Sins of the Father (5 page)

“
Exactly. So
we understand each other.” Brad dropped his arm and took a step
back. He was watching Chris’s reactions carefully, but the man had
the backbone of a slug – non-existent.

Chris backed away, his
eyes darting from Brad to Imogen with open distrust. “You won’t get
away with this,” he said, hurrying a little in case the big guy
decided to go postal again.

Imogen stepped forward –
her body still blocking the doorway. “We have the law on our side.
You’re not welcome here, Mr Riley. Please don’t come
back.”

“
You heard my
friend,” Brad said, pinning Chris down with a cold
stare.

They watched as he
retreated to the car he’d hastily abandoned. The screech of rubber
against tarmac was the only retaliation he was able to make, and
considering it was in retreat it said a lot about his
character.

Imogen let go of all the
tension she’d been carrying on a breath. “Thanks for coming,
Bradley.”

“
Don’t
mention it. JJ got caught up or he would’ve been here himself.”
Jonathan Jukes was a member of Brad’s team and in regular contact
with Ashbury House. He had a history with the place, so Brad knew
it was important to lend a hand when he could.

“
We can
handle it from here. Give my regards to Jon.”

Brad inclined his head,
affirming her request. He understood that she worked with
vulnerable women and children, so she had no time to socialise – he
didn’t doubt her gratitude. “Be safe, Imogen. We’re only a phone
call away. My team are at your disposal.”

She turned back to him
with a smile that said everything for her. “Stay cool,
Bradley.”

Imogen caught only a
glimpse of his responding grin as she turned back and entered the
house.

Forty minutes later, Brad
was pulling up outside his own safe haven, Duke House. He co-owned
a Personal Protection and Security company with his brother in
arms, Kelvin Fairchild. Duke House had been their base of
operations for over twelve months. Their team occasionally
partnered with another agency, run by an ex-military policeman, Abe
Donovan. Brad was running late for a meeting, which Abe had
requested personally. Something told him they were about to join
forces again.

“
Nice of you
to show up, big man,” Kelvin said from his spot around the
conference table. The room was laid out command centre style, with
screens blinking in the background and desks displayed in neat
rows. The table stood front and centre so they had easy access to
the data.

Brad surveyed the small
group; his eyes coming to rest on a graceful looking woman, with
intense green eyes and masses of curly red hair. His interest
piqued immediately.

“
Something
came up - I got here as soon as I could.”

“
That’s not
much of an apology, Mr Morgan,” the redhead said, mild irritation
lighting her features.

Abe stood, immediately
defusing the tension. “Brad, this is Sarah Munroe. We were just
making introductions so you didn’t miss anything.”

Brad looked across at
Susannah, the other member of Morgan and Fairchild. She was the
glue that kept them together. The imperceptible change in his
expression spoke of his gratitude for stalling the
meeting.

“
My apologies
that you had to wait,” he said, his eyes on their guest. “The delay
really was unavoidable.”

“
We would
have started without you, despite the oracle’s efforts…” Abe paused
to wink at Susannah, appreciating her rich laughter. The oracle was
a private joke. “But we need all hands on deck, so to speak. Take a
seat, Brad, and I’ll fill you in.”

Brad complied, despite
the mild irritation at being told what to do in his own
office.

“
As you know,
I have a contract with Lundwood Studios. I have several teams
following the expansion, which makes it the biggest residential
security gig we cover.” He passed each of them a map, colour
co-ordinated to indicate each different zone. “There are six
patrolled areas, each requiring different levels of identification
and clearance. The first zone holds the smaller productions stages,
most of which are used for television broadcasting. The public are
permitted into this area for tour purposes or when audiences are
bused in for shows.”

“
Is the
activity limited to zone one?” Brad asked, taking in the extent of
land belonging to Lundwood.

“
As a walk-on
visitor, yes. There are buses that take in zones two and three as
part of the tour, but strict protocols are in operation. As you can
see, zones four and five make up the business district and larger
stages respectively.”

Kelvin was impressed with
the detail on Abe’s plan. “What’s in zone six?”

“
That’s under
development. It’s a major project by Lundwood to provide
residential housing and a conservation project.” Abe looked across
at Sarah and gave her a reassuring smile. “As I’m sure you’ve
observed on the news, Jack Murphy was involved in a car accident
two days ago. What wasn’t in the news is the fact that it was an
attempt on his life.”

“
He was due
to start filming at the studios,” Susannah said, almost to
herself.

“
That’s
right. His co-star, Alicia Gladstone, received a threat yesterday.
We feel that her life is now in danger.”

Brad felt a cold chill
run through his body at the name. He caught the look from Kelvin
and understood that he had to curb his reaction. “In what way was
she threatened?”

“
Someone
broke into her trailer and left a note.” Kelvin handed him a copy
of the postcard. “She received a letter two weeks ago that appears
to be connected.”

So
that’s why he’s on edge.
“You
said trailer. I thought the studio had accommodation on-site?” Brad
was starting to understand what it felt like to have his past come
back to haunt him.

Sarah let out a small
chuckle, leaning forward to address Brad directly. “It’s
interesting that you picked up on that small detail when Abe just
told you there was a security breach.”

“
I already
know the answers to the rest. Abe feels responsible for the breach
because that’s who he is.” Brad threw his friend a knowing smile.
“You’re here to employ our team as close personal protection to
Miss Gladstone. The fact that we’ll agree is a given because that’s
what we do, and what I’m certain of. What I don’t know, is why Miss
Gladstone would be using a trailer when Lundwood has state of the
art facilities.”

“
It wasn’t a
criticism, Mr Morgan, I like you and I have great respect for your
team. I know exactly why you asked the question, I was just
pointing out that it wasn’t an obvious one.”

Susannah whooped with
laughter and threw Sarah an appreciative wink. “No way out of that
one, sugar.”

“
I forgot to
mention that Sarah is Alicia’s personal assistant.” Abe was amused
by the dynamics around the table. “Don’t be misled by the title,
she basically runs the show, a lot like you, Suez.”

“
Then we’ll
get on like a box office hit on its opening weekend.”

“
Perhaps we
should have dealt with things directly and let them know the plan
of attack,” Sarah whispered to Susannah, earning appreciation from
everyone around the table.

“
Why don’t
you fill us in on what we need to know?” Brad asked, more
interested than he wanted to be.

“
Okay, but
first I’d like to say that Alicia has her own reasons for staying
in the mobile home, and if you really want to know, you’ll have to
ask her. It’s a mystery to me – always has been.” She pointed to a
row of buildings on the plans. “These are mostly dressing rooms;
each of the high end rooms includes en-suite facilities. If you
decide to take the job, you’ll stay there. There are also hair and
make-up studios, restaurants, conference suites, offices,
etc.”

“
Is there a
working theory on why she’s a target?” Kelvin asked.

“
There are a
few. Alicia owns the production company Gray’s Films, so sabotage
is one possible angle, especially since Jack was harmed.” Sarah
didn’t believe that particular theory.

Abe shook his head as
though reading her thoughts. “That doesn’t feel right. There are
other ways to stall filming, and taking out the competition seems a
little extreme at this stage.”

“
Whatever the
reason, the people closest to Miss Gladstone could still be in
danger,” Kelvin put in. It was something they had to
consider.

“
You’re
right, and we’re taking precautions. But right now our main concern
is Alicia. We’d like to assign twenty-four hour protection for the
duration of the investigation.”

“
And you’d
like us to take care of that,” Brad said, already deciding he
didn’t want lead on this particular case.

“
Yes, we’d
like you to facilitate Alicia’s personal safety. I will continue to
manage overall security for the site and coordinate from that end.”
Abe leaned back in his seat. “I brought Sarah with me today so she
could meet the team. She deals with Alicia’s affairs personally and
she’d like an input.”

“
I want you
to be part of the security team,” Sarah said, directing her gaze at
Brad.

“
Can I ask a
question?” Susannah cut in, giving Brad a few moments to recover.
He was connected in a way they probably weren’t aware of. Alicia’s
biological mother was also his step-mother.

“
It’s not
that I don’t appreciate the team mentality, and we are the best of
the best. But personal protection is what you do, Abe, so why not
cover things in-house, especially when you have the
contract?”

“
You said it
yourself, because you’re the best. I have men I’d...” He held up
his hands when Susannah made a face at him. “I have men and woman
I’d trust with the job, but I’m working to capacity. Besides, Sarah
did a little research and she liked what she found out about Morgan
and Fairchild.”

Kelvin let out a low
whistle. “She is like you, Suez. Exactly how much research are we
talking about?” he asked her, not doubting her
resources.

“
I have your
service records and details about some of your recent cases. You
come highly recommended.” She smiled, letting her eyes fall on each
of them before coming to rest on Brad. “So, will you be the
one?”

Brad felt himself squirm
in his chair. She had a direct and oddly flirtatious way about her.
He didn’t dislike it, it just made him uneasy. “I think Kelvin is
more suited to this particular job, but I’ll be second in command –
his back-up, so to speak.”

“
Here’s the
Intel you’ll need.” Abe picked up a file. “I’m sure Suez can fill
in any blanks. We need you to start as soon as...I have a team
covering until you’re on board.”

Kelvin reached for the
file and pushed it purposefully towards Brad. It was his way of
saying he wasn’t going to accept Brad’s reservations about the
case. Kelvin had an uncanny way of communicating without saying a
word.

Sarah pushed a stack of
business cards across the table. “I’m available on that number
should you have any questions.” She turned to Abe. “I need to get
back. I have a meeting in less than an hour.”

***

Brad pinned the last
photograph to the assignment board and stepped back to survey the
scene. Focusing helped him to bury the doubts he had about
accepting the assignment.

His eyes slid to their
client, the infamous Alicia Gladstone. Her startling blue eyes
stared out at him mockingly – they were more vivid than her
mothers. The shade was a dark, slate blue, full of shadows and a
curious light. They weren’t the only striking thing about her. She
had an exotic look; her dark hair worked to accentuate those eyes,
and her mouth was full and expressive.

The connection to Helen
Fairfax was the obvious reason for his reluctance to lead the case.
Though it was also what won him over in the end. Someone was
targeting Alicia, seemingly because of her mother – a woman she’d
never really known. It was that fact alone, the irony of it, which
swayed his decision.

He had been nine years
old when his father married Helen. He hadn’t known about Alicia
then, nor had his father. They were completely taken in by the
person Helen portrayed at the time. The characters changed
considerably based on her mood. For almost ten years, she had made
his life hell and enjoyed it immensely.

Becoming a marine and
serving his country turned out to be a way of escaping her. Being
part of a unit, doing something he believed in, had saved the boy
by turning him into a man.

His partner, Kelvin
Fairchild, played a part. He couldn’t hide anything from Kelvin,
especially the doubts about his objectivity. They had built Morgan
and Fairchild into a reputable security agency, one Brad was proud
of. He couldn’t let his team down. They were family – the only one
he wanted.

The fact that the
Gladstone case was high profile wouldn’t hurt the business, but on
that too he had his reservations. He preferred to stay in the
background, which would be near impossible now. Alicia was what he
liked to consider a screen idol – she was loved and hated in equal
measure. It was a challenge.