Page 43 of Heart of a Devil

I point at the chair. “Do I fucking look okay? Is Gabriel in?”

“No. He said he’s working from home until after lunch. Anything I can help you with?”

I have no bloody intention of letting anybody else see this video, but the kid could come in useful. “You’re young. You know anything about email addresses, how to trace them, that kind of shit?”

“Not a lot, sorry. From what I do know, it’s tricky because you can set up webmail accounts anonymously, then use an IP address that’s bounced off different servers. Or just go to a library or a café and use their Wi-Fi.”

“Right, well, now you’re speaking a foreign language, mate. Some prickhas a video of Lauren. And me. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination. I don’t know how the fuck they got it, but it was taken at the McIverson restaurant launch.”

His blue eyes widen, and he literally looks like a light bulb went off above his head.

“Well, go on.” I wave my hand at him. “Spit it out.”

“You know Chantal? The girl we met that time? Well, we’ve been talking. Gone on a few dates, like.” He actually blushes, and if I wasn’t so mad, I might think it was sweet.

“Okay. Well, that’s very nice and all, Taylor, but I don’t see how your love life is relevant.”

“It’s not, but you remember she said she hated that little Jimmy wanker because he was secretly filming the female staff in the ladies’ loos? Now, I don’t know where this video of Lauren was taken—none of my business, guv—but if it was at one of the McIverson pubs, could it be possible he had the same scam setup in all the branches, not only the one where Chantal worked?”

He goes to pick up the wreckage of my chair as he speaks, as though he’s embarrassed at daring to have an original thought. I stare at him as I turn the idea over in my mind. Fuck me, the kid might be onto something. The cameras in Lauren’s place are motion activated—what if the ones in the restroom were as well? There was definitely a lot of motion that night.

Plus, there’s the matter of the cash, which really doesn’t fit with Torres’s MO. He stole from the Montoyas, but he could have taken a lot more. They reckoned it wasn’t about the money, that it was more about messing with them, exerting control. This isn’t his style.

I know exactly whose style it is though—Jimmy’s. He’s still spitting about the deal and the ways we wronged his family, and according to Kenny, he was still making noise about getting his revenge. I dismissed the bastard out of hand, convinced he couldn’t possibly be a threat. That was arrogant, and I should have known better—everyone can be a threat if they try hard enough. Hell, a mosquito can give you fucking malaria. I bet the twat couldn’t believe his bloody luck when that footage landed in his lap.

The more I think about it, the more I see that Taylor is right. This is down to Jimmy—and his luck is about to take a change for the worse.

Chapter

Twenty-Three

SEBASTIAN

Iring Lauren before I set off but it goes straight to voicemail. I try Scott next and tell him to find her and tell her to call me. “No,” I add before he hangs up. “Askher to call. She’s picky about that kind of shit.”

“Sure thing, Boss,” Scott says, unable to keep the amusement from his voice. “Shall I tell her you said pretty please with sprinkles on top?”

“Fuck off, you knob,” I reply, even though he made me smile.

Taylor is hovering outside in the drizzle, waiting for me to emerge. He looks pumped up and ready to go, and I recognize that feeling—the tingling excitement you get when violence is on the cards. I’ve seen him in action, and although it’s unlikely I’ll need backup to deal with Jimmy, you never know. I underestimated him once, and I won’t repeat the mistake.

“Can I trust you, Taylor?” I ask, staring at him.

He meets my eyes, no hesitation. “You can, Boss. One hundred percent.” He’s still hiding something, but I believe him on this.

It wasn’t hard to find out where Jimmy lives, and I let Taylor drive while I stare out at the wet and gloomy streets of London, my fury hidden beneath the surface but ready to explode anysecond. This vermin has seen my girl at her most vulnerable. He’s seen her gorgeous flesh exposed, and he watched her come. Nobody gets to do that except me. And now he’s got the nerve to threaten to share that private moment with the fucking world? He thinks he’s going to get away with this bullshit? I’m going to kill the little bastard.

My phone rings, and I’m relieved to see it’s Lauren.

“Hi,” she says, the cheerful purr of her voice enough to make me feel like the world’s a better place, even if it does contain Jimmy McIverson. “Weird thing happened—Scott turned up at the courthouse. What a coincidence, eh? Anyway. He says you begged me to call.”

“I don’t know about begged, sweetheart, but I do need to speak to you. What have you been up to?”

“Lots of things. Most importantly, I convinced a judge to allow us to file on behalf of Caroline under an assumed name when the time is right, as there is a credible threat to her life if she’s exposed. What about you?”

“Hot Sauce, you are a force for good in the world. Listen. I have a situation here. The night we, uh, enjoyed ourselves at the McIverson launch?”

Her laugh soothes me enough that I can draw a full breath for the first time since I got the email. “You mean the night you threatened to kill my date and then fucked me senseless? Such romance…”

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