Chapter 26
CHAPTER 26
LUKE STAYED BEHIND at the house while everyone else went to the hospital. He still didn’t know exactly how or why, but Emmy’s husband had somehow turned up in Colombia and flown back with her.
Mack’s grin hadn’t wavered since she realised Black’s resurrection wasn’t a cruel prank. “I still can’t believe it, but it’s the best news ever,” she kept saying over and over.
Luke didn’t share her enthusiasm. Not only was he staying in the man’s house, he’d also been sleeping with his wife. How would Black react if he found out? Normally, escape to Mack’s place would be the obvious solution, but a few days ago, the concierge of the smart apartment block she lived in had called with news of a burst pipe on the floor above. Cascading water had left Mack’s home flooded. As they were in the middle of the Colombia job, Mack just asked the guy to turn the water off and mop up the mess as best he could. They’d yet to take a trip over to see how bad the damage was.
Since Emmy had offered a room at Riverley Hall for as long as they wanted it, Mack’s housing situation hadn’t seemed like such a problem. But now its owner was back, and by all accounts, he was quite scary.
Luke considered hopping on a plane to England, but he didn’t want to leave Mack behind. Not to mention the meetings he had set up for the expansion of his own company, and the fit-out of the new office he needed to oversee. No, returning to Lower Foxford wasn’t a viable option.
His phone rang, and he glanced at the screen. Tia. “Hey, little sis.”
“Ryan said Emmy sorted everything out. Is that true?”
“Yes, everything got dealt with.”
“Is she back?”
“She arrived yesterday, but she’s gone to the hospital.”
“Oh no!” Tia paused then her voice dropped to a whisper. “Did she get hurt?”
“No, Emmy’s fine, but she rescued a pregnant lady while she was away, and she went into labour early this morning.”
“Ooh, a baby! How fab! Can I come over and see? My exams are all finished now.”
“Uh...”
“Please, I promise I won’t get in the way,” Tia wheedled.
“I suppose so.” Luke didn’t reckon Emmy would mind. She got on with Tia better than he did.
“And Ryan too?”
“I’m not sure about that. Isn’t he supposed to be working?”
“Emmy said he wasn’t to leave my side.”
“I think she meant until she fixed the problem, which she’s done now. So he can probably go home.”
“Oh.” Tia sounded disappointed. Too disappointed.
“Is there something going on with Ryan that I should know about?”
“What? Uh, no.”
Yes, there was. His sister’s lying skills hadn’t improved, even with the master around to learn from. Suddenly, Luke wanted her close, and if Ryan had to come too, so be it. He’d rather have the pair of them nearby than alone in a house doing who knows what together.
“Okay, bring him over. I’ll tell Emmy.”
Technically, Ryan would only be following her instructions so she couldn’t get too upset, right? Luke just hoped he’d still be alive when Tia got there. What if he ended up having a run-in with Emmy’s husband?
A commotion in the hallway indicated somebody had returned. Luke recognised Mack’s voice straight away, then Nate and Carmen’s.
“The baby’s so cute, isn’t he?” Mack said as she walked into the room. “Don’t you think he looks like Black?”
Luke slid an arm around her waist. “Hang on, is the baby Black’s?”
The man had only been away for eight and a bit months. To have a baby with another woman in that time would have been fast work.
“No, it’s his twin brother’s, but you know—genetics. And the baby has such tiny hands. Strong though. He gripped onto my finger and refused to let go.”
“Sounds fascinating. Are Emmy and Black back?” Luke had bigger worries than the baby.
“Not yet, Emmy insisted Dan get her leg checked out by a doctor here.”
Okay, that bought Luke a little more time. “Not a bad idea.”
“No, and also she’s going to get Dan to see her plastic surgeon to try and avoid scarring.”
“Emmy has a plastic surgeon?”
“Yes, he’s really good. You wouldn’t know she’d been shot twice, would you?”
“No, where?” Luke had explored every inch of her body but couldn’t recall seeing any evidence.
“Leg and shoulder. Both a few years back now.”
“I had no idea.”
Another small reprieve, but it was only putting off the inevitable. He took Mack aside.
“What do you think Black’s going to say when he meets me?”
“He’ll probably introduce himself and expect you to do the same?”
“I mean, what if he finds out about…you know. That I’m with you now, but I used to be with Emmy?”
“He might think it’s a little odd, but if I assure him you’re not messing me around, he’ll be fine with it. He’s always looked out for me and Dan as well as Emmy, so he might have some questions.”
“I meant what if someone lets slip that I slept with his wife?” Luke’s face flushed as he said the words. On the awkwardness scale, this conversation rated as an eleven.
Fortunately, Mack didn’t seem to feel the same. “Oh, that. I doubt you need to worry about him finding out by accident. Emmy’ll probably mention it herself. They tell each other everything.”
“I think we should stay in a hotel tonight.”
“Don’t be silly; it’ll be fine. He’ll understand. Trust me.”
Luke was still stewing over things when he got his first look at Black an hour later. Luke had been asleep when the others arrived back the day before, and he’d still been in bed when everyone left for the hospital. Now Dan limped in on crutches with a packet of painkillers in her hand, followed by Nick, with Emmy and Black bringing up the rear. Emmy gave Luke a shaky smile when she saw him leaning against the kitchen counter, and he returned one of his own.
Black was a big man. About six feet six, Luke guessed. His muscles stood out against his lean frame, and he moved with an easy grace belying his stature. Black hair reached almost to his shoulders, and his full beard gave him a menacing appearance.
But his eyes were the thing that worried Luke the most. So dark that the irises blended into the pupils, they scanned the scene in the kitchen, missing nothing. Black’s gaze tore through everything it touched, like taking a potato peeler to a person’s psyche.
His head swivelled towards Luke almost immediately, and Emmy stood on tiptoe to whisper something in his ear. He nodded, then walked over and stuck out his hand.
“Charles Black.”
“Luke Halston-Cain.” He went all formal, hating the quaver in his voice.
Black’s handshake was dry and firm, but he made no attempt to crush Luke’s hand as men sometimes did when they were trying to prove a point.
“I hear you’re dating Mack. I hope you like shopping.”
“I don’t mind shopping, as long as it’s with Mack.”
“Good answer. Make sure you look after her.” There was an implied threat behind the words.
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
Luke allowed himself to breathe again when Black walked over to the fridge and got out a carton of orange juice. He went to drink from it, and Emmy cleared her throat. He sighed and got a glass instead.
The tension buzzing through Luke dropped a notch as Black lost interest in him. Everyone in the kitchen surrounded the man like wasps to the honey jar. He exuded the same kind of magnetism that Emmy did, the certain something that made a crowd turn when she entered a room and drew people from all walks of life to crawl at her feet.
Black managed to eat lunch, ask his questions, and issue orders all at the same time. Sloane arrived from the office and began making notes, and soon so many people filled the kitchen it was standing room only.
Bradley bustled into the middle of things, laden with bags that he dropped on the floor the second he saw Black.
“You’re back! You’re really back! I’ve called your favourite designers to order you new clothes, but I’m afraid we’ve missed most of the summer collection.”
“Have I got anything left to wear? Or did it all get thrown out?”
“Nothing’s been thrown out. Emmy wouldn’t let anybody touch your stuff. But it’s from last season.” Bradley’s horrified expression showed he didn’t understand how anybody could contemplate suffering that shame.
“I think I’ll manage to find something then, Bradley.”
“But...”
Black crossed the room until he stood over the smaller man. He was the darkness to Bradley’s incessant sunshine, and Luke stepped to the side to get out of Black’s shadow. Childish maybe, but he’d regressed, and the unnatural fear of being sucked into Satan’s lair was very real.
Bradley gulped as he looked up. “Maybe I’ll just have a look through and recycle anything that looks really awful. Although I’m not going to have much time what with creating a nursery for the baby and organising a homecoming party for you.”
“My wardrobe’s fine, and we’re not having a party. I want to keep things low key. And I should warn you, Emmy’s heard what you did at her funeral and she’s not very happy about it.”
“Why? It was an excellent funeral. Everybody said so.”
“Perhaps because she wasn’t actually dead?”
“Now she’s just being picky.”
“Instead of parties and clothes and nurseries, do you think you could get hold of the lawyers and find out how I get my death certificate revoked? And whether the transfers of my assets can be undone?” He paused for a second. “I don’t care that my estate’s gone to Emmy, but if anything got paid in tax, I want it back.”
“Sure thing, boss. I’ll call Oliver. And nothing got transferred to Emmy. She didn’t even file the will for probate.”
“Why not? It’s been nearly nine months.”
“She didn’t exactly need the money, did she? And Miriam was being such a witch about everything, Emmy told Oliver to hold off from filing for as long as he could.”
“What exactly has Miriam been doing?” Black’s voice turned low and dangerous, and his eyes narrowed.
Bradley seemed to shrink a couple of inches even though Black’s anger wasn’t aimed at him. “Miriam told Emmy she was contesting the will, and as your only living relative, she should be getting the lot. Oh, and she came round a few times and shouted at Emmy a bit.”
“And Emmy let her?”
“Emmy hasn’t been herself.”
Luke tried to lighten the mood which had turned, well, black. “She looks happy today though, huh? I’ve never seen her smile so much.”
When Black skewered him with his gaze, Luke wished he hadn’t opened his mouth.
“Emmy’s not happy. She’s just pretending to be happy because she knows everyone expects her to be. No, she’s not right at all. Where is she, anyway?”
Black scanned the room, and Luke realised Emmy wasn’t with them anymore.People around him shrugged. Nobody knew where she’d gone.
“Track her phone,” Black ordered. “Assuming she’s picked up a spare since the last one got trashed at the hospital.”
Nate fiddled with an app on his own handset. “According to this, her yellow phone’s in her house, somewhere around the lounge. The green one’s turned off.”
Black sighed, a heavy sound that settled over the room. The air turned viscous, and the volume of chatter dropped a notch further.
“It’s time to talk some sense into my crazy wife.”
The crowd parted, and he stalked off in the direction of the basement.