A Code of Honor by Jacki Delecki

Author:Jacki Delecki
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Doe Bay Publishing LLC
Published: 2019-11-09T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Jack ignored the constant pounding behind his left eye and sauntered through the military engineering offices. He swung his walking stick to give his best imitation of an idle dandy walking into Boodles. Despite the doctor’s orders to rest, Jack was on a vital mission.

Rathbourne’s men had intercepted a French agent who was hiding with a band of smugglers in Exmouth. Someone on the committee had leaked the plan for the tunnels. The conclusion that the leak must have come from an insider was foremost since it occurred two days after the secret meeting. Rathbourne’s men had prevented this message from being delivered, but how long before the next message?

It was time for Jack to find the traitorous bastard.

Last night’s dinner with his suspects had yielded nothing helpful. Hyde hadn’t shown, and Cosgrove gave nothing worthwhile. The damn man wanted to talk about society.

Jack paused in the doorway of the small office where Hyde was bent, working on the tall drafting table. Cosgrove worked at the next table. Both men were absorbed in the papers stretched across the tall wooden table. “Well, this is an impressive office.”

“Bonnington. Wasn’t sure if you’d make it after last night’s revelry.” Cosgrove moved across the uneven brick floor to greet Jack. The ordnance offices were dark and dank like the downstairs meeting room. Situated near the Thames, the medieval Tower was permeated by dampness from the river.

Hyde’s head snapped up. Nothing suspicious registered on the man’s sphinxlike face.

“Because someone got a lucky punch, doesn’t mean I have lost my capacity for liquor. What kind of gentleman do you think I’ve become?” Jack touched his swollen black eye. In the past day, it had turned purple with spreading streaks of yellow. His need to indulge last night had nothing to do with a certain blue-eyed beauty who rejected his gentlemanly duty of a marriage proposal.

A niggling sensation as to why he behaved so ungentlemanly toward Abbie wouldn’t go away. Was he becoming debauched in his later years? Had the crack on his head loosened all his inhibitions? If he hadn’t passed out, he was not sure he would have stopped, and he suspected Abbie wouldn’t have known how to resist him. His head injury hadn’t prevented him from recognizing her sweet and ardent response.

“We missed you, Hyde. Can’t remember from university days how well you hold your liquor, but Cosgrove and I definitely acted like our younger selves.” Jack didn’t know who was a better liar; himself, since he’d barely drank last night—just enough to ease the pain of his headache and rejection—or Cosgrove, who’d acted shocked by Jack’s appearance, expressing concern and wanting to know the details. If Cosgrove was the man who’d whacked him, he was a damn good actor—making him a damn good spy.

“Do you have plans?” Hyde eyed Cosgrove. “We need to finish the calculations.”

Jack strolled closer to look over Hyde’s shoulder. “What calculations are you working on?”

Hyde leveled a hard look at Jack. “The committee members aren’t involved in the work we do here.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.