We all stood there, stunned into silence. What the actual fuck was happening here?
“I don’t believe it. How could you afford this?” Ryan frowned, glaring at Adam and waiting for the answer.
“Because of him.” Adam nodded over to me and then winked. It took everything I had not to launch myself at him and wipe that smug smile off his face.
“We made a hell of a lot of money betting against Mathers,” he announced proudly, and then he stared right at me again. “And your uncle might’ve donated some towards it too. Not that he had much choice. We cleared out his house and his bank account when we’d finished with him.” He shrugged. “Call it pay back. We spent all night burying his body parts all over London. He owed us.”
I felt sick to my stomach, but Ryan still wasn’t buying it.
“No way,” he snapped, shaking his head. “That’s bullshit. I know how much this place was going for. You couldn’t have.”
“Why couldn’t we?” Adam smirked and looked around at his fellow soldiers. “Because only the Renaissance men can put on events in Sandland? Because we’re not as talented as you? We raised the money, made the deal, and signed on the dotted line this morning. You lose, Hardy. We win.”
“This isn’t over. I won’t let this happen,” Ryan shouted back.
“You’ve got no choice. And I would remind you that you’re on private property… our property, right now, but arguing with you is so much fun. I love seeing how red your face is getting.” Adam was having way too much fun poking Ryan. He was getting off on his anger.
“Just say the word and he’s gone,” Devon Brady piped up, but Adam held his hand up.
“And spoil all the fun? You need to watch this space, gentlemen. The Sanctuary is about to become the hottest place to be in Sandland.” He winked, knowing his use of the word ‘hot’ would strike a knife into all of our hearts.
Ryan lurched forward to take out his own justice, but Emily stood in his way.
“We know what you fucking did, you no-good piece of shit. You started that fire at the factory. You hurt a lot of people, including our best friend.” Ryan had lost it, but his anger only humoured Adam even more. Adam Noble fed off fury like Ryan’s. He lived for it.
Eventually, Ryan stepped back, letting Emily’s words that they weren’t worth it penetrate through his anger.
“Better sleep with one eye open, Noble, ‘cos I’m coming for you,” Ryan hissed, pointing over Emily’s shoulder.
“Do I look like I give a fuck? My last fuck burned along with your mate in the factory.” Adam laughed at his own sick joke, then he looked right at me. “Times are changing. You’re not the big men you think you are.” And then he spotted Liv standing behind Effy. “Come for the private tour, sweetheart?”
“I’ve seen all I need to, thanks. This place had potential, but now it’s full of shit.” Liv glared back at him, not afraid to speak her mind. She could give as good as she got.
I expected him to laugh at her, but he didn’t. Instead, he stared at her, studying her and contemplating his next move like the predator he was.
“I’m gonna enjoy showing you what happens when people talk back to me,” was what he said next, but he didn’t appear to be as confident in that moment as he had been seconds ago.
“Suck a dick,” Liv shot back.
“That’s your job, sweetheart.”
Ryan had had enough, we all had, and he grabbed Emily by the elbow to pull her away. “Let’s get out of here. I’ve seen enough.”
“What? Don’t you want to see what we did with the chapel?” Adam’s words pinned Ryan to the spot, and I could see the rage brewing in his eyes. Noble had hit a very raw nerve.
“I swear to God, Noble, you are a dead man,” Ryan said as calmly as he could.
“Good job I’ve got my own chapel for the funeral then, hey? Although, we have started to add our own touch to it. I mean, what better place to install the chains, cuffs, and other shit we’re gonna use in there. Kind of like a crazy oxymoron; we’re gonna worship all the fucking sins we can.” Adam was pushing every one of Ryan’s buttons and he knew it.
“Ryan, let’s just go,” Emily urged with desperation in her voice.
“Listen to your woman, Hardy,” Adam called out. “Take me on and you’ll regret it.”
“Fuck you,” Ryan spat and marched down the hall. This was a fight for another day. Nothing would be achieved from standing here arguing with them.
We turned to leave too, but Adam had to get the last word in.
“I’ll be seeing you around… Olivia.”
Liv stopped and spun back round to glare at him.
“Not if I see you first… freak.”
And then she stomped off, leaving him cackling with laughter behind her.
“That guy is a fucking moron,” Liv growled as she haphazardly picked her way across the uneven flagstones of the hallway and back out through the front doors. “I would say he gives me the creeps but that’d imply that I have actual feelings when I see him.”
“Well, he creeps me out,” Effy replied.
We hadn’t told Liv about the blackmail, and even though she’d heard what Adam had said about my uncle just now, she either didn’t care enough to ask about it or hadn’t put two and two together. She did tend to live in her own world ninety-nine percent of the time.
“Liv, would you mind getting a lift back with Ryan and Emily?” I asked. “Only, I want to show Effy something.”
Liv wrinkled her nose and looked over to where Ryan and Emily were standing arguing by his car.
“I guess I’ve got no choice.” She opened her handbag and started rooting through it. “I’ll put my AirPods in though. I don’t want to listen to their lovers’ tiff all the way home.” And with that, she walked off, not even stopping to say goodbye.
“I need to get away from this place,” I said, looking up at the building that now made my skin crawl. “I’ve wasted enough time on them. I want to move forward. Start living for me… and you.”
“Me too,” Effy replied.
I put my arm around her and we walked back towards her car.
“Where are we going?” she asked, narrowing her eyes and giving me a questioning look.
“I have another surprise for you. Something that I think might help give us a little hope in this shitty nightmare we’ve all been stuck in lately.”
I didn’t elaborate further. I didn’t want to. I wanted to show rather than tell. We had a happily ever after we needed to start living, and right now, that’s all I wanted to focus on.
We pulled onto the forecourt of Ryan’s dad’s garage, and I directed Effy to drive down to the rear where Sean had a few workshops. Ryan used the main one for his kit car business. But once, when I was talking to Sean about my art, he offered me the use of one of his spaces. The light in there was amazing, and it gave me a quiet place that I could call my own to escape the world and create whatever the hell I wanted.
“Have you bought a car?” Effy asked as we parked up and got out.
“Not quite. But I did buy some car parts.” She frowned at me but I smiled, enjoying the fact that I could keep her on her toes.
I unlocked the padlock and pushed the doors open, stepping back to let Effy go first. When I heard her gasp, it made my whole body tingle with pride.
When I originally started working here, I thought I was going to create graffiti, maybe paint on canvas, but what happened surprised even me. I’d seen all the spare parts lying around the yard and most of what I’d used for my sculpture had been passed to me with no charge attached. They weren’t ever going to be used again, and Sean seemed bemused that I wanted all his old crap as he called it. But to me, they were materials that I could bend, mould, melt down and reshape to create whatever the hell I wanted. A little bit like my life right now. I took what was used up and gave it new life, new purpose. Renaissance meant rebirth, after all, so really I was fulfilling my duty as a true Renaissance man.
My wi
shing well wasn’t finished. I still had some areas of the roof that I needed to weld, and I had planned to inscribe something into the sheet metal that I’d used for the brick effect around the base. But after today, I felt that it was time to share it with Effy. Show her the lucky charm I was making for us both.
“Finn, this is stunning.” She gasped, running her hand over the edge.
“I’ve always been fascinated by wishing wells,” I told her. “When things got tough, back when Alice and I were growing up, I used to think to myself that maybe, if I could find a wishing well, I could make a wish and all the pain would go away. That’s what my dumb childish brain told me, anyway.”
“That’s not dumb.” She smiled her special smile meant only for me, and just like that, I didn’t feel like such a loser anymore. “It’s heart-breaking, Finn, but it’s not dumb.”
“I figured if I could throw a penny in, make that wish, it would all stop. But there are no wishing wells in Sandland. There was The Treacle Well in our Alice in Wonderland books, but nothing we could use in real life. So, I’ve made my own.”
“How is Alice?” Effy’s face was a picture of concern and my heart swelled looking at how genuine she was and how much she really cared.
“She’s staying where she is, up north with Danya. I said I’d take you there when everything dies down. Let you get to know her properly.”
“I’d like that.” Effy sighed.
“Me too.” I pulled a penny out of my pocket and went to stand next to her. “I know it’s not finished, but I thought we could do with a bit of good luck.” I handed her the penny, placing it into her palm and closing her hand, then I held it tightly with my own. “Go on. Make a wish.”
“Only if you make one too,” she said, staring at me from under her long lashes.
I found another penny in my pocket and then stood behind her, wrapping my arms around her and breathing her in as I whispered, “Together. On the count of three. One… two… three…”
I couldn’t help it. I watched her close her eyes and drop the coin in before I threw mine. The way she scrunched her nose up as she mouthed her wish was the cutest thing I’d ever seen.
“We were supposed to do it together.” She pretended to look offended as she peered back at me from over her shoulder, but the light in her eyes gave her away. “What did you wish for? I wished––”
I covered her mouth and laughed.
“You’re not supposed to tell me. It won’t come true if you do.”
Her eyes clouded over and seeing her face fall slightly made me pull her into me and hug her.
“I love you, Eff. And you don’t need to tell me what you wished for, I already know.” She leant back in my arms to look at me.
“You do?”
“Of course.” I ducked my head down to whisper into her ear. “It’s the same thing I wished for. And I’m going to enjoy making that wish come true every single day of our lives. You and me together. Always.”
“Promise?” she asked, with love beaming in her eyes.
“That is a forever promise.”
There are three things that are certain in this life.
Death.
Taxes.
And the fact that if I want something, I will fucking get it.
And I want her.
She might think I’m the devil incarnate, but she ain’t seen nothing yet. If she thinks the rumours are bad, she’s gonna love the live action encore I’ve got planned.
I live for the fear, the thrill of the chase. And I’ll chase her down to the ends of the earth with a smile on my face. She’s in my sights now, and nothing is going to stop me.
Buckle up, Olivia. I’m coming––ready or not––to claim what’s rightfully mine.
You.
The End
Thank you so much for reading.
If you enjoyed Finn and Effy’s story, then please spread the word and leave a review.
The Soldiers of Anarchy, Book One.
Liv and Adam’s story.
Rebels of Sandland, Book Four.
Zak’s story.
Here it is! Another book written during a global pandemic, and what a rollercoaster it’s been! I need to say a huge thank you to my family for letting me escape the crazy world we live in and indulge in the crazier minds of my characters. You are my rocks and I would be lost without you.
Next, I want to give a massive shout-out to my book besties, who have kept my sanity in-check and pulled me off the ledge more times than I care to admit. Lindsey, Ashlee, Lauren, and Robyn, you ladies are amazing. You make me laugh every day and I value your friendship so much. Thank you for always being there and for BETA reading Fractured Minds.
Robyn, the best PA ever! Thank you for being totally awesome and organising everything. Without you, I’d be lost. Your teasers are to die for and you work so hard to get our books out there. You’re an angel, and I’m truly grateful for your hard work and friendship. If you aren’t following her, then get to it. You’ll find her at @books4days_with_robyn or @robynpa_
A special thank you to Lindsey Powell at Liji Editing, and Leanne at Irish Ink, for being utterly brilliant and polishing this story for me. I’m so glad I found you. You’ve helped to make my little book shine brighter. Thank you ladies.
To Michelle Lancaster, for taking the perfect photograph of my character inspiration for Finn, and Andy Murray, for being that inspiration. This cover is gorgeous! And last but not least, Lori Jackson, for designing a kick ass cover. You guys rock!
I will always be indebted to the hard work and support of all the bloggers and bookstagrammers on social media. Your posts and graphics are amazing and you always go above and beyond. Thank you for every single post, share and comment. It means the world. I wish I could list everyone, but the acknowledgements would be longer than the actual story! You all do such a fantastic job. Thank you so much.
To the indie author community, I love how encouraging, supportive, and utterly amazing you are. I feel proud to be a part of such an amazing community. #indieauthorsrock
Last but not least, to all the readers out there who’ve taken the time to download, read, and review my book. Thank you for taking a chance on me. I’m always immensely grateful for every read and review. Reviews are the lifeline of every author, especially us smaller indies. You guys make my day and make it all worthwhile.
Thank you for reading Finn and Effy’s story. Stay tuned for more!
Lots of Love
Nikki x
For updates on my new releases and other news, follow me on the following links.
Instagram
Facebook
Reader Group
Twitter
TikTok
Bookbub
Fractured Minds (Rebels of Sandland Book 3) Page 24
