First and Only: Ember Lane (Book #1)
Page 21
‘Where is the demon now?’
‘That I can’t tell you. I patched him up, but he teleported away about an hour ago. Do you think he’ll go after Ember?’
Carter was positive that he would, but it wasn’t his place to interfere. She’d realise eventually that the demon couldn’t be trusted.
‘Ember isn’t in any danger from Harvey. I think in his own twisted way, he cares for her.’
‘In the same way you do?’
Carter narrowed his eyes.
‘Since when did this become a therapy session, doc?’
The vampire laughed. ‘Life is one big therapy session. You should know that.’
Carter nodded his agreement. Life was decided by the risks you took and the decisions you made. It wasn’t his style to run away from his problems, and he certainly didn’t want to be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life.
Carter made the decision to confront his superior and demand his resignation. Chief Andrews handled this mission completely wrong, and if he couldn’t convince him leave on his own accord then he’d kill him.
87
The sound of the door being unlocked snapped me out of my trance. I’d been sitting still for far too long, and my limbs protested against the sudden movement as I dropped the rose and grabbed the handgun again. It was probably just Carter returning, but instinct told me to be prepared.
‘Hey, hold up, Ember, it’s me,’ Carter said as he walked in and found me pointing the gun at his head. ‘Put the gun down.’
I did as requested and then ran to him, throwing myself into his arms. He embraced me, gently rubbing my back as I cried.
‘What’s wrong? Are you hurt?’
I shook my head, shoving my face harder against his chest.
‘No, no, nothing like that. I was just worried about you.’
‘There’s nothing to worry about anymore.’
‘What does that mean?’
Carter held my shoulders and eased me away slightly so he could look down into my face.
‘The chief is dead.’
‘What?’
Carter nodded solemnly, and I didn’t dwell on the fact that my emotional response to that statement was one of pleasure rather than sorrow.
‘How did he die?’ I asked.
‘Officially it’s being classed as suicide.’
My brow furrowed.
‘I didn’t know him very well, but Chief Andrews did not strike me as the type of man that would take his own life.’
‘Doctor Alvis agrees,’ Cater said, ‘but the powers-above are digging their heels in. Personally, I think they’re worried about the fall-out an internal murder investigation would bring. The First and Only team are a secret branch of S.P.T.F. They don’t want outsiders poking their noses into their business.’
‘What happened to him?’
‘That’s the kicker. His body was found in his office and the only way to open the door is with the chief’s handprint as is the case with all our doors.’
‘Did someone break in?’
Carter shook his head.
‘The manual override hadn’t been tampered with until I initiated it.’
‘So you found him?’
‘Yeah, slumped over his desk with his head almost severed from his neck.’
The macabre image his words conjured caused me to shudder.
‘How can that be classed as suicide?’
‘It’s a cover up. The doc said the angle of the wound suggests someone stood behind him and sliced from left to right. There was no hesitation. No uncertainty. Plus whoever did it, took his heart. Destroyed his chest and removed the organ.’
There were a few seconds of silence while I put together the scene in my head. A theory was forming, one I didn’t like, but couldn’t shake.
‘What do you think happened?’ I asked, needing confirmation of whether he was thinking the same thing that I was.
‘It’s a damn crazy situation, Ember. A dead body. A locked door. No signs of forced entry. A bit like a scene from a murder mystery book. I’d say it was almost as if someone teleported into the office…’
His words caused my heart to constrict with hope.
‘…and then teleported out again. I wonder who could have done that.’
88
‘I wonder,’ I repeated non-committedly, as my gaze flicked down to the red rose at my feet and then back up into Carter’s shrewd blue eyes.
‘What is going to happen now?’ I asked.
Carter released his hold on me and scooped up the gun from where I’d left it. He checked the safety was on before putting it into the waistband of his trousers.
‘I have to go back to HQ. Someone needs to run the team until the people at the top appoint a new chief. The men voted for me to stand-in and I can’t let them down. You understand, right?’
I nodded.
‘Of course, I understand. You’d make a great chief.’
Carter reached out and pushed a stray strand of my red hair behind my ear.
‘Don’t get ahead of yourself. I’m only overseeing things until someone else is assigned. Can I drop you off somewhere?’
‘I don’t think you’re going my way.’
‘Which way is that?’
‘Brentwood.’
‘Back to the detainment unit?’
He didn’t look happy as I nodded but I wanted to check on my mother before going home.
‘I’ll drive you there,’ Carter said, picking up the duffle bag and slinging it over his shoulder. ‘I can take the scenic route back to base.’
Soho to Brentwood and then back again was a three-hour round trip.
‘If you’re sure…’ I started to say but he cut me off.
‘I’m sure,’ he said firmly, heading towards the door.
I bent down to retrieve the fallen rose before following. As I sniffed the delicate petals again, something else occurred to me.
‘Wait, Carter. Can I ask you something?’
He nodded. ‘Go ahead.’
‘Did you know the chief was already dead? When you overrode the lock on his office door, I mean.’
Carter’s blue eyes drilled into mine, and I shivered at the lack of emotion I saw there.
‘No.’
That one word conveyed more than a thousand others could.
‘So what did you go there for?’
He didn’t speak straight away, and I could tell he was deciding whether to tell me the truth or not.
Eventually, he sighed and said, ‘Same thing that you think I went there for, but I guess another man who cares for you beat me to it.’
The enormity of his words left an uneasy feeling in my stomach. I followed him in stunned silence out of the hotel and into the car park. After we got into the van, Carter handed me my father’s case file.
‘When you’re feeling up to it, we can go over the crime scene photos together. I’ve left my phone number inside. If you need anything, you call me. Day or night. Promise?’
‘I promise’
Carter put the key into the ignition and started the engine. Whether he felt the same way or not, I was glad he’d not had the opportunity to carry out his murderous intentions. He had enough blood on his hands and pain in his soul, without adding any more on my behalf.
I stared out of the window as I clutched the red rose tighter in my hand. Harvey was different. His soul was already damned. He’d told me there was no happily ever after with him, but I was no princess so wasn’t expecting the fairy-tale.
And sometimes, just sometimes, a demon in shining armour was more reliable than a knight.
Ember Lane returns in
Second Alliance
Available to download from Amazon now
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