Midnight Smoke (The Firebrand Series Book 3)

by Helen Harper

  Lukas groaned. He sprang out of the chair and reached me in a second, lifting me so that I was facing him yet again.

  ‘I thought,’ I murmured, ‘that I told you to sit.’

  I felt his hot breath on my skin. ‘I’m done being a good boy.’ He kissed me again.

  This time our movements were more urgent. I scrabbled at Lukas’s trousers, undoing the zip and pushing them down while he removed my bra. His hands cupped my breasts, the base of his thumbs caressing my taut nipples. His head dropped, his tongue lapping a trail from my mouth downwards. I moaned, unable to help myself. My hands fumbled, reaching for his hot, hard cock. My fingers encircled it briefly before stroking down towards the tip.

  ‘Witch,’ he muttered. He hooked his thumbs round my panties and yanked them off. I released my grip on him. A moment later he was inside me, all the way to the hilt. I gasped and fell back. Lukas looked at me, his expression one of delight, triumph and deep satisfaction. And then, inch by inch, he slowly slid out. His control was absolute.

  With a ragged breath I reached for his body again, trying to pull him back. But he was taking his time. He waited, with only the tip of his penis still inside me. ‘Tell me, Emma.’ He licked his lips. ‘Tell me you want me.’

  My answer was little more than a croak. ‘I want you.’

  ‘Only me.’

  I nodded. ‘Lukas…’

  ‘Say it.’

  I swallowed. ‘Only you.’

  He smiled, then he thrust again. Our sweat-slick bodies rose to meet each other. I flung back my head, catching a brief glimpse in the mirrored ceiling of his muscled body on top of mine before I let myself go altogether, shuddering uncontrollably.

  ***

  I lay on my side, one arm draped across Lukas’s chest and my legs entwined with his. His fingers toyed with my hair but his eyes were on the clock by the bedside table. ‘There are only a few minutes to go. You’ll remember all this.’ He paused. ‘I won’t. Will you tell me what happened?’

  ‘Will you believe me if I do?’

  His gaze dropped to mine. ‘Always.’

  ‘Then, yes,’ I whispered. ‘I’ll tell you.’

  The corners of his mouth lifted slightly and I felt him relax. ‘Good.’ His thumb stroked my cheek. ‘No matter what happens when you start the day again,’ he said, ‘and no matter what the outcome is, you’ll have done your best. Even if things don’t work out as they should, I know you well enough to appreciate that once you make a decision about something, you throw yourself into it with every inch of your heart.’ His hand moved to the centre of my chest. ‘And, Emma, you have such a beautiful heart. I don’t want you to be frightened of me or what this might become. I would never hurt you.’

  ‘I know.’ And I did. Lukas wasn’t Jeremy. And whether he was a vampire or not, and whether I truly trusted him or not, he felt like a part of me.

  I smiled at him, allowing my eyes to drift closed. I could lie here for ever. I didn’t want to think about what was going to happen next, or whether I’d finally manage to succeed in bringing down the bank robbers. There were still too many unanswered questions about them. Who had hired them? Who was the sniper? How had they known which safety deposit boxes to steal? I sighed and nestled deeper against Lukas’s hard body, unsure if I’d ever find the answers.

  A moment later, my eyes flew open and I sat bolt upright.

  ‘What?’ Lukas asked. ‘What is it?’

  ‘Pralk’s office.’ Goddamnit. I could have smacked myself on the head for not thinking of it sooner. I cursed loudly. Out of the corner of my eye, the red glow of the digital clock taunted me. It was 11.59pm. My time was almost up.

  ‘What about it?’

  ‘He had photos on his walls. Employees of the year. There were several of an older goblin with glasses. I saw it during my first episode, when I was speaking to you about what was inside your safety deposit boxes.’ I stared down at my feet. A curl of smoke was already starting to rise up.

  ‘So?’

  ‘I interviewed the bank employees today. All of them. But the guy with glasses wasn’t there.’

  The smoke was starting to coil round my legs and stretch up towards the ceiling. I knew that Lukas couldn’t see it. And I knew I had only seconds left.

  ‘Maybe he was on holiday. Maybe he doesn’t work there any more.’

  ‘Maybe.’ I turned and looked at him. ‘But my gut is telling me that’s not it. I can’t explain it. Lukas…’

  A wisp of smoke appeared from nowhere, creating a barrier between us. I gripped his hand and squeezed it tight. Shit. ‘Lukas,’ I whispered again.

  ‘Don’t go, Emma.’

  ‘I…’

  I didn’t get the chance to finish my sentence.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The radio crackled and the sunlight gleamed. As a cold wash of clarity hit me, I slammed my foot on the brake, jerking forward but stopping an inch from the rear of the taxi in front of Tallulah. The taxi driver’s hand shot out of the window and he extended his middle finger in my direction. I stared at it for a brief second. I could still taste Lukas. Then I pulled Tallulah out and swerved round the taxi, grabbing the radio with one hand.

  ‘DC Bellamy, this is Dispatch. Please acknowledge.’

  ‘This is DC Bellamy.’

  ‘What is your current location? Your presence is required at the London Eye.’

  I pressed down on the accelerator and drove off the bridge, already veering towards the large observation wheel. ‘I’m less than ten minutes’ away. I’ll deal with the suicidal vampire.’

  ‘How did you know…?’

  I clicked off the radio. I didn’t need any unnecessary conversations. Every second counted and I couldn’t waste a single one. My plans for today already involved an incredible amount of risk and very real danger. I had to stay focused or disaster might ensue.

  With one hand on the steering wheel, I dug out my phone and found the first number I needed. Fortunately Fred answered on the second ring. ‘What’s up, boss?’

  ‘You have to head to Tower Bridge,’ I told him. ‘I’ve had a tip-off that there’s about to be an incident there.’

  I knew from his voice that he was instantly on the alert. ‘What sort of incident?’

  ‘Some drama students are going to pretend to be werewolves and hijack a tour bus. I need you to get to the scene and do what you can to manage it. The clan alphas will appear at some point. Keep them there for as long as you can. The students are harmless – as far as they’re concerned, it’s nothing more than a daft prank. But I need the alphas kept out of the way for as long as possible. It’s for their own good.’

  ‘I don’t understand.’

  ‘You don’t have to. I’ll explain later.’

  ‘Um, okay.’ He sounded doubtful but he’d do as he was told.

  It felt strange to be condoning the bank robbers’ diversion to keep the werewolves out of the way, but I couldn’t leave anything to chance. This was my last opportunity to get everything right.

  ‘Thanks. I’ll see you at Supe Squad later this afternoon.’ I hung up and called Liza.

  ‘You’re supposed to be taking the day off to visit family,’ she said when she answered, clearly suspicious.

  I almost snorted. My visit to my uncle now seemed like it had taken place a lifetime ago. ‘It took less time than I thought it would,’ I said. I tried to sound cheerful to throw off her balance and make it easier to get her to agree to my next request. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t work.

  ‘What’s wrong? Is this to do with what’s happening at the London Eye? I’ve already had about five calls about that. Horvath is at the scene, so it’ll probably be alright. Goodness knows why any vamp would want to make such a spectacle of themselves. The mind boggles.’

  ‘Mmm.’ I reached a set of traffic lights and pulled up Tallulah, drumming my fingers on the steering wheel and peering ahead. I had a good view of the London Eye from here and I glimpsed the black-clad figure of Adam Jones
as he ascended. ‘What’s going on at the Eye isn’t important,’ I lied. ‘I have a job for you. It’s going involve leaving the office.’

  ‘I’m supposed to stay here and man the desk.’

  ‘I’m aware of that. But it’s a beautiful day outside and you’ll like this task.’

  ‘I doubt that very much.’

  I smiled slightly. The traffic lights changed to green and I drove forward yet again. ‘It’s very important you get the timing right,’ I said. ‘So listen carefully. How much money is in the petty-cash tin?’

  ‘A few hundred quid.’

  ‘Great. Empty it out. I’ll replace it later.’ I outlined what I wanted her to do. ‘Can you manage that?’

  ‘Of course I can manage that. What I don’t understand is why.’

  ‘I don’t have time to explain, but it’s really important.’

  ‘If it’s so important, why can’t you do it?’

  I parked Tallulah and jumped out onto the pavement. ‘I’ve got somewhere else I need to be. Promise me you’ll do this, Liza. And that you won’t be late.’

  Her response was grudging. ‘I’ll do it.’ She paused. ‘But you’ll owe me.’

  I grinned and started crossing the road. ‘I will. Thank you.’

  She muttered something under her breath that might have been to do with the idiocy of detectives like me. I grinned some more, then made one last call. This was the one I was least looking forward to.

  ‘You’ve reached the Criminal Investigations Department,’ a bored switchboard operator said.

  With my free hand, I reached for my warrant card and waved it at the familiar face of the young police officer manning the cordon. He nodded at me. Ignoring the gawking crowds, I trotted past him and headed for the foot of the London Eye, where Hannigan, Paige – and Lukas – were waiting.

  ‘I need to speak to DI Collier as a matter of extreme urgency,’ I said. ‘My name is Emma Bellamy.’

  ‘One moment please.’

  I gripped the phone tightly.

  ‘This is Collier,’ said a gruff voice.

  ‘DI Collier, you don’t know me. I’m Detective Constable Emma Bellamy. I work out of Supe Squad.’

  ‘I’ve heard of you.’ He already sounded like he hated me. ‘What do you want?’

  ‘I’m at the London Eye. There’s an incident here involving a member of the public who’s impersonating a vampire. I’m about to take him into custody. The thing is…’ I sounded appropriately hesitant and thanked my lucky stars that I’d heard Molly’s insights about Collier.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘I’m might be mistaken, but I’m sure I heard him shout something about Timothy Barratt. I recall that you did superlative work in investigating Barratt’s murder last year and bringing his killer to justice. It might be nothing but I wondered…’

  ‘I’m on my way.’

  I smiled. I’d just taken out two birds with one stone. Maybe things would go my way after all. I pocketed the phone while Hannigan started to flap his arms and yell.

  ‘You have to get that idiot down!’ he shouted. ‘There are news crews here already. This isn’t the sort of publicity we need right now!’

  ‘Are you suggesting, Mr Hannigan,’ Lukas enquired, ‘that the pages of tomorrow’s newspapers are more important than a person’s life? Perhaps we should hope for a gust of wind to knock the poor fellow off his perch? Then you can clean up the bloodied mess of brains and splattered internal organs while the tourists get back on board for their selfies.’

  I strode up. ‘I am Detective Constable Emma Bellamy. I’m with Supe Squad.’ I gave both Hannigan and Paige a breezy smile. ‘Don’t worry. We’ll get all this sorted out in a jiffy.’

  I glanced at Lukas. I couldn’t stop my gaze from softening. I looked him up and down, enjoying the opportunity to see him in his ridiculous ruffled shirt yet again. Then I thought about what it had been like to have his lips on mine and to feel his body next to me.

  As Lukas registered my expression, a tiny crease appeared in his brow. ‘Hello, Emma. If I didn’t know better,’ he murmured, ‘I’d say you were thinking of something very interesting indeed.’

  I licked my lips. ‘I am.’

  ‘How are you? You’ve been avoiding my calls.’

  I didn’t look away. ‘I’m sorry about that. I should have spoken to you but I felt a lot confused and a little scared. You deserved better. I won’t avoid you again, I promise.’

  Lukas tilted his head, a lock of jet-black hair falling across his forehead. ‘Something’s happened,’ he said. ‘Something’s changed.’

  ‘Yes.’ I nodded. ‘It has.’

  His eyes narrowed. Then his nostrils flared and he glanced at my shoulder. He stiffened. ‘Are you bleeding? Have you been hurt?’

  ‘It’s an old wound. I’m fine.’

  ‘You look more than fine,’ Lukas muttered. ‘In fact, scent of blood aside, you look as if you’re glowing.’

  I couldn’t prevent the grin that spread across my face. ‘Do you know,’ I said softly, ‘I feel like I am glowing.’

  ‘What the hell is going on?’ Hannigan screeched, while Paige stared at us both, her mouth hanging open. ‘This isn’t the time for some bizarre flirting session! There’s a damned vampire halfway up my wheel! Get that freak down from there!’

  ‘Don’t worry, sir,’ I murmured, my eyes still on Lukas. ‘We’ll sort this out.’ I pulled myself away and walked over to the Eye. Adam Jones was already about halfway up. I tilted my head and stared at him as he climbed. The poor kid thought he was immortal.

  A second later, Lukas joined me. ‘Who is he?’ he growled.

  I yanked my attention away from Adam. ‘Pardon?’

  ‘Who’s the guy? Who made you glow? You can’t tell me that there’s not a man involved. It’s written all over your face.’ He looked furious.

  I felt a jerk of astonishment. I must have been far easier to read than I thought. I considered my answer before opting for the simple truth. ‘You,’ I said. ‘You’re the guy.’

  ‘What?’ he bit out.

  ‘It’s taken me a while,’ I said, ‘but I’ve finally seen the light.’

  His eyes glittered, searching my face. ‘Are you teasing me, Emma?’

  ‘No.’ I drew in a breath. ‘But this isn’t the time for this conversation.’ I nodded upwards. ‘Can you climb up there and try to encourage the … vampire down? I have a feeling he doesn’t want to jump and this all some sort of show. I’m afraid he’ll run off at the first opportunity. If I can position myself to stop that, perhaps we can find out what’s going on here.’

  ‘Believe me,’ Lukas said. ‘I want to know exactly what’s going on here.’ A muscle ticked in his jaw.

  I felt a rush of anxiety that I’d played this all wrong and he would delay his climb. I shouldn’t have worried; Lukas turned to the wheel and started to scale the observation wheel without a backward glance. I released the air in my lungs before jogging to the spot beyond the security barrier where I knew Adam Jones would end up.

  I didn’t have to wait long. ‘Left!’ I heard Lukas yell. ‘Go left!’

  I tensed. Moments later, a black-hooded figure scrambled over the barrier, intent on escape. He didn’t notice me until I grabbed him. In one swift movement, I cuffed him with a plastic tie and hauled him to his feet. ‘Adam Jones,’ I said. ‘You are under arrest.’

  He blinked before his face went slack with astonishment. ‘How the fuck do you know my name?’

  I smiled at him. ‘I hope you’re not planning on helping anyone rob any banks later today, Adam.’

  His shock swiftly transformed to panic. ‘What? What are you talking about? No! No way! I wouldn’t do that. What bank? I wouldn’t rob a bank! I’m not that kind of person!’

  Someone ought to have told him that the more you denied something, the more culpable you appeared. I sighed and patted him on the shoulder as I heard a new set of sirens. DI Collier. Right on time.

  I half led, ha
lf dragged Adam Jones to the front of the Eye. The crowd goggled at him and so did half the assembled police officers. Lukas, down from his own climb, appeared. He took one look at Adam and his face darkened. ‘You’re not a vampire.’

  ‘He was wearing fake fangs,’ I said cheerfully. ‘They fell off when he was halfway up the wheel.’

  Lukas frowned. ‘Why?’ he asked. ‘Why do this?’

  DI Collier was already striding towards us. ‘Get back from that suspect!’

  I clicked my tongue. ‘You’d better do as the man says, Lukas. This guy is human. He should be taken into police custody for further questioning.’

  ‘He pretended to be a vampire,’ Lukas said through gritted teeth. ‘That means I’m involved too.’

  I shook my head. ‘Not according to the law.’

  Collier sent me an approving look that didn’t warm me to him in the slightest. ‘Here you go, sir,’ I said. ‘It’s probably best if you take him to CID headquarters at Curtis Green and question him there. I’m not sure what he knows about Timothy Barratt but—’

  ‘Who the fuck is Timothy Barratt?’ Adam Jones burst out.

  Lukas folded his arms. I gave him a quick look, hoping he would interpret it.

  ‘I’ll take charge from here.’ Collier reached for Adam.

  ‘Good,’ I said briskly. I checked my watch. Time to vamoose. I swivelled and started marching back to Tallulah. Both Collier and Lukas called after me. I sent a silent apology in Lukas’s direction and gave Collier not a second thought. Then I turned off my phone to avoid the inevitable calls from DSI Barnes. The Talismanic Bank, here we come.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Tallulah was on her best behaviour as I zipped through the bustling London city streets. I slowed when I spotted the happy family with their colourful bunch of balloons. Moments later, I drove round the corner onto the main road in time to see Liza stride up to the woman on the pavement. The small dungaree-clad boy goggled at her, his attention transfixed by the gooey chocolate cake she was carrying. I nodded, satisfied, as Liza pulled out a thin wad of cash and handed it to the woman before kneeling down to the boy and offering him some cake. Then I put them all out of my mind. The easy part was done; now I was slipping into less-charted territory. Time was still on my side – but only just. And only if I were fast.