'Um, Boss.'

"What?"

Kai held out his phone. 'I just saw these. Maybe you should take a look."

His call log had 58 missed calls, 36 of them from Kira.

And there were half a dozen angry text messages from her.

'Kai Scott, pick up the phone!'

'Kai Scott, I know you're awake! Answer your phone!!'

'Kai Scott, tell your boss to get his ass back home!!!!

Kai, where the hell are you guys?"

Austyn scrolled through the messages.

The number of exclamation marks increased, probably in tandem with the level of her wrath

He could almost picture her face as she typed out the words, stabbing her fingers at the screer while gnashing her teeth.

"Young Madam must be extremely worried right now. Kai sighed. 'She hasn't been able to get in touch with us for almost three days."

Boss should have called her before they boarded the plane.

Austyn tossed the phone back to Kai who caught it one-handed. 'You got any smoke?'

"What?!

'Cigarettes.

Uh, sure Kai reached for a shopping bag lying at his feet. 'I bought a few packs downstairs just now, but they are not the usual brand you smoke." Just give it to me. *

Austyn tore off the plastic wrapping and removed one cigarette.

Kal handed him a lighter.

Austyn lit the cigarette and inhaled its slightly acrid smell, but did not put its filter tip to his lips.

He just held it between his fingers.

'I thought about calling her,' he said. 'But I didn't. What was I going to tell her? It's been three days, and I'm still struggling to process the news. Imagine the shock she would feel.' Kai nodded.

He was there when Miss Connelly told Boss he had a son.

Even he was knocked for SIX.

The news came as such a bombshell.

Austyn ground out the cigarette in an ashtray without smoking it.

"Would you tell her?' Kai asked. 'About the... you know."

"The boy?" Austyn shook his head. 'No.'

I see."

Kai thought he understood.

Miss Connelly's son was born out of wedlock

There was no way Young Madam would accept his existence.

Boss could set him up in an apartment and give Miss Connelly a large sum of money for his upkeep.

It was actually quite a common practice for Stamford's moneyed class.

Kai could name at least four men he knew to have a wife at home and at least one mistress on

the side

There was even one who had three separate familjes.

Austyn seemed to read Kai's mind. 'It's not what you think."

'I didn't say anything. Kai shrugged sheepishly.

Austyn just shook his head.

He didn't want to lie to Kira, but neither was he ready to tell her the truth.

More importantly, he wasn't completely sure that Deborah had told him the truth.

He ran through the timeline again in his head.

Deborah left Stamford

even years ago.

Six years and four months, to be precise.

She left on a breezy day in April.

The date was seared in Austyn's memory as he thought that was the day she passed away.

It had been a chaotic month before that.

His Son, Or Liam's?

On the 4th of March

Austyn came home from the army on a weekend visit.

He didn't call, wanting to give her a surprise.

He was the one who got the surprise.

He caught her and Liam in bed.

He broke off the engagement that night.

She begged him to take her back

He didn't.

A week later, she invited him to dinner and said it was a farewell to their relationship.

He went.

She got him drunk.

They went home together.

He didn't recall much of what happened next, but he woke up in bed with her next to him.

They were both naked.

Austyn was sure Deborah had spiked the wine.

He got dressed without a word and headed straight back to the base.

That was the 11th of March.

He didn't come home again until the 20th, when an urgent call from Sebastian summoned. him back to Cedarwood Mansion.

Liam's bodyguard had shot Deborah.

Austyn was devastated.

He buried her on the 21st of March.

Or at least he thought he did.

If he slept with Deborah on the 11th, it was entirely possible she was pregnant when she left.

Stamford.

But she'd also slept with Liam.

Austyn wasn't sure if Deborah was

ling the truth.

The boy could be his, or Liam's.

Or, if he was being uncharitable all someone else after she landed in Trinidonia.

After all, she'd lied to him before.

Who was to say she wasn't lying now?

Which was why Austyn had held off on telling Kira.

He had to first find out the truth for himself.

Hence this trip to Blumore.

Arresting or better yet, killing-Santoro was Goal Number One.

Goal Number Two was to see the boy and conduct a paternity test.

Austyn tried to focus on the first goal.

He didn't want to think about how he would feel if the boy was truly his son.

What would Kira think?

Should he tell her?

He knew he should.

He didn't want to be like his father.

Henry McCarthy openly cheated on Charlotte, and not just while she was pregnant.

Liam was just three months younger than Austyn

Henry kept Liam's existence hidden from Charlotte until Liam was ten.

Austyn could still recall the look on his mother's face when Henry brought Liam back to

Cedarwood Mansion.

It wasn't shock or anger or hurt.

It was a look of surrender, a look of one whose heart had died.

Austyn would never do that to Kira.

He raked a hand through his short hair and exhaled.

He eyed the pack of Marlboro Lights.

He had quit smoking cold turkey.

Withdrawal symptoms were starting to kick in.

They couldn't have come at a worse time.

He was having constant cravings and always feeling irritated and jumpy.

The lack of sleep didn't help.

His mind was a mess.

He had a hard time concentrating.

But he had made a promise to Kira and intended to keep it.

He swept the pack into a dustbin;

Out of sight, out of mind..

Kai winced.

That was twenty-five bucks down the drain.

But he said nothing.

Boss had been exceptionally grouchy during the flight.

Maybe the stress of dealing with all this was getting to him.

Austyn shook his head and dispelled all thoughts of the boy from his mind.

He would cross that bridge when he came to it.

'Is Damian here yet?' he asked.

Damian had taken another flight and was three hours behind them.

'Mr Matthews called just before I came in. He should be here in half an hour.'

'You got the things I asked for?'

'Yes.' Kai kicked the black duffel bag at his feet. Two Glock G19s, one Sig Sauer P938, a Ruger Lightweight Compact, and five hundred rounds.

Blumore was a medium-sized town.

The M Group didn't have a presence here, but Austyn talked to someone, who talked to someone else, who gave him the contact number for a black market weapons dealer.

The man charged a premium for delivering the goods on such short notice, and the guns were all second-hand.

But they would do in a pinch.

Santoro would most likely be armed.

Now they were, too.

All they needed now was manpower, which was where Damian came in.

Damian Matthews arrived thirty minutes later.

Austyn and Kai had each taken a couple of Ambiens to deal with jet lag and then downed two pors of coffee to stave off the resulting drowsiness.

They didn't have time for sleep.

"Mr Matthews. Kai opened the door and nodded at Damian.

'Let me catch my breath.' Damian plonked himself down on an armchair. 'The flight's a nightmare. I got a toddler in front of me and a six-year-old behind. They took turns crying and throwing peanut shells around." *Here, these will make you feel better.' Austyn offered him the remaining Ambiens.

'Thanks, I'm good.' Damian removed a pack of Newport Platinums. 'These work just as well. Want one?"

Austyn shook his head.

'Right, I forgot. Luca told me you've quit. He said you and Kira are planning to start a family?"

'Don't listen to his nonsense. The first part's true. The second is not."

Austyn did want to start a family, but he planned to talk to Kira about it first.

'I'll go order us some food, Kai said.

The flight had been exhausting.

They came straight to the hotel after the plane touched down.

And the food on the plane had sucked.

Kai closed the door gently behind him.

Damian finished the first cigarette in a matter of minutes and lit up the second. 'I've brought my squad of four. They're catching some Zs in another room. I'll brief them later."

"Thanks for coming on such short notice.'

Damian waved a hand dismissively. 'Don't mention it. Santoro's on the Red Notice. It's our job to get him anyway. I should thank you for the tip.

'I just hope we can end this once and for all." 'Same here,' Damian said. 'So what's your plan?'

The Worst Case Scenario

'Santoro sounded sceptical over the phone,' Austyn said. 'He didn't buy the story of my death, at least not a hundred per cent. But he's arranged to meet with Deborah." 'Location?"

'Unknown at this time. He'll give her more instructions tomorrow morning.

'Crafty bastard. Go on."

'I'll go with Deborah. She'll be driving a van. There'll be plenty of room for me to hide in the vehicle. Onc

we arrive, I'll find a chance to overpower him. Your men will be in charge of blocking off his exits.'

"He could be armed.'

'So will 1.' Austyn tilted his chin towards the black duffel bag on the floor. 'I know you couldn't bring your weapons on the plane. I've got you some replacements."

Damian whistled when he saw the contents of the bag. 'These will do.'

He thought about it. 'Sounds like a workable plan, but you have to admit, it's a pretty rushed job. We have no idea where he wants to meet. There won't be time for recon. We might have to play it by ear."

'I know,' Austyn said. 'But if it's rushed for us, it will also be rushed for him. I don't want to give Santoro too much time to prepare.'

'Okay. My men will be following the van at a distance. This is a tourist town. Plenty of foreigners come here. So blending in shouldn't be a problem.'

'I appreciate your help,' Austyn said again.

'Don't worry about it. I just hope we get this guy.

After a while, Damian said, 'What about the boy?

Austyn had brought him up to date while he was on the way.

Damian had the same shocked reaction just like Kai.

Who knew Austyn would be the first among his friends to have a kid?

'Don't worry,' Damian said. 'Mike's a trained hostage negotiator. If Santoro's with the boy, we'll send Mike to talk to him. If he's not, even better. We'll just bust down the door and rescue the boy. Your son's going to be fine."Exclusive content from .

'I'm not so sure if he is my son,' Austyn said.

'What?'

'That's just Deborah's side of the story. I have yet to verify it.'

'But I thought you came here specifically for that boy."

Austyn shook his head. 'I came here to put Santoro away. He belongs either in a jail cell or in

the ground. He kidnapped Kira and hurt her. There's no w

I'll just let that go."

He looked straight at Damian, 'If you arrest him, give me half an hour alone with him before. you haul him away.

'Sure, that can be easily arranged.' Damian shrugged. 'So you're here to seek revenge for your wife?'

Austyn nodded. 'Santoro has to pay for what he did to her.'

'What about Deborah? How do you plan to deal with her?"

'She's Santoro's accomplice,' Austyn said coldly. If he belongs behind bars, so does she.'

'I'm not so sure about that.' Damian shook his head. 'She was working with or rather, working for-Santoro, but she did it under duress. Besides, she hadn't actually done anything yet. I'm not sure we have a case against her."