Page 49 of Beautiful Revenge

Hugh and I went through the academy together, trained together, and cut our teeth in the wild together. I was his best man, an adoptive uncle to his kids, and his partner on more cases than I can count. He was my best mate who was lost way too soon to this world.

And it was my fault.

That’s why my cover was blown and my career ended too soon.

There’s no way there was a leak. I learned from whathappened to Bella when she was an agent. I kept my shit tied tight and watched my back, even inside the agency. Nothing can convince me I was burned from within.

The only explanation is that Victor Turner is so good at what he does, he somehow cracked into our systems and learned I was hot on his heels.

Because a motherfucker with government contracts who sells state secrets to terrorist organizations cannot be trusted. Anyone willing to do that has no boundaries. At least my gut told me he was doing just that. I was about to prove it when everything went to hell.

They closed in, and our comms went dead. I was the target. When Hugh figured out what was happening, he left his position to warn me.

We were ambushed. It went from a precisely planned operation to a shitshow.

They took Hugh out instead.

It was the worst day of my life, and that’s saying something because there was that one time I caught a bullet and came damn close to meeting my maker.

But I didn’t.

Hugh did.

The explosion rocked London, even though we were on the outskirts. The internal investigations went on for months. During that time, my name was leaked to the press.

And that was it.

The end.

The whole thing hit me like a sledgehammer. There are nights I still can’t sleep. The details of what happened will haunt me the rest of my life. Hours have turned into weeks and months into years. I’ve come to realize I’ll never rid my soul of those demons.

Turning that part of my brain off is impossible. I’ve tried. I might as well cut my arm off. Hell, that might be easier.

Less painful, that’s for damned sure. Figuratively speaking.

Which is why I can’t stop looking into Victor Turner even though I’m simply the owner of an old estate turned resort in the middle of nowhere.

“You’re sure?” I seethe. “If that fucker is on my property, I’ll burn the place down myself to smoke him out.”

“Take a breath, Dev,” Bella demands as I scroll the security feeds throughout the property. “This is why you have systems in place, even though no one thought this would happen. It’s been too long.”

“I appreciate your belief in me, Bella,” I drawl sarcastically.

“Don’t be an imbecile.” I can almost hear her eyes roll. “Of course, we believe you. We just didn’t think Turner, or anyone in his organization, would be dense enough to use a line of credit that was associated during that timeframe. Honestly, I’d rather deal with a smart adversary. They’re predictable because they’re levelheaded. But this ... well, this is like tiptoeing through a minefield of nonsense. You never know when you’ll trip and an IED will blow up in your face—I’m speaking theoretically and literally.”

“Shit metaphor, Bella.”

“Sorry,” she mutters and clears her throat. “Didn’t mean to hit close to home. Back to the issue at hand. Ozzy is running facial recognition from your security feed. We’ll see what he comes up with, because, despite the credit card that was used this morning, that man is not Victor Turner.”

“No. The day Turner fakes a vacation is the day everyone will be on high alert. The man works nonstop.” I bring up the camera that spans the back gardens, pool, and tennis courts. “Let me know when Ozzy spins his magic. I’ve got to figure out who the hell Roman Malloy is. I’ll bet my portfolio that’s not his real name.”

“Get on that. I’ll call when Ozzy has news. He’ll come up with something—this is no coincidence. Keep your head down.”

“Again, you’re speaking to me like I’ve never done this before.”

“I’m well aware of your investigative prowess. I remember a time when you made me think youwerethe target. Despite our history of butting heads, I do love you, big brother, and I’d like you to keep your head square on your shoulders where it belongs. So, do me a favor and keep it down.”

“You and Mum will do me in. Call me when you learn something.”