The Perfect Temptation Read Free

well.
     
    As though speaking to a dullard,
she said with careful measure,
     
    "An army would draw
attention, Mr. Terrell. Drawing
    attention to yourself also draws
the danger you're seeking to
    avoid. Mohan's father chose a
safer course and sent two of
    his most trusted men with us, posing
as household servants.
     
    "One died of illness while
we were at sea. Rather than
    risk betraying our whereabouts by
sending for a replacement,
    I decided to make a go of it with
the one remaining
    guard. And, as I expected, his
protection proved to be quite
    sufficient. Unfortunately, four
months ago he was an innocent
    bystander caught up in a street
altercation. While he
    survived the assault, hesustained
an injury to his head that
    left him partially paralyzed and
with the mind of a child.
     
    The doctors said there was
nothing to be done to improve his
    condition and so, three weeks
ago, I regretfully sent him
    back to India and his family. At
the time I did so, I also sent
    word of our situation to Mohan's
father and asked that he
    send replacements. Until they
arrive, I'd like to employ
    Mr. Stanbridge's services to
ensure that Mohan is kept safe."
     
    Barrett, not him, Aiden noted.
There was a God and He
    was indeed benevolent. But as
long as he had her attention,
    there was no point in wasting it
since-for some odd, unknown
    reason-he enjoyed the fact that
his mere presence
    seemed to irritate her. It
certainly wasn't very gentlemanly
    to goad her, but then, he'd given
up being a gentleman quite
    some time ago.
     
    "Why didn't you send word to
Mohan's father when the
    guard was injured?" Aiden
asked. "Why did you wait until
    you were in a desperate
situation?"
     
    He saw her jaw tighten, heard her
draw a long, slow breath.
     
    Her eyes bright with anger, she
said with far more calm than
    he expected, "I had hoped
that he would recover, Mr. Terrell.
     
    That sending word of any sort
wouldn't be necessary. There
    are people who will be watching
for it and attempt to trace it
    back here to Mohan. Contact is
always risky and to be
    avoided if at all possible."
     
    "If these people were to
find the boy," Barrett asked
    quickly, “What would they do to
him?"
     
    "They will initially hold · him
and make a ransom demand,"
    she supplied, turning away from
Aiden. "In the end,
    though ... They will brutally
kill him."
     
    And you couldn't have
guessed that for yourself, Barrett?
     
    "It could take months for
Mohan's father's guards to arrive,"
    his friend offered in what Aiden
recognized as the
    opening gambit in the
fee-negotiating phase of the meeting.
     
    "I understand that, Mr.
Stanbridge." She slipped her right
    hand into the folds of her silk
skirt as she continued. ''And
    I'm prepared to pay whatever your
charges will be for the
    duration."
     
    ''They will be
considerable," Barrett countered in a soothing,
    clearly preparatory tone. '
     
    "Mohan's father is a
generous man who cares deeply for
    his son," she replied,
extracting her hand from her skirt In it
    was a black silk bag, drawn
closed by a golden cord. Handing
    it across the desk, she added,
"He provided me with the resources
    to properly care for his son
under any circumstances."
     
    Aiden watched over his shoulder
as Barrett untied the
    knot in the cord, pulled open the
top of the bag, and poured
    the contents into the palm of his
other hand. It took every bit
    of Aiden's self-control to keep
his jaw from dropping at the
    sight of the diamond-and-ruby
necklace. The setting was
    gorgeous, the stones brilliant
and clear. It was small and delicate,
    but that didn't mean that
London's elite wouldn't kill for the chance to own it.
     
    "If youwould prefer
cash," she offered as Barrett dropped
    it back into the bag, "I can
see to the conversion of the piece
    myself."
     
    Barrett shook his head, stood,
and slipped the bag into his
    coat pocket. ''That won't be
necessary, Miss Radford."
     
    Aiden expelled the breath he'd
been holding and considered
    the creature