‘No you wouldn’t.’
‘I’m telling you I would.’
She climbed onto his knee and Dan engulfed her in his arms and ran a hand up her back. The monument was behind them, a silhouette, tall and slim.
Dan stood up and lifted her into his arms and started to walk towards the grass. Everything was in shadows.
Naomi wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes. ‘Where are you taking me?’
‘Not far. I’ve got an engagement gift for you.’
‘Really? Where is it?’
‘Right here.’
‘You’re empty-handed.’
Dan chuckled. ‘Yeah. Well it’s a little unusual. You’ll never be able to hear it, or smell it, or touch it, or taste it.’
She opened her eyes to find the stars blinking overhead. ‘I’m intrigued, Dan.’
Dan stopped walking and set her down. He took his jacket off and laid it on the ground. They were on a slope. The city was far in the distance. Dan sat down and lay back against his elbows and beckoned Naomi to sit in front of him. She dropped down, her back to Dan, and he rested his chin on her shoulder. His breath warmed the side of her face.
‘So what is it?’ she asked.
Dan lay back, flat against the ground and she went with him. The back of her head was against his stomach. ‘You’re looking at it,’ he whispered.
‘I’m looking at the sky.’
‘I know. And what do you see?’
She looked hard. Dan pulled the length of her hair through his fingers. ‘Countless stars.’
‘As of yesterday, two of those stars are named after us.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You can buy the right to name a star,’ Dan said. ‘So I bought the right, twice over.’
‘No way!’ The thought made her speechless a moment. ‘So, I’m looking at two stars –’
‘ . . . Which are called Daniel and Naomi. They’re close together in the Phoenix constellation. They’re called binary stars – a pair of stars which orbit around one another and never vary or stray from their course. They’re bound together by powerful forces. Nothing can prise them apart.’
‘That’s mind-blowing.’
‘Not too cheesy for you?’
‘No. It’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.’
They looked at the stars in silence while Dan played with her hair. ‘Yeah, well, I gave it a lot of thought. You know, the phoenix in mythology was a bird who lived for a long time then rose from the ashes when it died.’
‘Like Dumbledore’s bird?’
‘Exactly.’ Dan’s tone was very hushed. ‘The phoenix symbolises death and rebirth. This is a new start for us, Naomi, a new life.’
Neither spoke for a few moments. It was perfectly silent and still. ‘I love my gift, Dan.’
‘I’m glad. I have a certificate at home and a map which shows you where our stars are. The important thing is that we know they’re there, unchanging and immovable. I’ll be that star for you.’
She twisted her body over until she was on top of Dan, looking at what detail was available in the dimness of the night. Her chin was on his chest. ‘I think you’re shaping up to be the best boyfriend I’ve ever had.’
Dan giggled. ‘I practise all my lines, you know.’
‘Do you remember my island? The one I described to you in the swimming pool?’
‘Vividly. You virtually took me there.’
‘I’m actually going to take you there. Let’s get married there, Dan.’
She could just about make out the curve of a smile as it spread across Dan’s face. He looked at her. ‘Where is this island of yours?’
‘In the Maldives.’
‘The Maldives? As in the Indian Ocean?’
‘Yeah. There are loads of islands to choose from. Let’s fly away to somewhere deserted and leave all of this behind.’
‘Are you sure about this?’
‘Certain. I want to get married on my birthday, Dan.’
‘Next year?’
‘This year, as in six months from now.’
Dan laughed. The muscles clenched in his stomach. ‘You’re going to need a divorce.’
‘I’m going to get an annulment. Next Wednesday, Nathan’s going to help me with that.’
‘Nathan’s not known for his charity work.’
‘No, but he’s a charity case. He needs the money badly. He’ll be there.’
Dan’s smile faded. His voice dropped. ‘This is crazy, you know that?’
‘It’s completely crazy. And it feels so right.’ She pulled herself forward until her face was hanging over Dan’s and her hair was in his face. He swept it to one side. ‘So, you up for marrying me in the Maldives or not? I’m not asking twice.’
Dan slid his hand behind her neck and pulled her to his lips. ‘Count me in.’
<><><>
Monday meant big changes. It was back to college and to a lumpy single mattress, and away from the comfort and security of home, if anywhere was secure anymore. Two days to judgement day. Wednesday was looming, huge and weighty. As unpredictable and dangerous as he was, Naomi needed Nathan to be there for her. Just once. Would he, wouldn’t he? Had she done enough, played her cards just right? Time would tell. Two days of time exactly. Forty-eight hours. She was dreading it and looking forward to it with the same intensity.
It was another perfect day, dry and warm. Naomi pulled up close to the primary school at nine in the morning and took a cautious look around her. Women were still loitering and chatting in the playground and beyond it. The odd child was hurrying through the school gates, lumbered with bags, late.
Siobhan had returned from Ireland the night before. They’d had a text conversation and Naomi had convinced Siobhan that it was safe for both of them to go on living together. So here she was in her new car, nervous and unconvinced, if she was honest. And secretly engaged. Again.
‘You’re wearing your necklace,’ was the first thing Siobhan noticed as Naomi staggered into the student house with her case and two big bags. She dumped them down on the lounge carpet and didn’t make eye contact.
‘Yep.’
‘I thought Dan had it.’
A hesitation. ‘He did.’
‘So you’ve seen Dan then?’
‘Kind of, yeah.’
Siobhan was as still as stone. ‘How can you kind of see someone? Are you still into him or not?’
I’m marrying him on my birthday, Siobhan, and I can’t wait. ‘Erm? We’re just taking it easy. Wait-and-see kind of thing,’ she lied.
‘Wait and see? Not according to the huge bouquet of flowers in the kitchen.’
‘Flowers?’
‘Two dozen red roses arrived half an hour ago. The label says, “Naomi. Ready for the next level when you are”.’
Her skin felt as though a fridge door had just opened in front of her. The colour slunk away from her face. She turned away from Siobhan and hunted through her bag for nothing in particular. Flowers from Solomon? He’d anticipated her return that morning. Panic swept through her. She had weeks of college to endure and already she felt exposed and vulnerable.
‘Aren’t you going to look at them?’ Siobhan said. ‘They must have cost a packet. I thought Dan was out of work.’
Naomi wandered into the kitchen, her head filled with Solomon’s face and the colour of his eyes. The bouquet stood in the sink. It was a professional job. Wrapped in cellophane and ribbons were long-stemmed, half-open red roses in rows, getting progressively shorter at the front. The edges of the petals looked as though they’d been dipped in a delicate cream paint.
Naomi walked to the sink and stared at them without touching.
‘It doesn’t look like Dan intends to take things easy,’ Siobhan said. She arrived by Naomi’s side and looked at her. ‘Are you OK?’
‘Yeah, I’m fine.’
‘You look as though you’ve seen a ghost, so you do.’
Naomi forced herself to lo
ok at Siobhan and dredged a smile up from somewhere. It felt tight on her face, like a top that had shrunk in the dryer. ‘I’m just surprised, that’s all.’
Siobhan fiddled with her ring. ‘What do you think he means by the next level?’
Naomi shrugged nonchalantly. ‘Who knows? Nothing really.’
‘It doesn’t sound like nothing to me.’
Naomi started to walk away. She needed to sit down.
‘Aren’t you going to put them in a jug or something?’ Siobhan asked.
‘Would you mind doing it?’
‘What did your last slave die of?’
‘Your reward will be in heaven,’ Naomi joked, sweeping her bags off the floor. In truth, she wanted to be alone.
Siobhan disappeared inside the kitchen and Naomi staggered up the stairs and collapsed onto the bed and pulled her phone from her pocket.
<><><>
Dan was in his boxers. He hadn’t bothered to dress. His phone buzzed. He snatched it up from the coffee table. Naomi. He eagerly opened the message and read it then deleted it like he did all Naomi’s messages.
‘Oh no.’
The words were seared onto his brain. Twenty-four red roses from Solomon. Feeling sick.
Dan felt the same. He sent back, ‘Don’t respond. Nothing. Don’t go out at night. Otherwise, act normally. Delete this.’
A text came right back. ‘Will do. Worried enough about Wednesday. Don’t need this.’
Dan deleted, then added, ‘Focus on Wednesday and then college work. Forget Solomon. One thing at least – he won’t hurt you.’
‘ . . . unless he finds out about us.’
‘Then it’ll be me he hurts. Make sure he doesn’t find out.’
Dan waited, but nothing came back. He could hear a couple of vehicles outside. Agitated, he stood up, phone in hand, and wandered to the window. A team of men were flooding out of a white van in the car park below. Some were wearing diving suits. Dan ducked behind the curtain and watched stealthily. The last time divers had searched the water was after the disappearance of Simon Wilde. The search had been fruitless. So why were they back?
A guy in plain clothes jumped out of a nearby black van and headed for the group. He was shielding his eyes with one hand from the sun. An iron hand. Dan recognised him even from a distance. It was Crush.
41
Wednesday happened to be Kerry Marshall’s day off, but she got up that morning as if she was on duty for an early shift. She hadn’t been able to sleep properly anyway. The kind of sleep she was used to had deserted her since she’d last seen Nathan. Her mind had been whirring like an engine, blocking any chance of real rest. She didn’t want to see Nathan again, but she’d managed to exchange a few texts with him to keep up the pretence that all was well. It was killing her, but was essential. Nathan was distracted, which was a relief. He’d normally have called and called, but he hadn’t called at all. And Kerry knew why.
Having slept for four hours, she got up just after six and showered and dressed. She towel-dried her hair and fastened it out of the way. By seven she was in the kitchen making a pot of tea, on autopilot. She didn’t feel like food. She poured herself a drink and sat mindlessly sipping it, vision blurred into the kettle.
Her colleagues were searching for Simon Wilde again. A watch had been unearthed close to the canal, which would have been meaningless but for two things. One, the guy who found it handed it in to his local station, and two – crucially – there was an inscription and date on the back of the watch linking it to Simon Wilde. It had been a 21st birthday gift from his parents. So there was no doubt whose watch it was. It had been shallowly buried by a bin half a mile from the Stone brothers’ flat. The police had combed the area at the time of his disappearance. The search had yielded no clues. And now, suddenly, there was a glimmer of light.
And to think that Nathan might be involved. She shivered. She’d been an idiot. Blind. Why did falling in love strip reason away? The first time she’d set eyes on Nathan Stone, her logical mind had vaporised under his gaze. It was the way he looked at her, those eyes reducing her to a flustered, blushing kid. She drained her cup and poured herself another drink. It was time to focus. It was time, on her day off, to go to work.
<><><>
Naomi felt sick with nerves. It was the third day in a row she’d felt a tightening in her chest and an uncomfortable rush in her veins and a slight shortness of breath whenever she wasn’t sitting. She parked her little car, switched the engine off and pulled the key from the ignition with trembling hands. It was only eight-twenty. The solicitors’ office was about a five-minute walk away. She’d arranged for Andrew Cavendish to let her in at eight-thirty when he arrived for work.
He’d told her he wouldn’t be available until nine. She’d told him that was fine. She didn’t want or expect to see Nathan before nine; didn’t want to hang around with him outside the office. She didn’t want him to have an opportunity to talk to her in advance, if he came at all.
The lump on her head – hidden behind padded linen and surgical strips – and a night in hospital, had been the price to pay for making it this far. Her injury could leave a scar. Only an annulment would compensate. She was desperate to draw a line under the past and be free. So she needed Nathan like never before.
She took hold of her necklace and nervously zipped the cross from side to side and sent some uncertain words heavenward without closing her eyes. It was the first petition in months. She glanced around the car park which was filling with cars and emptying of people wearing suits and carrying dark briefcases. Her stomach fizzed and bubbled. From the silence and security of her car, she observed the beginnings of another glorious day and traced the arc of the rising sun. It was the kind of day which promised everything. At eight twenty-four, she cautiously got out of the car and joined a thin stream of moving bodies. The flow at this time consisted of people who strode confidently and had the business-like air of it being just another day.
Not so for her.
As she approached the solicitors’, there was a man behind the large front window, drifting around with a black mug. She arrived at the front door and he saw her, waved, unlocked the door, shook her hand and introduced himself. Andrew Cavendish. He was a small guy with good teeth, bad skin and an ugly tie. He took her into a waiting area out of view of the front window where there were half a dozen chairs, a small table stacked with magazines, and a drinks machine.
‘Tea? Coffee?’
Naomi sat and linked her fingers together. ‘Neither, thanks. I’ll just wait here for Nathan.’ Said as if Nathan was sure to show, when nothing was less certain.
‘Good, good. I’ll be in my office. My secretary, Janet, will be here anytime. Do let her know when Nathan arrives and we’ll get on with things as soon as possible.’
He smiled and nodded and vanished round a corner, and Naomi heard a door close. Thoughts swirled in her mind for five minutes, until Janet arrived. She was as frosty as her white coat, which she was unbuttoning as she passed without a word. Fine. Naomi was in no mood for chat.
The clock on the wall told her that it was almost eight-forty. Her watch agreed. Another few people passed through the waiting area as the big hand on the clock strained to reach nine. The low hum of morning chat drifted from nearby rooms. Naomi stood up and went to the front window and looked out. Her view was limited.
‘Come on, come on.’
She turned her back and the door opened. She spun round to find a middle-aged woman. So she returned to the waiting area and to the same chair, still warm, and sat through an agonising fifteen minutes.
Andrew Cavendish rushed in.
‘Still waiting for Nathan?’
‘I’m sure he’s on his way.’
‘You’ll appreciate that my day is fully booked. I can give him another few minutes and then we’ll have to postpone.’
Naomi nodded. She was too choked to speak. Andrew Cavendish disappeared. Naomi stood up and went to the drinks machine for iced
water. She coaxed half a cup out of it and lost patience. When she turned around, Nathan was watching her. He was carrying an A4 sized black leather folder. She was startled, but fought to cover it.
He strode forward and stood in front of her and looked at the padded patch cushioning the side of her head.
‘Had an accident?’ he asked.
‘It was nothing.’
‘So you got me here,’ he said, unsmiling. His tone was low. ‘You’d better have my money.’
Naomi could feel and hear the beating of her own heart, but she said, nonchalantly, ‘You’re late.’
He leant closer. ‘Have you got my money or not?’
‘Have you brought the paperwork?’
He tapped the black folder under his arm. ‘Money?’ he demanded quietly.
‘It’s in my bag.’
‘Show me.’
‘I’m sure you don’t want Mr Cavendish to know that you’re accepting money from me.’
‘I’m sure you don’t want him to know that you’re having to bribe me to get your annulment. It doesn’t look convincing, does it?’
‘Trust me. I’ve got the money.’
‘Trust you?’ He lowered his face to hers. ‘Show me the money.’
The frosty secretary appeared suddenly. Her tone was full of urgency, ‘If you’re both ready, Mr Cavendish can see you now.’
Nathan turned and produced a smile from somewhere and nowhere. ‘Thank you.’
Janet didn’t reciprocate, she just stood and stared at Nathan until he made reluctant moves to follow her. Naomi filed behind him as they followed Janet through to the office, her tights swishing every step. She left them at the door and swished off. Andrew Cavendish looked at his watch as they entered his office. Point made.
They sat down opposite him. His voice had an edge of impatience as he directed his opening comments at Nathan.
‘So Naomi has filled out a nullity petition and you’re required to respond in agreement, Nathan, if you want the annulment to go ahead. And I’m sure you’re aware that there’s a time frame. The court has to have these papers by Friday. Do you have the form?’
The Darkness Visible (The Midnight Saga Book 2) Page 39
