Page 23 of The Lost Zone (Dark Water #3)

“Elsie’s an old friend of my late husband.” Josiah snorted. “She’s hardly blackmail material, Tyler.” He didn’t give anything away, but all the same, he felt a shiver of apprehension. Elsie would be leaving the country first thing tomorrow, but maybe that was already too late.

“Hmm.” Tyler was watching him carefully. “I wonder why you took Alex to visit her this morning when you were supposed to be working? What was so urgent? It surely couldn’t have been a social visit.”

“Like I said, she’s an old friend, but she’s a bit slow and doddery these days.

She had a fall, so I was checking in on her.

I took Alex because I’m concerned about his safety and want to keep him with me at all times.

That seems even more like a wise precaution, given the fact you broke in here tonight. ”

Tyler had clearly hoped for a juicier reaction, which made Josiah suspect he didn’t know about the Kathleen Line.

Tyler clicked again, and Josiah gave a startled gasp.

A holopic of Peter filled one corner of the living room – and not just any holopic: it was taken from the coroner’s file, and it showed Peter lying on the mortuary slab.

“For God’s sake, man,” Josiah snapped, looking away. “Have some decency!”

Tyler deactivated the holopic, much to Josiah’s relief.

“My apologies. I’m sure it can’t have been easy to see that, especially as there are still so many unanswered questions surrounding your husband’s murder.

How convenient that his so-called killer turned up dead, so we could never ask him what actually happened that night. ”

“ So-called ?” Josiah said incredulously.

“Well, how are we to know?” Tyler shrugged. “We only have your word for it. You were the only witness.”

Josiah laughed. “This is a fishing expedition, Tyler. You have nothing on me.”

“Maybe you didn’t kill your husband – you’ve certainly played the grieving widower ever since his death – but something about that investigation doesn’t add up. I mean, Lars Driessen conveniently drowned? I wonder – did he fall into that lost zone, or was he pushed?”

“That’s enough,” Josiah said curtly, getting to his feet. “I didn’t kill Driessen, and I sure as hell didn’t kill Peter. Now, get out of here, before I lose all patience with you.”

Tyler gazed at him thoughtfully, then put his holopad away.

Josiah guessed he’d hoped to hit more nerves than he’d actually managed.

“Not yet,” Tyler said. “Let me introduce you to my lawyer, Adnan Patel.” Tyler gestured to the anxious-looking man beside him.

“Your lawyer?” Josiah queried. Alex glanced at him nervously.

“Yes. You see, I didn’t really come here tonight to make all this small talk with you, Raine, entertaining though it’s been. I’m here to demand the return of my property.”

“ Your property?” Josiah heard Alex take a sharp intake of breath. “Alex isn’t your property, Tyler. You sold him to Elliot three years ago for a hundred and sixty million pounds.”

“No, I didn’t.” Tyler nodded at Patel, who pinged a legal holodoc into the air. “I merely rented him to Elliot.”

“Reed looked on the IS register and he’s listed as a sale,” Josiah said blankly. “Dacre is also listed as his houder.”

“I fully intended for Elliot to have him, but he didn’t have the funds.

I’m sure you’re aware of the somewhat parlous state of his finances.

” Tyler grinned. “Lovely man but hopeless with money. I therefore allowed him to pay me in instalments… a sort of ‘try before you buy’.” Tyler glanced at Alex triumphantly. “Elliot seemed pleased with him.”

“His contract is listed as sold,” Josiah repeated stubbornly.

“A technicality. If you read the terms of our agreement, I allowed Elliot to claim ownership of Alexander’s contract, but only if he agreed to some conditions I drew up.

See for yourself; it’s all in there.” Tyler nodded at the holodoc hovering between them.

“Patel has sent a copy to your nym, too.”

“I don’t care what it says,” Josiah said.

“Even if what you’re saying is true, and not something you’ve just dreamed up with your lawyers, Alex is a key witness in a murder case.

I have every right to keep him in my custody.

There’s no way you’re getting your hands on him again.

” Josiah brushed his hand through the holodoc dismissively, causing the pixels to scatter, then reform.

Now, suddenly, he understood why Tyler was accompanied by the four security guards – they were here to take Alex, by force if necessary.

Inquisitus could quibble all it liked over the legalities of Alex’s contract in the coming days, but once Tyler took custody of him, it was all over.

Tyler would fly him out of the country immediately, and then Josiah was quite sure he’d never be seen or heard of again.

With Alex gone, Josiah would struggle to make a case against Tyler.

Reynolds would certainly withdraw his cooperation in fright, and they had no other witnesses.

It had been a big risk for him to come here and do this, but it showed just how scared Tyler was of Josiah’s investigation and what he might find. The stakes had suddenly become much higher.

“I’ll need Inquisitus’s lawyers to look at this,” Josiah declared. He saw now how this was going to end, and his gaze flickered briefly over the four security guards, a rising sense of excitement brewing in the pit of his stomach.

“Of course. In the meantime, he’ll be returned to me,” Tyler said smoothly, gesturing to his men. One of them took hold of Alex’s arm.

“I could call Inquisitus right now,” Josiah said. “Esther won’t let you take him.”

“How long would it take her to get someone here, though? Twenty minutes? Half an hour?” Tyler shrugged. “I’ll be long gone by then – and Alexander will be with me. Without him, you have nothing.”

“I have Reynolds and Burgis.”

“Burgis won’t testify, and Reynolds is a crook and a drunk.

” Tyler smirked. “I’ll be at Director Lomax’s office first thing tomorrow, and I can assure you the legal paperwork is all in order.

She’ll rubber-stamp it and order you to drop this wild goose chase Alexander has set up.

All in time for my lunch with the Home Secretary – who is very pleased about all the foreign investment I’m bringing in with my floating city schemes, by the way. ” He smiled smugly.

“No,” Josiah said coldly. If this man thought he could be warned off by all his contacts in high places, he could think again.

Tyler’s eyes narrowed. “Think very carefully how you handle this. Your career is already hanging by a thread – by tomorrow, it’s likely you’ll be out of a job altogether.”

“I’m not scared of you, Tyler.”

“You should be.” Tyler got to his feet. “Now, we really must be leaving. Alexander – with me.”

Alex stayed where he was, his face ashen.

“He’s not going anywhere,” Josiah said firmly.

“You think you can stop me walking out with him?” Tyler raised an eyebrow.

“Yes.”

Moving slowly, but ostentatiously, Josiah removed his coat, jacket, and tie, then undid his shirt cuffs and folded his sleeves up to his elbows. Tyler’s men watched him, warily.

“Really? You think you can take on four highly trained security experts?” Tyler snorted.

“Yup.” Josiah grinned.

“Please, Joe. Don’t,” Alex begged. “It’s not worth it. I’m not worth it. You can’t win this one.”

Josiah winked at him. “That’s where you’re wrong.”

He didn’t wait. He could feel the blood thrumming in his veins.

This was going to be so much better than a fight down at the gym, or the tedium of the punchbag in his box room.

He took out the thug grasping Alex’s arm with one punch before anyone even had the chance to react.

The man went down like a stone and didn’t get up again.

It wasn’t a fair fight. He could have told them that, if only they’d listened. Josiah hadn’t had the opportunity to really let go and be in the zone for some time, and now he had something worth fighting for, which made him doubly dangerous.

Tyler’s lackeys were obviously well trained, but Josiah had fought in war zones against far more desperate foes.

At least they weren’t armed – Josiah guessed that even George Tyler couldn’t risk gunning down an investigator in his own home.

He had a stun gun in his sock holster and a pistol hidden in the house, but he had no intention of using either; he was enjoying the fight too much.

The second thug threw himself at him, while the third tried to attack from behind.

The fourth stationed himself in front of Tyler to protect him.

Josiah screamed out the rage that was always inside him.

He was Quarterlands scum, and he’d learned to fight almost as soon as he’d learned to walk.

These men might be from the Quarterlands too – they probably were – but none of them could match him for sheer rage.

He’d lost Peter, and he’d be damned if he’d lose Alex as well, because he would lose him if Tyler took him out of this house.

Alex would be dead before dawn – he was sure of that.

Josiah had always been at his most dangerous when he had something to protect, whether that was his army unit, his peacekeeping buddies, Peter, or even Hattie.

Alex was in his safekeeping and nobody – nobody – was going to take him away.