‘Fine, we’re on Beaver Island.’
‘Oh, very funny! Ha ha! I want the truth, not some lame attempt at comedy.’
‘That is the truth. We’re on Beaver Island. Get your purse and your designer hat, we’re getting off.’
He unbuckled his seatbelt and motioned toward the door.
‘Well, where is that? Not that I believe it’s a real place, but whatever it’s really called, where is it?’
‘America. Ready?’ Nathan pulled out his gun and prepared to disembark.
‘Do I have to hold on to you again?’ Autumn queried nervously as she stepped up close to him.
‘Only if you want to,’ he responded, grinning.
She buttoned up her jacket and chose to ignore him. He opened up the door, and, straight away, the heat hit her. It made her reach for the buttons on her jacket again, this time to unfasten them.
She followed him closely down the steps, her hand shielding her eyes from the fierce sun. Just off the tarmac was a four-by-four vehicle with a trailer attached. Sitting inside were two dark-skinned men dressed in khakis. Nathan approached the car with caution. Autumn walked steadily behind him.
‘Mr Regan, it’s good to meet you,’ the driver spoke. ‘We have a mutual friend in Mr Matthews. I am Teo.’
‘Good to meet you,’ Nathan said, holding his hand out to the man.
‘And this is Jazz,’ Teo introduced his companion.
Nathan nodded a greeting to the other man then turned to face Autumn. ‘Get in the back. We’re going to get the stuff off the plane.’
Teo got out of the Jeep and opened the door for Autumn, indicating the back seat. The fabric was torn and there was a thick layer of dust covering it. In the footwell were rags, an oil can, and a large wrench.
She held her breath and stepped up into the vehicle, trying to perch on the very edge of her bottom so as not to absorb anything.
‘You, Jazz, you armed?’ Nathan queried.
‘Sure,’ he responded, between chews of gum.
‘Good. Well, you stay with her and keep your eyes everywhere. Everywhere, got it?’ Nathan asked.
‘Sure, I got it,’ Jazz answered, unfazed.
‘I’ll be two minutes,’ Nathan said, looking to Autumn.
She nodded and felt a slight niggle in her gut as he left her side for the first time since they’d met. It felt odd to be out of his sight. But then, wasn’t that what she’d wanted?
‘Have you got a mobile phone?’ she hissed at Jazz.
‘Sure,’ he answered, turning to look at her.
‘Good. Let me have it,’ Autumn demanded as she held out her hand.
‘Oh no, ma’am, I don’t think so.’
‘How much?’ Autumn asked, opening the catch on her purse and rummaging through the contents to find her wallet.
‘How much what?’
‘How much money is it going to take for you to let me use your phone? A hundred pounds?’
She didn’t really know why she was looking in her purse for cash. She never carried cash. She couldn’t remember the last time she had even touched a note, which was probably a good thing, seeing as how, apart from communal bowls of nuts, handling money was the fastest way to catch something nasty. But to make contact with the outside world and the only people familiar to her, she would gladly give him her bank card.
‘Dollars, not pounds here,’ Jazz replied.
‘Listen, I’ll give you my bank card, you can withdraw whatever currency you like. Just let me have your phone for one minute,’ Autumn pleaded.
She was desperate. She hadn’t realized just how much she relied on Janey to run her life. Without someone directing her diary and telling her where to go, what to do, and even what to wear, she was lost. She knew she was here now, but just hearing where she was meant to be, hearing Janey’s familiar voice, it would be something to remind her of who she was and what she did up until twenty-four hours ago. She didn’t even know what time it was.
‘No amount of money can buy me. Besides, I am aware of Mr Regan’s reputation,’ Jazz told her firmly.
‘Mr Regan tells me everyone has their price,’ Autumn whispered.
She could see Teo and Nathan leaving the plane, the black duffle bags from the back over their shoulders.
‘Not me. I value my life,’ Jazz responded.
Autumn’s heart dropped to the bottom of her chest. She shoved her wallet back into her purse and held it to her as Nathan and Teo returned to the vehicle.
Her one chance without his eyes on her and she had blown it. For someone to turn down unlimited funds, this reputation Nathan Regan had must be pretty serious.
‘Everything okay?’ Nathan asked, directing the question at Autumn.
Those hazel eyes knew. They knew what she had asked Jazz and they were confident about the outcome. He knew everything she did even if he wasn’t there.
*
He tried to pretend nothing had changed, but almost everything had in the time it took to cross the Atlantic. He had no idea what to do next. He didn’t know what to tell her and what not. She was freaking out as it was. She couldn’t handle anything else just yet. He looked across at her as the Jeep left the landing strip and pulled onto the road. There was a stain on her precious skirt, and she rubbed at it with her fingers, counting every stroke. He didn’t think she could cope with honesty yet. She was only just getting used to protection.
Ten
When Autumn saw the property, she smiled for the first time in a very long time. It was gorgeous. This was more like it. This was what she was used to. As soon as the Jeep had parked up outside and Teo had opened the door, she had almost floated out of the vehicle, joy and awe etched on her face. It was a new building, traditionally constructed, the color of slate with a green tiled roof. There was a garage straight ahead, and to one side, wooden steps led up to a front door.
Her
