Chapter 12
The three returned to the manor house and sat Abiagle down on the sofa. Rhys and Michael were sat across from her, with Barty’s men standing in one corner and Lillaintin in another.
“Nana, this is my third cousin, via the General. Bartholomew Riley. See the resemblance? We all call him Barty. Those men are with him.”
“No one but you calls me that.” Barty insisted. Scott looked over to Barty’s men standing nearby.
“You guys call him Barty?” He asked. The men all nodded. Scott looked back at his cousin, who simply scoffed and turned to Abigale.
“Mrs. Warrens, I’m with MI-6, and I’m here on behalf of Her Majesty’s Government. We would very much like to know the same things the others would like to know about Lord Tisch.”
“If you’ll excuse me, what’s an MI-6 agent doing dealing with an internal issue?” Michael asked.
“I’m… well… I get sent wherever things might get… shooty. “
“You know,” Abigale said, looking at Barty “I’ve been trying to… Oh, that’s right. I remember you now… you’re the one Scott beat up with a cricket bat.”
Barty rolled his eyes. That’s what almost anyone who knew Scott remembered about him.
“So, is he like you?” Abigale asked Scott, who simply nodded.
“What’s his little magic trick then?”
“This…” Daisy said, pulling put her gun and shooting Barty in the side of the head.
“OWWWW….” Barty yelled, holding the side of his head, his “trying to sound refined and posh” accent breaking to his half Cornish, half Scouse natural one “Stop doing that… You have no idea how much that fucking stings.”
Abigale look at the young man in shock. Daisy has just put a bullet in his head, but nothing had happened. He was still standing, there was not blood. In fact, the bullet was lying on the carpet, crunched flat.
“The more force you apply to his skin, the denser it becomes. He’s practically bulletproof.” Daisy said before shooting him again a few more times “And it’s great stress relief.”
The troops standing nearby all nodded in agreement.
“Fuck you lot, you’re supposed to be on my side.”
“Anyway…” Scott said “Nana… we need you to tell us how you got into contact with him.”
“I was at a fundraiser in Manchester, about a month ago, for our family’s charity.” Abigale to the group “I was just walking the room, glad handing everyone as you do. Someone pulled me over and introduced me to him. We talked for a while. I knew he was an Earl and that he was in the House of Lords, and after a while he mentioned his son knew of my grand daughter and they were wondering if she would be interested in meeting and I… I jumped the gun and move right into marriage. I’m sorry…”
“Mrs. Warrens…” Barty spoke up “Lord Tisch doesn’t have any kids Gwen’s age, at least none that we are aware of. And when you have this many intelligence agencies chasing one man… This isn’t something we’d miss.”
“I… I met the boy.” Abigale said “He was the spitting image of his father. Looked about twenty.”
“Did he say the young man’s name?” Coulson asked.
“Alexander Tisch the second.” She told him.
The four spies looked at each other.
“Looks like we’ve got three possibilities…” Scott said “One, this is all fake and Tisch was feeling her out for some reason. Second, the boy is illegitimate. Third, he’s Tisch’s legit son, but Tisch had him ghosted.”
“When he came here, he started asking a lot of questions…” Abigale added “The boy didn’t say anything himself, but Tisch wanted the full story. How we made our money, what our home life was like? I was just trying to be a good hostess I never paid much attention to his words… but he was asking a lot about our family history… specifically, Rhys’ side of the family. Nobody ever thinks about the wife’s side of the family…”
Scott and Daisy looked at each other.
“You don’t think?”
“Nana… was ANYTHING disturbed or out of place after they left?” Daisy asked. “Anything at all? Your husband’s sock draw, perhaps?”
“No…”
“No… Someone like him wouldn’t be THAT stupid.” Scott said.
“They took the camera unit…”
“We don’t know that for sure.”
“Anything to you want to share with the class?” Coulson asked.
“We’re pretty sure Roxxon, or at least Tisch, wanted that damn crystal.”
“What crys…” Barty began before turned to Scott and crossing his arms “Mate, are you fucking having me on?”
Scott shook his head. “Nope, his family just like us.” Scott said, looking at Rhys. “With one exception. We were on our own, his family had ties to Afterlife.”
“No way…” Barry said.
Before he could continue, there was a commotion outside. Another group of agents entered the house, followed by a man in a suit.
“Barty, I expected better than this… You were supposed to…” The man looked around the room at Scott, Daisy and Coulson.
“Who the blazes are you people and what are you doing here?”
“I’m Deputy Director Phil Coulson, with SHIELD.” Coulson said, speaking up.
“SHIELD, you are well out of your jurisdiction. I should have you arrested.”
“And who are you?” Scott asked
“I’m Director Walter Aims, MI-5. I’m the one who set up this sting that you SHIELD agents just ruined… Why am I telling you this, who the hell are you to ask me questions?”
“Um… Sir…” Barty began “he’s my cousin.”
“I’m Agent Scott Riley, this is my wife, Agent Daisy Johnson, who you might have heard of. And aside from being Barty’s cousin, I’m a grandchild of the Warren family. I am not here because I’m a SHIELD agent, I’m here because I want to know what a dangerous man like Tisch wants from my family. I had my youngest cousin show up on my doorstep frightened to death.”
Scott turned to his grandparents. “My mum and my sister-in-law Skye are watching her right now, she’s safe.”
“To be frank, Director Aims,” Coulson said “We’re not here as SHIELD, we’re here as concerned family. You and I both know what the man is capable of. If he showed up on your elderly relative’s doorstep, wouldn’t you be afraid two?
“Sir,” Scott told him “Let’s be honest. We all want the same thing, Tisch’s keister behind bars. So… we are more than happy to share every detail we’ve found with you, so long as you promise to stop having my family tailed. Kapeesh?”