by Wade, Maddie
“Go on, Reg. I’ll meet you out front,” Skye called to him.
“Come on, Reg. I’ll show you the tech room while I grab what I need,” said Lucy, sliding her arm through his and guiding him out of the room.
~~~
Nate pulled Skye gently into his arms and held her tight. He didn’t like the idea of leaving her. He knew Reg would look after her, but he still didn’t like it. “You okay, mi cielo?” He felt her nod into his chest and touched his lips to her head. “Do you want me to call anyone to come sit with you?” Skye eased her head back. “No. You get going. I’ll call Lizzie when I get home. I still have some cake orders to get done, so maybe she can keep me company while I do it.”
“Why don’t you cancel? Everyone would understand.” Nate said softly.
“I know, but I want to keep busy. If I stop to think…” her voice broke then, but she rallied. “I just need to keep busy,” she said, again.
“Okay, mi cielo.”
Letting her go, he grasped her hand and went to find Lucy and Reg.
Chapter Nine
Cocking his leg over his bike and pulling on his helmet, Zin contemplated what he was going to say to this Celeste woman. He wondered, for the first time ever, if perhaps Zack was being too emotional over this. He seemed almost protective of her. He never thought he would call Zack emotional. Hell must have frozen over. The drive-by he did last night had yielded exactly nothing and left him feeling off, somehow.
Riding his bike past the Honda garage and the chip shop, he turned onto the street where Celeste lived on. It was on a steep incline and she lived at the top. He manoeuvred his bike past all the parked cars on the street and found a space a few doors down from her place.
Her home was a semi-detached Victorian house with big bay windows on the top and bottom, which was typical of the period house. The area was middle class family income, and all the front steps and houses, in general, were well maintained. He was glad to see they hadn’t gone the way of most large, old houses in the area and been made into flats or bedsits. It depressed him to see old houses turned into money making properties rather than family homes.
Zin was surprised that she could afford this house on a tattoo receptionist’s wage. The front door was painted red and the brass letterbox shone. He climbed the three steps to her door, rang the bell, and waited. It was after 9 am, so she should be up. He saw movement in an upstairs window and waited. He waited some more, but nothing, so he rang the bell again. He was starting to get impatient, then the door opened.
What he saw shocked him to his biker boots. Standing in front of him was a tiny pixie. That was the only explanation. She was about 5ft 2in and very petite. She had short black hair that framed her face in little wisps and the most shocking green eyes he had ever seen.
She was dressed in black leggings and slouchy purple jumper that hung of one-shoulder and pink pig slippers. Her skin was a warm rosy colour and looked so soft that he itched to reach out and touch it. Her cheekbones were high, her lips lush and pink. It made him wonder if the rest of her was that rosy colour. She was the most stunning woman he had ever seen and he didn’t trust her as far as he could throw her.
It was the most intense, vivid reaction he had ever had to a woman, and he had to fight to keep his face impassive. Zin swallowed his extreme thoughts and zeroed in on the beast beside her.
Lounging at side was an enormous German Shepard dog. It was completely black and had big black eyes. He looked at Zin with an alertness that made him aware that if he put a foot wrong with this woman, he would likely lose an arm, and hopefully just an arm if he was lucky.
Zin snapped out of his exploration of her and her dog when she asked in a soft voice, “Can I help you?” She held herself in a protective way–slightly behind the door, as if ready to shut it in his face.
Putting his hand out cautiously for her to shake, he said, “Yes, my name is Zin.”She looked at it as if it was a snake, and then so quickly he might have missed it, grasped his hand, shook it, and dropped it before he ever registered her touch.
He shifted his eyes to her face and was surprised to see that she had gone pale and looked like she might faint. She reached out her hand and started to pet the dog’s head as if that one action would make her feel better. The beast looked up at her with total adoration then returned his gaze to Zin.
“Are you okay, Miss?” he asked, his accent becoming more pronounced as he spoke to her. He noticed her hands shook, she put it behind her back.
“Umm, yes. Yes, I’m fine. What can I do for you Mr. Zin?”
“It is just Zin. Zin Maklakov,” he corrected. “I saw your profile on LinkedIn and came to offer you a job. I work for Fortis Security and we are looking for a receptionist. I could see by your profile that you have experience as a receptionist.” Zin could tell by her face that she seemed dubious and he didn’t blame her. This was lame.
“Look, Miss Bourdain, I can see that you don’t trust what I am saying, so I will leave a card and you can check it out yourself. But I will say this, we need this position filled immediately. So if we don’t hear from you by lunch time we will offer it to the second person on the list.” Zin knew this might backfire. She could walk away, but he also knew she needed the job if her bank account was anything to go by. “Think about it and call us. The salary is good and there is a benefits package.”
She snatched the card from him, careful not to let their hands touch.
“Okay. I’ll give it some thought and call by one if I’m interested. Thank you.”
Before Zin could reply, she had closed the door in his face. Well that went well…not. Not only did he not convince her, he likely scared her silly. He was loath to explore his reaction to her. She was not his type. He liked his women tall, blonde, curvy, and convenient. He didn’t have time to be tied to anyone and had no wish to be, either. He liked when a woman knew what she was doing and understood what he wanted–and Celeste looked like a scared virgin.
So why had he felt his body start to react to her like it did? Must be the dry spell, she was not his type at all–she looked far too innocent for his tastes. He needed to get laid. Scrolling through his phone, he sent a quick text to Tara. She was always up for some uncomplicated fun. Still, he couldn’t get that little pixie’s face out of his head, and that was bad news. Therefore, he was going to give Miss Bourdain and her scary assed dog a very wide berth.
Turning from the door, he went back to his bike and swung his leg over. He could see the curtain twitch and knew she was watching him. Maybe she would call. He hoped so–she needed the money and Zack was very keen to uphold his end of this crazy bargain. Zin didn’t want to let Zack down. It had nothing at all to do with wanting to see her again. Nothing at all, he told himself.
Starting the engine on his beautiful bike, he smiled as she purred and turned her back towards Fortis.
Chapter Ten
Skye entered her home and it immediately felt wrong. It was so quiet and somehow different from the other times when Noah wasn’t home, for whatever reason. She’d let Uncle Reg enter in front of her and appreciated him being here. Lucy followed behind her.
“I’m going to get set up,” Lucy said, lugging her equipment into the living room to the main telephone line.
“Okay. I’m going to get started on some cakes, but I’m going to phone Lizzie first.”
“No need, she texted me that she’s already on her way.”
She and Lizzie had met this summer through Lauren. Lizzie was Dane and Lucy’s older sister who had a son of her own. They’d become close and just clicked. Lizzie had been at the party last night, when she had got the awful call, but Skye couldn’t remember a lot about it. It all seemed blurry already. It was just like Lizzie to drop everything and come to her aide, though.
She had two birthday cakes to get started on. One a second birthday cake for a little girl named Alice–who was Peppa Pig mad–and the other an anniversary cake for a golden wedding anniversary. She had the i
deas all sketched and the customers had approved everything. She needed to start on the fondant flowers for the anniversary cake so that they could dry out. She loved this part the most and found it relaxing and soothing.
Skye wandered into the kitchen and began getting everything she would need together. She could hear Lucy and Reg talking in the living room, and it soothed her. She didn’t think she could take the silence right now.
Soon she found herself rolling and manipulating the fondant into beautiful yellow roses and cream calla lilies. She’d leave them to set in the cool, dry air of the office. Well, less of an office, more of an art room, really. It was, actually, just a large summer house that had been converted into extra work space for her. Reg had built it for her and she loved the way the windows at the front of the wooden construction let in loads of evening sun
She had just started to roll the fondant for the Peppa Pig cake for Alice when Lizzie came rushing through the door. She ran to Skye and enfolded her in a hug–pink icing and all.
“Oh, sweetie. What can I do?” She stepped back, but kept hold of Skye’s arms, looking at her closely, assessing to see how she was holding up.
“I’m not sure we can do anything. The guys seem to have it all covered. I just have to sit, wait, and drive myself crazy. I could do with some help with this order, though. I have twenty-four tiny Peppa Pigs to make for the top of the cupcakes, and I’m behind. I’ve had about three hours of sleep and I can’t seem to focus properly, so everything is taking twice as long.
Lucy entered the kitchen then.
“Hey, sis,” she said, threading her arm through Lizzie’s, who just let go of Skye.
“Hey, baby girl. You done with your super geek thing?”
“Yeah, I’m going to head off now and conference call Will. He has a few shortcuts he thinks will speed up the investigation. Just wanted to check on Skye before I go.”
“I’m fine, Lucy, thank you. You get back, but keep me in the loop, please. I feel so out of it here.”
“Of course, chickadee. Look after my girls, Reg,” Lucy shouted as she hauled her stuff out the door.
“No problem, Lucy Lou,” Reg replied from the living room.
“So, do I get to meet Uncle Reg? Lauren has told me all about him. He sounds like a scream.”
“Yeah. Come on I’ll introduce you.”
Skye and Lizzie didn’t finish the Peppa Pig decorations until two in the afternoon. Lizzie had forced Skye to sit down on the couch and pushed a sandwich and a cup of tea on her.
“You have to eat something, Skye. I know it probably feels like lead, but you need to keep your strength up. Noah is going to need his mummy healthy when he gets home.”
Skye was sitting on the sofa, her legs tucked underneath her, looking at the sandwich distastefully.
“I know, I’ll eat it. Do you think anyone has heard anything yet?” Skye asked as she picked at the crust of the sandwich. She hated crusts, she thought and couldn’t remember why. She focused on the bread to try and stop her mind from wandering to what might be happening to Noah and failed.
“I’m sure they will call as soon as they can, honey,” Lizzie said gently, sitting down next to Skye.
“Come on, girlie. You got more grit than this. Eat your food then phone that man of yours and ask him for an update,” Reg said sternly. Her head came up at his words and the way in which he said them. She looked at Reg with a pained and slightly annoyed expression.
“Listen, baby girl,” he said more softly, “I’ve known you all your life and you are the strongest person I know. When your father and mother disowned me, you stood by me. When that idiot left you alone and pregnant, you got up, got yourself a home, and started baking cakes to keep you and the boy fed.
“When beautiful Noah was diagnosed with that awful, soul-destroying illness, you didn’t let it stop you. You carried on making your cakes, making a home for him, and you did it with guts and determination. Now, I know you had a lot of blows, but now is not the time to sit quietly back and wilt. You need to eat and stay strong and ready for anything. I’m getting me some heeby jeebie vibes right now, Skye, and they are telling me you are the key. So you need to buckle up, butter cup.”
Reg relaxed back in his chair, hands laid across his middle, shotgun at his side. His speech obviously finished.
For a second, Skye was stunned, but then she realised he was right. She was a scrapper. Not in the sense that she went out on a Saturday night and got into scraps with people–she never hit anyone in her life–but she didn’t let life get her down, ever. She just got up and kept going, and that was what she going to do now. She picked up her sandwich and finished her tea quietly. She saw Lizzie let out a relieved breath and go back into the kitchen.
Skye needed to think. She got up and crossed to Reg. Leaning down, she kissed his grizzly cheek.
“Love you, Uncle Reg.”
“Love you, too, girl,” He said gruffly.
“I’m going to catch an hour on the bed. Will you wake me if you hear any news?”
“Course I will. You go straighten your head out. I got this.”
Skye walked down the hall to Noah’s bedroom. She looked around at the Lego models he had spent hours building, and all of the boy paraphernalia–posters, books, lightsabre`s, and costumes. He loved all things Star Wars and superheroes. He wanted to be like Luke Skywalker or Captain America one day. She teased him constantly that Han Solo was the best.
She climbed onto his bed and picked up his cuddly Bruno dog. It was ratty and faded, but he loved that dog, had since he was a baby and never slept without it. Even in hospital. She laid down and hugged the teddy to her face. Silent tears tracked down her cheeks as she prayed to God he was safe and he would be home soon.
~~~
Nate was surprised at the size and beauty of Lockwood Manor. He’d never been there before, but he’d heard about it. It was set on four-hundred acres of land, including a large forest that wrapped round the back of the property like a cloak. It had to be 100 acres of Ash, Beech, Oak, and Elm trees that were at least two hundred years old.
The house itself was more of a castle in style. The research Nate managed to do on the drive over told him that it was thirteenth-century with 24 bedrooms. The grounds included a large natural pond with koi carp and large decorative water lilies. The gardens were a tourist attraction with privet hedges shaped into swans and lions.
There were special rose gardens, that history told, were a favourite with Mary Queen of Scots, or so the website said. The ten acre maze had to be one of the biggest draws, though. Every year they held an Easter egg hunt for all the local schools. Apparently, it was very popular.
There was a small chapel on the grounds where all of the Lockwood family were buried, and historically, the Manor had belonged to Henry Tudor who gifted it to the Lockwood’s after they’d shown loyalty to him during the War of the Roses.
It struck Nate that this was Noah’s birthright. Did Skye have any idea? He hated Hugo Lockwood on principal for leaving them in the lurch as he did. He was overjoyed for himself, because now, he had the privilege of making Skye and Noah his.
As Zack pulled the car into the large circular driveway with the golden gravel paths, and the water fountain making the centrepiece of the drive, Nate was shocked, again, at the size and magnificence of this place. Wisteria hung like a beautiful blanket over a majority of the front giving the manor a romantic feel.
He and Zack had talked on the drive over about the likelihood of the Lockwoods being involved. Zack had had some dealings with them through his family and Nate was shocked to hear that the Cunningham family had some blue blood. But this shouldn’t have surprised him.
You only had to see how Zack dressed to see he was used to the finer things in life–every shirt he owned was designer. Nate had no problem with that. Zack more than gave back and earned every penny he had. In this instance, it would help that his boss was familiar with these people.
Striding up to the en
ormous double front door, Nate was hoping Hugo would be here. They didn’t know he and Zack were coming, and Nate really wanted to meet the guy that abandoned Noah. He would try to curb the desire to hit him in the face. Apparently, it was classed as bad form. His jaw hardened as he thought of Skye’s pale face when he left her earlier. Maybe a small punch to the face wouldn’t hurt?
He wasn’t normally prone to random acts of violence, but he felt so protective of Skye and Noah, and the thought that anyone could abandon his own child, and leave the mother of that child swinging in the wind, was abhorrent. Especially as the Lockwoods obviously had tons of money. And yet, he had still left her to struggle to keep a roof over her and Noah’s heads. He shook his head at that thought–Hugo was a fucking scumbag, even if he did wear designer suits and monogrammed cufflinks.
Zack rang the doorbell and after a short wait a tall, thin, severe looking man, in full butler regalia, opened the door. He glanced at Nate dismissively, but when his eyes cut to Zack, he was more respectful and dipped his head, slightly, in acknowledgment. Fuck, was this real? Did people actually behave like this? Where the hell was this man’s common decency that he would feel deferential towards one person because of their social status and the next minute look down his nose at Nate? Dick.
Zack took charge and Nate let him.
“Is Hugo Lockwood in?” he asked, stepping forward, forcing the man to step back.
“He is indisposed at this time, Sir,” the butler answered pompously.
“Tell him Zack Cunningham is here to see him, and I won’t be leaving until I do.” Zack’s tone brooked no argument and the butler obviously realised that.
The butler tipped his head again, “Of course, Sir.”
Nate looked at Zack, who seemed used to all this.
“How the fuck do you put up with this shit, hermano?”
Zack laughed humourlessly, “I grew up with this shit, so, this shit is normal. Thank god, my mum was not born to it and she brought me up to be normal. Well, normalish,” he conceded on a smile.
