by Sofia Grey
Nick’s cheerful face became serious. “We weren’t there on the day of the bombing, and when we saw it on the news, we rushed over to see if there was anything we could do.” He tugged Lara to her feet and coaxed her to sit on his knees.
Alex thought about the people who died that day and how close he came to losing Sylvie. He wished with all his heart that things were different—that she sat with him now, as opposed to fighting for her life on a hospital trolley.
He listened to Lara and Nick, tried to concentrate on what they were saying, and worked hard to block out the rising waves of panic that threatened to engulf him. Their chatter flowed around him, undemanding and distracting.
Sometime later, a porter arrived, and the nurse popped her head out of the cubicle. “We’re moving her now, Mr. Hamilton.”
Alex leapt to his feet. The others joined him, and they followed the trolley through a series of corridors and up several floors in the lift. Alex walked alongside Sylvie, unable to take his gaze off her pale face and the two spots of bright colour on her cheeks. He wanted to hold her, but one hand had a drip running into the back, while the other was tucked away out of sight.
Jordan stayed at his side, quiet and reassuring, a steadying presence if Alex needed him. Alex reflected on Sylvie’s friends as they moved through the hospital. He liked Lara, and despite his initial impressions of Nick, he liked him too. Everyone made mistakes, and as far as Alex was concerned, Nick had more than redeemed himself through his actions today.
When Sylvie was settled in her room, Alex took the seat next to her bed and finally held her hand. He was going nowhere until she woke up. However long it took.
****
Adele and Karl agreed they wanted to go clubbing, but only the two of them, rather than with a large crowd. After some soul-searching, Adele suggested they go back to the place with the mosh pit. She wanted to put a fresh and good memory in place of the bad one there with Jason. She also wanted to rescue her coat, if it was still in their cloakroom.
She went back to her apartment to get changed, and then they went for a curry together.
Dinner was good, and she relaxed. She had a new job offer to celebrate tonight, and Karl would keep her safe.
The club was dark and crowded, and the memories of the last time she was here tried to swamp her, but Karl took charge. He took her hand firmly in his, and led her to the bar, where he ordered two bottles of beer.
He toasted her with his drink. “To new memories.”
That worked. “New memories.” They delicately clinked the bottles together and drank. It was okay. She could do this. They danced and argued happily about music, and Adele almost enjoyed it. Baby steps.
The club filled, and soon punters were three deep at the bar. She was dancing with Karl, when something jogged her attention, and she faltered.
No, no, no, no, no.
That looked like Jason getting served.
It couldn’t be. The bastard was dead.
Adele froze, the blood turning to ice in her veins. She stared at the familiar profile. Was she mistaken?
Karl wrapped his arm around her. “Adele?” he asked, his voice urgent. “What’s the matter?”
She pointed towards the end of the bar.
“I saw Jason.”
“What?”
“Jason.” Her earlier bravado was gone. Adele wanted to curl up in a ball with her arms over her head. Either that or run in the opposite direction. Her feet didn’t get either message. They could have been stapled to the dancefloor, for all she could move.
Karl bounced on his toes. “Holy fuck. It’s him. He looks different. The sidies are gone. The goatee too.”
The other clubbers carried on dancing, as though nothing happened. To Adele, the world shifted beneath her feet. She didn’t imagine seeing him outside her apartment block. The fucker was alive. How?
Karl grabbed her hand and tugged. They pushed their way through the dancers and squeezed up to the bar. By the time they got there, he was gone. Fuck.
Apologising to the people in front of them, Karl shoved to the front of the line and tapped the barmaid on her arm. “The guy you were serving a minute ago—which way did he go? Cropped dark hair and black T-shirt.”
The bartender glared at him. “I’m not a bloody traffic warden. I didn’t see him.”
Adele squeezed next to Karl “Please. It’s really important that we find him. Have you seen him here before?”
The barmaid paused a moment, and then shrugged. “I’ve seen him before, but that’s all I can say. It gets busy in here. I’m sorry.”
“Thank you.” Adele hauled Karl back from the queue, and they found a seat close to the bar. She needed to feel his arms around her.
“How can this be possible?” Karl sounded as staggered as she felt. “Does he have a twin brother or something?”
She’d cling to any possibility that she was wrong, no matter how slim the chances were. Anything was better than thinking Jason was still alive. “We need a picture of him,” said Adele. “Something to show the bar staff. Where can we get one?”
“If you know someone who can connect to the TM-Tech network from home, they could text you his staff photo from the global directory.” Karl paused. “How about Nick?”
“Brilliant.” Adele leaned forwards and kissed Karl’s cheek. Nick was the perfect choice. His phone could have been surgically attached. The only time Adele had seen him without it was when they played squash.
She tapped the message and sent it.
Nick. URGENT! K & I are in the club with the mosh pit. We’re sure we saw Jason here a few mins ago. Can you pls log on to the TM-Tech network and text us his staff photo? We want to show it to the bar staff. Thx
****
Kate came to visit Sylvie. She hugged Alex fiercely and kissed his cheek. “Jon and Anita are at our apartment, and they’re looking after Poppy, with Daisy, your nanny.”
Shit. How did he manage to forget about Callum? What could he do? He couldn’t leave Sylvie. Panic loomed, but Kate squeezed his arm.
“Breathe,” she said. “It’s all under control. I know you’re supposed to pick up Callum tomorrow but I phoned your Social Worker to tell her Sylvie has been taken ill. She sent her best wishes and suggested that you give her a call this week, with a view to collecting Callum next weekend.” She paused, then said gently, “I took the number from the paperwork Sylvie had. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Mind? I’m stunned you thought of it. Kate, what have I done to deserve you all as friends?”
She smiled, gave him another squeeze, and pulled up a chair next to Lara.
Time passed. Alex dozed but never let go of Sylvie’s hand. Various people pressed cups of disgusting coffee into his other hand. He thought about phoning Frankie, but that could wait. Kate had also called Charlie and Mick, and passed a message to Frankie.
Jordan insisted that Kate go home, and walked her outside, to the taxi rank. Lara dozed in her chair, leaning against Nick. Alex watched her sleeping and remembered how Sylvie slept against his arm on the flight down to Heathrow. He wanted to have the chance to do that again, many times.
He needed Sylvie to get better. He had important things to tell her. How much he loved her. How stupid he was, to have turned away from her. How he wanted to get back together, if she’d still have him.
Sometime much later, Nick’s phone buzzed. He stared in astonishment at the screen, apologised to Lara for disturbing her, grabbed Jordan, and left the room.
****
At first Jordan couldn’t understand the garbled tale Nick was telling him. Lara and Adele both saw Jason Farnley? How? There had to be a rational explanation.
If anyone could find out more information, it would be Aiden Bradley.
Jordan found a quiet room where they used the speaker on his phone, so Nick could join the conversation. He agreed that Aiden would print a picture of Jason as he was when he died, then another with his goatee and sideburns removed. He’d text t
hem to Jordan and Nick and also visit the club with hard copies. Nick would go with him, while Jordan stayed at the hospital with Lara and Alex.
Aiden’s next call would be to check with the police if there was any chance it wasn’t Jason who went under the train.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Alex watched the burst of activity. “Is something the matter?”
Jordan hesitated before he answered. “It’s TM-Tech stuff. You don’t need to worry about it.”
“Quite honestly, Jordan, I don’t ever want to set foot in your bloody office again. I thought I had bad memories of the last time I was there. This time isn’t any better.”
There was a hint of a smile on Jordan’s face. “You don’t wanna come work for us? I can find a nice office job for you, if you’re up for a career change?”
“Yeah, right.” He shifted his tired gaze back to Sylvie. She was wired up to a bank of monitors that bleeped and flashed with a reassuring monotony. It looked like something out of Star Trek. “I’m quite happy in my current career. Thanks. Or at least, I will be, when my bass player is up and running again.”
There were so many things he had to do, and they rushed around inside his head, each clamouring for attention. One of the first was to find out what Sylvie had been doing this past week. Taking speed had to be a new thing for her. He hadn’t seen any indications, and he should have. He wanted to kick himself repeatedly for not seeing the signs.
She could have been taking sleeping pills for a few weeks, and he never knew.
Would she need to go into rehab? He hoped not. Having experienced the delights of rehab himself, twice, Alex didn’t want to put her through that unless it was necessary.
Lara was asleep in her chair, while Jordan stared into space, massaging his temples. He looked deep in thought.
“Jordan?”
He looked at Alex, his gaze alert.
“What happened last week? With Sylvie? What can you tell me?” Alex asked.
“All I know is she went running to Dublin, looking for you. I didn’t see her again until she arrived here on Thursday with Daisy. And she was a mess.”
Alex winced, and then thought over what Jordan said. “She went to Dublin? Fuck.”
Jordan nodded. “You were there after all?”
“Yeah. I found a hotel and stayed in my room.” Alex looked back at Sylvie. “I fell off the wagon. I was out of it for three days.”
“Bad, huh?”
“You could say that.” Sylvie followed him there, and he didn’t know. He wished he could turn the clock back. That reminded him. He looked back at Jordan. “I had this weird dream. Rico was there, giving me a pep talk. It seemed so real.” He paused. “Syl dreams of him too.”
Jordan gazed back, his face open and honest. “She told me. She couldn’t tell you, because she thought it would upset you.”
At first it did, but after his own dream of Rico, it didn’t seem a big deal. And since her dedication at the memorial service, Alex had started to think differently about her relationship with Rico. And with him.
There was only one person he could talk to about this, and she lay in a stupor. Please Sylvie... Please wake up, babe.
****
Nick had only met Aiden Bradley in passing before now, but he knew the guy was a hotshot consultant that Jordan had brought in. He waited on the steps of the TM-Tech offices, climbed into the Saab beside Nick, and they raced across town to the club. Nick still wore his business suit, and Aiden was in similar attire. They’d stick out like a pair of sore thumbs at the mosh pit, but it couldn’t be helped.
Aiden had the printouts Adele asked for. He’d texted photos to Adele and Karl, and Adele had replied there was no sign of Jason. She’d keep watch on the bar with Karl. If they saw him, they’d call.
Rather than wasting time trying to find a parking space, Nick abandoned the Saab on double yellow lines outside the club. He hoped it didn’t get clamped. Aiden flashed an identity card at the guy on the door, and they were ushered in without fuss. They probably looked like plain-clothes police.
Adele waved to them as they entered the mosh pit. Her face was pinched and scared when she greeted him.
He couldn’t resist giving her a hug. “You okay?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know.” She wriggled free and wrapped her arms around herself. Her eyes gleamed with unshed tears. “It’s really him, Nick. I’m not imagining it.”
Karl stood behind her. He placed both hands on her shoulders, and she leaned back against him. They looked comfortable with each other.
“You know,” she said to Nick, her smile wobbly, “you look like a cop.”
“You think?” He nodded towards Aiden, who was talking to the bar staff. They clustered around him, the manager joining too. “I think he might be.”
Aiden came back to them a few minutes later. “This is the guy they served earlier. He was here tonight, a couple of nights last week, and last weekend too.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s almost eleven. Do we know if Jordan is still at the hospital?”
“I’ll check.” Nick sent him a text.
Adele leaned over and spoke urgently. “I’m so sorry. I forgot about your friend. Is she any better?”
“No. Not yet. She’s in a bad way.”
His phone buzzed with a reply from Jordan. He was still there. There was no change in Sylvie’s condition.
The Saab hadn’t been clamped, so they all piled into it and headed back to the hospital. It was easier to take Adele and Karl, to talk it through with Jordan. Nick drove, while Aiden made and took calls. Who was he talking to at this time of night?
“Aiden,” said Nick, his curiosity getting the better of him, “who do you work for?”
“TM-Tech.”
Nick laughed, not believing him for a minute. “I’m sure if I flashed my TM-Tech staff pass, people wouldn’t be as accommodating. What did you show them?”
Aiden held up a finger to hold the conversation, and took another call.
It was almost midnight when they walked into Sylvie’s room. She lay as still as before. Lara threw herself into Nick’s arms. “The nurses are looking in every fifteen minutes,” she said. “They hope she’s going to wake soon.”
Aiden walked over to Alex and spoke softly with him. Nick didn’t realise they knew each other. Meanwhile, Adele hung back with Karl, who gazed at Alex, a frown on his face.
“Should we find somewhere quiet to talk?” Nick addressed Jordan, but Alex replied.
“Stay here. I’m keen to know what you found.”
“We told him,” said Lara. “Alex and Sylvie are caught up in this as well.”
The private room looked as though it normally held three beds instead of one, and there were spare chairs stacked against the wall. It was easier to stay here, for Aiden to explain.
“The bar staff said a man matching Jason’s description minus the facial hair is there every few weeks. And most times he’s there, he goes home with a different woman. Usually one that looks unsteady on her legs. It’s a large contingent of staff, though, and they didn’t think anything unusual of his behaviour.”
Jordan asked the million-dollar question that sat on all their lips. “Is there a chance that Jason is still alive? That someone else went under the train?”
****
If Adele trembled any more, her teeth would start chattering. Her peace of mind depended on that bastard being dead. Karl squeezed her fingers, and then let go, to slip his arm around her shoulders. He was anchoring her in the here and now, and a whisper of relief rippled through her.
Nick raised his eyebrows, but then he looked away.
“It has to be a real possibility,” continued Aiden. His voice was smooth and calm, as though he hadn’t detonated another grenade in Adele’s life. “I’ve spoken to the mortuary where the remains were taken. And it was remains.” He glanced at Adele, apology in his grey eyes. “They had to scrape him off the tracks with a shovel. There wasn’t enough left to identify him. I
n theory, it could have been anyone.”
No. The breath stuttered in Adele’s lungs. She couldn’t handle this.
“Okay,” said Jordan. “So how did they identify him?”
“His wallet lay next to him. The driving licence and credit cards survived, although there was no sign of either keys or a phone. Then, when they went to his apartment, they found a suicide note.”
“We’ve both seen him since.” Lara’s voice was scared. “He’s been outside our house in the middle of the night.”
“And outside my apartment.” Adele forced the words out.
They all looked at each other.
Aiden opened his mouth to reply, when Alex sat upright. “Sylvie.”
****
Sylvie’s eyelids fluttered, and she moved her fingers in Alex’s hand. The nurse told him to call if there was the slightest change, so he pressed the red Call button beside the bed.
Within seconds, the room was bustling with nursing staff. Jordan shooed his people out, but Alex stayed. They’d have to physically remove him before he left her again.
He watched helpless, his heart in his mouth. Please, Sylvie. Please wake up.
A nurse checked Sylvie’s pulse, another her blood pressure, while a third person opened her eyes and flashed a torch into them.
There was the tiniest of groans from her. Alex increased the pressure on her fingers, hoping she’d feel it. The wait was agony.
Sylvie’s eyes drifted open, and she stared at him. She blinked and looked again. He saw fear, then recognition.
“Alex?” she whispered. “Are you really here?”
His vision blurred, and he swiped at his eyes. He leaned closer, placing his hand against her cheek. “I’m here, babe. I’m not going anywhere.”
They remained like this for an age, hands clasped, a quiet point of calm in the hubbub that surrounded them.
“Tired,” she murmured.
“She’ll sleep again now,” said the doctor. “You should be able to leave for a few hours. Her vital signs have stabilised, and we’re running tests on her liver and kidney functions. So far, they’re fine. She’s very lucky.”
