Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Daisy
When I wake up, Blake is still next to me with his arm around me. A remote control is in his hand, and he's watching something on the small TV on the wall of the cabin.
It looks like a British comedy show that I'm sure I saw at The Heath more than once.
'I thought you liked the pre-Industrial Revolution stuff,' I say quietly.
His eyes find mine and he gives me a wry smile.
'To be honest, I like it all. I'd like to go back one day. I want to see it, without all the other stuff going on, you know?'
I nod.
'Me too,' I say. 'Considering I spent over a decade there, I didn't get out much. It would definitely be nice to go and actually do some sightseeing.'
'We'll go together,' he says, squeezing my hand. 'Plan it out and do it right. As soon as we can.'
I hug him tightly, wondering when we’d actually be able to do something like that with everything else going on in our lives. Although, with John dead, maybe that lets me off the hook entirely. I can’t be forced to marry anyone, now.’
'Do you think…when we get back…I'll be free?' I ask.
Blake quirks an eyebrow. 'Free?'
'You know what I mean,' I say. 'Do you think I'll be able to leave Sauvage’s hotel and walk around, like outside? Go for a run if I want? Go to class in person?'
'Well…' he frowns and seems at a loss for words.
'I don't want to be a prisoner,' I clarify, 'not, if I don't have to be.'
'No, of course not,' he says. 'We just— Two more people are dead. I mean, don’t get me wrong, those two rich fuckers out of the world is pretty damn awesome in my book, but what if—'
'Shade said it was an accident,’ I interrupt.
Blake gives me a look that I think might be him saying something like, 'Don't be an idiot, Daisy.'
'There's no fucking way that it was an accident,' he says instead. 'It's too big of a coincidence—two of the most powerful men in Richmond die in some random calamity? Together? C’mon.'
I draw away from him a little and prop my head up on the pillow with my elbow, surveying his face thoughtfully.
Did someone really murder the heads of two of the richest families in Richmond?
'I mean, granted, we don't know anything about what happened, but it seems a little suspicious already. Don't you think? Like the officer who got to your mom’s accident first who fell out of his boat and drowned?'
I give a small nod.
'Your mom and dad, too... The way that you were almost hit by a car, the fire, the bomb, Stevens getting mowed down…
It's all connected, Daisy,' he says. 'It has to be. Someone is doing this. The stalker, someone else, I mean, maybe I’m wrong and it’s all separate, maybe it is just a few weird coincidences, but it doesn’t smell right to me. '
'But why?' I ask. 'It doesn't make any sense, even if, theoretically, everything was linked…From my dad’s death up to John’s, that spans over fifteen years. Who does that?'
He shakes his head. 'Someone who has something huge to gain. I'm still following leads.’
Sighing, he glances at me with a frown. ‘But, to be honest, most of them go nowhere. Stevens told us that some firm of lawyers in New York was corresponding with John though.'
'Is that important?' I ask.
‘Well, apparently, he was keeping the letters from your mom. She didn’t know anything about them.’
I sit up in the bed. ‘Did Stevens know what it was about?’
Blake shakes his head. 'But whatever it was, it looks like John didn't want anyone knowing about it.'
I frown. 'That is weird. My mom was involved in everything.
I remember that when we moved into the Novelle house, it wasn't long before she was just always in his office. She'd listen in on his conversations. He let her into everything and they’d discuss business together. She liked that he made decisions with her. John was an asshole, but he was, like, the anti-Bandervilles, at least in that way. He wanted her involved and he valued her insights.’
He shrugs. 'They did have a lot of history. He clearly trusted her, just not with whatever was in those papers.'
'Maybe we should go through his office,’ I say, wincing a little because I sound a little cold, even to myself.
Shade just lost his dad. I should at least try to be supportive. Though I have no idea what that actually means in real terms, I don’t think that telling him we should rifle through John’s belongings before his body is even cold is the answer.
But Blake nods. ‘We should talk to Mav first and he can mention it to Shade. He’s good at…
uh…the kind of delicate conversations that we aren’t.
Plus, if Stevens is back in his butler duties, he's probably cleaned house and gotten rid of all the staff who weren't doing their jobs right while you were,' he looks away, 'you know, in there.’
‘Yeah,’ I murmur, noticing the clock by the bed.
We’ve been flying for over seven hours, so it probably won’t be long now.
‘We should probably get dressed and make a plan with the others,’ I say.
The captain comes on the loudspeaker just as we’re getting up, letting us know that we'll be landing in about forty minutes.
I eye my gray Heath uniform with distaste, and not just because it’s covered in mud from last night. I’m not looking forward to putting it on at all, but Blake produces a small duffle bag from the other side of the bed and hands it over with a wink.
I unzip it and find some of my own clothes in it. I bring a sweater to my nose and sniff, letting out a sigh of contentment.
I look past the wad of cloth to see Blake raising a brow at me.
'It just smells nice,' I say. 'It smells like home, I guess. Familiar.'
'I get it,' Blake says.
My eyes widen as I notice some of the satin underwear that Mav and Blake are always buying me and I smile brightly.
'Thank God!' I exclaim.
I’m so done with the granny panties and the ill-fitting gray bra that I've been forced to wear at The Heath.
‘You’re not the first girl who’s called me God,’ Blake says sagely and I throw a pair of underwear at him with a laugh.
It feels good to laugh. It feels even better to put on clothes that are comfortable and warm, and actually fit. All of my senses practically sing, except for my ears, which are already starting to hurt from the descent.
When Blake and I leave the bedroom to sit with Mav and Shade, I notice Shade sitting alone at the table, staring out the window. I sit next to him and take his hand.
‘Are you okay?’ I ask carefully, feeling guilty for spending the whole flight with Blake.
I’m such a dick.
‘I’m sorry for…’ I gesture to the back of the plane, but Shade just leans in and kisses my lips.
‘I’m fine,’ he says. ‘I promise. Pop and I never had the relationship that he and Andy did. I’m sad, but I think it’s more regret that we didn't have that than actual grief that he’s gone.’
‘I get it,’ I say. ‘I think I felt the same when Mom…’
He pulls me closer to him and wraps an arm around my shoulder with a nod.
Mav, sitting on the other side of the aisle, reaches over and takes my other hand. When the plane dips and the ache in my ears intensifies, the pain must show on my face because he produces some black and white striped mints that I remember Douglas always used to have on him at The Heath.
‘Thanks,’ I say, and pop one into my mouth, sucking intently and trying to ease the pressure.
He does the same though Shade and Blake don’t seem to be suffering at all. Luckily, the descent doesn't take that much longer, and before I know it, the wheels are thudding onto the runway, the brakes screaming.
Within ten minutes, we’re in a black town car and speeding toward Richmond.
It's dark and I’m not sure of the time, but it must be around two or three am.
'What happens when we get back?' I ask.
Shade pulls me close in the car. 'I don't know.’
I snuggle against him. ‘Have you heard any more information about…what happened to your dad?'
He shakes his head. 'No, but I’ll need to go and see the detective in the morning. I’ve already had a couple of missed calls from her.'
‘The same one who took over from Black?’ I ask.
‘Yeah. Detective Anders.’
'What time is it now?' I ask, yawning.
Even with the nap on the flight, I still feel pretty exhausted, probably because I haven’t been sleeping well for two weeks.
He checks his watch. ‘About two.'
‘Have you heard anything from Sauvage?' Mav asks.
'Nothing specific, but he says he's awake, and as soon as we get to the hotel, we should find him in his office.'
'Goodie,' Mav mutters, leaning back and closing his eyes.
I sit between him and Shade. Each of them has a hand on my thigh, and when I straighten my legs out, my foot grazes Blake's leg so I can touch all three of them.
He smiles at me and traps my foot between his ankles, opening his laptop and starting to do his thing, whatever that is.
I lean my head back and close my eyes contentedly.
The next thing I know, we’re in the underground parking lot beneath the hotel, and the car eases to a halt beside the elevator that leads to the penthouse.
We get out and go to the elevator. Blake produces a black card which unlocks it and the doors slide open.
He looks over at us with his fingers hovering over the buttons. ‘Sauvage first?’
‘Daisy, you should go and sleep,’ Shade says.
But I shake my head. ‘No, I want to come with you. No secrets.’
Blake snorts at me and I look down at my feet, my cheeks heating.
‘I mean, I know I keep saying that,’ I glance up at them, ‘but for real this time. I don’t have any more skeletons in my closet. Promise.’
I find myself in Mav’s arms, and I let out a relieved sigh, glad they don’t seem pissed at me for not telling them every sordid detail about The Heath before. Although, I think I might also be a tiny bit disappointed that there won’t be a punishment from Shade for keeping things from them again.
I shiver a little at the thought as Mav presses the button to the right floor. I keep my hand touching him when he pulls back and gives me a smile.