66
“You won’t tell me anything! What does he want with her?!”
Tshepo stared at his friend as he paced the office. In no time Nate would wear a path on the linoleum floor. He knew his friend was agitated but it amused him because he never knew Nate to be an impatient man yet here he was agitated over a woman. He relaxed on the couch musing.
Nate shot him a nasty look. “Why the hell are you so relaxed?”
“Why shouldn’t I be? I am not the one fighting my demons and worrying about a woman who I chased out of my house with my less-than-pleasant attitude.”
Nate stopped pacing to glare at Tshepo again. His heart was racing but his hands were tied, there was nothing he could do especially since he didn’t know what had happened to Rachel. Tshepo who seemed to know a lot would only tell him one thing, ‘Jacob has Rachel.’ And that was it.
“You are a little too relaxed,” he accused him.
“Because I know Rachel is safe.”
“And how do you know that?”
“Because it’s classified information.”
“What do you mean?”
Tshepo turned serious for once. He swung his socked feet off the couch and leaned forward. “The GHIA wanted to recruit Rachel as an undercover link to apprehend Jacob, unfortunately, he got to her before we could. We know Rachel is not on Jacob’s side.”
“Then get her!”
Tshepo frowned at Nate’s vehemence. “It’s not that easy. Jacob is affiliated with rich, powerful men – many of whom are politicians. The GHIA only has the support of the state on paper. Do you think the politicians who supported the creation of the GHIA wouldn’t cut our throats if we exposed their secret, illegal dealings?” Tshepo leaned back on the seat and reached for his whiskey. He swirled the golden liquid in the glass and watched it move wondering how much he should reveal to Nate. “Our job as an intelligence agency is to expose criminals of the highest caliber, unfortunately, those criminals are the power movers, they are the reason I can still pay my bills…”
“You wouldn’t have to if you had taken my offer,” Nate said softly.
Tshepo raised his eye to Nate’s. “I appreciate your offer as I am grateful that you saved my life. But I can’t live off you forever. I swore an oath against injustice that night and I intend to fight injustice till I die. The justice and security system is corrupt but I want to make a change.”
Nate understood Tshepo’s pride and his desire for justice. He stopped pacing again to regard his friend. It was a hard truth to accept but Tshepo was a stronger man than he, he was fighting his demons chivalrously yet he, Nate, still couldn’t shake off his past.
“I know that you are worried about her,” Tshepo said rising as he threw the rest of the whiskey down his throat. “And I am sorry I can’t reveal the plans we have for her but you need to promise not to interfere in this mission.”
“How can I interfere if you won’t tell me anything?”
Tshepo gave him an unreadable look and said nothing. He retrieved his jacket from the back of the couch – he was wearing an official GHIA suit since he was coming from the Agency.
“Well?” Nate pressed.
“You will know. I will see you later, man.”
They shook hands even though Nate was unsatisfied with Tshepo’s report. He walked his friend to the door and the private elevator so he could leave without being seen. When he walked back to his office his secretary was there holding a black private invitation card.
“What is this?” he queried.
“Philippe Giovanni’s exclusive invite. He is not taking no for an answer,” she added when Nate started to ignore the card to go to his office.
Philippe was a persistent man. He didn’t know what the man wanted from him but Nate suspected he wanted to make a diamond deal with him. The man was a good friend, one of the few he had. But he didn’t want to sell his diamond fields, he didn’t want to sell shares of it, it was his inheritance and even if his hands weren’t clean he wasn’t about to transfer ownership of it to Philippe or anyone for that matter. But he knew Philippe would not let him be not if he kept ignoring him. He made up his mind to see the man at his so-called exclusive party today to state clearly his stand on the issue. Once he was done with that he would leave and find a way to get to Rachel without Tshepo’s knowledge. He understood his friend’s concern but he couldn’t seat back and do nothing while her husband…ex-husband, Nate reminded himself held her hostage. He wouldn’t seat back while the animal hurt her.
He paused. How was he different from Jacob Henderson? He had hurt her too.
“Sir?” his secretary asked leaning in slightly.
He snapped out of his thoughts annoyed at himself for getting caught lost in his thoughts.
He snapped the invitation out of her hand and said, “Tell Tom to ready the car.”
“Yes, sir.”
It was evening before he could leave. There was so much to do, so many deals to make and so many threats to listen to. He didn’t go a day without those. Being in the spotlight as one of Gem Hills’ richest came with dangers of its own and Nate got his own fair share. That was why he had his security detail – well Tshepo had enlisted the security team. He would have preferred to live his life on the edge and play with death, he had so many sins to pay for. Tshepo on the other hand thought he was a better man than both of the father figures in his life had been.
He had started a charity for the children at the orphanage he worked in as a child. He had started more charity organizations for the young children Fredrick had used as free labor in his mines while he had worked with the Gaboran government to ensure that only people ages 19 and above could work in the mines and only if they chose to. It was possible to have such an influence since he was Gaboran by birth.
He had employed a new principal for the orphanage since the other one was too old to oversee the activities of the orphanage. He got reports about abandoned babies and children and for every single abandoned child, he found a home for them and kept records of their birth and progress.
Tshepo thought it was an honorable thing to do. Nate wasn't convinced.
As soon as evening came he joined Tom in the car and stopped only briefly at his Gem Hills apartment for a quick freshener before getting into the car again to Philippe’s party.
What he really wanted to do was go home and swallow a whole bottle of whiskey – no not the whole bottle. He wanted to drown the guilty thoughts that kept him awake at night in glass after glass of whiskey.
The ride was a long one and eventually, the car rolled into Philippe’s expansive, impressive home. He came down ready to avoid the cameras and anyone who might want to talk to him and made a beeline for the door. There was Philippe Giovanni, a tall thin man with a ready smile. His smile was deceptive because the man was a shrew when it came to business. He knew what stocks were good and which were bad news, and he was quick to always swoop in for a deal.
His sharp brown eyes met Nate’s and his smile widened. “Madden. I knew you wouldn’t refuse my invitation.” He left the guests he had been greeting to pull Nate aside for a chat.
“Philippe I trust you’re doing fine?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t host a party if I couldn’t.”
The man was a widower but Nate had to hand it to him, in the absence of a hostess he still did a good job throwing a fancy party.
“Let’s have a drink.”
“I won’t be staying for long,” Nate muttered glaring at a photographer trying to take a picture of him and Philippe together. He wasn’t quite ready to appear in newspapers again. “I know you only invited me for the mines. I am not selling.”
Philippe looked hurt. “You offend me, Nathaniel, I invited you because you are charming and you’ve barely attended any events in these past three months. We were beginning to wonder what happened to the great Nathaniel Madden. I don’t want to discuss the mines with you today – and not because I have lost interest mind you – you are a friend and a guest today.”
Nate wanted to leave.
“You will change your mind about leaving when you see what I have for you,” Philippe said in a conspiratory whisper. Nate frowned at him. “But if you still want to leave after you’ve seen it then I won’t stop you.”
“What are you talking about?”
Philippe’s smile returned and he steered Nate back to the door where most guests were still arriving, exchanging pleasantries. Both men entered Philippe’s mansion.
There were more guests inside. The lights had been dimmed for intimacy and there were dancers and hostesses dressed in seductive outfits serving drinks and finger foods.
Nate glanced around eager to leave but also eager to see what surprises Philippe had. But he didn’t have to wait long. Philippe guided him through his receiving room and right there, too far for her to notice him was Rachel, red hair, brown seductive eyes, a red silk gown that hugged her full luscious figure and silver heels.
But she wasn’t alone. Jacob Henderson was with her. His hand was around her waist.
