by M A Comley
Contents
Other Books by MA Comley
Title Page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Note to the Reader
Other Works
Copyright Page
OTHER BOOKS BY
M A COMLEY
Blind Justice
Cruel Justice
Impeding Justice
Final Justice
Foul Justice
Guaranteed Justice
Ultimate Justice
Virtual Justice
Hostile Justice
Tortured Justice
Rough Justice
Forever Watching You
Evil In Disguise—Based on True Events novel
Deadly Act
Torn Apart (Hero Series #1)
End Result (Hero Series #2)
Sole Intention (Intention Series #1)
Grave Intention (Intention Series #2)
Merry Widow (A Lorne Simpkins short story)
It’s A Dog’s Life (A Lorne Simpkins short story)
A Time To Heal (A Sweet Romance)
A Time For Change (A Sweet Romance)
High Spirits
A Twist in The Tale
The Temptation Series (Romantic Suspense/New Adult Novellas)
Past Temptation (available now)
Lost Temptation (available now)
True Temptation (Coming 2015)
Just Temptation (Coming 2015)
Keep in touch with the author at:
Facebook
http://melcomley.blogspot.com
http://melcomleyromances.blogspot.com
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DEADLY ACT
New York Times bestselling author M A Comley
CHAPTER ONE
The full moon was shining brightly, edged with a slightly red outer rim as they walked hand in hand along the river. Nelda looked over at her boyfriend, Paul, in adoration. He kissed the tip of her nose, looped a gentle arm around her shoulders, and pulled her head down to rest on his chest.
“Happy?”
“At this moment, deliriously happy. What about you?” Nelda asked, mesmerised by the coloured lights strung across the bridge spanning the river.
“Couldn’t be happier.”
The couple had been going out for over two years after being thrown together on a blind date set up by two mutual friends. Their relationship wasn’t a fairy-tale romance where the boy meets girl and falls in love in an instant. No, theirs was the kind many people envied: solid and reliable. Paul couldn’t do enough to make Nelda happy. So far, he’d whisked her away on several romantic weekends to Venice and Paris, insisting that he pay all the expenses. Nelda had reluctantly agreed, but she still felt awkward when he wouldn’t allow her to pay for anything while they were away.
Her friends constantly reminded her what an absolute gem she had managed to snare. At times, the envy was palpable as their acquaintances drifted from one bad relationship to the next. Every now and again, she felt guilty for feeling so happy while her friends suffered a gamut of emotions as their relationships ended. She couldn’t imagine that she and Paul would ever fall out of love.
Lost in her thoughts, Nelda suddenly realised they had stopped. Surprised, she frowned. “Is everything all right, Paul?”
“Everything is perfect, darling. You’re perfect.” His hand dipped into his jacket pocket, and he dropped to one knee, clutching a tiny velvet box in his giant hand. He opened the box and offered it to her. “Nelda, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?”
Nelda was so taken aback that her legs began to shake uncontrollably. She covered her gaping mouth with a trembling hand as words gathered in her throat but failed to push past the emotional lump that had settled there.
Paul chortled. “Well, say something then.”
She cleared her throat and brushed away moisture from her eyelashes. “Paul, I never expected this.”
“So, is that a yes or no?”
Nelda pulled him to his feet and wrapped her arms around his neck. “It’s a yes. Of course it is.”
They shared a lingering kiss to seal the deal.
Eager to tell their families, they raced back to the car and drove to Paul’s house first. His mother, Yvonne, was overjoyed. She gathered the pair of them in her arms, tears of joy streaming over each of her flushed cheeks.
Brushing away her tears, she said, “Well, it’s about time.” She playfully swiped the top of Paul’s arm. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going to pop the question? I would have arranged a small party to celebrate this auspicious occasion.”
He shook his head. “Er…that’s exactly why, Mum. I wanted it to be a quiet affair. Too many people get caught up in all the celebrations. This is about Nelda and me.”
“I agree with Paul. I wouldn’t have it any other way, Yvonne, honestly. Isn’t it exciting?”
Yvonne crushed Nelda to her again and whispered in her ear, “You’re going to make the perfect daughter-in-law. I couldn’t be more thrilled that he’s chosen you to marry, my dear.”
Nelda took a step back and held her future mother-in-law’s hands in her own. “To be honest, as time went on, I never thought this day was ever going to come. We’ve never discussed marriage, but I’ve always hoped that, one day, Paul would ask me, and now that day is here, I couldn’t be more delighted. Paul, we better go and break the news to my mum now.”
Yvonne shooed them out the front door after another joyful kiss. They giggled happily and made tentative plans about the wedding, discussing silly things that they wanted to take place on their special day without ever really mentioning when that day should be. Paul came up with the crazy idea of holding the wedding at a castle and having a jousting tournament. Nelda laughed at the thought of seeing him togged up in knight’s armour, doing battle with his brother Anthony.
They pulled up outside the bungalow Nelda’s mother shared with her two terriers, Beau and Jack, and rushed into the house, startling her mother, Jean.
“My Lord! What on earth is the matter, child? My coffee almost ended up on the ceiling. Let me fix you a drink before you tell me.”
“I’ll do that after, Mum.” Nelda flashed her ring at her mother. “We’re engaged. Isn’t it beautiful?”
Jean leapt out of the chair and hugged them both, then she examined the heart-shaped sapphire ring that fit perfectly on Nelda’s finger. “It’s beautiful, darling. Paul, you did a fantastic job choosing this, sweetheart. It’s just like my engagement ring. Well, perhaps a different shape, but a sapphire nevertheless.”
“It’s amazing what bargains you can find in Bolton Market nowadays.”
His comment earned him a thump from Nelda. “Cheeky sod, you can take it back if that’s where you really bought it.”
“Joking! Only the best for my fiancée. Actually Ratners had a sale on.”
Nelda laughed at the shocked look on her mother’s face. “He’s winding you up, Mum. At least, I hope he is.”
“Phew, that’s a relief. I wouldn’t buy anything at that place after them ripping off their customers years ago. Are they still trading? I have no idea.”
“Not sure, Jean. It’s the last place I’d go to buy something for this beautiful lady.” He wrapped his arm around Nelda’s waist and pulled her towards him.
Her mother shuffled out of the room to make the coffee.
“I think your mum was as thrilled about this as mine. Can we get out of here soon? I need to spend some time alone with you.” He winked.
Nelda understood immediately and nodded her agreement shyly. S
he couldn’t wait to be alone with him, either.
As the next few weeks flew by, Nelda’s excitement continued to grow. Every aspect of the wedding was slotting into place perfectly as if it were meant to be from the outset. A month after Paul popped the question, they had sorted out the venue, the vintage Rolls Royce, Paul’s wedding suit, and her wedding dress. By the end of the first month, exhaustion finally started to take its toll. One night while they were tucking into an Indian takeaway on the sofa, Nelda sighed heavily.
Paul turned to look at her, concern evident on his face. “Something wrong, love?”
Nelda placed her half-eaten meal on the coffee table. “It’s just nice to relax and put our feet up for a change. Everything has been going at a hundred miles an hour lately, what with my promotion at the office and making preparations for the wedding in our spare time every evening.”
He placed his plate next to hers and twisted in his seat to face her. “You do look exhausted, love.”
“I feel it. I could curl up in a ball and sleep for a fortnight, given the chance.”
“Then something has to give. All the fun has gone out of our relationship lately.”
Nelda’s eyes narrowed. That’s news to me! “Has it? I thought we were coping with things admirably. Everyone keeps praising us for working so well together in achieving what we have already organised for the big day.”
“That’s just it. I’m fed up. All we seem to be doing lately is talking about the wedding. It’s taken over our lives. We never have fun anymore.”
“Really? Is that what you really think, Paul?”
“Yes,” he snapped. “You know, sometimes I wish I’d never asked you to marry me.”
Tears sprang to her eyes, and she stared at him for a long time, unable to voice a response. Eventually, she whispered, “Would you rather call the wedding off?”
He jumped out of the chair and began pacing the cream carpet in front of the roaring fire. Nelda’s heart was teetering on the edge of jumping into her mouth. She swallowed hard. “Paul, I said would you rather call the wedding off?”
Before she had a chance to blink, he ran across the room and straddled her, positioning his face inches from hers, his teeth bared in a snarl. She was scared. She’d never seen this side of him before, ever.
“Yes! I want to stop the roundabout and get off. This has all been a terrible mistake. This charade has gone on far too long now. It’s all turned out to be what you want. Your way or not at all.”
Nelda blinked rapidly, trying to avoid the spittle spraying from his mouth. Frozen in time, she was lost for words. Did she retaliate? Could she retaliate? He had her pinned to the chair. His thirteen-stone frame felt heavier with each passing second. A few times, she opened her mouth to ask him to move, but then closed it again when his eyebrow rose, challenging her to object.
Around five minutes later, he removed himself from her lap and returned to pacing in front of the fire once again. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me,” he apologised, his voice sounding calm and normal once more.
Nelda rose from the chair and approached him. She placed her arms around his waist and rested her head against his heaving chest. “Let’s put it down to stress, shall we?”
“Yes. I think that would be best. I’m so sorry, Nelda. I’d never, ever hurt you. You do believe me, don’t you?”
“Of course I do,” she told him, in spite of the uncertainty swirling around her like a tornado.
That night she lay in bed next to him, listening to his erratic breathing, while the evening’s events ran through her mind. Over and over, all she could see was the hatred in his eyes, and the callousness of his words made her shudder. Had she deserved to be treated that way? Had she said something to trigger his anger? No, she hadn’t.
CHAPTER TWO
Hero Nelson’s Sunday morning started off with a bang, literally. Louie, his energetic stepson whom he’d adopted, had tipped every one of the toy cars he owned onto the floor in his bedroom, waking the whole house in the process.
He stretched and groaned. “Your son needs to learn when the day of rest comes around.”
“Oh, I see. When he does something wrong, he’s my son. When he’s performing wonders with his classwork and gaining praise from his teacher, he’s your son. How does that work?” Fay, his beautiful wife, snuggled up close behind him in their king-size bed.
“It just does. My genes are in the twins. They’re angels compared to that monster in there,” he responded light-heartedly.
Fay tutted. “Zara and Zoe are only twelve months old. I bet you’re not saying that this time next year when the ‘terrible twos’ are in full swing.”
Hero sat up and looked down at her, marvelling at how fortunate he was to have her occupying his bed—involved in his life, full stop. “What? You never said anything about that when we were conceiving them.”
“You’re nuts. What would you have done, worn a condom?” Fay sniggered.
He pulled the most serious face he could conjure up and glared at her. “Of course. That would have been a no-brainer.”
Fay sat up beside him and pulled the quilt up to cover her naked breasts. “Really? You’d send them back if you could?” she asked, mortified.
“On naughty days. Isn’t that what every parent craves, having a return button at their fingertips?”
“Hero! How could you say such a thing?”
Unable to keep his face straight any longer, he let out a full belly laugh. “Maybe I should have saved that joke for April Fools’ Day? The look on your face was unbelievable. I’ll go and see to your son before I get into even more bother around here.” He kissed her hard on the lips, supressing her objection to him winding her up.
Pulling on his housecoat, he crept along the landing, past the sleeping Sammy, the aging Rottweiler cross, and went into Louie’s room next door. “Hey, little guy. What’s with all the noise? You do know what day of the week it is, don’t you?”
A toothless grin greeted him. “Yes, Daddy. It’s the only day of the week you spend time with me.”
Ouch! Out of the mouths of babes! He bent down and scooped his son into his arms, along with the Eddie Stobart truck he was clutching in his tiny hand. “That’s right. Remember how last week, we had this long conversation about playtime beginning at gone ten o’clock?”
Louie’s mouth turned down at the sides, and his forehead wrinkled with an angelic frown. “Oops, I must have forgotten that part. Still, it’s too late to go back to bed now, Daddy. Play trucks with me, please?”
Yes, you’re definitely your mother’s son. You have an answer for everything. Hero placed him back on the floor, ruffled his hair, and put his finger to his lips. “Okay, if you promise to be quiet. We don’t want to wake the girls up, right?”
“Okay.”
“I’ll be right back. Do you want a glass of juice?”
“Yes, please, and a biscuit.” Louie grinned cheekily.
“Deal.” Anything for a peaceful life. He stroked Sammy as he passed him on the landing. “Come on, boy, in the garden.” The dog stretched and trotted down the stairs behind him. He let Sammy into the garden then prepared a tray of breakfast drinks for his family. When he walked back into the bedroom with Fay’s cup of tea, she looked concerned.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nelda just rang me.”
“Nelda? Your friend from school? What did she want at this time of the morning?”
Fay sipped her cup of tea before she answered him. “That’s precisely what I asked her. She sounded really upset. Sorry, I’ve volunteered to visit her today. Hope you don’t mind, love? I know it’s usually our day with the kids, but I’m really worried about her.”
“You do what you have to do. I’ll muddle through here and look after the kids today. Is there anything I can do officially?”
“I’m not sure, Inspector Nelson. She was a little cagey on the phone. I suppose I’ll find out what’s going on soon enough. I said
I’d be there within the hour.”
“Hmm…confident I wouldn’t say no, eh?” He winked at her. “Only teasing. Honestly, I’ll be fine. Is there a lasagne in the freezer or something I can shove in the oven for dinner?”
“I’ll sort that out before I go. Thank you, Hero. You know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”
Hero watched his naked wife make her way into the bathroom. He called after her, “You can make it up to me later.”
“Count on it,” she replied above the noise of the shower.
Hero took his coffee and Louie’s juice from the tray and returned to his son’s room. He smiled when he saw every truck the boy proudly owned lined up in a row ready for action.
“Which one do you want, Daddy?”
“I take it you’re going to be Eddie, yes?”
Wide-eyed Louie nodded vigorously. “Of course.”
Hero did the only thing open to him—he picked the truck sporting his favourite colour, blue. “That’s settled. Let the battle commence.”
“Silly! It’s not a battle. It’s a race.”
“Oh, pardon me for my wrongness!”
Louie screwed his nose up. “Whatever.”
Fay left the house around thirty minutes later, leaving him far outside his comfort zone. He played with his son, tearing around the floor with the trucks, until the twins woke up nearly an hour later. A disgruntled Louie said a tearful farewell when Hero had to leave the room to tend to the boy’s siblings.
The day flew past as one traumatic event after another hurtled at him—everything from the twins soiling their nappies the second they’d been changed to Louie tripping in the kitchen and grazing his hands and knees. Around three o’clock, Hero collapsed into the chair, exhausted and hoping that his wife would return soon to give him a much-needed respite. Fay finally arrived home to find Hero dozing in the chair, surrounded by all three children.
“Look at you. Have you had fun?” She bent down and kissed his forehead.
“Fun? Are you kidding me?” Hero was about to complain, but with tiny ears around to overhear the conversation, he thought better of it. “Of course we had fun. Didn’t we, Louie?”
