Page 18 of Close Protection

‘I honestly don’t know,’ George replies. ‘It was an old work journal I had lying around in my office. I think there were some formulas for antidote serums I used to work on with MI6 in there. But I don’t understand what else theywould want. If the antidote formulas are what they were after, they got them.’

‘Hmm,’ Henry hums in agreement. ‘I suggest we go ask Mr Mikelson.’ He turns to look at me. ‘How did you wanna play this?’

‘I’m happy to observe while you take the lead.’ I direct my words to Henry. ‘Me and George will take a back seat so he doesn’t get strung up on power dynamics. If need be I’ll step in, but I think you’ll do fine. Use whatever methods you want.’

When I see the glint in his eye I specify, ‘Within reason.’

The background check I ran on Henry Harris showed that he was ex-army. I’m not entirely clued up on British Army methods, but from what I understand he should’ve been given basic interrogation training.

‘All right, that sounds like a plan.’ George nods.

‘Great. Let’s see what Mr Mikelson has to say for himself.’

‘Mr Mikelson!’ Henry chirps, bending down to rip the tape from across his mouth. ‘How’re ya doing, huh?’

Stefan just glares at him, spitting some leftover blood onto the floor. Henry tracks the movement, a sly grin emerging on his face. ‘Feeling better now?’

‘Go to hell.’

‘Nah, I’m all right,’ Henry replies, before drawing a longsigh and straightening back up. ‘I have a few questions for you, Stefan. Now, if you give me the answers I need we won’t have a problem, but if you don’t I’ll start by breaking your other wrist, then your shoulder, then your knees. And I’ll continue until there are no unbroken bones left in your body.’

Stefan is sitting in a sad old wooden chair, hands bound behind his back with cable ties. I can tell that they’re cutting into his skin and agitating the wrist I cracked earlier. George and I are standing near the door, leaning against the wall, watching the scene unfold.

When I first walked back into the study and got another look at this guy, my blood burned with fury. But my anger simmered down once I saw much pain he was in.

There really is nothing better than making a grown man cry.

‘Now, Stefan,’ Henry continues. ‘Out of all the stupid things you’ve done in your lifetime, attempting to strangle that girl was by far the stupidest.’

‘How is the little princess doing?’ Stefan retorts, closing his eyes. ‘I see why you’re all so protective of her. Those muffled screams and that soft skin.’ He lets out the most disturbing noise and George pushes off the wall, going to move in on him. It takes all my strength and discipline not to join him, but instead I reach out and grip George’s wrist,shaking my head.Don’t give him what he wants.‘I’d do it all over again if I could, but I’d really savour it this time. Maybe I’d get her down on her knees and—’ He doesn’t get to finish that sentence because Henry backhands him across the face so hard one of his teeth fly out.

Well, that was awfully satisfying.

‘Imma stop you right there, Mr Mikelson.’ I can feel Henry’s rage permeate the air. With every word he says, his cockney accent becomes clearer and stronger. ‘See, you’ve just crossed a line into the no-limits zone. You crossed it earlier, too, and you’ve got all your injuries to show for it. You talk about that girl again and Iwillkill you. It’ll be slow, and painful, and I’ll really enjoy watching the life drain out of your eyes. So, let’s get back to the topic at hand, yeah?’

I look back over to Stefan to see his face pale and sickly, any trace of amusement long gone.

‘I’m going to ask you this one time, and one time only. Why are you here?’

Stefan looks between me, George and Henry, clearly weighing up his options. I put myself in his shoes for a second, wondering what he must be thinking. There are now three tall, bulky men staring down at him, and somehow he’s managed to piss each and every one of us off. We’ll get the information out of him one way or another. Whether Interpol takes him out in a body bag or not is really up to him.

‘Read the note in my wallet,’ is all he says.

Henry looks over to me and George, and I leave to get Stefan’s belongings. I check his wallet, my eyes settling on a crumpled receipt stashed at the bottom. I snatch it out and head back into the study, opening the note on my way.

Just give us what we want and this will all go away.

D.

The D must be for Daveeno, but what do they want? They already have the journal with all the antidote formulas. What else do they need? What else is George not telling me?

I slam the door on the way back into the study, shoving the note into George’s hand as I pass him to reach Stefan.

Reaching behind him, I take his broken wrist in my hand and contort it, pressing down on the bone with my thumb.

He yelps in pain as I calmly drop to my haunches. ‘What does Daveeno want with George?’

‘I don’t know what Daveeno is,’ he cries.

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