I slammed a hand down on delete, moving back into the hallway to mount the stairs.
‘Nicole, what the bloody hell are you playing at?’
I sighed, before blanking out my father’s voice and slipping into the spare bedroom that held my wardrobe of clothes.
Mud decorated the hem of the black dress I wore. My stockings looked like a Rocky Horror Picture Show aftermath. Off they came, tossed into the corner, to be exchanged for my black Versace jeans and black Pierre Cardin V-neck sweater. Onto my feet, I tugged Tigger socks I’d stolen from Kellie for their softness, and a pair of designer biker boots my father hated me wearing.
After re-securing my hair in a ponytail, I jogged back down the stairs to the living room, where my father’s tirade still rolled through speakers like something robotic.
‘… mother is very upset …”
Probably from listening to you rant on half the night.
A small door, halfway along the first wall, led to the cupboard under the stairs. Inside was where I stored my personal safe, with a combination I changed on a weekly basis. My eyes scanned the piles of notes within—ones I’d worked hard to save, because Father had insisted I prove my responsibility every week for him to keep me in his will.
Without hesitation, I pulled out a sack, shook it open, and began the transfer of cash until only five bundles remained.
‘… I expect better of you, Nicole …’ my father’s voice continued, as I ducked from the cupboard. ‘You’re a Harring—’
With my coat snatched up on route, I slammed the hall door shut on his voice and raced out of the house.
Fresh snowflakes splattered against the windscreen, marring my ability to see, even with the wipers on full whack. I drove along the A-road toward Leominster, and with seven miles clocked, no sign of any farm convinced me I’d missed the place, until I spotted two brick pillars at a harsh bend ahead of me. I squinted through the raining white at the seven-foot-high structures that supported gates left wide open and acted as pedestals for a couple of gigantic stone cats.
Cats—typical. “Got to be it,” I murmured, slowing the car to a halt alongside them to read the brass plaques: Beech Farm.
For some reason, reaching there didn’t exactly quell the nerves shivering through my body. Reminding myself of my quest—Kellie—I stuck the gearstick into reverse, backed up enough to make the turn, and weaved the Toyota between the gateposts.
The driveway, clear of snow, looked like a river of grey for the Toyota’s headlights to follow. Twin mounds of bordering white disappeared into dense clusters of trees on either side, while around fifty metres ahead stood the biggest farmhouse I’d ever laid eyes on. Seven illuminated windows and a broad door graced the front, overlooking a circular fountain where the driveway came to an end.
At blurred movement bundling into the car’s path, I pounded my foot on the brake, gripping the wheel as the tyres made a slight skid to the left, and stared at a rolling duo of huge cats scrabbling at each other.
More cats.
With my heart boom-a-boom-booming, I blinked.
Only the flick of a tail remained in the glow of my headlights, before even that vanished into the trees on the right.
Releasing a sharp blast of pent-up breath, I loosened my fists and navigated the vehicle once more in the direction of the house. Toward, I suspected, the guy from the phone.
No other cars dotted the fountain-adorned roundabout when I parked. For a few moments, I sat studying my quiet surroundings. Despite the gentle efforts of the trees to shake the snow from their branches, everything seemed still. Too still.
Creepy.
Shaking off my musings, I grabbed up the sack of cash from where I’d set it in the passenger foot-well and climbed out of the vehicle to the kind of misleading insulation only snow brings. Other than the muted crunch of my boots against the powder, little sound reached my ears—not even the expected rustles of nocturne life.
Which only seemed to make the grounds all the more creepy.
At a sudden screech off to the far right, my entire body jerked as an involuntary gasp burst from me, and I spun toward the sound. Nothing stood there as the source, no animals or beasties prowled from the between the timber, and it took a few seconds of me scouring to realise I stood gawping with a hand pressed to my chest.
“Get a grip,” I whispered, rolling my shoulders as I tightened my hand around the sack of cash.
Slamming the car door and staring up at the house, I couldn’t help but notice the way it seemed to have been downplayed from the mansion it truly was. With the quality of the carpentry cladding its façade, it made me wonder the why behind it—did the owner just not like blatant opulence? Or maybe they just didn’t want others to be too aware of the depth of their wealth.
Whatever their reasons, their efforts seemed inadequate when paired with the house’s size. Although, considering the social circles I’d been brought up in, the luxury properties I’d been prettied up to visit, the building shouldn’t have seemed that big, at all. Heck, my parents’ house—my family home—covered more square footage.
Yet, the building still gave me pause, before I gave a mental shake and ordered myself forth.
Four stone steps led up to the front door, on which a brass knocker hung from a lion’s head mount. I lifted the ring, dropping it against the wood, and the clash echoed through the night like a chime of doom as the tremble of my knees betrayed my anxiety.
At a gentle vibration through my hip, I glanced down and, catching a glow through the dark denim, worked out Drake’s mobile. ‘Corey’ flashed across the screen.
I twisted and peered behind, wondering if they’d already arrived, if they already hid somewhere—if it had been one of them I’d seen tumbling into the trees—but the twist of a catch drew my attention back to the door. I shoved the phone into my pocket just as it swung inward and light spilled over me.
Ivan from the park stood in the opening, that same smugness on his face. “You surprise me. I didn’t think you’d come.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” I asked, praying for my tone not to wobble and give away just how scared I really was. “A deal was struck, after all. The Harrington’s aren’t known for backing out.” Father would have probably been proud at last—unless, of course, he learned of the circumstances leading to the deal, and the fact I’d taken my savings to bail out my best friend … who only needs bailing out at all because of me.
Ivan stepped back and inclined his chin. “You’d better come in, then.”
Just like the exterior, white dominated the hall, on the walls, ceiling, even the furniture that Ivan guided us past across a parquet floor. With barely a falter in his flow, he gestured me to follow and disappeared around a high archway.
The corner I rounded took me into a library impressively crowded on all sides by floor-to-ceiling shelves that had been packed tight with books. In a wing chair in the centre sat Kellie, still donned in her fleecy shorts and tatty T and socks.
Her head whipped up as soon as I stepped into the room. A hoard of emotion spilled from her wide eyes, mingling with unspoken fear, determination, and pleading—definitely pleading.
After checking her over, surprised, yet relieved, to find no bindings on her, nor any marks, I sent her a small nod and gave my attention to the man at her side.
Not as tall as Ivan, but somehow more imposing, he stared back through eyes the colour of burnt Satsuma, from beneath a chestnut, out-of-control mane of hair. Questions and curiosity, as well as an underlying humour poured from his expression, and twisted the line of his lips.
A plum-sized blockage caught in my throat, one it took three attempts to swallow down, leaving my mouth as arid as kilned sand.
“How lovely to meet a local businesswoman,” the man said, and I recognised the smooth tone instantly. “Especially one of the Harrington line.”
“You took my calls.” An obvious statement. “Which means you know of the arrangement, so there’s no reason to st
all with formalities.”
His lips twisted further. On anyone else, they’d have looked like a grimace. On him, they seemed to hold an offering of delights. He nodded toward the sack I held. “You have the agreed amount?”
Agreed? He’d made the demand. I’d had no choice but to comply. “Twenty-five,” I confirmed.
At a quiet command from the odd man, Ivan stepped forward and reached for the sack.
I tugged it back a little. “My friend first, if you’d be so kind.”
The man’s chuckle sounded like a bubbling geyser. “That’s not quite how these transactions work.”
“Maybe not in your head, but this is how they work when dealing with me. If you take your prize first and then renege in the exchange, I’m screwed. At least you have every hope of ensuring my end of the bargain is fulfilled with the backup you have here.” I nodded toward his freaky aide, but as Goldie fast-sobered, I wondered what the hell I’d said wrong.
“You know what I am?” he asked, his tone as serious as death.
I’d no idea which of my words had given him that impression. Or maybe my face had done all the talking he’d obviously heard. Trying to school my features, I answered, Honestly … “No …” … not for certain, anyway.
“But you suspect.”
Unable to come up with a truth and distraction fast enough to fool them, I refrained from answering that question.
“Mr Gold must think very highly of you to allow you so close.”
I could have told him Mr Gold hadn’t exactly had a whole lot of choice in the matter, but instead, I kept my mouth shut again—mostly because Ivan and his sucky interjection on what should have been a normal, pleasant evening was the only reason I’d ended up involved at all.
He patted Kellie’s shoulder and waved her forward. “Okay, you may cross to your friend.”
I could tell by her twitchy eyes and head, she didn’t like showing the guy her back as she padded over the floor. She practically snatched at my arm the second she was close enough, her fingers digging into my flesh, even through my sweater and coat.
“Can we go now?” she squeaked through clenched teeth.
I nodded and held out the bag toward Ivan, though my gaze remained on the one who’d never even given his name. “I trust this is Benjamin’s debt paid in full now?”
“It is.” He smiled, once more adding intrigue to an already compelling face. “Though, you might want to call him off now …” So, he knew of Benjamin’s presence. “… before he finds himself in a new batch of trouble.”
“No worries,” I muttered, backing Kellie and myself out of the room. Only at the archway did I turn us away.
“Ms Harrington?”
I glanced back to find those unusual eyes full of anticipation and a little closer, though I hadn’t heard him move.
“I very much look forward to doing business with you in the future.”
What the hell does that mean? screamed through my head as my pulse did a little stuttering act, but I ordered myself not to respond, not to allow him to see he’d unnerved me, and merely nudged Kellie in the direction of the front door.
We burst from the house and into the cold without interruption, and as soon as we had, I slammed the barrier in place, taking a moment on the top step to catch the breath I’d been holding. Fingers trembling, from way more than the temperatures, I wiggled Drake’s mobile from my pocket and hit dial on the last received call.
After one ring, Drake’s voice said, “Tell me that wasn’t you I saw going into Rufus’s house, Cole.”
Rufus? I didn’t quite contain my snort.
“Cole?”
“Yes, it was me. I have Kellie. You can call Benjamin off and tell him his dues are paid.”
Silence met me. The stunned kind, I guessed.
I scoured the darkness, peering through the trees like I’d spot Drake peeking around one.
“I’ll tell him,” he said.
“Thanks.” I started down the steps, Kellie’s hold on my arm bringing her down with me. “You can also tell whoever owns the RAV4, thanks for the loan, but they’ll have to wait on its return, because right now …” I sighed. “I’m going home.”
Kellie shivered against me, as I hung up and pulled open the passenger door of the car. “What the hell happened tonight?” she asked.
I wondered how long it would take her. “It’s a long story.” I shrugged out of my coat and draped it around her shoulders. “One I’m not even sure I know.”
“You are so sharing. And my being dragged off the sofa and hauled away by a couple of hulks had better have a decent explanation behind it.”
Everything within me wanted to ask what had happened, how bad the evening had been for her, but something within the continued shivers of her body told me that moment wasn’t the right time for the inquisition. “Tomorrow,” I said, tucking into her seat. “I promise.”
With a last glance toward the ‘farmhouse’, I rounded the car and settled behind the wheel. Air blew from the vents the instant I turned the key, and I aimed them all Kellie’s way, before directing the car around the roundabout and onto the driveway.
“So … how was your date?” she asked.
I twisted toward her, caught the curve of her lips in the dark. “My date? It was … different.”
I turned back in time to spot a golden bundle whizzing past the headlights.
My foot smashed down.
The tyres shifted to the left.
The car ground to a stop.
“What was that?” Kellie said.
Heart thudding loud enough to drown out all other sound, I stared at the empty spot, where I’d have sworn on my life I’d just seen something, too.
“It looked lik—”
A bang hit my window.
Kellie screamed, as I jumped a foot off my seat.
Benjamin’s face peeked through the glass when I dared look that way. My door shot open. Hands gripped my shoulders. In the next second, I stood wedged against the vehicle with Benjamin’s hands on each of my cheeks.
“Are you okay?” He scanned over my features. “Tell me he didn’t hurt you. What the hell were you thinking, Cole?”
“I was thinking of getting my friend back and saving your hide.”
“What did Rufus do to you?”
“Nothing. I paid him. He handed Kellie over. We left.”
“That’s it?” Disbelief tinged his tone.
I nodded.
He blew out a breath, seemed to relax a little. “I’m going to drive you home. I can do that much, at least.” He stepped away—revealing himself in all his naked glory.
Again.
I gaped at him. “What happened to your clothes this time?”
He leaned in and popped the lever to the back hatch like I hadn’t even asked.
I followed him when he headed for the rear of the car, trying hard not to get distracted by the sweet, sweet curve of his bum as it tick-tocked with each step. “I swear I’ve seen you without clothes more than with.”
“And she says that like it’s a bad thing,” Kellie piped up from her seat.
I ignored her, dragging my gaze to Benjamin’s eyes as he turned. “Are you going to tell me what’s really been going on tonight?”
He opened the hatch, and pulled out a sweater, tugging it over his head.
“Maybe you’d like to start with what really happened in the park?”
He slid Jersey shorts over his hips.
I peeked inside the boot space, to find an entire holdall rammed with clothes. “How much does this kind of thing happen, exactly, Benjamin? I mean, you have a boot full of clothes. You run around with nothing on … and it’s fricking winter, for God’s sake. You all vanished without a trace earlier, only to have—”
Fingers clasped the back of my neck as lips smothered mine. I blinked, bringing his seriously close face into focus. For a moment, I lowered my lids and allowed the moment of what very much resembled calm to wash through me, only just su
cceeding in squashing the groan brewing in my chest.
When I opened my eyes, his seemed to glow in the darkness.
“You’ve already figured out the truth, and you refuse to believe yourself,” he said quietly. “Come on. Let’s get you home.”
For a moment, I just stood there, trying to decipher his words, as he climbed into the driver’s seat.
Or trying to accept them.
Getting nowhere fast, I yanked open the back door and lowered myself inside to Kellie’s burning curiosity.
Her eyebrow arched up. “Different, huh?”
Grabbing my seatbelt, I gave a half-shake of my head. “Kellie, you have no idea.”
Chapter 5
Tucked beneath a duvet on the sofa, Kellie’s snores made her sound like a hibernating bear. An early bird by nature, she’d pretty much crashed and burned after she’d gotten what she could out of me and Benjamin, which turned out to be not very much at all.
Listening to the gruff background tune, I stood on the front deck beneath the porch overhang and watched the sway of Benjamin’s hips as he padded barefoot along my path. Despite my relief at the evening being over, I couldn’t help the twinge of sadness as I watched each step carry him farther away.
Despite the ease with which Kellie had gone under, he’d avoided my questioning stares, batted my demands for answer. The fact that every time he looked at me, my insides went gooey, was neither here, nor there. Or how much my mind would rather be basking in the imprinted image of Benjamin’s arse than dealing with the current situation.
Though, both of those just made his walking away a little harder to take, which probably made me the crazy person to ever walk the darned planet. Because I surely should’ve been rejoicing in it, thankful that the most eventful and frightening—and excitingly exhilarating—night of my life had come to an end and I could return to mundanity and obeying orders.
Reaching the end of the path, Benjamin halted, his hand on the gate. When he hadn’t moved seconds later, my heart did an idiotic little thrum.
For what, though? Did I think he’d turn back around? Did I even want that?
Curse of Christmas: A Collection of Paranormal Holiday Stories Page 57
