by Elise Noble
“We can still sort this out. Right now, Gemma isn’t hurt.” More or less. “You won’t go to the police, will you, Gemma?”
“N-n-no.”
“We’re moving away from the door now. See?”
Alaric went left and motioned Ravi to move to the right. Whatever Emmy was planning, he wanted to cover all bases. Then he realised what she was planning and wanted to cover his eyes instead. Fuck, no. Tell him she wasn’t going to… She was. She was going to jump.
He wanted to shout, to tell her to stop, but he knew it was pointless. If Emmy had made up her mind to do something, she’d do it. She’d done exactly the same thing when she leapt the gap between the Seaduction and the scallop boat to rescue Alaric eight years ago. Her single-minded determination was one of the things he both loved and hated about her.
But what about Beth? She appeared to have been roped into this cockamamie plan, and he’d thought she was more sensible than that. What if he yelled at her to put down the plank? Then Emmy couldn’t jump. Except… Except now Emmy was on her run-up, and it was too late.
Alaric’s heart threatened to quit as she sprinted up the plank and leapt, arms outstretched to keep her body upright. Oh, shit! She wasn’t going to make it… At the last second, she flicked her legs to the side, tucked, and rolled like a demented hedgehog. A stone skittered across the roof. Ryland snapped his head around, but Emmy had already vanished behind the plant room, thank fuck. Sky and Beth had disappeared too, melted back into the darkness on the south tower. He’d be having words with Ms. Stafford-Lyons later. Sky’s involvement, he could understand, but Beth should have known better.
“You won’t let me go,” Ryland said, turning his attention back to Alaric. “I know it. You’ll call the cops, and—”
He took another step back, and Emmy struck. The knife went flying as she ripped Ryland’s hand away from Gemma’s neck, Alaric leapt forward to pull Gemma from the psycho’s grip, and they rolled out of the way. But it wasn’t over. The guy must have been twice Emmy’s weight, and he was hopped up on adrenaline and steroids and fuck knew what else. They grappled, getting perilously close to the edge of the roof as Emmy fought for the upper hand. Finally, she wrenched herself free and booted him in the chest. He overbalanced, arms flailing, but Emmy teetered too.
Ryland toppled over the edge.
And with Gemma sprawled on top of him, Alaric could do nothing but watch in horror as Emmy followed.
He closed his eyes. There were a thousand things he wanted to say to her—I’m sorry, I wish things had been different, I love you—but the words stuck in his throat.
Then he heard a whoop, and his eyes popped open in time to see a crouching Ravi swing Emmy up into the air as if the pair of them had rehearsed the act a hundred times. She landed like a cat.
Nine lives. The crazy bitch had nine fucking lives.
Alaric helped Gemma to her feet, and he had to hold her up, she was trembling so much. His knees weren’t much steadier. Emmy produced a knife—Alaric had been right about her carrying—and sliced the tape off Gemma’s wrists.
“We need to get out of here. Ryland’s splattered across the walkway, and I don’t fancy spending the night in an interview room.”
Vintage Emmy. She’d come close to death, yet she was the calmest of all of them. Ravi looked more shaken up than her. Alaric glanced across to the south tower. Sky and Beth were wrapped up in a hug, whether out of joy or relief he wasn’t sure. Emmy caught Sky’s eye and motioned her down the stairs.
“W-w-what’s happening?” Gemma asked. “Are you the police?”
“Not exactly.” Alaric scooped her up and headed for the stairs. Could she feel his heart pounding against his ribcage? It was threatening to crack a bone from the inside out. “We’ll talk about that later, okay?”
By the time they got to the lobby, a small crowd had gathered between the two buildings. Most of the onlookers had smartphones out, filming and taking photos, and nobody paid Alaric and company the slightest attention as they regrouped outside.
“Go and get the car, would you?” Emmy said to her Blackwood guys, and they vanished into the night.
“Where’s the SUV?” Alaric asked Beth, and she pointed a quaking finger into the darkness. At that moment, Alaric was glad she’d been on the roof with Sky because otherwise, she’d have had a front-row seat for Ryland’s swan dive.
“You okay?”
“Not really.”
He had to appreciate her honesty.
“Have you got the key?”
She fumbled in her pocket and held it out.
Ravi took it from her. “How about I do the honours?”
That left Alaric with the four women. He set Gemma on her feet again, keeping one arm around her waist because she still didn’t look too steady. Hardly surprising after the debacle on the roof, and who knew what hell Ryland had inflicted on her over the past three days.
“Beth?” Gemma rubbed her eyes. “Is that really you?”
“Yes, it’s me. Don’t worry, we’re going to take you away from here.”
“Is he dead? Is Ry dead?”
Beth looked to Alaric. She must’ve known Ryland was spread out across the concrete, but Alaric understood she didn’t want to be the one to break the news.
He mustered up a sombre tone as he herded them both towards the SUV. “I’m afraid he is.”
“Good. I hope it hurt.”
Pain scored through Gemma’s words, and Alaric realised that whatever Ryland had done to her, it was both worse than he’d hoped and as bad as he feared. He helped her into the back seat with Beth and then turned to Emmy.
“You okay, Cinders?”
“Fine.”
Fine. The word was a warning klaxon coming from Emmy. She wasn’t fine, not by a long shot. Anyone else might have assumed the near-death experience had unsettled her, but she’d been acting weird before that.
“Liar.”
She didn’t even bother to deny it. “It’s too late to fly tonight. I’ll reschedule for tomorrow. Text me if you and Beth want a ride, okay?”
“You’re leaving?”
“No point in hanging around.” Ravi got a bigger smile from Emmy than Alaric did. “Thanks for the acrobatics lesson.”
Ravi still looked unnerved. “If you wanna try that again, a safety net would be a good idea.”
“Don’t you get it? In this swamp we swim in, we are the safety net.” She turned to Alaric. “Do you need anything more from me tonight? Counselling? Medical care? Someone to run interference with the cops?”
“I’ll get Gemma back to Judd’s place and assess the situation.” It was closer than Emmy’s mansion and probably less intimidating. “Do you still have a friendly doctor on call? Somebody who can keep their mouth shut?”
“Sure. Just let me know, yeah?”
“I will.” Alaric squeezed her hand, holding onto it for a beat longer than he should have. He’d almost forgotten how terrifying Emmy’s fearlessness could be. “Thanks for tonight, Cinders. You’re crazy, you know that?”
“It’s been mentioned a time or two.” Her car pulled up, and she followed Sky towards it, pausing to glance over one shoulder. “Laters, Prince Charming.”
CHAPTER 46 - BETHANY
THE SIRENS STILL echoed in my ears as Alaric parked the car in front of the garage at Curzon Place, Judd’s home. We’d passed three police cars and an ambulance on the way, all speeding towards the Bellsfield Estate. The ambulance crew might as well have gone home.
So many thoughts tumbled through my aching head. Ryland Willis was dead. Emmy had somehow survived. Death wish. Miracle. Knife. Gun. Alaric had a freaking gun! A blur of Ravi. Sky… She’d kept her head while I was losing mine. How did I get down those stairs? And Gemma, Gemma was alive. Was she all right? She hadn’t said a word since we got in the car, only cried. I hugged her tighter.
“Are you okay?” Ravi asked, opening the back door.
Seriously? “No.”
“Sorr
y. Stupid question.”
Gemma gripped my arm. “W-w-where are we?”
“Somewhere safe,” I told her. Far away from death, and that was all that mattered. “Can you walk inside? Or… Or…”
Perhaps one of the men could carry her again?
“I can walk.”
She gripped my arm as I steadied her up the front steps and into the living room, and when she slumped back onto the sofa, I got my first proper look at her. This wasn’t the Gemma I knew. She’d always been fussy about her appearance, but her hair was lank and greasy, her face pimply and blotchy from crying. Dirt from where she’d fallen on the roof streaked one cheek. Before we left the estate, Alaric had stuck a dressing on her neck to stem the bleeding, and even though she’d kept a hand pressed to it the whole way back, a dark blossom of blood had seeped through to the outer layer. She was thin too. Had Ryland been feeding her? I looked her up and down, then noticed the torn waistband on her jeans. Oh no. No. Tell me he hadn’t…
“Did he…?”
She followed my gaze and burst into great racking sobs.
It was a good thing Emmy had pushed Ryland off the building, because in that moment, I could have easily killed him myself and taken pleasure in the act.
“It’s okay.” I sat down and tried to soothe her, then realised I’d said almost the same dumb thing as Ravi had earlier. Of course it wasn’t okay. And I was way, way out of my depth here. I looked to Alaric.
“What do we do?” I whispered.
He took a seat on the coffee table and flicked a glance at Ravi. “Tea?”
Ravi nodded and disappeared.
“So…” Alaric started. “We met briefly at the gallery, Gemma, but you probably don’t remember me.” She stared at him blankly. “I’m a friend of Beth’s, and I’m here to help you with whatever you need. Do you feel up to talking?”
A long moment passed before she whispered, “Yes.”
“Any time you want to take a break, just say the word. We can go as slow as you like.”
“Okay.”
“Then let’s get the big stuff out of the way to begin with… Firstly, do you need to see a doctor? Can I take a look at your neck?”
Gemma didn’t move. Underneath the dirt, she was pale as a ghost, and I feared she’d gone into shock. I reached up to the bandage.
“Can I…?”
She gave the faintest nod.
“Do you know first aid?” I whispered to Alaric as I peeled the edges of the dressing away from clammy skin.
“I’ve had a reasonable amount of medical training.” Gemma shrank away as he leaned closer. “It’s not as bad as it could have been.”
“Does she need stitches?”
Rather than one big incision, it seemed as if the point of Ryland’s knife had jabbed into Gemma’s neck over and over, leaving a nick each time. The cuts ranged from pinpricks to a centimetre or so.
“A stitch or two might not be a bad idea.”
“Where’s the nearest hospital?”
“A mile away. But if we take her there, they’ll ask a lot of questions, and not just about the knife wounds.”
“What choice do we have?”
“I can get a doctor here, no questions asked.”
And we didn’t want questions, did we? Emmy might have been the one to throw Ryland off the building, but we’d all had a hand in his death, even me. By rights, I should have been puking my guts up at the memory, but what I actually felt was peace of mind. Yes, a man had died, but justice had been served. And I also didn’t want any of us to get arrested for murder. If we went to the hospital, the staff would surely call the police, wouldn’t they?
“What about the other stuff?” I hated discussing Gemma as if she wasn’t there, but I didn’t know how else to ask. “I… I think there’s more than the cuts.”
“Gemma, did Ryland rape you?” Alaric asked, his tone as kind as it could be under the circumstances. His words hurt, but perhaps it was better than beating around the bush.
Another tiny nod.
“Then we’ll need to get you checked out properly.”
“Not the hospital.”
“But—”
She came to life a little more. “No! My friend Andrea got…she got attacked, and she said going to hospital was almost as bad as the…as the…” Gemma couldn’t say the word. “They poked at her, and stuck things inside her, and…no.”
“What about the police?” Alaric asked. “That’s the other big thing—do you want to speak to them?”
“What’s the point? Ry’s dead, and Andrea said they didn’t even believe her.”
Oh, thank goodness. Not about Gemma’s poor friend, but that Gemma didn’t want to involve the authorities. I’d never have pressured her not to report her ordeal if she wanted to, but… Phew.
“Maybe you should call that doctor?” I suggested to Alaric. “And then I could help Gemma to take a shower.”
“Has anyone got a cigarette?” she asked. “I haven’t smoked for days.”
“I don’t think so.” When I glanced at Alaric, he shook his head. “Sorry.”
“I guess I should quit anyway.” Another sob burst out of Gemma. “What about food? Do you have any food? I’m so, so hungry. Ry hardly let me eat.”
“Anything you want. If there’s nothing in the kitchen, I can go to the supermarket or we can get something delivered.”
“A pizza? Can we get a pizza? I can pay…” She paled again. “Ry’s got my handbag. It’s somewhere in his flat.”
Oh, crap. The police would be crawling all over the place by now.
Alaric didn’t panic. He never did get worked up, I’d noticed. “No, he hasn’t. Ravi picked it up before we left. Beth, can you order the pizza? Use my credit card.”
I used to hate it when Piers told me what to do, but now with Alaric, I just felt relief. Overwhelming relief that he took charge and kept me sane when the whole world was falling apart around us.
“What toppings?”
“Why don’t you order a selection? I’ll find some clothes for Gemma to change into.” He gave her hand the lightest brush as he got to his feet. “It might not feel like it right now, but you’re going to be okay.”
And because he’d said it, I knew she would be.
CHAPTER 47 - EMMY
HOLY FUCK, MY shoulder hurt. The biggest miracle in tonight’s adventure was that I hadn’t dislocated it. Although losing my arm completely would still have been preferable to falling seventeen storeys and splattering myself across the concrete. I’d seen the aftermath of Ryland’s nosedive, and it hadn’t been pretty. The crime scene techs better have brought a shovel, or they’d never get him into a body bag.
“You okay?” I asked Sky after we’d dropped the other two guys back at the office.
“Shouldn’t that be my line? You were the one who almost died.”
“The HR people are pushing well-being at work this month. Figured I’d better ask.”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Is your arm sore?”
“Nothing a few sessions of physio won’t fix.” And possibly a kilo or two of oxycodone. “But you’re not fine. When you’re upset, you’re not so good at bullshitting.”
Sky stared straight ahead. Yes, I’d been younger than her when I started in this game, but not only had I come face to face with my first dead body when I was fourteen, I’d also had several months of training under my belt before I watched a man die in front of me. Just this week, Sky had dealt with Lenny’s near-death experience, and now Ryland. She was shaken.
“I… I don’t think I can do this. The job, I mean. What you did tonight… I’m not sure I could make that jump and then…you know.”
“You couldn’t, not today. But that’s where the training comes in. I’ve spent over a decade pushing myself to the limits, learning exactly how fast I can run and how far I can jump. With the ramp, I knew I could clear that gap. And as for Ryland’s tumble off the building… Well, that was just gravity.”
“You
nearly followed him.”
“But I didn’t, so what’s the point in dwelling on the past?”
Although I did owe Ravi a debt of gratitude. If he hadn’t been there, I’d be strawberry jam right now. Who was Ravi, anyway? I’d met him once before when I was briefing Sirius for a job in the US, and Alaric mentioned him from time to time, but he didn’t seem like your usual ex-government agent. I’d always trusted Alaric in the past, so I hadn’t pried, but now I was curious. About Naz too. Naz was Russian and sketchy as fuck, but beyond that, I had no idea. Judd? Judd I knew. In fact, I’d probably known him for longer than Alaric had. Judd was a lunatic. Ex-MI6 with nerves of steel, skin of Kevlar, and an ego of epic proportions. Which matched his dick, if the rumours were to be believed. I’d only worked with him once or twice, but I dealt with his mother regularly, and the woman was a cold-hearted bitch. Stella Millais-Scott was number two in command at The Circus, as MI6 was nicknamed, just waiting for the current head to retire or die so she could take over the top job. I was half-surprised she hadn’t helped him on his way.
The phone rang. Alaric. I put him on speaker.
“Hey.”
“Gonna need that doctor.”
“She’s on standby—I’ll send her over. How’s Gemma holding up?”
“About as well as can be expected considering what the bastard did to her.”
“Rape?”
“If you hadn’t killed him, I would have.”
“Then I’m glad I saved you the trouble. Alaric, I owe Ravi one. How is he?”
“Physically or mentally?”
“Both.”
“He’s used to acrobatics, but…he’s slightly rattled, although he won’t admit it. Ravi’s normally in acquisitions, not disposals.”
Translation: Ravi was a thief. Well, that explained his mad skills with the lock picks. The acrobatics? Hmm.
“Anything I can do?”
“No, I’ll take care of him.”
Something about the way he said it… Alaric did care about Ravi, and not just as a colleague or even as a friend. They’d been together at one time, hadn’t they? Were they still? I didn’t think so. If anything, Alaric had been paying a little too much attention to Bethany this evening.
