Mallory

by Michelle Love

  Jakob smiled. ‘I know it did but I’m not sure I’d be so receptive.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘Too cynical. Too jaded.’

  ‘Bullshit,’ she said with a smile. ‘If the next thing that comes out of your mouth is ‘too old,' I will beat your ancient ass.’

  He laughed, gratefully for her trying to lighten the mood. ‘I will think about it, I swear.’

  Quilla nodded. ‘Good.’

  His phone, abandoned on the counter when he’d come in, began to buzzed. He accepted the call, checking the time. Three-o-five a.m. He frowned.

  ‘Hey Dad, what’s up?’

  He listened as his dad spoke, his jaw setting grimly. ‘Yeah. Okay, I’ll meet you there.’

  Quilla raised her eyebrows at him as he ended the call and he nodded at her. ‘Sweetheart, let’s get packing. We’re going to Australia. They’ve got the shooter.’

  Nan watched Joel packing, throwing clothes haphazardly into a bag. He didn’t look at her as he relayed to her what his father had told him. ‘It might be best for you and Hayley to go to the big house while we’re away. There’s more security. Hank will drive you to work and back.’

  Nan nodded, her chest tight. ‘I could come with you – ‘

  ‘No. I don’t want you dealing with all that. Better you and Hayley are safe. Skandar will be back on Saturday from the tournament.’

  Nan was silent for a time, not trusting herself to speak. Joel had been distant, withdrawn since Kit’s murder, the grief written all over his face. Nan felt him slipping away from her daily; they hadn’t made love since before the shooting, and he spent long hours at the construction site for his first sports center. They would eat in silence, Nan having given up asking him about his day. It was only when they were sitting down together, reading of watching the t.v. that she felt any closeness. He would hold her hand for a time, or leave his arm across the back of the couch, so his fingers stroked her hair but after a time, again, when they went to sleep, Nan felt cold and lonely.

  Now, he didn’t want her with him in Australia. She got up and went into the kitchen to hide the tears that were threatening. A few escaped as she grabbed a glass and filled it from the tap.

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  She turned to find Joel watching her from the doorway. She put down her glass and tried to smile. ‘Nothing. Can I help you pack?’

  ‘It’s done. Nan…’ he came to take her in his arms. ‘Please, I don’t mean to be like this. I’m trying to hold it together for my dad, my family, and if I get emotional…I think I might break. I love you, Nan, please just…bear with me.’

  She gazed up at him, smoothed the frown lines between his eyes. ‘I can help you relax,’ she whispered and pressed her lips to his. She felt him respond briefly then pull away.

  ‘I can’t, I’m sorry. Look, I’ll call you when we get to Sydney. Take care of yourself – don’t go anywhere without Hank or Gus.’

  And he was gone. She heard the front door close, lock and she let out a sob. Big mistake. She couldn’t hold back then, and it was five minutes before she could manage to get to her phone and call her sister.

  Hayley knew what was wrong immediately. ‘Hang on in there, sis; I’m on my way.’

  Randall Mallory shook hands with the Chief Inspector of Police in the Sydney station. They’d arrived less than an hour ago and were swiftly taken by town car to the place where the shooter was being held.

  ‘His name is Daniel Harland, thirty-two, unemployed.’

  ‘He’s talking?’

  ‘Singing like a damn canary.’

  The inspector motioned to a room, and Randall, Jakob, and Joel went in to see two-way glass and a prisoner in the next room. He looked blandly normal. Ran and Jakob exchanged a glance as Joel fixed his eye on the man who had killed his twin brother. Daniel Harland looked relaxed, even amused as two detectives questioned him.

  ‘Obviously, I can’t let you into the room to hear what he has to say but, because it’s you, Mr. Mallory, I’m going to let you listen in. I’m putting my neck out for you here so…’

  Randall nodded. ‘Of course, I appreciate it.’

  The inspector nodded at Jakob and Joel and flicked a switch. A moment later, they heard the detectives talking.

  ‘So, to go over this again, you’re admitting to shooting and killing Christopher – known as Kit – Mallory on the night of the seventh.’

  ‘Yeah.’

  Jakob’s eyebrows shot up. ‘He’s American.’ The inspector nodded.

  The questioning continued. ‘Can you tell us why you murdered Mr. Mallory?’

  ‘I was paid to shoot him and his girlfriend. I got off a shot at the girlfriend, but he managed to get her to safety before I could kill her. I didn’t miss him, as you know.’

  ‘Who hired you to carry out the killings?’

  ‘Gregor Allan Fisk.’

  Even Ran couldn’t hold back a gasp at the open way he’d just admitted Gregor was responsible. Even the interviewing detectives looked bemused, and Harland grinned.

  ‘You look surprised, detectives. Mr. Fisk asked me to give you a message – give the Mallory’s a message.’

  ‘And what would that be?’

  Harland glanced up at the two-way glass as if he knew the Mallory’s were watching him. ‘None of them are safe. He’s going to kill every last one of them – their women first. He’s hired contractors to deal with all of them. All of them except one.’

  Jakob looked like he knew what Harland was about to say. Ran put a calming hand on his son’s shoulder.

  ‘Which one? And why not?’

  Harland smiled nastily. ‘The eldest son’s woman. The Asian one. Fisk says she’s all his. He’s looking forward to doing her, properly, this time, he says. I wouldn’t want to be her at the end.’

  Jakob looked like he could throw up; Joel banged on the glass angrily, and the detectives looked up.

  ‘Okay, let’s go,’ the inspector gave Joel a withering look, which he ignored. Ran’s lips pursed together.

  ‘I think we’ve seen enough,’ he said, and Jakob gave him a sharp nod. Ran knew his son would want to get back to Quilla, safe in the hotel with an armed guard, after hearing what Harland would have to say.

  The inspector walked them out. Ran thanked him. ‘But he didn’t really tell us anything we didn’t already know. Inspector, have your people been looking for Fisk?’

  ‘You can bet we have,’ the man nodded. ‘We’ve had our armed response scouring the city, all airports, train stations, bus stations have been put on watch. If Fisk is here, we’ll find him.’

  ‘That man doesn’t have a clue who he is dealing with,’ said Joel when they were back in the town car. ‘Does he honestly think that they can get Fisk when we haven’t been able to find him? With our resources?’

  ‘Give him a break,’ Jakob muttered, ‘What’s he supposed to say to us? Sorry, mate, we know we can’t catch him, so we’re not going to bother at all?’

  Joel’s grim face suddenly broke out into a smile. ‘What the hell was that accent? Welsh?’

  Even Jakob cracked a smile. ‘Yeah, yeah.’

  Ran chuckled. God, it felt good to laugh for once. Ran had felt like he’d been robbed of joy since Kit had died, that he’d never feel that lightness in his soul again. He rubbed his face.

  ‘Well, looks like we’ll need to ramp up security, extend the search.’

  ‘Where to, Mars?’ Jakob asked, incredulously. ‘Dad, we’re looking in every corner of the globe. I think we need to think about changing tack. Draw Gregor out.’

  Ran shot his eldest son a look. ‘And how would we do that, Jakob? The only thing we know for sure that Gregor wants is to kill your wife himself. Are you suggesting we use Quilla as bait?’

  ‘Hell, no. God, Dad, I don’t know, I’m just thinking out loud.’ Jakob slumped back into his seat and they drove is silence for a while.

  ‘Quilla wouldn’t hesitate,’ Jakob said eventually. ‘To save the res
t of us, she would sacrifice herself, and that’s why this is not even going to be a consideration. Not that I would ever put her in harm’s way. Jesus, I don’t even know why he’s fixated on her.’

  Ran smiled softly. ‘Don’t you?’ and Jakob had to look away.

  ‘There’s a difference between desiring someone and wanting to kill them, Dad.’ His voice broke, and Ran relented.

  ‘Psychopaths don’t work to the same logic as the rest of us, son. Anyway, this subject is null and void. No bait. No risking anyone’s lives. We do this the right way.’

  Joel made a noise then, and when his father and brother looked at him, he shrugged. ‘I hope by ‘right’ you mean we get the bastard. Because I don’t care if it’s legal or not, I’m going to kill that man. I’m going to rip him limb from limb and enjoy every fucking minute.

  Hayley and Nan, now moved to Ran’s mansion, greeted Skandar as he returned from his tournament. He’d been beaten in the second round but, he told them, he couldn’t have cared less. All he wanted was to be at home with his family.

  ‘I offered to fly out to Oz, but Dad said he’d rather I was here with you.’

  Hayley hugged him tightly. ‘So glad you’re here.’

  Skandar buried his face in her neck. ‘God, me too, baby.’ He kissed her then grinned at Nan. ‘Hey, sis/step-mom, how are you?’

  Nan tried to smile, but Skandar’s merry face just looked too much like Joel. Skandar frowned and put his arm around her. ‘Hey, hey, hey, you okay?’

  She couldn’t help the tears then, and Hayley and Skandar held her while she sobbed out her fears about Joel. When she’d calmed down, she looked apologetically at them both.

  ‘Sorry. It’s just been a strain since Kit. I feel so useless, Skandar, your dad, is so remote. I want to help him but…’ Her voice broke again.

  Skandar hugged her. ‘Look, Kit was his twin; he’s bound to feel it even more keenly than the rest of us. Just be there, and forgive him if he gets difficult. I promise he’ll hate himself for treating you like this; he just doesn’t know how to deal with this. He is so in love with you, Nan, I swear to God, he is.’

  Nan smiled gratefully at him. ‘Thank you, Skan. If he doesn’t buck up,’ she suddenly grinned, ‘I might swap father for son.’

  ‘Hey now,’ Hayley piped up in mock outrage, ‘do I get a say? Besides, ‘she said in an aside to her sister, ‘his dong is tiny, you wouldn’t want him…’

  ‘You are so dumped,’ Skandar was laughing now, ‘and just so you know, Nan, it’s massive.’

  Nan was giggling now, enjoying the silliness of her sister and Skandar as they busted each other’s chops, teasing, and play-fighting. God, she wanted that fun back in her life. She immediately felt guilty for thinking that when Kit was dead. She excused herself from the others and went outside to get some air. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Joel.

  ‘Hey, beautiful.’

  She almost sighed with relief at the warmth in his voice. ‘Hi, gorgeous…how did it go?’

  ‘It’s Fisk, but we knew that anyway. Look, Dad, Jakob, and Quilla are flying back, but I’m going to London for a couple of days. Will you be okay?’

  ‘Sure, I’m at the big house with the others…what’s in London?’

  ‘Just someone I have to talk to. My flight’s being called. I talk to you when I get to London. Nan?’

  ‘Yes, baby?’

  ‘I love you, honey.’

  She smiled down the phone. ‘I love you too, big fella. Hurry home to me.’

  ‘I will.’

  Bo Kennedy shoved her honey blonde hair into a bun and lifted Tiger from his bath. ‘Come on, you big oaf. God, you are a heavy little bugger now, you know?’

  ‘Little bugger,’ intoned Tiger, grinning at his mother, knowing it was a ‘bad’ word.

  Bo made a face at him. ‘Don’t say that in front of your Grandma or I’ll tickle you silly.’

  ‘No, Mummy!’ He yelled a banshee cry, and she chased him back to his bedroom, making him giggle. She wrapped the towel around him.

  ‘Trust you to run around naked, you little exhibitionist.’ She dried him quickly and pulled his pajamas over his head. After she’s tucked him into bed, she blew a raspberry on his forehead then kissed him. ‘You want a story, punkin?’

  He shook his head. ‘Mummy?’

  ‘Yes, precious?’

  ‘Is Kit is Heaven now?’

  God, the pain didn’t get any less agonizing. ‘Yes, sweetheart, he is. Do you know why?’

  ‘A bad man had a gun.’

  ‘He did, and do you know what Kit did?’

  ‘He saved my mummy.’

  Bo’s eyes filled with tears as she nodded and she couldn’t speak. Tiger reached up and touched her cheek. ‘Don’t cry, Mummy. Kit still loves us, even if he isn’t here on Earth anymore.’

  The tears spilled over then, but she smiled through them. ‘Yes, he does, and we love him, don’t we?’

  Downstairs and she turned off the main lights, just leaving the light of the open fire crackling in the grate. She curled up on the couch, listening to the silence of the evening. The property had land for miles around which, usually, she was thankful for. Now, though, she wished there were people closer.

  You have four bodyguards sleeping in the guest lodge, all armed, all highly trained, how much more company do you want? But it wasn’t her safety she was most concerned with. It was being overcome with the crushing grief. She had canceled the rest of her tour – something she was loathe to do – but in this case, vital but now she wished she could feel that adrenaline. Night after night she would sit here, a bottle of wine, and her iPad, watching the videos she and Kit made during their all too brief time together. It was torture yet every night she would put herself through it. Her shoulder still ached from the bullet wound; she’d hardly felt it when it ripped into her. It all happened so fast. Kit’s shout of ‘get down!’, him shoving her into the car, turning, see the bullet smash into his chest. His look of surprise then of regret as he looked at her, the blood blooming across his chest. Her primal, feral scream as he fell, then scrambling out of the car, not caring if she were shot again, falling onto her lover’s prone body. Holding his head between her hands, begging him to live. There was blood on his mouth. He smiled at her. ‘I love you, Bo Kennedy. Know that, always…’

  His eyes closing. The finality of it.

  Bo grabbed a cushion and screamed into it, howling her sadness, her pain. She was so distraught she didn’t notice a very awkward bodyguard hovering near the door. She lowered the cushion and started as he cleared his throat.

  ‘God…Simon, sorry,’ she flushed embarrassed. ‘Just stress relief.’

  He nodded, gave her a smile. ‘I do that all the time.’

  She smiled gratefully at his attempt to make her feel better. Sweet guy. ‘What’s up?’

  ‘There’s a gentleman here to see you; he apologizes for the lateness of the hour.’

  ‘Simon, I’m really not up for – ‘

  ‘It’s Joel Mallory, Miss Kennedy.’

  So many emotions flooded through her – joy, panic, and fear – but she kept her expression neutral. ‘Okay then.’

  She walked out with Simon to the foyer, bracing herself for the impact of seeing her dead lover’s twin. As she caught sight of him, something inside her broke.

  Joel looked up and smiled. ‘Hey, Bo…remember me? I’m Joel…’

  ‘I remember who you are,’ she smiled, her voice cracking, tears dropping down her cheeks. ‘Of course, I know who you are…’

  She threw her arms around him, sobbing, and he gathered her up, hugging her tightly. ‘It’s so good to see you again,’ Joel said, his voice broken and emotional.

  Simon excused himself discreetly and Bo, finally releasing her grip on Joel, motioned him into the living room. ‘I have two bottles of unopened scotch. We’re finishing them tonight.’

  Joel chuckled quietly. ‘That sounds good to me.’

  She poured him a drink,
not able to tear her eyes from him. ‘God, I thought I wouldn’t cope with seeing you, of all the family. But in a weird way, it’s helping. Do you smoke, Joel?’

  He shook his head. ‘Not for a while now.’

  ‘Me neither.’ She reached into the drinks cabinet and pulled out a sealed packet of Gauloise, waving them joyously. ‘Terrible for the voice but the scotch will take care of that. Come out on the patio, mate.’

  They sat under the stars and smoked and drank and shared stories of Kit. Bo felt her heart lift, as if Kit were still here, sitting in the empty, rolling his eyes at his brother for making him look ‘uncool.' She said as much to Joel, who laughed. ‘He would be incensed, the stories I could tell you.’

  Just after midnight and Bo sighed. ‘Thank you for coming, Joel, I needed this.’

  ‘What’s next for you, Bo?’

  Bo flexed her injured shoulder unconsciously. ‘Get back on tour, then into the studio. Work is the key, I think. Make sure Tiger gets through all of this. He really loved Kit.’

  Joel looked away from her gaze, and she took his hand. ‘I cannot even imagine how this must be for you, Joel. I only knew him a few weeks, and I feel torn apart.’

  He squeezed her hand. ‘It’s been…,’ his shoulders slumped, ‘I have, to be honest, it’s broken me. I can’t get through a few minutes without remembering he’s gone forever. We didn’t always have the best relationship but lately it was getting better.’

  Bo steeled herself. ‘So, they have the shooter?

  Joel nodded and told her exactly what the man had said. She paled at his words. ‘Wow. So Kit really did save my life. It’s weird; I’ve had stalkers before; never someone who wanted to kill me.’

  ‘If it helps, it wasn’t personal. Fisk wants to destroy our family and anyone we love.’

  Bo bristled. ‘Fucker. If someone wants to kill me, it should at least be personal. Jesus.’

  ‘I hear ya.’

  A light breeze had started up, and Bo shivered. ‘Let’s go in. Listen, I have a guest room, stay the night.’