Chapter 35
They pulledup outside the cottage in the warm afternoon sunlight. Josh let out a slow breath as his body finally released the tension he’d held all day. They were home.
Home.
Somehow, this hidden cottage had become his home. It was the place he wanted to come back to at the end of the day. To the peaceful garden, the lush vegetable patch, the steamy art, and the curious, bright-eyed friendship from Nissy. But mostly, it was Ellie he wanted to come back to.
They climbed out of the car, stretching tiredly. The last few days—especially the effort he’d poured into making himself solid enough for his family to see—had utterly drained him, and Ellie looked just as wiped. She had her video call to make, and then they were done. Then they could finally rest for a few moments. Thank fuck.
And yet… a frisson of something traveled up his spine. A strange spike of awareness.
Victoria’s car was still parked on the drive. The cottage still looked like something out of a fairy tale, with its aged stone walls covered in flowering clematis, all surrounded by forest. But with every step they took toward the door, his hackles rose.
Perhaps it was exhaustion. Perhaps it was all the hours of stress. But something wasn’t right.
Ellie must have felt it too. Her shoulders tightened, and her steps slowed. She pulled her phone out and double checked her new alarms. “Nothing has been triggered,” she said quietly.
But then why did it still feel so wrong? Josh ran his eye over the cottage again, looking for anything out of place. “Where’s Nissy?” he asked. Usually, she’d be sitting on the windowsill enjoying the sunbeam. But she wasn’t there.
“I don’t know.” Ellie looked around them before shaking her head. “Maybe’s she’s out the back.”
Maybe. Hopefully. But she didn’t sound convinced. And neither was he.
They let themselves inside. Ellie dropped her keys in the bowl in the hallway before lifting her eyes to meet his in the mirror. It was so much like the first moment he’d seen her, and yet so different. Because now he would give anything—everything—to stay with her.
He stepped forward, wrapped his arms around her waist, and dropped his chin to her shoulder so they could watch each other in their reflection.
Ellie closed her eyes, leaning back into him, and he used the time to watch her face, to memorize it. They held each other, resting together. And he very nearly started to relax. Until a rough sound—a strange, hushed scraping noise—cut into the silence, and her eyes flew back open.
“Vic?” Ellie called. “Is that you?”
Nobody answered.
“Nissy?” Ellie squeezed his arm and then pulled away to stride toward the kitchen. “Victoria?”
Her hand was on the door, just pushing it open, when Josh heard the whimper. And then he knew.
Alarms didn’t work if they weren’t set. No security system in the world could keep out an intruder who’d been invited in.
He flew forward, desperately reaching for her. “Ellie! Stop!”
But it was too late. The door was already open, and Ellie was already frozen in the doorway, her face draining of color as she stared, horrified, inside.
Josh grabbed her shoulder, ready to pull her back from whatever was in that room, but she dug her heels in and refused to move. And he could immediately see why.
Victoria was sitting at Ellie’s beautiful polished wood table. Her hands were tied in front of her with rope, her mouth was stuffed full of navy fabric—a tie perhaps—and a scowling man sat beside her playing with a wicked-looking carving knife.
A quick glance at the wall showed a gap on Ellie’s magnetic knife holder where it used to be.
The man looked athletic, with perfectly styled dark hair, a short, well-groomed beard, and the coldest eyes Josh had ever seen.
“Warren,” Ellie hissed. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Come in, Ellie-belly.” Warren gestured her inside with the blade. “We were just talking about you, weren’t we, darling?”
Victoria shook her head frantically, and Ellie’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t call me that.”
But Warren only sneered. “Come in,” he demanded. “Right now.”
Ellie glanced back toward the door, and Warren immediately shifted the knife to Victoria’s throat. “Don’t even think about it. In fact, Ellie-belly”—he stressed the words—“let’s see those hands while you take a nice big step forward.”
Ellie slowly raised her hands and stepped closer. Her fingers were trembling, but she held her chin high. God, he was so proud of her. So proud, and so fucking terrified.
“And another. And just to be clear, if I hear an alarm, or an unusual noise, or even sense that you’ve triggered the fancy new security system I noticed at the front door, I will slit her lovely throat.” Warren shifted his grip on the knife’s handle, and Victoria swallowed heavily, her eyes brimming with tears.
What the hell was he going to do? Josh stalked through the door just behind Ellie, sticking as close to her as possible as she walked into the kitchen and up to the table.
The only thing on their side—the only glimmer of hope to hold on to—was at least Warren couldn’t see him.
For the first time since he’d woken up and realized that everything was wrong, he was grateful that he wasn’t truly a part of the world. That he wasn’t real. He was grateful that only Ellie could see him, and that Warren had no idea he was there.
Ellie’s phone taunted him from her back pocket, but there was no point in calling anyone—they wouldn’t be able to hear him anyway. And he didn’t dare to trigger a panic button and endanger Vic. Watching Warren murder her friend would kill Ellie—and she would risk everything if she thought it might happen.
He had to make sure that it didn’t happen. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to protect Ellie, and that meant protecting the family she had created.
Josh inched around Ellie, stepping carefully so that he didn’t jostle her on the way past. He couldn’t leap over the table and risk Warren shoving the blade into Victoria’s throat—not yet—but he could stand beside Ellie. He could let her know he was with her. And he could wait for the perfect moment.
“What are you doing here, Warren?” Ellie asked again.
“Well, let’s see.” Warren shifted his chair even closer to Victoria. “It seems that the police have been looking for me. I’ve had several calls. Even an officer waiting for me outside my house. I’m supposed to go down to the station to help with inquiries.” He spat the words, injecting them with scorn. “And as soon as I saw them, I knew exactly where my missing lover had disappeared to.” He pressed a kiss to Vic’s ashen cheek, but his eyes were open and on Ellie the whole time.
“It’s not your house,” Ellie said quietly.
Warren’s eyebrows shot up. “What did you say?”
“It’s not your house,” Ellie said louder. “It’s Victoria’s.”
Warren barked out a laugh, loud and abrasive in the tense silence. “Oh, Ellie, Victoria’s mine. What’s hers is mine. Surely you know that by now?”
A slow tear tracked down Victoria’s face, but when Warren glared at her, shifting his grip to dig the blade deeper into her skin, she carefully gave a tiny nod.
“So… what?” Ellie prompted. “You realized Vic was here and decided to visit?”
She sounded so confident. So cool and collected. But Josh could feel the way her body trembled at his side. Could see the short, strained breaths she was taking. She was holding it together, but only just.
And then he saw Nissy. She was lying in the corner of the room, blood on her fur. And he almost vomited. His heart thundered in his ears and his palms grew clammy. He couldn’t let Ellie see her, he couldn’t?—
Nissy lifted her head and looked at him. Fuck. What a time to realize that Nissy had always seen him. She blinked, and then lowered her head tiredly. She was alive. She would be okay. And it was time for Warren to pay.
“I caught a cab,” Warren said as Josh dragged his attention back to him. “You owe me two-hundred and twenty pounds for that, by the way.”
“I don’t owe you anything,” Ellie replied, stalking forward. “You’re insane.”
A mottled flush spread over Warren’s face, but he stayed seated. Kept his blade pressed to Vic’s throat. “You’d think you’d be more polite to the man with all the power here,” Warren said as tilted his head toward the empty chair across the table. “Sit down, Ellie. I’m tired of looking up at you.”
Ellie sank into the seat, her voice shaking as she argued, “What’s the point of this? Surely you can see that this ends badly for you. If you hurt either of us, you’ll go to prison for the rest of your life.”
Josh disagreed. Warren didn’t think it was going to end badly for him. He was a narcissist, convinced he would always get his way. It was clear from the look on his face. But Ellie always tried to fix things. She would try to fix this, too. Unless he fixed it first.
Josh squeezed her shoulder, and she tilted her chin, caught his eye, and held it for a second, recognizing him. Seeing him. Even in the middle of this terrible nightmare. God. He loved her. “I’m here,” he murmured, knowing only she could hear him. “I’m with you, Ellie.”
Warren sneered. “I’m not going to jail. I promise you that.”
Ellie leaned forward, her hands spread over the table as she glared at Warren. “I’m not giving you my game or my company, and I don’t have anything else of value. Even if I did give them to you—even if I promised you the whole world and everything in it—as soon as we stepped out of here, it would all be over anyway. No court in the world would uphold a contract signed under duress.”
“That may be….” Warren shrugged. “But that’s not at all what happened.”
Here it was. Josh let go of Ellie’s shoulder and slowly started to step around the table.
The silence stretched until Ellie eventually capitulated. “What did happen, then?”
Warren grinned. “Everyone knows how jealous you’ve been, Ellie. How you would do anything to have Vic’s life. We tried to keep away, tried to stay out of your path, but you couldn’t let go. Everyone knows you’re a geeky loner, stuck down in your basement playing violent games. Everyone knows about your mental health problems.”
Ellie flinched, and Victoria hung her head, sobbing quietly. And Josh stepped forward. He was going to kill this fucker, and he was going to feel a lot better. And since no one could see him, he genuinely wouldn’t be going to jail.
Ellie must have seen the violence in his face, because she grabbed his hand and whispered, “Please don’t. I don’t want Victoria to get hurt.”
Warren must have assumed he was finally breaking her; his eyes shone even brighter. “It all came to a head when you accused me of a crime—with no evidence, no reason other than to harm me.” Warren gestured with his free hand, the movement jarring his hand holding the knife and digging the blade deeper into her friend’s delicate skin. “Victoria confronted you. And you were so enraged that you attacked her with a kitchen knife. You fought, but she managed to defend herself. Unfortunately for you, the knife turned. You’ll die of your injuries before the ambulance can get here.”
“No one will believe you,” Ellie whispered. “I already gave a statement to the police. Victoria will tell the truth.”
“Victoria will explain that as soon as she found out you’d called the police, she came here to try to talk reason into you. She’ll weep over the loss of her friend. And then she’ll get the game, the company, her grandmother’s house, the man, and the wedding of the year,” Warren said smugly, nostrils flaring. “She’ll do as she’s told.”
“I trust her.” Ellie looked across at Victoria and gave her a reassuring smile that nearly broke Josh’s heart. “Vic is one of the best people I know. She’ll do the right thing.” Ellie’s hand was shaking in his, but she didn’t back down. “And she won’t be alone. Liam knows the truth.”
Warren laughed. “No one will believe the drop-out who broke into your house. In fact, I think you’ll find he was even cycling behind you on the day of your ‘accident.’ Victoria mentioned some photographs of his eyes from when he tried to break into your system and steal your IP… I’m sure your constable would love to take a look at those.”
Josh had heard enough. He let go of Ellie’s hand and stalked forward, rounding the table just as Ellie stood, her fists clenching into tight balls of fury. “No. You don’t threaten Liam. You don’t threaten Vic. You don’t threaten my family! You pointless, useless, incompetent arsehole!”
The mottled flush on Warren’s face turned crimson as he roared. “Don’t ever speak to me like that!”
And maybe she’d been waiting for that moment. Or maybe Victoria had borne too much and finally snapped, but she launched up, crashing into Warren with a muffled scream.
Everything happened in slow motion.
Victoria hit Warren in the chest, but he didn’t lose his grip on the knife. He surged to his feet, dragging Vic up with him by her hair. And, in the uncontrolled fury of the moment, the knife slid along her throat, slicing a vicious gash. Victoria fell, bleeding, choking, and screaming into the gag in her mouth, but still kicking out at Warren.
Ellie let out a wail of fury and terror and leaped. But Warren had already pulled his hand back, already wound up, and then his arm was swinging forward, wrist snapping as he released the knife and threw it straight at Ellie.
Josh didn’t hesitate. There was nothing in his mind except his need to protect her. He would sacrifice everything to keep her safe.
He flung himself into the path of the blade, willing himself solid—pouring every ounce, every iota of energy, all the warmth Ellie had given him, all the trust, all the hope, all the love—into taking the knife.
It embedded in his chest as he flew over the table, slid across the smooth surface, and crashed brokenly on the other side.
Ellie screamed; a horrified wail of utter despair. And the sound pierced him all the way to his heart.
Somewhere in the distance, Warren howled and Victoria sobbed brokenly. Nissy met his gaze and then dropped her small head.
The world faded and flickered. Black mist swirled around his vision. There was only pain. Agony.
Josh closed his eyes. Opened them in a white hospital room. The ceiling spun as nausea churned, and he retched around the tube in his throat. An alarm rang discordantly. Fuck. Fuck.
He closed his eyes.
Opened them in Ellie’s kitchen. He was crumpled on the floor and she… she was a goddess of vengeance. She picked up a chair and smashed it over Warren’s head where he stood staring at Josh in abject horror. Warren lifted an arm to defend himself too late, and the wooden legs caught him with vicious strength. She was magnificent.
Warren crashed to the floor beside Victoria, tried to crawl, and then slumped unconscious. Vic spat out the gag and pressed her bound hands to her throat, dark blood running slowly down them.
Not arterial. The thought filtered in through the haze.
Thank God. Because Ellie was going to be alone. She would need her friend. They would need each other.
Josh blinked. A white light blazed. Someone called for a crash cart. “I’m losing him!”
He blinked again. Ellie spun back to him. She threw herself down beside him, pulling out her phone to click the panic button. “Hold on, hold on.” She found his hand and gripped it tight, even as she dialed 999 with her other hand.
She shouted something, begged for help, gave her address. He wasn’t really listening. The blaring sirens had followed him. His soul was untethered. Drifting. Only she held him.
There was only Ellie, and the growing darkness.
“I love you,” he whispered. “I’m glad, so glad we had this time. I wouldn’t take it back.” He lifted his hand to her precious face, streaked with tears and wracked with desperation. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stay. I wanted to. I would have, if I could.”
“Don’t leave me,” she sobbed. “Please. Please, Josh.”
He shuddered, body spasming. The words unraveled through him. They couldn’t hold him this time. He’d had his moment. His precious, shining, magical moment.
Ellie must have felt it too, because her tears poured harder. Her hands cradling his face were almost as cold as he was. “I love you. Do you hear me?” She kissed him frantically. “I don’t want to be without you. I can’t do it.”
“You’re the strongest person I ever met.” He coughed, the taste of iron filling his mouth. “You can do anything. Tell them I said goodbye.”
There was Ellie.
And then there was only darkness.