Page 44 of Villainous Mind

“Oh,” I said.

“Anyway, did you learn anything from the counselor?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Just that she’s the town gossip.”

“Every village has one. Do you fancy a trip to London?” he asked.

London. I could speak to Maureen Davies. “Sure.”

“Great.”

Back at the caravan, Rhys changed into a suit and tie. I looked down at my jeans and black sweater, feeling completely underdressed. “You’re fine. We’ll sort it when we get to London,” he said, throwing clothes into a bag.

“Why do you want to go to London?” I asked as he scooched past me, picking my bag up along with his.

“I have an important meeting tomorrow,” he said, hurrying outside. I followed. He opened the boot of his car depositing the bags.

“One of your projects?”

“Yes,” he said, looking up at me. “An important one. Get in.” He locked the door to the caravan as I got in the car. Sitting down next to me, he started the engine, and his sportscar came to life. Five hours to go, I thought to myself as we drove down the road and passed the gates of Môr Haven Manor.

I was curious to meet the woman Morgan Davies was married to, hoping to better understand him. A man who worked only in facts and evidence. Maybe we weren’t so different. I constantly said I wanted the truth, but I went about getting it by watching and listening to people. Hearing what wasn’t said as much as what was. There was truth in silence. It often revealed who the honest people were and who the dishonest people were. And while Morgan and I searched for the truth by searching out different angles. We both had the same end game. And neither avenue should be discounted. I still had a feeling I was missing something on Bryn Lloyd. I didn’t believe she had run away.

I glanced over at Rhys. He understood silence. He was not uncomfortable with it. In fact, he sought it out in a vast, often violently powerful ocean. He was the quiet before a storm. A suspension of time before all hell breaks loose. The moment before a great shift in energy. Just as dangerous and just as lethal. It could be described as deceiving. I was forming feelings for him that I knew I shouldn’t. He would hurt me. He promised he would.

“I thought we were going to London,” I said as we pulled off the main road.

“We are,” he said, taking a side road to a large green field. “We’re flying.”

He parked the car, and a gentleman in a black three-piece suit met us, opening my door. “Mr. Hughes,” he said. “Your plane is ready.”

“Thank you, Dafydd. This is my guest, Navy Bardot. Our bags are in the boot.”

“Yes, sir.”

A mid-sized jet sat on the one-lane runway with the nameHughespainted on the outside. “This is your plane?” I asked as we walked toward it.

“One of them.”

He took my hand as we walked up the airstairs. A beautiful woman in a red uniform greeted us inside. “Welcome, Mr. Hughes,” she said, handing us each a glass of champagne.

“Thank you, Lily. This is Navy,” he said, introducing me.

“Lily will get you anything you need.”

I gave the gorgeous blonde a weak smile, suddenly feeling well out of my league.

Rhys popped his head into the cockpit. “George,” he said, giving the pilot a nod.

“Morning, sir. You’re not joining me in the cockpit?”

“Not today.”

“We’ve been cleared to land at London City Airport, sir.

“Let me know if you need me, and I’ll join you,” Rhys said.

“Very good, but I’ll be fine. Enjoy your flight.”