Chapter 17
BELLA
Christmas has come and gone, and we start the New Year with storms and gloomy weather that suits my mood.
I know Copper doesn’t understand why I don’t want to speak to my mum and dad because it’s clear I miss them with every fibre of my being.
I’d never been away from them until I took this job.
But deep in my soul, I know that if I hear their voices, I’ll break down and want to see them.
I can’t take that risk, not when we’re so close to finishing this case.
I crave the freedom of my old life, even though it will look vastly different from before. Especially as I won’t be returning to Crow Manor or Feannag Village.
Until that happens, I need to focus on completing this assignment. And a few things are bugging me about Carter Accounting.
The first is that we have no dealings with the company's owners, only with Alan Chivers. Ramzi hasn’t been able to find anything on the owners other than that they’re brothers, now retired and living off the shares they hold in the company.
Company accounts are filed on time, and when Silas, Cai, and Cahir surveilled them, they found nothing odd about the way they live their lives.
They play golf twice a week, have lunch with their wives, and go on holiday twice a year.
Their spending habits aren’t extravagant, considering their wealth.
The second thing that troubles me is how they choose the people who work on the ledgers. I knew why they selected me—I worked my way up the ranks in the last two years and proved myself. So, I ask the Cursed Skulls to look into my colleagues to find out why they were chosen for their roles.
Not all my colleagues work on the ledgers, as we also do work for regular clients. My gut tells me they’re being threatened in some way.
Silas confirms my suspicions when he discovers that the company is threatening the safety of my colleagues’ families. I like most of my co-workers and hate that they’re being treated this way. Once this is over, I promise myself I’ll help them.
During my work on the ledgers, I notice a recurring name, and tonight, I’ll infiltrate my office building with Silas, Cahir, and Cai.
Cahir was initially reluctant to include me, but he knows they need my expertise to decipher the information in the ledgers that my colleagues work on.
Once we confirmed a name, everything changed.
Copper isn’t happy with my involvement either, but he’ll be in the surveillance van with Ramzi, watching over us. My man is incredible in many ways, but stealthy he is not.
And tonight, we need stealth. I’m not worried, not with the backup I have.
***
2 am, Felixstowe, January 2017
“Are you ready?” Cahir asks over the comms.
“Ready,” I reply.
“Let’s move.”
Cai takes the lead, with me next, followed by Cahir. Silas will keep watch in the shadows near the door, along with Copper and Ramzi.
Cai makes short work of breaking in, but we wait for a few seconds to make sure we didn’t trigger the alarm.
“You’re good to go,” Ramzi assures us.
We move through the halls as one until we reach my floor. It’s eerie now that it’s empty, without a soul in sight.
“You’re up, Bella,” Cahir says softly as he walks towards Alan Chivers’ office.
I asked him to search it while we were here. I’m not sure if he’ll find anything, but it’s too good an opportunity to miss.
Cai circles the office, keeping watch.
I jimmy the lock of the first desk and remove the ledgers, locating the name I’m looking for.
Putting them back, I relock the drawer and move on to the next.
It doesn’t take me long to find the name.
When I hit the fourth desk, another stands out.
Now I have two, although this name isn’t in my ledgers.
I make a note as Cahir returns from searching Alan’s office.
“Done?” he asks.
I nod, and we leave as silently as we arrived. We rejoin Silas and make our way back to the surveillance van.
Copper’s worried gaze immediately lands on me as I climb in.
“Let’s get going,” Cahir orders as Cai gets in the driver's seat. “Bella can brief us once we’re away from here.”
We pull away, headlights off until we reach the main road.
I sit beside Copper and rest my head on his shoulder, threading my fingers through his. A smile tugs at my lips as he presses a kiss to my head.
This man. I never thought I’d have this again, but now that I do, I can’t imagine being without him.
“Did you get what you needed?” he asks softly.
I nod. “Yeah.”
He squeezes my hand, and we remain silent until we pull into an industrial area three miles from our flat. Cai stops the van next to where we hid Copper’s bike. We’ll ride back to the flat.
Cahir and Cai turn towards us once we’re stationary. Silas and Ramzi are with us in the back. Ramzi is waiting for the information I obtained so he can start the search.
“What did you find, Bella?” Cahir asks.
“Two names,” I say, seeing the surprise on their faces.
“I wanted confirmation of the name I had. Miles Burres. When I was checking the other ledgers, another name stood out. Lloyd Eade. He’s not in my ledger, but he was in the last four I checked tonight.
I don’t think he’s as big a player as my guy, but he’s not far off.
Lloyd Eade is familiar, but I can’t remember why. ”
Silas shares a look with Cahir.
“Nora,” Silas mumbles, a faraway look on his face.
I suddenly remember why I know the name, but it’s not my story to tell. I’m just glad we’ve finally managed to track him down.
“I’ll start checking on both of them,” Ramzi says. “You did good, Bella. I know this has been tough on you.” He hesitates as he looks at Copper. “It’s been tough on both of you. Hopefully, this won’t last forever now that we have names to work with.”
“It’s getting dangerous now,” Cahir warns, and the look in his eyes chills me. “Make sure your trackers are on at all times and stay armed. Both of you.” He aims that last part at Copper.
“We’re always armed,” he assures Cahir.
He’s right. We never leave the house without our weapons.
“I added some bugs to Alan’s office,” Cahir informs us.
I tense. “He scans his office every morning.”
“We know,” Ramzi replies. “This is new tech I’ve been working on, and so far, the scanners haven’t picked them up.
Since we’re hitting his organisations so hard, I have a feeling he’ll be coming in for a meeting soon.
We need to find out what he thinks is going on.
If they suspect you, we’re pulling you out. ”
“But we’re so close,” I protest. “We’ve come so far. Don’t stop me now.”
I’m devastated that they're thinking of pulling us off the operation after all the hard work and sacrifices we’ve made to reach this point.
“Bella,” Cahir says.
I recognise that clipped tone. It’s his ‘don’t fuck with me’ voice.
“You’re more important than any op. We’ve shut down several rings using the information you’ve provided us with in the last year alone. And that’s not including those we shut down the previous year.”
“Yes, but they’re all small operations. We need to get the big ones shut down,” I huff, frustration riding me.
“And we will,” Cahir assures me, “but we’ll do it without putting you at further risk. We need you alive and well if we’re going to continue this work.”
“Bella,” Silas says softly. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had children to worry and care about. You’ve filled a hole in our lives that we didn’t know needed filling. You aren’t just an operative. You’re a daughter, and your safety is our priority.”
Tears prick my eyes. I’ve never doubted that they care for me, but Silas’s words cement the depth of their affection.
My throat is tight with emotion, so all I can do is nod. When I’ve got myself under control, I open the side door of the van for us to exit. “Okay, if we need to pull out, we pull out. I know I don’t often say it, but you all mean the world to me.”
They look surprised, and I’m not sure why. I need to get out of here before my emotions get the better of me. “Let me know as soon as you hear anything, and we can make plans.”
Cai stops me with a hand on my knee. Surprised, I look at him. He’s the quietest of all the brothers, with heartache in his eyes. “Be careful.”
My heart rate doubles at his warning. Cai never talks, so I wonder why he’s chosen to do so now. He’s not saying anything that others haven’t told us, but those two words seem ominous coming from him.
I nod, clearing my throat. “I will.”
He holds my gaze for a second longer before he removes his hand from my knee.
Copper and I exit the van, and we watch as they pull away.
I turn towards Copper once they’re gone. “I’m afraid.”
His lips tighten as he reaches for me. “Me, too, baby,” he whispers against my temple. “Me, too.”
I squeeze his waist, wanting to hold on tight to him forever. “I had nothing to lose before I met you. Because I’d already lost it. But now I’ve got you. I can’t lose you.”
I tilt my head back, meeting Copper’s eyes.
The emotions I can’t put into words are reflected back at me.
He lowers his head and takes my mouth in a hard kiss, pouring all those emotions into it.
I know what he’s saying without his having to utter a word.
Our biggest fear since we started this relationship is that one of us wouldn’t make it home.
“Let’s go home,” he whispers against my lips. “I need to be inside you.”
“Hurry,” I urge huskily.
We barely make it through the door before he’s inside me, making me feel whole.
We don’t sleep that night, believing that as long as we don’t, we can hold back the approaching storm.