“Shh. It’s going to be fine. You’re a warrior.” The sound of more kissing. “Wait for my message. Then maybe we can go away somewhere for a while.”
“Just the two of us?” Ajay sounded hopeful.
“Yes. You know my husband doesn’t treat me well. Ignores me most of the time.” More kissing sounds.
“Jesus, she’s a real piece of work.” Hadley ended the bug connection.
A moment later, Kitty bounced out of the house, fixing her hair. She looked like she didn’t have a trouble in the world.
Bennett gripped the wheel, keeping his gaze locked on the woman.
Kitty slipped into her Mercedes and pulled away.
He just stared at Ajay’s building. How had the young man gotten sucked into this?
Bennett blew out a breath.
“We need to put Ajay under surveillance,” Hadley said.
With a nod, Bennett reached for his phone. “I’ll have Henry organize it.”
Hadley’s phone rang and she held up a finger.
“Hello?” She straightened. “Thanks for calling me back. Really? That’s great. No, I can come to you. Where?” A pause. “A-ha. Okay. I’ll see you then.” She ended the call and smiled.
“Who was that?” he asked.
“That was a string I pulled, that finally paid off. Someone who knows L’Orage.”
Bennett sat up straighter. “And is willing to talk to us about him?”
“Yes.” Her smile widened. “I’ll go and—”
“I’m coming.”
She frowned. “Bennett…”
“I’m coming.” He started the engine. “Where are we headed?”
“If you scare him off, or intimidate him—”
“I’ll be a good boy, but I’m not letting you go alone to see an associate of L’Orage.”
“He’s not an associate, and you do know I can defend myself?”
“Yes. I’m still not letting you go alone.”
She shook her head. “Fine. Oxford.”
He pulled out. “That’ll be just over an hour’s drive. I’ll have to tell Maudie we won’t be back for a bit.” He winced at that. “Where in Oxford, exactly?”
“The Bodleian Library.”
“Who is this guy?”
“We’ll find out soon.”
CHAPTERNINE