Page 136 of A Dangerous Lord (Regency Spies & Secrets 3)

“You should know that your forged banknotes made their way into The Bank of England, and they hired us to track you down.”

“I know all about that investigation.”

“You do?”

Kerley nodded. “I have been one step ahead of you since the beginning, Corbyn,” he said. “Just face it, you will always be second best.”

“And why is that?”

“You may have been a good spy, but you are lousy at knowing your agents.”

Lord Evan tensed. “I beg your pardon?”

Kerley smirked. “Sanders has been working for me the entire time,” he revealed.

Lord Evan hesitated a moment. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not,” Kerley responded smugly. “He intercepted Hannity’s missives to you, including the ones that revealed he was investigating a counterfeiting ring.”

“I don’t believe you.”

A man’s voice came from the doorway. “He’s telling the truth, Boss,” a stocky man said as he walked further into the room. “Hannity stumbled upon Kerley’s operation by accident, which is why he had to be disposed of earlier than planned.”

“You have been working for Kerley?” Lord Evan asked in disbelief. “Why, Sanders?”

“He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

“Which was?”

“More money than I could spend in a lifetime,” Sanders replied.

Lord Evan shook his head. “Kerley will betray you.”

“As you did him,” Sanders spat back. “If I recall, you were the one who left him in France, not the other way around.”

Lord Evan grew silent, but Jane saw him clench his fists into tight balls.

Sanders stepped closer to him. “I was tired of working under you, all the late nights and early mornings. It was exhausting.”

“I’m sorry I made you do your job,” Lord Evan remarked dryly.

Kerley put his hand on Sanders’ chest. “Don’t get too close to him,” he warned. “We both know what he is capable of.”

Lord Evan scoffed at Sanders. “Once a pistol is discharged, the agents will still raid this building, and they will learn of your deceit.”

Sanders shook his head. “We have already thought about that. We dug a hole in the basement leading to the building I am supposedly watching,” he explained. “We will be free and clear once the explosives go off.”

“Explosives?”

“We can’t take the risk of having anyone follow us,” Kerley said. “But you don’t need to worry about that, because you’ll already be dead.”

“I see you have it all planned out,” Lord Evan commented.

Sanders gave him a smug look. “We do,” he replied. “You always did underestimate me.”

Lord Evan shook his head. “I don’t think I did,” he remarked. “You might have had a shot at running the agency one day, if you weren’t so incompetent at your job.”

“I beg your pardon?” Sanders asked in a gruff tone.

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