things are worth fighting for, but nothing is worth dying for.’ Without warning he ran his thumb down the exposed double seam of her bag, an odd expression on his face. He stalked off with undeniable grace and the double doors swung closed.
Ellie reached to steady herself on the table, her knees quivering. What the hell had just happened? Drug running, electoral bribery, money laundering? How much more was going on in the Bay she didn’t know about?
Nicholas Lawson had gone from confident with a touch of humour this morning to arrogant with too much attitude in the space of a couple of hours. And way too desirable with those angular cheekbones and carved-in-stone jawline. She tried to rationalise it away. It was the allure of the bad boy, the challenge of the unattainable. Hadn’t every woman felt that pull at some time? Nina had a habit of giving in to it. The thought of her sister brought Ellie’s heart rate back under control. She was being ridiculous. He was the enemy. She must never forget that.
Nina would have laughed at her. Her sister’s words echoed in her mind. ‘One day, Ellie, you’ll be run down by the overwhelming force of lust. I just hope I’m there when you fall from your high-minded principles and join the rest of us rolling around in the dark.’
Ellie felt the ache in her heart. Her sister had effortlessly attracted powerful men.
There was that niggle of recognition again, Ellie realised, trying to focus on the present. Something about Nicholas Lawson which she couldn’t pin down. Something to do with being left handed? Something to do with his watch? Could it be something to do with Afghanistan?
She steadied her frayed nerves and yanked the door open into the corridor. Her heels tapped on the polished boards making her feel more conspicuous in her guilt.
Just as she turned the corner to the foyer she realised she’d left her camera bag in the council chambers. Grinding her teeth she walked back to retrieve it. Would there be more nasty surprises lurking round corners for her?
9
Nick’s strides were brisk. The ankle holster was a comforting tightness inside his boot, but a gun wasn’t going to be much use to him, or Ellie, if he wasn’t around the next time she went courting trouble. He’d spotted her camera bag with its distinctive surfboard charm as he’d turned to leave, a bag he remembered loading into the back of an armoured personnel carrier two years ago. The same bag she’d clutched in her hand as she stood on the top stair of the jet and looked back at him as he saluted her. In an age of backpacks and cheap designer fakes, something about the battered leather had caught his attention. It seemed appropriate for the serious young woman.
Everything about that day was crystal clear in his memory. As a commander, losing one of his men was the ultimate horror. To also lose a journalist imbedded with his force multiplied that emotion ten-fold. It scared the hell out of him knowing the after-effects of that day were playing out in Half Moon Bay with Ellie now front and centre on the action.
His control had almost snapped when he realised she was in the council chambers during the discussion he’d just had with O’Sullivan. She would have heard everything. Bloody little idiot. Hiding under a table, for God’s sake. What was she trying to prove?
He needed to make her understand this was dangerous, life-threatening. This operation had been going on too long to be abandoned now. He would, however, need to rethink his strategy and, at the very least, change the plan. There was a real risk Ellie would come storming down to the docks looking for the money if she worked out what was really going on. It was possible she still thought it was about corruption and shonky developments. Even Nina hadn’t known the full extent of the operation that killed her.
The vast network of corruption and drug smuggling uncovered by the defence force inquiry had shocked him. Private security
Ellie reached to steady herself on the table, her knees quivering. What the hell had just happened? Drug running, electoral bribery, money laundering? How much more was going on in the Bay she didn’t know about?
Nicholas Lawson had gone from confident with a touch of humour this morning to arrogant with too much attitude in the space of a couple of hours. And way too desirable with those angular cheekbones and carved-in-stone jawline. She tried to rationalise it away. It was the allure of the bad boy, the challenge of the unattainable. Hadn’t every woman felt that pull at some time? Nina had a habit of giving in to it. The thought of her sister brought Ellie’s heart rate back under control. She was being ridiculous. He was the enemy. She must never forget that.
Nina would have laughed at her. Her sister’s words echoed in her mind. ‘One day, Ellie, you’ll be run down by the overwhelming force of lust. I just hope I’m there when you fall from your high-minded principles and join the rest of us rolling around in the dark.’
Ellie felt the ache in her heart. Her sister had effortlessly attracted powerful men.
There was that niggle of recognition again, Ellie realised, trying to focus on the present. Something about Nicholas Lawson which she couldn’t pin down. Something to do with being left handed? Something to do with his watch? Could it be something to do with Afghanistan?
She steadied her frayed nerves and yanked the door open into the corridor. Her heels tapped on the polished boards making her feel more conspicuous in her guilt.
Just as she turned the corner to the foyer she realised she’d left her camera bag in the council chambers. Grinding her teeth she walked back to retrieve it. Would there be more nasty surprises lurking round corners for her?
9
Nick’s strides were brisk. The ankle holster was a comforting tightness inside his boot, but a gun wasn’t going to be much use to him, or Ellie, if he wasn’t around the next time she went courting trouble. He’d spotted her camera bag with its distinctive surfboard charm as he’d turned to leave, a bag he remembered loading into the back of an armoured personnel carrier two years ago. The same bag she’d clutched in her hand as she stood on the top stair of the jet and looked back at him as he saluted her. In an age of backpacks and cheap designer fakes, something about the battered leather had caught his attention. It seemed appropriate for the serious young woman.
Everything about that day was crystal clear in his memory. As a commander, losing one of his men was the ultimate horror. To also lose a journalist imbedded with his force multiplied that emotion ten-fold. It scared the hell out of him knowing the after-effects of that day were playing out in Half Moon Bay with Ellie now front and centre on the action.
His control had almost snapped when he realised she was in the council chambers during the discussion he’d just had with O’Sullivan. She would have heard everything. Bloody little idiot. Hiding under a table, for God’s sake. What was she trying to prove?
He needed to make her understand this was dangerous, life-threatening. This operation had been going on too long to be abandoned now. He would, however, need to rethink his strategy and, at the very least, change the plan. There was a real risk Ellie would come storming down to the docks looking for the money if she worked out what was really going on. It was possible she still thought it was about corruption and shonky developments. Even Nina hadn’t known the full extent of the operation that killed her.
The vast network of corruption and drug smuggling uncovered by the defence force inquiry had shocked him. Private security
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