Second Chances (Blood Brothers #3)

by Manda Mellett

  My hand goes to my mouth in horror, and I move to go to the old woman who’s rubbing her sore face, her hand coming away red with blood. But the gun now pointing straight at me brings me to a halt.

  The gunman turns his attention to the person behind me. “I believe I asked you a fucking question. Who the fuck are you?”

  The voice I hear surprises me. Gone is the confident man I travelled up with. Instead, Sean stammers out in an effeminate squeak, “Boyfriend.” He sounds terrified. Some bodyguard he is. So close and yet so bloody far. Another two days and I’d have been far away from here. Why, oh why was I so stupid to think coming back was a good idea?

  “Well, I’m taking your girlfriend with me. You gonna try to be a hero?”

  “You’re the one with the gun.” There’s a quiver in Sean’s voice. Jesus! Could the person employed to protect me sound any more ineffective? I’m desperately hoping my bodyguard is putting on an act, and he’s going to pull something out of the hat to save me, but at the moment he seems so weak and useless my shoulders slump in defeat.

  “However much he’s paying you, I’ll double it.” Though she’s hurt, Ida’s voice is clear and vigorous, such a contrast to Sean’s.

  Targeting his weapon around each of us, in turn, the gunman answers her. “Have you got a spare million lying around then?” He gives her a disdainful look. When she gives a sad little shake of her head, he trains the weapon back on me, “Didn’t think so.” He takes a step towards me. “Come bitch, time to go.”

  As he goes to takes another pace, Sean moves to my side as if giving us room to get out of the door. Just as I’m thinking how despicable he is not to make any effort to save me he moves in a blur of action, his body twisting and his leg coming up seemingly unnaturally high as his foot swings out kicking the gun from the man’s hand. I’ve seen on TV where a karate expert can smash planks of wood with their feet, and the way the gunman is holding his wrist it appears to have shattered the same way. I don’t feel any sympathy. Sean follows up his move by linking his hands together and bringing them down on the back of his head. The gunman crumples to the floor unconscious. Without pause, Sean reaches into his back pocket, extracts a pair of handcuffs and secures the man.

  Seeing my look of surprise Sean chuckles and winks, “You never know when they’ll come in handy, pet.” His voice has changed completely and is deep, dark and authoritative now.

  “You’re a useful man to have around. Must admit you had me fooled for a moment there.” Ida’s contemplating Sean thoughtfully and getting to her feet, her hand still resting against her cheek. I run to her and hug her, and then stand back to see the damage. Gently Sean moves me out of the way and raises his hand to her chin.

  “You’re going to have a bruise there.” Another voice change, this one soft and full of compassion, “He broke the skin, but it’s only superficial. You won’t need stitches.”

  “I’m alright,” Ida moves his hand away and gives a little shake. I knew she was a tough old bird, but she’s excelling herself today, “It’s Claire, Zoe; I’m worried about.”

  They seem to have some silent communication over my head. Sean’s nodding at Ida as he speaks to me, “Pack your stuff, little one. We’re leaving as soon as you are ready.”

  “But Ida? Him?” I wave to Ida, and then down at the unconscious body on the floor.

  “I’ll take care of him,” Sean gives me a gentle push in the direction of the stairs. Reluctantly I start to move. As I leave the room, I catch sight of him pulling out his phone and being inquisitive I pause with my foot on the first step, listening to his side of the phone call.

  “I’ve got a package needing collection. It needs to go into cold storage for a couple of days.”

  That’s it. Apart from giving the address, Sean says no more, apparently expecting the person on the other end to understand what he means. I run up the rest of the stairs and go into my room. I gasp when I see the mess, the man had obviously already been up here, I assume looking for clues as to where I’d gone. But there had been nothing to find, my communications with Amahad had thankfully been by email on Ida’s work computer. Quickly stuffing my cheap clothing into the rucksack I’d arrived with, I collect my toiletries from the small bathroom. With one last backwards glance at the room that had felt such so safe before Ida returned from the post office with that flyer. I hurry back downstairs.

  I find the bastard now conscious but trussed up with his ankles tied and gaffer tape across his mouth. His eyes flick to and fro furiously, hatred zooming out like laser beams. He doesn’t look so threatening now. He looks more like a slug as he rolls around frantically trying to find some way to get free. But he’s not going anywhere. Sean reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pair of surgical gloves; my eyes widen, and I wonder what else he keeps on him. He looks at me as my eyebrows rise.

  “I was a boy scout—always prepared.” As he speaks, he picks up the gun and checks the bullets in it. “Know how to use this, Ida?”

  My mouth drops open as my friend confirms she does with just three words. “Ex-Army Officer.”

  “Takes one to know one,” Sean smirks knowingly. “Here, take these. We only want his fingerprints on the weapon.”

  A look that frightens me transforms the face of the woman I thought I knew well, and her words send a chill down my spine. “Haven’t used one of these in years. Might get in some target practice. Wonder if I’ll still be able to hit his kneecap?”

  The gunman stills, his eyes now full of fear.

  “Get her out of here.” Ida’s eyes don’t move from the man on the floor.

  “We can’t leave you with him,” I say, horrified at the thought.

  “Yes, you can,” her voice is firm, “You don’t know who else has found out you’ve been staying here.”

  Sean pats her on the back, “My colleagues aren’t far away, Ida won’t be on her own for long.”

  “I’ll be okay. Just go.” She allows herself a quick glance at me and gives me a reassuring smile, “I’ll be all right, Zoe. Just get yourself somewhere safe.”

  I realise she doesn’t know. “I’m going to—”

  “Stop!” She spits out the words, “I don’t want to know.”

  Sean walks over to the prostrate man. “You hear that? Zoe’s disappearing again and this woman has no idea where she’s going. Prick.” He punctuates his words with a sharp kick to the ribs. Having witnessed the strength of his legs that had to have hurt. But as I recall how the gunman had pistol whipped Ida I find myself wishing he’d do it again.

  Without getting in her line of fire, I go to the woman who sheltered me and give her a fierce hug, her free arm comes around me, squeezing me to her. “Thank you… for everything.” The words are inadequate; Ida had saved my life. She’s done so much for me, “I can’t…”

  She stops me from saying anything more. “Just keep safe, and keep that fire burning inside you. Promise me.”

  “I’ll try.” I hug her, holding her tightly to me, this kind friendly woman who had taken me in when she didn’t know me from Adam and who had ended up getting herself hurt as a result. It’s hard to pull myself away, but she shoos me towards the door, with her action, telling me to get going.

  Outside Sean sees the worry on my face, and takes a moment to reassure me she’ll be okay and won’t have to wait long alone with my would-be kidnapper. As we get to the car, he even makes me giggle when he says, “Hey, you know I think they’ll have to prise that gun out of the old girl’s hand. She seems rather taken with it and is having far too much fun!” I agree, it’s a side of Ida I hadn’t seen before.

  But as we begin to drive off, my amusement fades as the events of the day catch up with me, and I start to shiver. I turn up the heating on my side of the car but it doesn’t help all that much, I can’t seem to stop feeling cold. I’m not cut out for all this stress. I had a normal life until I met him. Now I’ve been face to face with a loaded weapon and another friend got hurt because of me. Tears start to fa
ll, and there’s nothing I can do to stop them.

  Sean speaks only to let me know there are tissues in the glove box and lets me cry out the amalgamated tensions of the last few hours without offering false comfort or minimising the seriousness of the situation. When he gets a brief call, he tells me the package was successfully collected, and Ida is safe. The relief makes me a little calmer. It also helps when he tells me his firm, Grade A, will be keeping an eye on the elderly lady in case Ethan has any thoughts of retribution as she’d taken me in. At least that’s one thing off my mind.

  I’d expected a long drive back to London and, lost in my thoughts, I hadn’t taken much notice of my surroundings or the direction we were travelling in, so when we arrive at a house on a residential street after just a couple of hours of driving, I have to ask where we are. Apparently, this is the outskirts of Manchester; we weren’t making the longer journey back to the capital after all. He pulls the car into the garage and takes me inside the house, putting in a complicated code on a state of the art looking gadget to open the door. It’s late, and I’m tired, completely done in for the day. I watch as he carries in our two bags, even forgetting to offer to help. He must keep a go-bag packed ready in his car. Definitely a boy scout. When he drops my rucksack in a small upstairs room, I decide to go straight to bed, noticing nothing other than the bed looks clean and there’s a comfortable duvet I can snuggle beneath. Despite all the thoughts churning around my head, including the fact I’ve had a man hold a gun on me today, everything seems too much for my tired brain to cope with and I fall, almost immediately, into an exhausted sleep.

  Chapter 14

  Zoe

  Waking early the next morning feeling more refreshed, and still unbelieving I’ve been offered the chance of a dream job as well as the opportunity to get my life back on track, I go downstairs to find Sean already up and making tea and breakfast in the small neat kitchen, somewhat dressed. Somewhat. He’s only wearing a pair of jeans, and even they aren’t properly done up. Succumbing to the fact I’m only human, I don’t fail to clock he’s got a body to die for, tanned and hairless without an inch of fat on him. His six pack is clearly defined as is, rather unfortunately, the V of his lower abdominal muscles angling down towards the open zip. A slight glimpse of curly hair tells me unless he’s wearing tiny bikini briefs, which don’t seem his style, he’s gone commando. It’s all a bit too much for me this time of the morning.

  My eyes shoot up then look away in embarrassment, and I feel blood rushing to my cheeks. His smirk tells me he knows I’ve been checking him out. As he turns and bends to take milk out of the fridge, I glance back to see the denim of his jeans stretching over his tight backside. I can’t help but lick my lips; I can appreciate a fine specimen of manhood as well as the next woman.

  “Can’t you put some clothes on?” my voice comes out as a squeak.

  “Thought you were enjoying the view,” he teases holding up the milk bottle and at my nod pours some into each cup. He pushes a mug over to me, and waves at the sugar bowl.

  I shake my head at the sweetener. “What’s not to like?” I answer his question. “Just a bit early for me.” I think of Sophie as I return his banter; she’d probably already have got his jeans off or at least round his ankles by now. I feel a bit lightheaded; I’ve not been in this sort of situation before. Ethan would never appear so underdressed—the only time he was naked was in bed, and he always disrobed in a business-like manner. Mind you; he didn’t have Sean’s body which seems made for flaunting. I don’t know this man, yet his attitude beams a ray of sunshine into my life. I manage a small smile while asking a silent question. Is he flirting with me?

  He grins, crossing to his bag that he’s left at the foot of the stairs and taking out a T-shirt pulls it on. It’s black, sporting a Lynyrd Skynyrd logo with a skull, crossbones and wings suggesting he’s a rock fan. It looks a size too small for him and if anything, enhances his well-defined muscles. With another smirk he lowers his hand to his crotch and slowly and deliberately takes hold of the zipper, making a real show of it as he pulls it the rest of the way to the top. Then he fastens the button. “Better?” he winks, knowing my eyes are transfixed to his actions. He comes and stands in front of me.

  My reaction to him is just an appreciation for a perfect masculine form. His blatant sexual attraction is surprisingly non-threatening.

  Putting his hand under my chin, he tips my face up, “You can admire, but not touch. I’m your bodyguard, and I’m off limits to you.”

  I almost spit my tea over the counter, “You…”

  Laughing, he backs away. It’s funny, but I feel I can trust him.

  To get us back on track, I ask him, “Have you heard any more about Ida?”

  “Yup, the package was collected shortly after we left.” He reconfirms what I already knew, then adds, “Our first-aider checked her out, she didn’t need medical attention. She’s a tough old girl, isn’t she? We’re giving her protection, but I don’t think they’ll go looking for you there again.”

  “I didn’t know she was ex-army, but it figures now. Makes sense.” I watch him as he returns to the stove placing bacon under a now heated grill, “You’re a chameleon.” I take a sip of my drink as I move to a different subject.

  “What do you mean?” He breaks eggs over a bowl and whisks them.

  I gesture towards him, “I can’t work out who you are. You keep changing.”

  He glances over and grins, “Not surprised, pet. I haven’t discovered who I am myself either. If you figure it out, please let me know.” After throwing me another cheeky wink he goes back to his task gathering plates and cutlery and then dishing up omelettes and bacon. He puts toast in a rack with butter in the tub beside them. I take a bite; he’s a surprisingly good cook. Not having eaten much the day before my plate’s soon clean.

  I help him wash up. We’re just going to be hanging out here today, he tells me, and then leaving early tomorrow to catch the flight. I don’t mind, after yesterday’s excitement I could do with a day to relax. But soon after breakfast, he gets a text. Reading it his mouth tightens.

  I’m immediately on alert, “Problems?”

  He shakes his head, “No, but you’re going to have to put up with me a bit longer. Apparently, I’m coming with you to Amahad. Kadar seems to think you warrant a CPO out there too, or at least until you get settled. Looks like he’s starting to realise the reach this St John-Davies chap has.”

  Unable to suppress the shudder as he speaks that name, I idly flex my wrist as two of the things he says stand out. One that he’s familiar enough with the emir to call him by his first name, and secondly that it appears I’ll still be at risk three thousand miles away. “Has something happened?” There goes my relaxed feeling for the day. I’m not going to be free of this tension which holds me in its grip. His next words don’t help either.

  “Not really, but the reward for information about you has just gone up to a million pounds.”

  “Christ!” I stand up so quickly the chair I’m sitting on falls over. “What is it about me? Why does Ethan think I’m worth so frigging much and want me back so badly?”

  Sean shakes his head, looking at me carefully. I’ve not put my wig on today, so my natural blond hair flows down over my shoulders. He’s quiet for a while, and just when I think he’s not going to say anything he begins to speak, “You’re quite beautiful pet. Not classically, but you have a natural beauty, a typical English rose. That’s one reason.” As I shake my head in denial and disbelief, he runs his fingers through his hair, “But mainly he considers you his possession, and you got away from him. He’s a man who enjoys the chase. You’re proving more of a challenge than he thought, and he’s not the kind of person who’ll just give up. By evading him, you’re defying him. The trouble is, the longer you stay out of his reach, the greater the consequences will be.”

  I know that, and give a small shudder, “He’ll kill me.”

  Now he’s nodding, “Yes, I think that
would be his end game.” His confirmation isn’t encouraging; it would have been nice for him to have contradicted me even if it would only have been a blatant lie. I’d like some reassurance, however unrealistic it might be.

  “He’s insane.” He has to be totally mad. What kind of man would go to the lengths he has to get his ex-girlfriend back? I mean, a bloody million pounds? I know he’s got money to throw around, but surely I’m not worth that!

  “He’s not mad for wanting you; any man would. You are attractive, as I said, and you’ve got a spirit a man like him would like to break.”

  I run my fingers over my nose, slightly crooked now with a small scar at the top. “Not any longer. He’s already broken me. He’s broken my nose, wrist, ribs… And he’s broken me mentally too. I can’t even remember the woman I was before I met him.”

  Sean comes over and stands close; he’s so tall I have to look up to see his expression. His hand hovers in the air for a second as though waiting for my permission then, gently, he touches my face, “I didn’t know you before, but you have an asymmetry which gives your face character and doesn’t detract from your attractiveness in any way. No need to worry about that, pet.” He pulls his hand away, and I feel strangely bereft. He takes a step back. “And you’re not broken. Fuck, woman, the way you’ve evaded him for so long, that would be challenging even for a trained expert. And you didn’t even fucking panic when a gun was pointed at you yesterday. I’m bloody amazed at the way you held it together.”

  Briefly, I feel a sense of pride at his praise, but then throwing him a quick grin I can’t resist it. “Well, I was fucking working out what to do when my brave bodyguard wimped out on me.”

  “Good ploy that works every time.” His cockiness makes me laugh. I can’t deny it had proved successful.

  Wanting to get off the depressing topic of Ethan, I ask him a question I’ve been curious about, “How do you know the emir?”

  “Kadar? I know his brother, Jasim, better. He co-owns a club with one of my bosses.” If he’s surprised at the complete change in direction, he doesn’t show it.