The Bachelor Bargain (Secrets, Scandals, and Spies) by Michaels, Maddison (short books to read TXT) 📕

he’d been with a woman. Probably close to a year, in fact. He’d been so focused on launching his railway network in the north and ensuring the hotel chain in London he’d taken over recently turned a profit, that he’d been overly preoccupied with those endeavors to even bother to deal with his baser needs.

Obviously, that had been a mistake and had to be the reason why Lady Olivia was getting on his nerves and churning him up on the inside. Why their kiss had seemed so different from any he’d experienced before.

Yes. He was randy was all. And being thus affected, most likely any kiss from a pretty face would have triggered his baser impulses. That was the only logical reason why he couldn’t get her out of his head.

Relief flooded him with the realization.

As soon as he scratched this itch of his, all thoughts of Lady Olivia would vanish like the wind. Then he could focus once again on what mattered in his life—making money.

A knock rang out from the direction of his door.

“Enter,” he commanded, swinging around to the doorway.

The door opened and Rowan strode through full of purpose, while Lance sauntered in behind him. They both took their usual seats in front of Seb’s desk, very used to being summoned at a moment’s notice.

Just as Seb expected. He did, after all, pay them handsomely, along with having gifted them shares in his company to ensure not only their loyalty but also their motivation.

“The two bodies ’ave been sorted,” Rowan stated, getting straight to the point, though it appeared as if he wanted to ask more about the circumstances of what had transpired, but the younger man knew Seb well enough to know he’d tell them when he was good and ready. “I’ve also discovered that a Jed McGinchy is the second in charge of the Lads of Leybrook Lane.”

“That is good news. Find him.”

“I will.” Rowan grinned. “Apparently, he loves to watch boxing matches, and it just so happens he’s already bought some tickets to the bare-knuckle match Thursday afternoon. So if we can’t find him sooner, me and some of the boys will round him up for questioning when he arrives at the Red Arena.”

Rowan was referring to the boxing arena Seb owned, officially titled the Baker Street Boxing Club, but known to all as the Red Arena.

“Make it happen.” It was just the news he needed. “Perhaps after some careful questioning he will disclose his boss’s identity. First, though, send some men around to Ezra Mooney’s place of business in Markall Street.” He quickly explained about the warehouse and what the men were to do about relocating the printing equipment and ensuring Mooney was given a lesson on what happened to those who tried to extort women. “Make it a lesson he will not forget, so he never repeats his mistake. And then ensure a note is sent to Lady Olivia with the new address of my warehouse on Jackson Street.”

Rowan nodded. “I shall.”

“Seeing that’s all sorted, are you now in a better mood to tell us what happened in the early hours this morning then?” Lance asked, a broad grin stretching across his face and his eyes dancing in curiosity. “When you went haring off to save Lady Olivia?”

Not for the first time, Seb was close to reprimanding Lance’s impudence, but they were more like brothers than just friends, so he refrained.

“Lady Olivia is messed up in what happened last night?” Rowan sounded surprised. “What the blooming hell was she doing in the Rookeries, let alone at that hour?”

“She received a note falsely purporting to be from me, requesting she meet me there.” Succinctly, Seb told them all that had occurred in the alley. Except the kiss. Neither of them needed to know that.

After he’d finished, he could see that Lance and Rowan were both rather impressed that a duke’s daughter had a blade concealed in the tip of her cane which, Seb had to admit, he was, too. Though there was fury in their eyes when he told him of the snake tattoo on the neck of the second assailant.

“We need to find this Lads gang and their mysterious leader, and we need to destroy them,” Rowan exclaimed when Seb had finished. “The absolute hide of them, daring to seek to have you killed. But what was their motivation in tricking Lady Olivia to attend, too? How’d they even know about her? Makes little sense.”

The same question had crossed Seb’s mind. “I don’t know, Rowan. But we need to find out and quickly. Perhaps when you round up this man McGinchy, he will be able to shed some light on it for us.”

“Actually, I think I might know why she was targeted.” Lance stood and walked across to where Seb was still perched on the window frame. “There were rumors the other day that a gentleman was seeking the services of someone to dispatch a rather well-to-do and connected young lady. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now I wonder if that lady is Lady Olivia?”

Slowly, Seb stood and took a step toward Lance until he was but an inch away. He glanced down at his friend, the rage boiling inside him at a knife’s edge from tipping over. “Why did you not tell me of this sooner?”

Lance stood his ground and raised his chin in a defiant gesture. “If I had known the request possibly related to her, of course I would have told you. But you left me in charge of the day-to-day running of the more unsavory aspects of our business dealings, remember? While you focused on the more legitimate side of things.”

“Oh, I remember,” Seb said, the boots of his shoes toe-to-toe with Lance’s. “But I must say, you’re slipping, Lance, not to inform me of such a thing.”

Narrowing his eyes, Lance squared up to Seb. “Why would I bother telling you of some fool who wanted to pay to have a lady killed,