by Sofia Grey
****
Alex kept thinking about his dream of Rico and how real it was. Something else nagged at him. When he asked Sylvie about the damn knife, she said because he wants me to, not wanted. That was odd. She dreamed of Rico at night, which hurt, but maybe they were like Alex’s dream—an out of context conversation with Rico.
He’d seen enough shrinks to know dreams were a mechanism for talking through his inner fears. It could be the same for her. Nothing more than unresolved issues.
All too soon, the cab arrived at the reconstructed TM-Tech office block. Alex gazed up at the building. It looked different. His memories of last being here jostled in his head, but he pushed them aside and gave his name to the security guard on the door.
“Come in, Mr. Hamilton. The ceremony is underway, sir,” the man warned politely. “Please be quiet as you go in.”
****
Adele stood with a group of her colleagues on a balcony overlooking the foyer, a few yards away from Karl. They smiled at each other but were unable to get closer without pushing through the crowd. She scanned the packed area below, amazed at the number of people attending.
She saw Nick and Lara, framing a skinny, dark-haired girl who clutched both their arms, her head bent.
The only sound was a young woman on the dais, reading a eulogy for her husband. A swishing noise caught Adele’s attention, and she looked up to see the main doors opening for a late attendee.
A tall, scruffy man slipped in and took a position against the back wall. He looked oddly familiar. Where had she seen him before?
****
Jordan stood at the front, introducing each of the speakers.
Sylvie was next, to speak for Rico. She looked terrible. Would she go through with it? If she couldn’t, Jordan would talk on her behalf.
To his relief, Nick slipped an arm around her waist and guided her forwards. She trembled, as though she couldn’t stand by herself, so Nick stood with her on the dais.
Sylvie stared at the memorial statue for a moment and touched the surface with her fingertips. It was a beautiful piece of cast bronze that Jordan had commissioned. Seven birds, flying upwards into the sky. One for each of the victims.
It felt like an age later, when Sylvie turned to face the crowd and began to speak. Her eyes were downcast, and she spoke freely, rather than reading from a page. Her voice was soft, but everyone hung on her words.
“I only knew Rico Sanchez for a short period. He came into my life and turned it around in a matter of weeks. Nothing was ever the same again. He made the world better. He had such a strong and generous nature, and a fierce desire for justice—the victory of right over wrong. He was loyal and brave. He...” She stopped for a moment. Her eyes were closed, and she swayed like a flower in the breeze.
“Rico saved my life and died saving someone else. I will never forget what he did for me.” She paused again, opened her eyes, and looked up at the ceiling. “He gave me many things to remember him by. A sense of courage when all is lost. A determination to fight for what is right, and not just what is easy. He rescued me in another way too. It was Rico who was responsible for me finding the man who would become my husband—the person without whom my life is meaningless. Thank you, Rico.”
Nick started the process of guiding her to the side of the dais, and Jordan moved forwards to introduce the next speaker.
Sylvie froze, her gaze locked into the distance, and Jordan turned to see where she looked.
It was Alex, standing at the back. Thank fuck for that.
****
Alex gazed at Sylvie, longing for her so much that it physically hurt. She wore a black dress, close fitting with tiny pearly buttons down the front, that draped softly to her knees. Her legs were slim and gold, her eyes dark pools of colour in her pale face.
Who was the guy with her? Envy soured his mouth, but then he realised it was Lara’s husband. Nick. He came to lunch the other week, when they were fighting about Callum.
Sylvie was visibly in pieces, and Alex’s heart broke all over again at her courage in going through this alone. She didn’t know he was there. He listened to her words, expecting another surge of jealousy if she described her all-consuming love for Rico. Except she didn’t.
She mentioned Alex. She said that without him her life was meaningless.
Alex needed to sit down. He’d fucked up on a major scale. Had he unknowingly wrecked their marriage, the best thing that ever happened to him?
He needed to fix this. Right now. He had to squeeze to the front. To be with her.
She stopped speaking and lifted her head. For the briefest moment, their gazes met, and she smiled. A heartbeat later, her eyes rolled up into her head and she collapsed.
****
Lara dashed forwards, to help Nick carry Sylvie away from the crowd and into an empty conference room. He laid her on the carpet and shrugged out of his jacket, to bundle it up as a pillow.
She looked paper white, her breaths shallow. Lara patted her cheeks. “Sylvie,” she coaxed, “wake up, sweetie.”
Kate brought a glass of water, and then Alex burst in. Thank God he was here.
“Sylvie. Did she faint?” Alex’s voice was hoarse. He dropped to his knees beside her and picked up her hand. He looked as bad as she did.
“I’m not so sure,” said Nick. “Was she taking anything?”
“Of course not. She doesn’t even take vitamins.” Alex made it sound ridiculous.
Lara felt she ought to speak. “Um, that’s not true. I saw her take some supplements earlier. Little yellow things. She said they were herbal.”
Nick snorted. “Herbal, my arse. She was high.”
Alex stared at him. “High? Sylvie?”
“Yeah. Her pupils were dilated. I wondered if she was on something, but I thought it was nerves.” Nick placed a hand on Sylvie’s forehead. “She’s burning up. Guys, I’m calling an ambulance.”
****
Alex couldn’t focus. He stared at Lara. “Little yellow things,” he echoed. “Do you know where she keeps them?”
Lara ran a hand across her face. She was crying. “In her bag.”
Kate rifled through Sylvie’s handbag and tugged out a clear glass pill bottle. Half a dozen yellow capsules rattled around with some larger white tablets. What the fuck?
“She mentioned sleeping pills as well,” said Lara.
Sleeping pills? Supplements? Alex couldn’t catch his breath. How did this happen to Sylvie? It was unreal. Where did she get them from? And why?
He knew why. He’d pushed her to this, telling her they were breaking up.
If it was anybody’s fault, it was his.
Alex held her hand, checking her pulse as best he could. It was racing. Memories of finding Sam’s body assaulted him. He would not lose Sylvie as well.
What were the pills? He shook some into his palm. Fuck. He knew these only too well. “You’re right. These ain’t herbal.”
Nick frowned. “What are they? Speed? Acid?”
“Speed. Looks like Dexedrine. The white ones are tranks—downers.” Alex spoke with the bitter voice of experience. “Sleeping pills to knock you out, but then you need the speed during the day to get you going again.” This was why Sylvie had been drinking gallons of coffee. To counteract the downers. And it explained why she slept so heavily yet was so tired when she awoke.
Nick cursed softly as he disconnected his call. “There’s been an accident at the docks. The ambulance could take up to twenty minutes to get here.”
Alex stood and lifted Sylvie in his arms, cradling her to his chest. How much weight had she lost? Her body felt fragile “I’ll take her there myself if I have to. Does anyone have a car here?”
Nick glanced at Lara. “This way,” he said. “TM-Tech has a fleet of pool cars in the underground garage.” He led the way, Lara holding his hand.
Alex followed Nick through a maze of corridors and down to the basement. Nick pressed a key fob and opened up a Saab saloon.
/> “I’ll drive.” Nick slid behind the wheel, Lara took the passenger seat, and Alex sat in the back with Sylvie in his arms.
“Sylvie,” he whispered, stroking the hair from her clammy forehead. “What have you done?”
Nick gunned the engine, and the car shot out into the road. “Is her pulse steady?” he called out to Alex.
“It’s racing. She’s overloaded.”
Nick tore down backstreets and through red lights, and did everything he could, to get them to the hospital. Alex made a mental note to thank him later. Lara had updated the ambulance service, and the A&E department were ready and waiting for them to arrive. They just had to get there.
“Hang on, baby. Stay with me.”
Her eyelids flickered, and then opened. Her eyes were unfocused, her pupils huge. She stared at him and frowned. “Alex?” It was a whisper.
“It’s me. We’re nearly at the hospital. You’re going to be okay.”
Her eyes closed again, but her lips moved. Alex had to put his ear next to her mouth.
“I knew you’d come,” she whispered. “I love you.”
She was gone again. Visions of amphetamine psychosis ran through Alex’s head. Accidental overdose. How long had she been taking them? How many did she take?
He didn’t believe in God, but he’d bargain his soul and everything he owned if it could keep her alive.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Adele watched in alarm as the dark-haired girl collapsed after making her speech. Nick helped carry her away. Who was she? The scruffy latecomer rushed forwards to join them. Moments later, Jordan was back on the dais, introducing the next speaker. Adele reached for her phone and flicked a text to Nick.
Hi Nick. Saw your friend collapse. Is everything ok? Can I help?
There was no reply, but he was probably busy. She lifted her head to see Karl squeezing into a gap next to her. “Hey,” she said. “Did you see that girl down there with Nick?”
“I’m not sure, but I think it’s Lara’s friend. The one I met at the station that night. Nick said she used to work for TM-Tech. She must have been here then.”
“Poor thing. She didn’t look good.”
Karl and Adele looked at each other and spoke together.
“Do you—”
“Should we—”
Adele chuckled. “You go first.”
He ducked his head. “I wondered if you fancied going out after we’re finished here.”
“Yes. Definitely. It’s very serious here. Too many unhappy people in one place. How about we go somewhere lively and noisy, and get wasted?”
“Yeah.” He grinned back at her. “Sounds like a plan.”
They watched Marcus Reeve and Thaddeus Merrill take the stage and speak a few words each, then Jordan announced there was a buffet and a bar in the main conference room.
Adele touched Karl’s hand to get his attention. “Let’s get out of here.”
There had been too much upset today. Too much grief. Adele felt the need to breathe fresh air and celebrate the fact that she was still alive, and Karl said he felt the same.
They stopped to say hello to Marcus on the way out, and he asked if he could have a quick word with her. Karl went to speak to one of his colleagues, and Adele stepped into a meeting room with Marcus.
“This is a little awkward.” His relaxed posture suggested it was anything but. “We’re having a reshuffle in Houston, and there’s a new position coming up. I’d like you to take it.”
“Why is that awkward?”
“We want to fill it quickly, and it would mean your coming back to the U.S. just after Christmas. I know you planned to be here until the end of September.”
She digested this information. “Have you mentioned it to Jordan?”
“Yes. He’d be sorry to see you go, but wouldn’t stand in your way. The new role is Global Brand Manager. You’re an ideal candidate, but how would you feel about moving back so soon?”
It sounded fantastic. “I’m interested. Very much so. What happens next? How do I apply?”
He smiled, brilliant white teeth gleaming in his handsome tanned face. He looked like a Californian surfer, with over-long shaggy, blond hair and golden skin. “Thaddeus has already approved the new position, so the paperwork is a formality. I’ll give you the full job spec when I have it, but I won’t hold you to the role until you’ve seen that. Until then, keep quiet about it, please.”
She nodded, excitement unfurling inside her. “Thanks, Marcus. It’s a great opportunity.”
He shrugged. “You’re our first choice for the role. Jordan is used to me poaching his best people. He nabbed you for this role, and I’m claiming you back.”
Adele had to laugh at the idea of these two high-powered movers and shakers arguing over their staff. They shook hands, she promised to have a coffee with him before he flew back to Houston, and then she went in search of Karl.
She found him chatting to some people in the foyer while he waited for her. “Come on.” Adele smiled at him and reached out to take his hand. His eyes widened, but after a moment’s hesitation, he tangled her fingers with his. Thoughts of the promotion swirled in her head. What an unexpected surprise to round off such a sombre day. It was a shame she couldn’t share the news with Karl, but she could certainly celebrate with him.
****
Nick dropped the others at the main entrance to A&E, and then went to find a parking space. By the time he got back, Lara waited for him in a state of anxiety.
“They’re examining her now. Alex is with her, and because he knows so much about the drugs, they think he gave them to her.”
“That’s crazy.” Nick held her. “Where do we go now? Is there somewhere we sit and wait?”
Lara led him to a corridor with hard plastic chairs along one wall. “They’re in that cubicle.” She pointed to a curtained-off area. “All we can do is wait.
Nick’s phone vibrated in his pocket. It was a text from Adele. He showed it to Lara, and then tapped out a quick reply.
I’m at the hospital now with Lara. Waiting to hear if Sylvie is OK. Thanks.
Adele’s reply was quick.
Sylvie – is that Lara’s friend? Sorry to hear. K & I are leaving now. Let me know if we can do anything.
Jordan arrived soon after and joined them in the corridor. They talked about the service, but mainly waited for Alex to reappear. Lara went to the bathroom. Jordan went outside to phone Kate. They regrouped and waited some more
When Alex emerged from the cubicle, he looked dreadful. A faint smile flickered across his face, but it was touch and go.
“Come here.” Lara wrapped her arms around him and squeezed.
He looked surprised, but then returned the gesture. “Thanks,” he said, his voice low.
Jordan ushered Alex to sit and stood behind him, a hand on his shoulder. “What can you tell us?” he asked.
“She’s overloaded on amphetamines. They wanted to know how many she’d had and how long she’d been taking them. I couldn’t tell them anything.” He paused, his face a picture of pain. “I knew from Lara that she’d had two capsules this morning, but that wouldn’t have put her in shock to this extent, so she’s obviously had more. They’re sedating her now. They’ve injected a barbiturate to slow down her body’s responses, and they’ve put her on a saline drip. It doesn’t look as though she’s been eating properly, and she’s very dehydrated.” He ran his hands across his face. “All they can tell me is that we need to wait for her to wake up when the sedative wears off. Six to eight hours. She’s going to move to a private room in a few minutes. They’re just getting her ready to go.”
Nick glanced at his watch. It was almost five.
Alex noticed and flapped his hands in a weary gesture. “You guys go home. There’s no point in you staying.” Nobody moved. Alex sighed. “I mean it. Go home.”
Nick shrugged. “We’re Sylvie’s friends. We’re going nowhere.”
Jordan leaned back against the w
all, looking every inch in charge. “Sorry, pal. I’m staying. Someone’s got to keep an eye on you.”
This drew a smile. He looked at them and nodded. “What can I say? Thanks guys.” He stood and stepped up to Nick, holding out his hand. “I owe you. Your crazy dash here may well have saved her life. Thank you. If I can ever repay you, you have to tell me.”
****
There were several things Alex wanted to do, and they revolved around finding out who supplied Sylvie with the pills, and making them pay. It had to be Frankie, but he needed proof.
In the meantime, he had to hold himself together while he waited for the next eight hours to pass. And if he could spend the time in the company of others, it might help.
He took a deep breath, squashed down the murderous yearnings, and turned back to Nick and Lara. “So tell me, how did you meet Sylvie?”
Lara spoke first. “We worked together for a large IT company in the city. Nick worked there as well, but he left for TM-Tech soon after we started seeing each other. That would be... maybe four years ago?”
Nick picked up the story. “You came to work for TM-Tech a couple of years later, and then Sylvie joined us. We used to hang out together, and with her boyfriend at the time, Chris.” He chuckled “Do you remember that waster?”
Lara snorted. “He was a dick. Mister can’t-make-up-his-mind. I was so glad when she dumped him. Then she met Rico, and—well—you know the rest.”
Alex managed a smile. “You’ve known each other a while. I’d like to think we can be friends too.”
Nick grinned. “I thought we already were. Any friend of Sylvie’s is a friend of ours.”
“So,” Lara continued, “Sylvie and I worked together at TM-Tech all the time she was there. We used to go to the pub after work, meet up with Nick and Chris, and plan our futures. I’m pretty certain she never mentioned marrying a rock god though.”
“Her big dream was to drive across the U.S.A., coast to coast,” said Nick. “She was forever saving up, remember?”
Lara laughed softly. “Yes. Then she’d have a crisis of some sort and end up spending her savings. Like when we got the chance of tickets for Glastonbury.”
