. All sweetness and light, so pretty it was almost blinding sometimes. I struck up a friendship with her because she was young and innocent, not like the women I normally spent my time with. She became the daughter I never had in my mind and in my heart. She has a father, of course, but she liked spending time with me and seemed to enjoy the emails we exchanged.”

“That’s nice,” Chains said slowly. “But why are you telling me all this?”

“You and I met, what? About 12 years ago?”

“Give or take.”

“When I met Em, I thought, ah, there’s the girl for Chains.” He smirked, his dark eyes glinting. “And now look where we are. You two are already friends and that girl desperately needs someone to love her.”

Chains snickered. “You’re a dreamer, old man! The only thing Em needs from me is friendship and encouragement to go home to her daughter.”

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