A Chance Encounter by Rae Shaw (e manga reader TXT) 📗

won't shut it down. I won't be defeated. Too many rely on the safe houses and support.’

The impact of the foundation’s work had forced a new tactic – follow the money. Julianna moved the timeline to nearly three years ago. ‘He laundered his money using Henderson’s help. Mark uncovered the scam at Haydocks and assets were frozen. What Mark doesn't know is that his father killed the cousin of Redningsmann.’

‘If it is him, my nemesis, the Deliverer, Ellen is walking into a trap. He’s been waiting years, knowing what Bill did but leaving him in prison to rot. Mark’s crusade was about the money, and that really hit hard, so he decides to act. It’s about punishing Mark, and Bill, and the best way is to sell his sister into sexual slavery.’

A wave of shivers stung Julianna’s skin. It all hung together if the final piece was Ellen’s entrapment. ‘It works if Ellen told them Mark’s behind the breakup of Haydocks and revealed herself as his sister.’

‘How that came to happen...’

Mark had shown so little concern. Ellen chatted with this guy for such a long time, in secret. How clever. And patient. Why wonder Mark hadn’t been worried by Ellen’s news. The evening traffic finally thinned out, and Jackson, sensing the alarm in Julianna’s voice, picked up speed.

‘This man doesn’t rush,’ he said. ‘He’s the ringmaster of a long-playing circus game. But I think it’s reaching its final stage for Mark. Let’s hope Ellen is simply going on a dig in Ireland and your nervous antennae is twitching unnecessarily.’

Julianna’s instincts had been off-kilter for some time. She would like it to be way off for Ellen’s sake; the girl wasn’t even the original target; that was Mark.

‘You wanted me to get involved with Mark so I could protect him and keep an eye on him.’

‘Yes. I used you and I've no regrets. I set this all in motion, Julianna. I created this monster and his hatred for me. The police, other charities, local councils, we all work together. My money provides safe houses and repatriates the most vulnerable. Haydocks was used to control where the money went, the way it was laundered. I bet he's regretting using Henderson.’

‘You said Mark needs to find out the truth, piece things together. But why? Why wait for Mark to find things out? I think, to be blunt, sir, you've played a game with him for too long.’

‘That wasn't my intention. I assumed Mark would be the target for vengeance, which is why I erased Haydocks from his record, kept the police away, and brought Mark to where I could keep an eye on him. My headquarters is well protected by security systems, Daneswan wasn’t. And Mark has you. Don't you think that helps him? What Mark has yet to realise is where his father fits in.... was joining Haydocks done with his dad’s blessing or… We're here.’

She squeezed her handbag: a heavy leather one that weighed a ton. She had chosen it on purpose. ‘He'll find out soon, won't he?’

‘Yes, I'm dropping you off. See if you can find her. Ring for back up if you need it. If she's here, bring her to Mark's place. Watch your back. I'm going over to speak to Mark, break the news to him that his sister is the likely target. What's his address?’

She told him and he entered it into the GPS. She spoke, ‘Please, don't... he's easily upset.’

Jackson's pupils were dark pinpricks in a sea of blue. ‘I intend to upset him. He needs to start asking the right questions, not about his father's guilt, which is a distraction, but about why his father became that man, an assassin. He's evaded the truth for years. As for Ellen, she's his younger sister, and you know what I feel about family. It's everything to me.’ He released the door lock and she climbed out. The wheels spun and he was gone.

~ * ~

The name next to listing for flat 3A was E. Devera. Had Chris given her the wrong address? She buzzed and waited, but there was no answer. She tried again. The other the occupants of the building were listed with their flat numbers and individual doorbells. One stood out: Jed Redder, 4A, the flat above Ellen's.

That lump in her throat returned. Redder was another translation of the Deliverer. She instinctively pressed the buzzer for 4A.

‘Yes?’ the voice crackled. ‘Who's there?’

‘I'm trying to find Ellen Devera in the bedsit below you. Do you know her? It's important.’ She waited, her nose to the glass of the door. If somebody came out, she would whiz by them and in.

Nobody came.

‘Who are you?’ the disembodied voice asked.

‘My name is Julianna Baptiste. I'm a friend of her brother, Mark.’ It was a gamble. He would either ignore her or let curiosity win.

The main door released. ‘Come up.’

The door to 4A was already open and the first thing she saw was the wall opposite, which was covered in posters of bikers. Bikers with long hair and tattoos, and plenty of black leather, macho poses, and some bare chests too. She tensed, remembering what Sophia had said about the Deliverer using bikers to recruit.

The man stood in the kitchen, his hand resting on a motorcycle helmet. He wore a black leather jacket. The apartment was a tip.

‘What do you want?’ he asked.

Julianna stayed by the door, on the threshold, half in. She kept her escape route open.

‘Jed Redder?’

He shook his head. ‘No. I'm Nicky. Jed's my half-brother. He used this flat until a year ago.’

How to spot a liar? By their eyes. ‘The name tab says it's Jed Redder's.’

A flutter of his eyelashes, but he stayed with her gaze, matching it. ‘Call me lazy, I haven't changed it.’

‘You're Ellen's friend?’

‘That's me.’ He wasn't smiling. ‘And