Page 1 of Her Tempting Traitor
PROLOGUE
Miss Gabrielle Lindsay, Britain’s only practicing female animal doctor, crossed her arms and raised a brow at her unrelenting uncle, who sat across the desk from her. “I am sorry, you want me to what?”
“Nae need to apologize?—”
“You know precisely what I mean.” Gabby gave him alook.
The arsehole chuckled. “I want ye to consider taking this case for me,” Bull repeated, that stupid charming grin on his lips.
Gabby sighed. “Yes, I was afraid that is where you were going with that.” Unfortunately, Bull rarely made an offer—or asked a favor—until he was certain he knew what the answer would be. In this case, it meant there was bound to be something truly tempting about the case. Bother. “And why would I agree?”
“Because ye love me and want my agency to be successful? Also, Queen and country and all that?”
Pretending to roll her eyes, Gabby gave him the response she knew he expected. Honestly, Bull’s schemes were often more interesting than not, and an undeniable relief from her consistent hobby of Not Being Paid The Same Amount As a Man Would For Curing The Same Animal Illnesses.
She and her twin brother Hunter were only a handful of years younger than Bull, and since all of them were illegitimate scions of the great Lindsay family, had grown up with a natural affinity toward one another. Well. At least aProbably Not Going To Bash The Other One Over The Head When They Ask For Ridiculous Favorsunspoken mutual peace treaty. And this definitely wasn’t the first time Bull had recruited one or both of them to work some case that had been assigned to Bull’s detective agency.
“What are the details, anyway?” she asked, pretending only mild interest.
Bull, of course, could see right through her.
Gray eyes sparkling with excitement, he leaned across the desk, those never-still fingers of his tapping a rhythm on the dark wood. “One of the Crown’s secret agents—turned traitor.”
Gabby’s eyes grew round. “Oh,” she breathed.
And Bull nodded firmly. “I thought ye’d find that interesting.”
Yes.
Yes, she would.
Twenty years ago, Uncle Rourke—the man who’d raised her, and Bull’s only surviving brother—had been an agent for the Crown, a notorious and rather successful assassin. Only after he’d been ordered to execute his best friend had he—thanks to the help and evidence of Aunt Sophia—learned that their leader, the man who’d put together their loyal band of agents, had never really been working for the Crown.
Rourke and his friends had spent years bringing down Blackrose and clearing their names. The family had never grown fond of traitors.
Yes, a spy-turned-traitor was not only terribly interesting to Gabby’s family, but someone who deserved everything he got. “Tell me more,” she all but growled.
Nodding in satisfaction, Bull sat back in his chair. “His name is Cassian Grey. He worked for—ah…for the Crown.”
“Princess Louise’s spy network, you mean?” Gabby admitted she took secret delight in the way surprise flashed in his eyes. “Ihavebeen paying attention, you know, I have half a brain. Andyouwere the one who taught me how helpful it can be to snoop through correspondence.”
“Ye’ve read my mail?” Bull gaped.
“I really am quite bright. That trick with the steam? I paid attention.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face, releasing a defeated sigh… But not before Gabby saw his lips twitching.
“It’s a damn good thing I trust ye, Gabs.” Before she could object to the nickname, he continued. “Aye, the PrincessLouise is our patroness, the source of the cases we receive from the Crown. Her network of agents is more than capable, but sometimes she needs an outsider…someone no’ affiliated with the Crown.”
“And not subject to the same rules and laws?” She twitched a brow at Bull’s low curse.
“Ye reallyarebright.”
Gabby snorted, secretly pleased—though it was hard not to be offended that this was the first time he’d noticed. She was eight and twenty, after all. “So this Mr. Grey was part of the Princess’s network. If he is known to her agents, he would know them as well, making it impossible for one of them to investigate him. It is the problem of Blackrose all over again. That is why she brought the case to you.”
“Exactly.” Bull nodded, the fingers of his right hand flicking through a complicated pattern. His pickpocketing skills were legendary. “He and his team—three men—were on assignment in Belfast when something went wrong. The Princess assumes it was pre-planned, but wants to ken how much was his idea, and if his men were in on it as well.”
“What happened?” She was beginning to dread the answer.
