by Lexi Hart
It’s my own stupid fault the castle I was so afraid of staying in alone, is going to be where I spend my final moments.
I have no fight left in me. His arm is still cutting off most of the airflow as if he knows exactly the right amount of pressure to exert.
I start to sob as I’m dragged backward, through the mess left on the grass, and inside the castle.
LUTHER
My hand is on the banister, my foot perched on the first step when I hear the door open.
I move swiftly, retreating into the shadows before anyone appears in the hallway. I squint in the darkness as I watch a couple stagger through.
I hold still, keep my breathing shallow as I watch them. From my spot obscured by the curve of the stairwell, I can’t make out who it is.
Considering my options and that the police wouldn’t be here at almost 2am, I cautiously edge along the wall as they head inside the billiards room.
I keep to the wall and make sure my footfalls aren’t audible as I move as stealthily as I can.
I make it the wall when I hear a woman sobbing. I flinch, wondering if Jake has brought Mary to pick up a few things.
Beating the shit out of Jake is one thing; doing it in front of his wife is another. With no weapons on me, it would be beyond stupid to step inside the room.
I exhale slowly and start to creep away, ready to exit out the door now I know it’s not alarmed.
At least I know the explosives aren’t likely to go off while they’re on the island.
I’m about to walk towards the door when I hear a woman’s voice. I freeze, ice running through me as I hold my breath, sure I’m hearing things.
“Where is the bomb?”
White-hot fear tracks through me as I try to figure out how the fuck Blaire wound up here.
“No idea. I just made them and left them in the Boathouse,” a voice replies.
I’m edging towards the sound of her voice without even hesitating. I take a quick inside the room and in one half-second glance, see all my nightmares come to life.
Blaire is tied to a chair, and a man is holding a gun on her. My breathing starts to increase as blind uncontrolled panic starts to flow through my veins.
I squeeze my eyes shut as memory after memory rams into me like a waking nightmare I couldn’t have prepared for.
Jess’ neck flops as blood saturates her chest. Time slows down as he swings the gun in my direction.
The sound of a Remington M24 letting me know the snipers are picking off the soldiers surrounding the building.
The blades of the incoming Apache helicopter, the ringing in my ears from the gunshot.
Then the door splinters, a single shot sounds, but it’s not from the gun pointed at me.
Jarheads fill the room, flashes of camouflage, then nothing but white noise as I see the medic pronounce Jess dead.
“Beckett? Can you hear me? Medic!”
But I can’t speak. I can’t defend myself.
There is nothing that can reverse what I allowed to happen.
I’m a coward.
I suck in a breath, sweat covering my body as I scramble to restart my brain.
I don’t take time to consider what just happened; I move before I can second guess myself.
I ease inside the doorway and keep my eyes on Blaire. Blood roars in my ears as adrenaline surges through me.
Still unseen, I make it to the man, and in a practiced move, slap the gun from his hand and twist it so it’s pointing at him.
But he’s fast, too fast, his hand shoots out and he grabs me just as Blaire screams.
I shove him hard. With no finesse, I headbutt him and land a punch to his throat.
He chokes, backs up a few steps and smashes into the fireplace. I feign right, then let my body sag to throw him off balance.
He staggers, my weight dragging him as I kick his kneecap. He grunts but doesn’t quit, he just moves with me as we slam into the furniture.
I bend at the waist and flip him, with a grunt, I land on top of him, and grab his arm, twisting until I hear the snap of bone.
He yells in my ear, but he’s not done, hot pain tears through my arm before I see the blade in his hand, he slashes and I jerk back before he can connect again.
I roll off him and scramble to find the weapon, aim at his head, and squeeze the trigger. Liquid spills down my arm as I grab the knife and stagger towards Blaire.
She’s sobbing, even in the near dark, I can see blood is tracking down her cheek. I wince as I cut the bindings holding her to the chair. “What are you doing here?”
Her voice comes out raw. “We have to get out of here. Another bomb is going to go off.”
I cut the rest of her bindings and help her to her feet. “When?”
She swipes at her tears. “I don’t know. Luther, who is that?”
I frown at her until I realize that in the poor light, I didn’t notice it wasn’t Jake.
I grab her hand and pull her out of the room and keep her behind me as I check the hallway. “How did you get here?” I whisper.
“Mary brought me. She said Jake was on his way here and he was going to kill you if he found you here.”
Fuck. She came back for me. I don’t have time to tell her that was stupid or pointless. I have to concentrate on getting us out of here.
Jake could be anywhere. But if there’s a bomb due to explode, I’ll have to take my chances.
I wrench her away from the wall and grab her upper arms to make sure she’s clear the danger isn’t over. “Wrap your arms around my waist. Stay behind me and move when I move. I’m going to use my body to shield you.”
Her lip wobbles but she nods and presses her body into mine and clings to my waist. “Did you swim here?”
“Quiet,” I growl.
I open the door, check quickly, and hold the gun out and scan the area.
The walk to the dock is almost ten yards and cloaked in darkness. Jake could be hiding anywhere, just waiting to pick us off.
But with a ticking clock inside the castle walls, I have no choice but to risk it. I stare up at the camera right above the door and pray to God Delta managed to hack in.
I keep my voice calm. “We need to take cover. When we get to the dock, you jump in the water and start swimming.”
Blaire whimpers a yes and with a shaky breath, I ease out from the castle wall and begin a painstakingly slow walk with her fixed to my waist towards the dock.
BLAIRE
By the time we reach the water, Luther is bleeding heavily, and I’m about thirty seconds away from turning into a sniveling mess.
He isn’t saying anything, and I don’t know if that’s worse than him explaining why he was here.
Any relief I felt at seeing him is superseded by seeing him fight the man who tied me up.
If I had any doubts about how deadly he is, they disappeared when he killed the man without a moment of hesitation.
My entire body is shaking as he grabs me and spins me so he’s looking me in the eye.
He grips the back of my neck and kisses me so roughly I whimper. “I need to check on something. I’ll come find you.”
I cling to him, unwilling to let go of the man who just saved my life. “Where are you going?”
In the darkness, I’m sure I hear his voice waver as he removes my arms from around his waist. “Are you injured? Can you swim?”
I step back and give him a short nod. “My head hurts but yes, I can swim.”
He glances around, curses and without warning, he shoves me backward. I hit the water at precisely the same time a flash of light illuminates the murky water.
I kick for the surface and suck in a gulp of air as the entire sky is lit up. I tread water frantically searching the surface for signs he’s jumped too.
I scream his name, almost blinded by the bright light in front of me. Smoke and flames are billowing through the shell of the castle.
The dock is still intact, so I swim for it, seeing no sign of
him as I cling to the pilings.
A shout comes from my right, and lights shine on me, blinding me to who is on the approaching boat.
Blessed relief swims through me as the boat stops close and I see the markings of the coast guard.
A woman hangs over the side, and she cups her hands around her mouth. “Blaire? It’s going to be okay.”
I’m still searching for Luther when I’m hauled aboard the boat. I’m starting to shiver when a light is shone in my eyes by a green-eyed man not much older than Chloe. “You took a knock to the head?”
I nod, hair plastered to my face. “I was attacked.”
He frowns. “The police are waiting onshore. I’ll make sure there’s an ambulance.”
I mumble a reply as a blanket is draped over my shoulders. “Luther. Did you find him?”
The green-eyed man shakes his head. “Still looking. Why don’t you go with your friend and get dry? We’ll keep searching for a while.”
I frown hard at him. “My friend?”
He gestures to the woman who called out to me. “Delta? Can you take her below, get her in some warm clothes?”
With a smile, Delta ushers me inside the small cabin. My confusion only grows when she closes the curtains and gives me a smile. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”
She chuckles, confounding me further. My legs are about to give out, so I sit on the bench beside the table. “I figured it was easier to say I was a friend of yours than try to explain about Luther.”
I swallow, throat raw. “Who are you?”
She grabs a pile of folded up clothes before she answers. “I don’t have a title if that’s what you’re looking for. My name is Delta, and I’m a private consultant who works alongside military and law enforcement.”
I strip off my soaking clothes, lamenting my cell phone and wallet as I pull them out of my jean pockets. “How did you know I’d be here?”
She pours a cup of something hot as I pull on a pair of grey sweatpants. “Luther told me he was coming back here. He was going to tell me where the other devices were so we could send the Bomb Squad in.”
When I’m dressed and shaking a little less, she hands me a cup of tea. “I hacked into the camera feed. I saw you arrive a little after Luther did.”
I put the tea on the table, shaking my head at her. “You’re in contact with Luther?”
She takes her own cup and sits in front of me. “I was until a few hours ago. If he’s not here, it’ll be because he’s gone off-grid until this is resolved.”
I gape at her. “Off-grid?”
She nods slowly and takes a sip of her drink. “The police are going to question you about the time you spent with Luther when we get to shore. I’ve managed to get special dispensation so I can help fill you in before we dock.”
I shake my head and let the ‘special dispensation’ slide for now. “This is insane. Mary brought me here; she’s the criminal. If Luther hadn’t been on the island, I’d be dead.”
She nods and gives me a grim smile. “You would be.”
I wrap my hands around the mug. “Where is she? And Jake? Have they been arrested?”
Delta frowns. “Mary was picked up by the coast guard ten minutes ago. We all assumed Jake was the one who dragged you inside the castle.”
I shake my head. “I thought it was to begin with, but I didn’t recognize the man Luther shot.”
Delta taps her finger on her mug. “Hmmm. We need to mention that to the lead detective. Did Mary tell you he was here?”
I nod and swallow the warm tea, feeling it soothe my burning throat. “It’s why I came. She said he was angry enough to hurt Luther.”
A smile twitches at her lips. “Wow. And you jumped on a boat and came out here to what? Rescue him?”
Heat warms my freezing cheeks. “I don’t know. I feel like a complete idiot now.”
Her smile grows. “If there was ever a man who needed rescuing, it’s Luther Beckett.”
I’m not sure what to say to that, so I just smile weakly. “Are you working on Luther’s case then?”
“Not officially. But he sort of forced my hand when he asked me to doctor the footage of you two.”
I suck in a breath but she only smiles wider. “Relax. The police aren’t interested in your sexual relationship with him. Now I’ve given them the footage I scraped together, and with your statement, they have enough to prosecute her.”
I exhale slowly, wondering how on earth I got muddled in all of this. “If they wanted to frame Luther, then why did Mary ask me to stay the weekend?”
She screws her face up. “I think she wanted a witness, someone who’d testify as to Luther’s mental state.”
I frown harder, trying to stop my head from spinning. “But how did she know I’d agree?”
“She didn’t know. But since the police were dragging their heels interviewing the other authors, I made a few phone calls. Mary asked two other writers if they’d like to stay on. You were her third choice.”
My shoulders slump. “Wow. And I thought she was doing me a favor because we have friends in common.”
Delta cocks her head. “You two have more than friends in common. You both know Luther suffers from PTSD.”
I gape at her, covering my surprise as she smiles. “She was a field nurse at the VA hospital. He won’t remember, but she was on staff when he came back.”
I shake my pounding head. Pain splintering into my already tangled thoughts. “Mary knew him?”
She nods. “Yeah. I checked the records. She knew he probably had PTSD. It was easy enough for her to ask Jake to find Luther and ask him if he wanted a job.”
“I still don’t understand. They framed Luther. But this is about insurance fraud?”
Delta sighs heavily and stifles a yawn. “This was a long time in the making. Mary met Jake and they sold everything to buy the castle, but they had considerable insurance.”
She takes another sip of her tea. “I’m still looking into it, but the insurance company unearthed an engineer’s report mentioning previous damages. For whatever reason, probably because they couldn’t afford it, they ignored the warning and carrying on trying to run it as a business.”
“And where does Luther come in?”
She stretches out her back. “I think that was blind luck on Mary’s part. She must have seen Luther, realized he wasn’t better, had no family, no job and decided he could solve all their financial problems.”
I’m still trying to process all this when she smiles. “From what I could salvage on the recording, it was Mary who placed the bomb in the Boathouse. Unfortunately, the bomb would have destroyed any evidence left behind.”
I put my mug down on the table and ask her the one question I’m most afraid to. “Is Luther dead?”
She frowns. “What makes you think that?”
My voice comes out choked. “Just before the bomb exploded, he told me he’d come find me. But I’m not sure if he jumped in the water too. I never saw him surface, and he was bleeding.”
Tears brew in my eyes but Delta just smiles. “If Luther said he’ll find you, you can guarantee he will.”
I’m too exhausted to even consider how he could do that. I just want to go to bed and sleep for a week. But if the police are waiting for a statement that’s not going to happen for some time.
Since Delta seems to know Luther awfully well, I lean closer and ask her what I’ve already pieced together. “You’ve worked with him before?”
She nods but at the knock on the door, I know our time is up. Whatever else she wanted to tell me will have to wait until I tell the police everything that happened tonight.
When the green-eyed man enters, he looks defeated. “We need to get you to the police. We’ll resume a search for your friend tomorrow.”
I nod, tears overtaking me as Delta reaches across the table and gives my hand a squeeze. “If he didn’t want to be found, he’ll stay hidden as long as he needs to.”
It should be some consolat
ion she holds so much faith in him. But all I feel is a nagging hole in my chest where my heart should be.
I close my eyes, grip the mug tighter as if it’s warmth can convince me what she’s saying is possible.
Because if Luther died on that island after he saved my life, then a piece of me is buried there with him.
Chapter 12.
LUTHER
From my spot, hidden in the water beside the bank, I watch the Coast Guard give up their search, and haul myself out of the water.
Pain shoots through my arm, blood mingling with water as I stagger towards the remains of the castle.
I’m shivering. My core temperature is falling at a rapid rate. I need to get warm, and the fires should do it, but I need to stop the bleeding first.
A few more minutes and I won’t be able to act on what I saw a split second before the bomb went off and sent me into the water.
Jake, running towards us.
Debris is scattered over the island, fire making the air thick with smoke.
Jake could have survived, and if he’s alive, he’ll give me the answers I need. I’m picking my way through the stonemason blocks when I catch sight of him.
I immediately aim the weapon and yell. “I don’t want to shoot you, Jake.”
He coughs as he stumbles towards me, but his own weapon raises to meet mine. “I give you a roof, a job, and you blow my shit up?”
I blink, eyes burning from the smoke. “I didn’t blow anything up. If I did I wouldn’t be stupid enough to be here when it happened, would I?”
He steps closer, through the smoke and I see the confusion on his scorched face. “Then who did?”
It takes me three seconds to work up the courage to voice what I just now understand. “Mary.”
There is no possible reason for him to lie to me, so I take a step closer, and hope we can resolve this before I pass out. “She pushed you to buy this place, didn’t she?”
He shakes his head. “She doesn’t know anything about bombs. You do—”
I cut him off. “She knows plenty of soldiers though, doesn’t she?”
