Chapter 33
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
EMMA
I woke the next morning feeling a buzz of excitement at what the day would bring.
The flush of romance, that first flicker of the flame that could ignite and become so much more, was so intoxicating it was like a drug to me. My heart palpitated at the thought of seeing him. My mind obsessed and fantasised over every movement, look and touch, every promise of what was to come.
I fought the niggling fear of rejection, that it was all in my head, because how could it be?
This felt right.
He felt right.
Especially when he’d held me in his arms.
It felt like he was everything I was missing and all that I never knew I wanted. For once, I was excited for the future.
I climbed out of bed and turned off the lamp I’d kept on all night. Then, I headed to the bathroom, showered, and got dressed. When I was ready, I padded across the plush cream carpet towards the door, and as I opened it, I noticed something on the floor outside, and I gasped.
There, on the floor in front of me, was a red rose with a note tucked underneath it. I knelt and picked up the rose, then the note, and as I read it, tears welled in my eyes.
Mr Belmont,
I won’t steal your girl. But with your permission, I’d like to look after her and make her happy. I think that’s the least she deserves. You can trust me. I promise. Your girl is safe with me.
He’d listened to my story about the Valentine’s cards, a tiny story in a sea of memories from my life, and he’d done this, for me. He’d taken the time to think about what my dad would want, how he’d question the man I was spending time with and want to know his intentions.
If my dad were here, I knew he’d welcome Alex with open arms, because this was beyond anything anyone had ever done for me before. It was selfless, thoughtful, the loveliest thing to do.
I stepped back inside my room and placed the rose and the note on the bed. Then I turned and left the room, closing the door carefully behind me. I’d find somewhere special to keep them later.
Feeling like I was walking on air, I wandered down the corridor towards the stairs. I felt myself glide down the staircase, and once I reached the bottom, I headed for the dining room, where I could already hear the gentle clatter of cutlery as Alex ate his breakfast.
“Good morning,” I said as I walked into the room, and Alex looked up at me, beaming.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked, gesturing to the chair next to him.
“Yes, thank you. And thank you for the rose and note. It was really touching.”
“I hope you didn’t think it was corny.” He grimaced a little, picking up his coffee cup and taking a sip.
“Not at all. It was lovely.”
“Well, I wanted to put a smile on your face, but I’m afraid it might not last when I show you todays newspaper.”
My stomach twisted at the realisation that my bubble of contentment was about to burst. It hadn’t lasted very long.
He put his coffee cup down and reached for a newspaper that was on the table beside him. Then he handed it to me, but I could already see the headline on the front page, and instantly, I felt sick.
Echo’s Editor-in-Chief Murdered in Cold Blood
“Is this his work?” I asked, holding the newspaper as I looked across at Alex. “Did he do this?”
Alex shrugged and shook his head.
“I’ve no idea, but to be honest, after reading it, I don’t think it’s his M.O. And he’s not here anymore to commit an act like that. Emma, Gold had a hell of a lot of enemies. It could be anyone. It could be a random killing.”
It wasn’t a random killing.
My gut told me as much.
Fighting nausea, I started to read the article, and when I did, the details made my stomach turn.
Renowned Editor-in-Chief of the Merivale Echo, Stephen Gold, aged sixty-four, was found murdered late last night. His body was discovered in the Livery Street canal by a passing dog walker. Early indications suggest he was strangled. His body was dumped in the canal, and both his ankles and wrists were tied with rope. He also had a plastic bag tied over his head, and his tongue had been cut out.
Police are appealing for any witnesses to come forward who may have been in the vicinity of Livery Street that evening.
Stephen Gold was a highly respected...
I couldn’t read on.
I’d seen enough.
“It was him. I’d bet any money on it.” I took a deep breath. “And he’ll come for me next.”
Alex stood up, came straight over to me and crouched down beside my chair. I tried to hide the fact that my hands were shaking as I stared back at him.
“He’s not coming for you. I told you. That’s over now.” He took my hand in his and gave it a squeeze. “Please, Emma. Trust me. You’re safe with me. I would never let anyone hurt you.”
I nodded, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread.
“I’m not sure any of us are safe anymore,” I said quietly.
“You are.” His eyes burned into me as if he was willing me to believe him, and I did, to an extent. But no one could be one hundred percent safe.
Things happened.
We weren’t always in control.
“As long as there’s breath in my body, you will always be safe,” he went on, adding, “I hate to say this, after what you’ve just read...” He hung his head and sighed. Then, after a beat, he looked back up at me and said, “I have to go into one of my offices today. You can come with me if you want, if you’d prefer not to be here alone with the house staff.”
“I don’t need to come with you,” I assured him. “I’ll be okay.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’ll be fine. Honestly. You can’t cancel work over something like this. Life has to go on.”
“Okay, well, when I’m gone, how about doing something positive, proactive even. Something to take your mind off things. To try and forget what’s happened to Gold and focus on your future. I can leave my office open for you if you like. You can use my computer to research careers, or better yet, do some writing. I know you’ve always wanted to be a writer. Why not start today?”
I didn’t think I could calm my brain long enough to write anything of substance, not with everything that was swirling around in there. My mind was a dark place at times these days.
But I nodded, and said, “I think I might do that. Thank you.”
He stood up, then leaned down and gave me a kiss on my forehead. A kiss that settled my nerves a little.
“When I get home, we’ll see if we can organise a second date.” He gave me a wink, then told me he wouldn’t be long, that he’d try to wrap up his business as soon as he could, and that he’d see me later.
I watched him walk away and then turned to peer down at the newspaper in front of me as Stephen Gold’s face smiled back at me from the front page.
“You thought you were untouchable, that it was all a joke,” I whispered to myself. “And now look what’s happened. Nobodies laughing now. Especially not you.”