Chapter Fifteen
Her voice changed in a split second, the hardness disappearing, the fight knocked right out of her.
“Fury,” she whispered, pointing to the laptop in front of her and the email that had popped up in the bottom corner of the screen.
‘You’re still here. Tik tok, tik tok.’
They were the only words, big and bold, staring straight back at us. I nudged the office chair, the wheels squeaking suddenly on the old vinyl tiles of the office floor, Heidi flinching beside me.
“Cameras,” I instructed, her grip on the mouse not releasing when I covered her hand with mine.
The matrix of images came alive. Six views, all pointing at different areas in and out of the building. I scanned them all, looking for any movement, any sign that anyone was in the building with us. But nothing moved, only us. Two images crouched over the table, staring intently.
“Ok. There’s no one here.” I kept my voice low, listening as she exhaled slowly beside me, and under my hand, hers shook.
“The person earlier. Do you think they were looking for me?”
“Probably. Possibly,” I added when I felt the tension return to her arm. “Might have been a coincidence.”
Now her whole body trembled, the sudden vulnerability of her frame, of her persona taking me by surprise. I hadn’t expected her to crumble so fast and as she glanced up at me, those blue eyes glistened more than I had ever seen, like beautiful gems caught in the sun. I sunk to my haunches, my face now just in line with hers.
“What do I do, Fury?”
“First, I take you home.” She opened her mouth. The resistance was strong with this one, but I pushed my finger to her lips, the flesh hot and so soft, distracting me for a second. “Then you can either call the police and report it to them, or you can decide to let me deal with it.”
Her lips moved against me, pulling together, pursing as she didn’t like my words, and then she pulled her head back a fraction of a centimetre, just enough that I felt the rush of cool air against my finger, lingering where her hot breath had just been.
“I think I need to call the police.”
“Ok, doll. Do what you need to do. But let’s get out of here.”
She didn’t fight me when I reached down for her leg, slipping the stiletto heel back into place, my fingers brushing over the delicate skin of her feet and the perfect bump of her ankle. How I wanted to let my hand slip under those trousers again, and never stop, but right now was not the time, however much I wanted it. However much my cock throbbed against my jeans, rubbing against the coarse material. I’d never craved someone or something so much in my life. This woman was like a drug, one I knew would push me over all limits of my control, into the oblivion of ecstasy.
Heidi didn’t shrug my arm from the small of her back as I guided her through the building to the front doors and into the dark of night beyond them. Outside, the air was icy, millions of stars in a cloudless sky, frost for sure by morning. She shivered against me, pulling the white wool overcoat around her tightly, her other arm clutching her laptop bag and handbag in one.
The big purple truck seemed almost obscene in the vacant car park, a lonely streetlight catching the metallic paintwork and the signage along the side. Heidi cocked her head, the blonde locks swaying, reading the words on the side and then looking back at me, a question in her eyes but not crossing her lips.
“My work truck. I do recovery work as well for Indie’s garage,” I clarified. “Don’t worry, it’s clean as a whistle inside.”
I opened the passenger door for her, holding out my hand but expecting her to climb in without my help just to spite me. But tonight, she didn’t, and I could see the emotional drain on her face, her hard act spent, and I wasn’t sure if I liked it this way.
We drove through the city, the only sound the rock song playing in the background from my radio, dissolving some of the tension in the truck’s cab. Eventually, the hotel loomed up over the skyline, standing higher than most of the other high-rises on the west side of Newcastle city centre. The entrance was all glass, soft gold lighting spilling off into the street, catching on the ornate uniforms of the doormen that stood either side of the entrance.
“Nice,” I whistled. “Must cost a bomb,” I commented, my eyes taking an age to reach the top of the building as I scanned them up the side, over the windows towards the very top where a series of balconies protruded into the sky.
“Doesn’t beat home, though.”
“And that is?”
“London.”
“London, baby. ‘Course it is. Right in the centre? You got a house there?” The words almost caught in my throat, a sudden reality almost making me choke.
“An apartment, yes.”
“Must cost a fortune.”
“Does.”
Heidi stopped just outside of the hotel.
“Thanks for tonight, Fury.” And this time her words were soft and sincere, a tiny hint of warmness.
She lingered in front of me, just a fraction too long. Too much of a test. And I’d never been good at school. Reaching forward, I swept an arm behind her back, tugging her to me. She exhaled, her lips moving apart slightly. And I loved those lips. Their fullness, their softness, the very taste of them from whatever lipstick or lip gloss that always seemed to make them shiny. I swept my lips over the top of them, tentatively this time, not urgent like the last. She didn’t stiffen in my arms like I’d expected. I kissed her gently, my lips gliding across hers, the tip of my tongue teasing at the gap in hers, and then I stepped away.
“Goodnight, Heidi. Stay safe for me, doll.”
I didn’t look back. I didn’t want to know whether she just walked away or whether she watched me leave.
“Good evening, Ms Fischer,” I heard the doormen greet her.
When I climbed into the truck she was gone, swallowed by all the glass and the pomp of the hotel.
*****
I heard the voices inside the Dog on the Tyne just as I pushed through the second set of doors. There’d been another car parked in the car park when I arrived in my truck just after breakfast. A car I didn’t recognise, but that wasn’t unusual. Visitors of the Kings, paying respects to Indie or checking whether favours were still owed, or still in place now he was president.
But this wasn’t the business call I had been expecting. The officers stood with their back towards the door, a risky move given most of them knew who we were. The conversation was forced calmness, hushed voices and the strain of words chosen carefully. Indie frowned, glancing upwards as the doors creaked shut behind me, the heads of the uniformed police officers turning in my direction.
“So, what do we owe the pleasure?” I asked loudly, carefully advancing so not to spook the young coppers. No one needed this visit to go down the pan that quickly.
“This doesn’t concern you, Fury,” the younger man commented, turning back to Indie dismissively.
I bit the inside of my cheek, stilling the anger rising inside me. Memories of treachery and misaligned loyalties.
“He’s not wrong. But his business is finished here.” The command in Indie’s voice was clear.
“We really need to speak to Emmie,” he pushed, and I watched Indie shift his weight from one foot to the other.
“She’s not here. I’ll break the news to her.”
“We might have some questions for her.”
“You might or you do?” Indie challenged the younger officer back.
“Might.”
“Then when you do, you can come back. Otherwise, I’ll tell her the news. You won’t be bothering her today.”
“Mr Carter,” the young officer didn’t let up. Fucking stubborn bastard, just like the father I knew he’d never met. “It really won’t take long.”
“You’re right. Won’t take long at all. Because this conversation is over. Fury. Show your kid out, will ya?”
The young officer turned to face me. The same dark eyes, the same dimples, but his hair was cropped short, thick tufts on the top of his head showing how unruly the family curse of the untidy mop was if you didn’t grow it long enough to tame with a bobble. It was like looking in a mirror at my younger, more clean-shaven self.
“Time to go, little brother,” I stepped aside, sweeping my arm in front of me and beckoning towards the door.
“Thank you for your time, Mr. Carter.”
“Fuck off with the formalities, Jake. You know who I am.”
Jacob nodded, not addressing him by his first name, and turned away, the pair of police officers moving swiftly across the floor of the bar. And for a second he stopped, like he thought to say something, and then didn’t, staring at me silently before striding out to catch up with his partner.
“Didn’t know your brother was back, Fury.”
“Neither did I until the other day. Saw him at the funeral home a few days back.”
“And you didn’t think to mention it?”
“Didn’t think it was all that relevant. He’s obviously just transferred back.”
“We could do without him breathing down our necks too, particularly with everything he knows about the club and our operations. You reckon he’ll give us grief?”
“I doubt it. He’s too scared of Mamma Dot to start meddling again.”
“Let’s hope so, Fury. Family or not, he’s not a brother. I won’t have him getting in the way.”
Indie almost winced at the words, the threat lingering between us as we watched each other.
“He won’t, don’t worry. Besides, might have a job for him to keep him busy for a while.”
Indie raised his eyebrows.
“Nothing you or the club need to worry about. What did he want, anyway?”
“Came to inform Emmie they’d found the body of her ex.” Indie shrugged. “Said I’d deal with telling her.”
I nodded, acknowledging everything he wasn’t telling me.
“So, it’s done then?”
“Yeah. It’s done.”
“What about the Viking? He still here in the north east?”
Indie nodded. “I need to get the club to grant him permission to attend the funeral. Job for tonight, I guess.”
“And you think they will?”
“I think they will if I tell them to. But I don’t want to pull rank, and I don’t want any trouble at my father’s funeral.”
It was an understandable wish. But with a shitload of bike clubs about to embark on Northern Kings’ soil, I had more chance of standing in rocking horse shit.