by Elise Noble
I scribbled with a blunt pencil on a prison-supplied notepad as Ethan spoke. As well as Harry and Ty, there were guys from the gym, security staff, musicians who used the studio, a couple of volunteers at Ethan’s music project. The only thing they had in common was that Ethan had no beef with any of them.
With five minutes to go and Ethan looking visibly stressed, I switched the topic to music. Just once this week, I wanted him to have a normal conversation, one that didn’t revolve around court or suspects or murder.
“I hear from Harold that Elastic Trickery is doing well. He said you discovered them?”
“Yeah, in a club in Queens…”
If it hadn’t been for the orange jumpsuit and the shackles, not to mention the complete lack of ambience, we could almost have been on a date. No, not a date. Just a chat over coffee. Minus the coffee, of course. Hell, what was I doing? Now Ethan had lost his initial shyness, he became more animated talking about a subject he loved. I wanted to ask him about the music project, his time with King, the studio… But our precious time flew by, and my heart sank when the door opened behind me.
“Time,” the guard informed us.
My eyes locked on Ethan’s as I got up from the table. “I’ll see you soon.”
“I’ll be waiting.” His lips flickered. “Got nowhere else to go.”
Fuck, that husky voice did bad things to my insides.
As I walked out of the room, I knew Ethan wasn’t going to be the only one who started praying.
CHAPTER 31
A CHAMPAGNE CORK whizzed past my ear and hit Jed square in the chest, but I’m not sure he even noticed. Pecs of damn steel.
“I can’t believe it!” Lyle screeched, swigging from the bottle. “I actually managed to win a case. Well, not win, exactly, but it was better than getting laughed out of court.”
“You did good,” Oliver said.
He’d been watching the hearing from the public gallery, hidden in amongst the throng of reporters. There’d been gasps when the judge set Ethan’s bail at $12 million.
“Skinner was furious, wasn’t he? And did you hear me? I made an objection and it got upheld!”
Bless him, he was like a kid in a candy store. With a shopping cart. His smile got even wider when Stefanie walked over and gave him a hug. She looked far happier than when we’d first met as well.
“We’re all so proud of you,” she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
He promptly turned tomato.
Now that she’d seen the evidence we’d gathered, Stef had switched allegiance to Team Ethan. Yesterday, when Skinner had phoned to ask if she’d pop in for a chat, she’d told him she’d come when the devil installed air conditioning. We were all proud of her too.
Of course, we still had to deal with the small matter of Ethan’s actual release. The bail paperwork was in progress. With everything Ethan owned, he’d managed to raise $10 million of the total needed. And when Lyle had called me from outside the courtroom to say none of the bondsmen wanted to put up the rest, I’d taken a deep breath and said, “I’ll cover it.”
I had no idea what the fuck I was doing. Even Emmy raised an eyebrow.
“I know that spacey look,” she said.
“No, you don’t.”
“Yes, I do. You got it when you started dating Jay, before you realised he had a black belt in asshole.”
“You’re seeing things.”
She just chuckled and walked away. Sometimes I hated her.
I was brought back to the present by Oliver, who thrust a champagne glass into my hand. “Is this Cristal?” I asked.
“I think so.”
“Shouldn’t we be waiting until Ethan’s actually acquitted before we break out the good stuff?”
Bradley waltzed past, another bottle in each hand. “If now isn’t the time for a party, I don’t know what is. Besides, Black’s got cases and cases of this stuff in the cellar.”
Trying to stop Bradley from throwing a party was like trying to dam up a river using a box of toothpicks. I gave in and knocked back my drink.
“That’s more like it,” he said. “Top up?”
I shook my head. “One’s my limit for tonight.”
Heads swivelled and jaws dropped. Yeah, yeah, I know, it was out of character for me. I usually had a glass in each hand, and they were constantly full.
But tonight, I was staying sober because tomorrow, I needed to pick Ethan up.
Redding’s Gap was a six-hour drive, and I was taking my car instead of the helicopter because I refused to inflict Otis on Ethan. The poor guy was getting out of prison. Put him in a car with Otis, and he’d be begging to go back in.
Yes, I’d given in and bought a new car. My third in three months. As well as the Boxster, I’d accidentally left my handbrake off and let the Audi that came before it roll off a small cliff. So much for having a good crash rating. It looked like a caricature of its former self by the time it had concertinaed at the bottom.
My new Chevrolet Camaro was yellow with black go-faster stripes. Not exactly the most subtle car in the world, but I’d got the souped-up version so I could just outrun trouble instead. And sound good while I did it. The V8 engine was sweet music to my ears, and the fact that I’d get to spend six hours listening to it alone with Ethan was merely a happy coincidence.
Totally.
Bradley had sucked in a breath and muttered dire warnings about the environment when I mentioned the 6.2-litre engine, so yesterday afternoon I’d been forced to purchase two hundred hectares of Brazilian rainforest as an offsetting measure to appease him.
“I hope it’s got monkeys,” I muttered as I signed the paperwork.
“Mine’s got monkeys,” Emmy said. “And snakes and spiders and a fuck load of biting insects.”
“Bradley sent you on a guilt trip too?”
“My seven hundred hectares is right next to Black’s four thousand. His has an uncontacted tribe living in the middle of it, which we thought was kind of cool until some dude shot an arrow at us.”
“You visited?”
“A couple of years back. We were in Rio, someone opened a bottle of cachaça, and it seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“Maybe I’ll just fly a plane over my bit.”
“Think of the carbon footprint. Bradley’ll make you buy another fifty hectares.”
“Or I could just stay home.”
“Good plan.”
After my single glass of champagne, I retired to bed. Four in the morning and me didn’t get on, but we’d have to call a truce tomorrow with coffee acting as mediator. I was due at Redding’s Gap at ten, and I didn’t plan on being late.
CHAPTER 32
I MADE IT to Redding’s Gap with half an hour to spare after three stops for coffee and one minor delay for a speeding ticket. Despite that, my cheeks ached from the grin I’d been wearing most of the way. My new Camaro rocked.
And the thought of having Ethan beside me in the passenger seat for the return trip felt pretty damn good too. There, I admitted it. Are you happy now?
Even though I’d arrived early, the bitch that had searched me on my previous visits made me wait on a metal bench outside the entrance for almost two hours. For a moment, I wondered if she knew it was me who’d somehow obtained the login details for her Twitter account and tweeted about her fetish for taking it through the backdoor to her 172 followers. If she didn’t let me out of here soon, I’d be doing her Facebook tomorrow.
Just before my ass cheeks went totally numb, a weary-looking Ethan emerged into the sunshine, blinking as he stepped from the gloom. He looked from side to side, and when he spotted me, his grin matched mine and his steps quickened.
They’d given him an oversized denim shirt and a pair of ill-fitting khaki pants, and he still wore the prison’s standard-issue lace-less canvas shoes.
“Nice outfit,” I said.
“The irony is, if I’d worn this two months ago, I’d have started a new fashion trend.”
“You’d better believe it. I was on Twitter yesterday, and you’ve got twelve-year-old kids parading around in orange jumpsuits and Ghost masks.”
He groaned. “You’re kidding?”
“Nope. I brought you some clothes, though. I figured they weren’t gonna give you anything too snappy, and if you get spotted, that isn’t a look you want on the front page.”
“I’m surprised there’re no reporters hanging around at the gates.”
“Lyle’s holding a press conference as we speak, telling everyone you’re getting released tomorrow.”
He’d come up with that idea all by himself. Thanks to Mr. Rhodes, his devious side was developing nicely.
“I guess I need to thank him. He did better than I thought he would in court.”
“He surprised me as much as anyone. Oliver’s taught him a lot.”
“I just hope he does as well in the trial.”
“He will. Have faith.”
“I’m trying, but it’s been sorely tested over the last few weeks.”
I reached over and squeezed his hand, something I’d been aching to do for days. “It’ll be restored.”
He didn’t let go, and I knew then that everything Emmy said was right. I was in trouble. Big trouble. I tried to speak, but it came out as a croak. Dammit. I swallowed and tried again.
“We should get going. It’s a long drive back.”
With one last stroke of his thumb over my knuckles, he released my hand. “You’re right. Is this yellow monster yours?”
“Yup. I’ve had her for two days, and she’s still scratch free.”
“You sound surprised. Should I be worried?”
“My crashes aren’t usually serious. I specialise in small dents.”
“Fuck,” he said as he pulled open the passenger door. “Maybe I should have stayed back there.”
He jerked his thumb at the ugly grey building.
“Nah, this is much better. And I’m going to try really hard not to get pulled over on the way back.”
He was still shaking his head as we peeled out of the lot. Soon, Redding’s Gap was nothing but a dust cloud in the mirror.
“Can you make yourself useful and play DJ?” I asked him, pointing at the radio.
He laughed, deep and throaty, and goose bumps popped out on my arms.
Huge. Fucking. Trouble.
“I think I can manage that.”
Soon the car was alive with the sound of rock, and Ethan leaned back in the seat with his eyes closed, enjoying the music. I stole glances as I drove, feeling some of my own tension seep away as Ethan’s jaw relaxed.
Once we’d gotten ten miles along the road, I pulled over next to a stand of trees. “You wanna change?”
“Can’t wait.”
I handed him the bundle of clothes from the backseat and checked my emails while he changed behind the car. Okay, so I snuck a peek in the mirror. I was only human. Then I may have watched while he stripped off the shirt, stretched, and pulled on the hoodie I’d brought for him. Damn, the man had muscles—the perfect bumps of a six-pack and deliciously lickable pecs. Hey, just looking wouldn’t hurt, would it?
“Better?” I asked when he climbed back in beside me.
“Much.” He gestured at the pile he’d thrown behind him. “Those deserve to be burned.”
“I’m sure I can dig out some matches.”
We drove on in silence for a while. Ethan had pulled his hood up over his face, so I couldn’t try to guess what he was thinking. But despite that, the atmosphere wasn’t tense. It was the peace of two people comfortable in each other’s company.
Eventually, Ethan was the one who spoke. “Dani, I don’t know how I can repay you for everything you’ve done.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I do. If it wasn’t for you, I’d still be in a concrete box and I’d probably die there.”
“Don’t think like that. You’re not in there, and if I’ve got anything to do with it, you’re not going back.”
“Lyle said you put up the rest of my bail money,” he said quietly.
“Yeah, I did.”
“Why?”
“Because…” Because every time I fell asleep I saw Ethan in my dreams? Because when I heard his voice, it sent shivers through me? Because I struggled to keep my pulse steady when I was around him? “I don’t know why. I just did.”
“I’m not gonna let you down; I promise.”
“Yeah, I know.”
He sighed and shifted in the bucket seat. “Lyle may be sketchy when it comes to court, but he knew what he was doing when he hired you.”
How did I tell him this? “Uh, it wasn’t Lyle who hired me.”
“He didn’t? Then who did? Ronan?”
“Not Ronan either.”
I told Ethan about the three boys and how Emmy had given me the job as a punishment for crashing her car. I’d finally given in to her badgering yesterday and called them after the hearing with an update, and they’d been so fucking happy it made me go mushy inside.
Ethan was shaking his head by the end of my story. “Those kids are something else. I’ve missed working with them. Every week they’d turn up, and they’ve got this enthusiasm that most professionals are missing. I only hope I can work on the project again in future. And I swear, I’m never gonna criticise your driving, no matter how bad it is.”
I grimaced. “We’ll see whether you still feel the same way when we’ve got back.”
“Back… yeah.” He sighed, a long exhalation that tugged at my heart.
“What?”
“I was so focused on getting out of Redding’s Gap, I never really thought about what would happen after. Lyle said my house is off-limits, and I’m not sure I ever want to set foot in there again, anyway. I don’t even have the cash for a hotel because it’s all with the court. Can I borrow your phone to call Ronan?”
“Uh, I kind of arranged something already.”
“You did? Where?”
“A friend of mine has a place near Richmond. The security’s good, so there won’t be any reporters around.”
When I’d broken the news to Emmy that I wanted Ethan to stay at Riverley, she’d just rolled her eyes and said, “What’s one more?”
“Are you sure your friend won’t mind?”
“Nah, she’s fine about it. Besides, as it was her who gave me the job in the first place, it’s only fair that she chips in. Lyle’s staying there too. He got chased out of his place by the paparazzi. And, er, Stefanie.”
“Who’s she?”
“Christina’s ex-roommate.”
Ethan put his head in his hands. “Shit, she’s gonna hate me.”
“No, she isn’t. She knows it wasn’t you, anyhow. Somebody tried to hurt her the other day, and we figure it was the same person.”
I hadn’t told him that part while he was in prison because I didn’t want to add to his stress, but now he needed to know the full story.
“Hurt her? How?” His voice shook.
I told him about the attempted hit-and-run. “I think whoever’s behind this is worried what Christina might have told Stefanie. Trouble is, she didn’t say much at all.”
“How many more people are going to get caught up in this? It’s a living nightmare.”
He wasn’t wrong about that.
Halfway back, all the coffee I’d drunk on the trip down caught up with me, and I pulled into the next gas station.
“I need the restroom, and the car needs gas,” I told Ethan. “You want anything from the store?”
“A coffee would be good. I haven’t had one since I’ve been inside, and I didn’t get any breakfast this morning either. You want me to pump the gas?”
“Thanks.”
I got out of the bathroom just in time to see my car pulling away from the pump. Shit, shit, shit! I ran halfway to the door, heart pounding, until I realised Ethan was just moving it out of the way so a woman in a pickup could fill her tank. He parked neatly outside the ki
osk and turned the engine off.
Phew. I needed to trust my gut, and my gut told me to trust Ethan.
When I headed back to the car, laden with supplies, Ethan was back in the passenger seat. I handed him a latte and took a sip of my own.
“They didn’t have a lot of choice. I got chips and a couple of candy bars.”
“Breakfast of champions.”
A few miles down the road, I pulled over again. Food. I needed food.
“I didn’t want to hang around at the gas station. Too many people coming and going.”
Ethan nodded, mouth full. “I never thought a Twinkie bar could taste so good.” He swallowed then paused before he took another bite. “Want me to take a turn at driving?”
My first instinct was to say, “No way.” I was a terrible passenger, and I had an argument with Emmy every time we got into a car together. Last year, she’d got one of my exploded airbags framed and given it to me as a Christmas gift. But I’d been driving for nine hours already today and tiredness was fast catching up with me.
“Maybe I’ll just take a short break.”
I was having a rather dirty dream about a certain music producer when a hand on my shoulder woke me up. Tell me I hadn’t moaned in my sleep?
“We’re just outside Richmond,” Ethan said. “You’re gonna have to help me out.”
I looked up and saw the city limits approaching. Had I really been asleep for two-and-a-half hours? I checked my watch. Fuck, I had. I must have been more tired than I thought.
“Okay, take a left here. We need to head east.”
At long last, the huge iron gates of Riverley appeared, and Ethan let out a low whistle when we turned into the drive. “When you said a house, I was expecting something on a street with other houses, not this.”
“I felt kind of awed when I first saw it too, but I guess I’m just used to it now.”
“Do you spend a lot of time here?”
“Probably as much time as at my own place.”
“Where do you live?”
“I have an apartment in Richmond, not too far from Liquid, but I’m staying here at the moment.”
“That’s… What are all those balloons for?”
Oh, Bradley. He’d decorated the stone columns at the front of the house with a whole array of foil balloons. When we got closer, I could see they had a musical theme—guitars, pianos, music notes, even a tuba.
