Page 3 of Seduce & Destroy

I didn’t look up, it was still dark, but I knew it was her.

The girl.

It was just a feeling, but the way that I had built up the affection of this girl in my head was so immense that, compared to little else I had experienced, it was inherent. My crying eased. But this tenderness quickly turned sour.

“Your mother warns you to beware of the assassin,” she whispered.

What a strange thing to say! I had thought, but a tear had run down my cheek at that moment, and I was pulled out of my pity with want to impress her. Abruptly, I straightened my back and wiped my face with my hand, triggering the overhead lights to come on, and the room revealed as empty.

A teacher found me crying soon after and assured me that no one was there– that no one fit her description that went to St James’s, she said. Hallucinations, they said. Nothing that couldn’t be fixed with prescription drugs, Father said.

Little did he know.

His black boots came into view again bringing me back to the present moment.

“Oh, and one last thing. We will be moving operations to a remote location. Say goodbye to London, Laney, and say hello to a new life in Great Tenor.”

No!

But Great Tenor? I wasn’t sure where I’d heard that before.

“Please, Father, we’re inconspicuous enough here.”

He walked out before I could finish my rebuttal.

So, I continued to dream of that girl.

Sometimes, I wondered if that was all she ever was.

And now, I would be the furthest away from her that I’d ever been.

Chapter 1

LANEY

We got the news early one morning.

“His body was found.” My father announced to the new soldiers on the estate in Great Tenor. His words lacked compassion. No one in this room even flinched. “Power has been transferred to me. My first action as de facto leader is to raise an army. Consider this your warning: we are on lockdown. His death has been ruled as suspicious. The last of the incoming cadets arrived yesterday and are training now. Prepare for the worst at any time, lads. Someone is after us; your task is to defend Ravencroft to your death.”

While the group stood at attention, my jaw dropped. Death. It had been a long time since this family faced serious conflict. Since before I was born, nothing more than a pub brawl or casino fraudster threatened our existence. Was this the end?

Richard Ravencroft looked out at the crowd in perfect control. “Dismissed.”

Half my mind said he did it, but even his cunning nature was skilled, not incidental.

As the room emptied, I went to follow, but Father gripped my elbow. A grave expression dawned on his face. “Laney, this is bad.” His deep baritone voice wavered. It was unnatural. Leaning closer he said, “It was a targeted attack.”

A generation ago, the Ravencroft family had a sister family, the Karsteins. Their union evoked a bloody reign of transatlantic drug trades and backroom charades, garnering fortunes that no bank could hold. The Karsteins dealt in controlled substances and artillery fire, while the Ravencrofts specialised in money laundering and blade work.

It was a dark time for the city of London, but the children of the syndicate were sparkling gold. I didn’t grow up in the same grandeur. The partnership broke down before I was born. The Karstein family home was scorched, killing their entire lineage, and we retreated to a quiet neighbourhood. Reserved to rebuild our wealth and stature in the quiet corners of the world. Initially, we endeavoured to blend into the London cityscape keeping our less-than-legal business close to our chest, but now, this was our hiding place—the little village of Great Tenor.

There was something about it that felt eerily familiar.

“How do you know?” I looked him up and down. “The man was old, Father.”

“A shot to the head is not a symptom of old age, Laney.” He snapped. “This is serious.”

It was murder? My thoughts stuttered. “Oh…Well, I-”