Read Online Fifth Victim by Zoe Sharp - Free Book Online

To my mind, it was way over the top for the situation, calling unnecessary attention to the occupants, but they certainly made the existing gate security look like monkeys. Maybe that was the point.
    After a long pause, during which time they stared hard at anything that moved, and at quite a bit that didn’t, one nodded to the others. The rear door of the limo opened again and a couple climbed out. They were both in their late teens or early twenties, and dressed to kill.
    Alongside me, Dina gave a gasp. I guessed without being told that these two were the other kidnap victims, whose possible non-arrival had caused Torquil such anxiety. They were ushered through the gate without the usual checks and strode towards us along the planking.
    The boy was short, almost squat, with dark curly hair and Mediterranean heritage written in the olive skin and the facial bones. He had on a dark dinner suit with the bow tie undone and he kept one hand in his pocket as though he’d practised the brooding-yet-casual look in the mirror before he came out.
    The girl wore a voluminous sable coat, together with a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses, even in the dark. I waited to see if any of this would cause her to trip and fall into the water, but she negotiated the jetty with practised ease.
    Dina froze, giving a fairly good impression of a deer in the headlights. It was only when the couple neared us that any flicker of recognition passed across the boy’s face at the sight of Dina. It was followed by a hint of contempt, and he would have swept right on past us, had the girl not stepped round him and grasped Dina lightly by her upper arms, air-kissing her on both cheeks. I suddenly saw her profile in the light for the first time, and I realised with shock that I knew exactly who she was.
    ‘Dina, honey!’ she said. ‘Surely you’re not leaving already?’
    Yeah, Dina. Let’s go. Let’s go right now .
    My attempts to will my principal into a course of action proved a failure. Dina stepped back with confused surprise on her face at the unexpected warmth of this welcome. She threw a quick glance in my direction, as if afraid of my reaction. ‘Uh, well, I—’
    ‘Oh, but you can’t go now,’ the girl said firmly, linking her arm through Dina’s and steering her back in the direction of the yacht club. ‘Not when this party’s just about to get interesting.’
    I was pretty sure I knew what constituted her definition of interesting , and was equally positive I didn’t want to stick around long enough to make sure.
    The boy gave an impatient shrug. ‘She wants to leave, let her go, Manda,’ he said, dismissive.
    ‘It’s not that,’ Dina said quickly, voice rising. She snatched another look at me and disengaged herself with obvious regret, swallowing. ‘Look, I’d love to stay, honestly, but maybe this isn’t a good time. Torquil and I, we had a-a falling out over a glass of champagne. I tripped and he kinda ended up wearing most of it …’ Her voice petered away at their blank expressions. She straightened her spine with a determinedly carefree little smile. ‘Lucky for him I wasn’t drinking red wine, huh?’
    Manda’s eyebrows rose far enough to appear over the frames of her designer sunglasses, then she let loose a big grin that belied the cool appearance. Even the boy stopped scowling for long enough to look briefly amused.
    ‘Priceless,’ Manda drawled, glancing at him sideways. ‘I told you we should have gotten here earlier, Ben-Ben.’
    The boy did not look like he enjoyed being called ‘Ben-Ben’ in public. ‘We’re here now, aren’t we?’ he said. ‘Where the hell’s Tor? I need a drink.’
    Right on cue, I felt the planks bouncing under our feet as someone came hurrying along the jetty. I turned and saw Torquil had emerged at the far end, near the yacht club, and was approaching as fast as he could without actually running.
    ‘Manda! Benedict! Great to see you!’ He was trying desperately for