Private Princess

Chapter 10

It was evening by the time Jack Morgan and Jane Cook had landed at Cardiff airport, collected their four-by-four rental and driven to the small town of Sophie’s childhood. Brecon nestled amongst the spectacular scenery of the Brecon Beacons mountain range, and Morgan marveled at the beauty.

He was also impressed that Cook navigated the winding roads without any need for a GPS.

“The army does a lot of its training down here,” she explained. “See that peak over there? That’s Pen y Fan. One of the toughest tests we do — did — is the Fan Dance.”

Morgan smiled inwardly at Cook’s use of “we.” No one who had served was ever truly a civilian once they left. Morgan felt the same way about the Marine Corps.

“Pen y Fan?” he asked, butchering the Welsh pronunciation.

The former soldier laughed. “And that’s one of the easy ones to say.”

She was not wrong. Morgan saw tongue-twisting place names like Caerphilly, Merthyr Tydfil and Llangadog as they drove past roadside signs.

“There’s a Cardiff in San Diego,” he told his driving partner.

“I’ve never been to California,” Cook hinted.

“Are you still surfing?”

“When I can. Not many spots for it in London.”

Morgan smiled, and forced his mind away from the image of Cook on a Californian beach.

“We’ll split up tomorrow,” he told her. “I’ll go to the family, you canvass the town and try friends. Sophie’s social media has been quiet for days, and most of her circle seems London-based, but Brecon looks like a small place. If you ask the right questions to the right people, you might be able to dig something up.”

Cook nodded. She didn’t need to ask what those questions would be, or who those people were. She had proven herself to be an excellent investigator during her first year at Private. She was still a rookie, but one with a bright future in her new field.

“This is it.” She smiled, pulling the car to a stop outside a quaint hotel that brandished three gold stars above its doorway. “Probably not the luxury Jack Morgan is used to, but there’s no Shangri-La hotel in Brecon.”

Morgan smiled. “Check us in. I’ll get the gear out the trunk.”

“It’s called a boot.”

“These are boots.” Morgan pointed to his feet. “I’ll see you inside.”

After a few minutes to check in with Private HQ and carry their bags inside, Morgan joined Cook and followed her up the stairs. His heart beat faster as he walked, and it had nothing to do with the heavy baggage. The attraction to Cook today had been magnetic, and it had taken all his focus to keep his mind on the task and his hands off her body.

They stopped outside Jack’s room.

Cook turned to face him and he could sense she felt exactly the same.

He leaned to kiss her, but she turned away.

“I’m sorry. I misread the situation,” he said.

Cook shook her head. “You didn’t, Jack. But I’m with someone now.”

“Oh, I didn’t know.”

“It wouldn’t be right.”

“It wouldn’t.”

“I should have told you sooner.”

“There’s no harm done. You’re a good person, Jane, that’s why we hired you.”

Cook nodded. Clearly there was a part of her that, in this moment at least, did not want to be a good person.

“Good night, Jane.”

Morgan opened the door and stepped inside his room, closing the door without looking back.