Chapter 33
DARCY
The fresh air wasn’t helping. If anything it was making her chest tighter.
Darcy paced back and forth in the open stretch of ground between the main building and the hangar. She barely noticed the frozen landscape around her, the mountains looming in the distance like silent sentinels. The thick snow crunched beneath her boots, and her angry breaths came out as little clouds that floated up, escaping towards the blue sky. But Darcy wasn’t so lucky. She was trapped here. Trapped with her thoughts, her heart tangled into knots she couldn’t untie.
She wished she could follow her breath into the mountains, far away from this place and what was happening in front of her eyes. She wished she could be back up there with Devlin, in that strange, isolated world they had shared for a few brief moments. She could feel it now. Cuddling in front of a log fire, or on the sofa, his arm around her. The memory of his touch, his lips against hers, his hands on her skin sent a wave of heat through her, even now. Even when she knew it was all gone.
Because the truth was, Darcy would never be that close to Devlin again. She would never snuggle up with him on a sofa, or play cards, pretending the rest of the world didn’t exist. She would never again get the chance to feel his lips on hers, to drown in the heat of his embrace. The grief of it, the finality of it, was a weight she couldn’t bear. It was so intense, so all-consuming, that it made her physically ill. Her stomach churned with the pain of losing him, and her heart felt like it was breaking into pieces.
Maybe Abigail had been right — maybe she shouldn’t be back at work yet. It was impossible to keep her mind on anything other than Devlin. She sighed heavily with the weight of the decision. Maybe it was time to go home and admit she wasn’t ready to be back yet. Darcy made her way around the side of the building, deciding she would tell Abigail she needed the rest of the day off.
As she was rounding the building, she saw another member of staff walking swiftly along the path that led to the exclusive villas. The young woman was holding an armful of bags, and she was obviously struggling. Darcy ran over, trying not to slip on the icy ground.
“Hey, do you need a hand?” she called out, her breath puffing.
The woman turned, her face a mixture of relief and exhaustion. She nodded gratefully, shifting the bags in her arms.
“That would be amazing, thank you,” she said, lifting a heavy-looking bag from the pile.
As Darcy caught up to her she handed over the travel bag and a suit in a carry case. The smell that came from them was divine, and Darcy felt her heart do a loop-the-loop as she breathed it in.
She knew that scent. It was him. For a moment she almost convinced herself he was nearby. It was a ridiculous thought, but it sent a surge of emotion through her all the same.
“These are Devlin Storm’s,” said Darcy, trying not to be too obvious when she leaned her head forward and breathed in the scent.
The young woman looked at her surprised.
“How do you know?” the girl asked, eyebrows raised.
“Oh, uh, I recognised the suit bag,” she lied. “Where are you taking them?”
The girl glanced around nervously, as if she wasn’t supposed to be talking to anyone.
“I’m not supposed to tell anyone about it,” she whispered, looking around nervously.
Darcy’s heart sank a little. These bags were heading to Devlin and she wanted to go too.
“It’s okay,” said Darcy. “I work here. I’m just off to see Abigail now.”
“I know,” said the girl. “I recognise you. How was it, being up there with him ? Is he as awful as everyone says?”
“He was . . .” Darcy hesitated. She wasn’t sure how much to say, but she wanted to defend him and tell the truth about the man on the mountain. But it wasn’t her story to tell. “He was fine. Are you taking these to the clinic?”
“Yeah,” the girl said quietly as they reached the front of the building. Parked at the entrance was a sleek Royal Alpine Resort sedan, its engine idling. The girl glanced at the car. “He requested his things. I think he’s got some kind of press conference happening soon. Abigail asked me to take these up to him myself, to make sure they arrived safely. There’s a driver waiting.”
Darcy stopped walking, her mind racing. This was her chance. She could go to him, explain everything, talk to him away from the media circus that was surely already surrounding him. She couldn’t let this opportunity slip away. Her heart pounded in her chest as she turned to the girl, a plan forming in her mind.
“Listen,” Darcy stopped, taking the woman’s arm until she stopped walking. “What’s your name?”
“Sophia,” said the girl. Darcy leaned into her.
“Listen, Sophia, can I ask you a huge favour?”
The girl shook her head, her eyes wide and uncertain.
“What kind of favour?”
“Let me take Devlin’s things,” said Darcy. “Let me go instead of you.”
“No way,” she argued. “I’d get in so much trouble.”
“One hundred thousand,” Darcy said, the words out of her mouth before she even had time to think about them. “I’ll give you one hundred thousand pounds if you let me go instead.”
Sophia’s mouth fell open.
“Seriously?”
“Yes,” Darcy said. “I promise. We can shake on it.”
Sophia looked around, clearly torn. She hesitated, biting her lip as she considered Darcy’s offer. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she nodded.
“All right,” she said. “But you’d better not get me in trouble for this.”
Darcy breathed a sigh of relief. “I won’t. I promise. Thank you. Thank you. Here, I’ll help you to the car.”
They walked to the road together, the driver clambering out and opening the boot for them. Carefully, they laid Devlin’s clothes inside and the driver closed the boot, opening the back door. Sophia held out her hand and Darcy shook it.
“Thank you,” said Darcy, climbing inside. “I won’t forget this.”
“You’d better not,” replied Sophia. “And good luck. If he’s worth this much money, then he must mean the world to you.”
“He does,” said Darcy as the car pulled away. “He means everything.”