Page 14 of Claimed By Her Forbidden Duke
Sometimes I do not think that, Edmund thought privately, but outwardly, he only smiled tightly.
He would not show such vulnerabilities. Instead, he refocused his efforts on his search.
“I actually did come here for a reason.” He half laughed. “Do you know of any local connections to Logan? Anyone at all who could have been behind the kidnapping? I have only been back for two months, so I have not had a chance to properly investigate, with my father’s dukedom being passed on to me. Benjamin will not stop trailing me wherever I go, so I find myself being careful not to stray too deeply into the darkest of places. You and I both know that connections to Logan would be found in those places.”
“Indeed,” Julian muttered. “Logan’s network is far bigger and more dangerous than you might realize. It is not only London that would hold your answers. The man had a far reach in the Caribbean. Europe. Spain, France, even further out. London was nothing but a playground for that man.”
“I need leads,” Edmund said decisively.
“The danger, Edmund?—”
“I have already faced that danger,” he growled, his fingers tightening on his glass. In a calmer voice, he spoke, “I have faced that danger and fought my way out of it. I will be more careful this time, and I will not let anything happen to me, nor Arabella.”
“Ah, your beautiful sister. As beautiful as a summer rose?—”
“You shall keep your eyes off my sister, you heathen.” Edmund shot him a glare. “I need leads, Gray.”
Julian paused, realizing that his efforts to distract had not worked. Eventually, he nodded, his face grim. “Very well. Follow them if you must, but do it at your own risk. Make sure that Benjamin does not follow you to any of these places—they are not for pretty-faced lords like him.”
Edmund only nodded, waiting.
With a sigh, Julian listed the places. “There is a gambling den, the Four-Fingered Hand, that Logan was known to frequent. Some say it is lucky due to the name, others say it is most unlucky for that same reason. Then, there is a man who goes by the name of Charles Thatcher. He was a close accomplice of Logan?—”
“Gray—”
“Let me finish.”
Edmund swallowed, foolish fear kicking into his heart at the mention of one of Logan’s men.
For a second, he knew he was sitting in an armchair in his friend’s drawing room, but he swore hands grasped his clothing.
A sack was thrown over his head.
The scent of some sort of opiate dragged him downward.
Flashes of a boat moving beneath him, his fists bloody from trying to beat his way out of his bonds, his voice hoarse from screaming.
He blinked, registering Julian’s words quickly.
“Thatcher has been rumored to have turned on Logan after a falling out. He’s now a recluse, hiding outside of London, in a large mansion. I suspect that he has information but will not speak openly. Paranoia has likely gotten to him, and I do not blame him, but he is a name.”
“Very well. I shall seek him out.”
“Lastly, there is a warehouse on the docks—a suspicious sort, linked to Logan’s activities. It is likely how he gets his captives shipped out without being noticed.”
Immediately, Edmund’s thoughts went to Haddon from the tavern earlier that night, but he quickly shut down the notion. He had investigated the man’s documents closely enough that nothing arose beyond the ordinary shady transportation of illegal substances. Nothing about humans. Nothing about Logan’s funding, either.
Still, there might be other things he had kept to himself. Shady recognized shady; out of fear or loyalty, they all kept an eye on one another.
“Thank you,” Edmund said once Julian fell silent.
Julian winced. He drank straight from his brandy bottle. “I am not thrilled to tell you these things, Edmund. I want you to tread lightly.”
“I need to know who hired Logan, and why. I do not care where it takes me. Someone out there owes me a lot of answers.”
Grimly, Julian nodded. “Then all I can do now is wish you luck and offer my support, should you need it.”
“I may do in keeping my cousin occupied—and no, not inthatway. He would be scandalized.”
