Chapter 19 #2
A large knife fell from inside and skittered across the floor.
I grabbed Austin’s shoulders and slammed him against the wall before he could snatch it.
The back of his head cracked on the rotting timber and his eyes rolled back.
Dust clouds fanned into the stale air and the entire wall trembled from the impact.
“Jesus Christ—” Austin choked out, his hands rising to cover his face. “Get off me.”
“Yeah, I’ll get right on that.” I jerked my knee straight up into his balls.
He let out a wail and dropped to his knees, whimpering between bouts of coughing and dry retching.
I glared down at him, then glanced to Chloe. “What the fuck have you done to my mother?”
Austin wheezed and hacked until his face turned puce. “I can’t—” He choked and waved a hand frantically in the air. “—I can’t . . . breathe. She’s—” He broke into a coughing fit again.
I put a boot to his hip and shoved him onto his back on the floor, leaving him to gasp for air while I checked on Chloe.
She hadn’t moved an inch; her face so fucking pale I wasn’t sure she was even alive.
I tried for a carotid pulse but my fingertips met ice-cold skin.
I moved her head and tried the other side, sliding my fingers up and down until I finally felt .
. . something. Thready and weak, but there. Yes. She had a pulse. Thank Christ.
“Chloe.” I reached for her hands only to find them bound behind her back in padded cuffs. I glanced to where Austin was struggling to get to his knees. I shook Chloe by the shoulder. “Wake up, Mum. Please. Wake up. I’m gonna get us out of here. I need you to—oof.”
Austin barrelled into my side, sending us both tumbling to the floor. Arms and legs tangled as we both scrambled to find our feet before the other beat us to it.
I was fast, but Austin was quicker, feet planted and ready to have another go while I was still finding my balance.
He body slammed me again, sending me reeling backward against the stone fireplace. White heat lanced through my shoulder and chest, my lungs catching fire.
I lost the battle to stay upright and sank legless to the hearth, scrabbling for a handhold. Instead of stone, my hand wrapped around the cold metal of a poker and I clung to it like my life depended on it. Reaching the floor, I braced my feet against the hearth and waited for my chance.
“You spoiled everything.” Austin’s sneer drifted in and out of focus as he stood over me, swaying on his feet. “You just couldn’t leave things alone, could you?”
I shook my head to clear my vision, snapping, “And just let you murder my mother? No fucking way.”
Austin grunted something in reply, but I didn’t hear. I was already moving, pushing up and off the hearth, spinning on my feet, the poker circling with me, gathering momentum until it finally connected with Austin’s ribs in a sickening crunch.
He bellowed and fell to his knees, cursing and wailing, his arms wrapped around his chest.
I staggered to my feet, knees almost buckling as the room went into a slow spin and the floor rolled under my feet. Stumbling, I dragged the chair across to where Austin knelt and put my boot into the side of his knee. “Shut the fuck up and sit!”
He didn’t move so I hooked a hand under his armpit and hauled him upright. “I said sit.”
He screamed and toppled sideways, his arm flailing for the back of the chair. When he found it, I let him go and he eased himself down, fighting for every breath, his face ashen. He pressed his hand to his side and winced. “You broke my fucking ribs.”
“Like I could give a shit.” I tried rolling my injured shoulder and regretted it immediately. I couldn’t tell if it was broken or just plain fucked. But hell, if it didn’t hurt.
I was about to lay into Austin again when he stilled, his lips curving up into a thin twisted smile. “Oh, man. You are so fucking done for.”
I pressed the sharp end of the poker against his sternum and pushed him back in the chair. “Seeing as you’re the one with the broken ribs, I think I’ll take my chances.”
Austin’s smile broadened. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” His attention shifted from my face to something over my right shoulder. “Well, you took your damn time.”
Oh, crap. I spun to find Belinda pointing a gun at my chest. My heart slammed into my throat and I staggered back, the poker dropping to the floor with a clang. I quashed the urge to rush her. The woman looked way too comfortable with a weapon in her hand, so I figured it wasn’t her first time.
Belinda grinned like she’d read my mind. “Smart man.” The predatory look was far removed from the sweet somewhat na?ve woman I’d taken her for. Belinda was no Florence Nightengale, and I’d misjudged her in the worst possible way.
“Afternoon, Nick.” She flicked a glance Austin’s way.
“Timing, babe, timing. When I saw our friend here intended to follow you to the hut, I decided to wait and see what he would do.” She glanced at Chloe, then back to Austin.
“Use her cuffs on him. She’s not going anywhere.
” She kicked the poker toward Austin who put it on the table.
Austin grumbled, “I’m hurt, dammit.”
Belinda’s gaze narrowed. “Do I look like I care? Just do it. Did you check him for a phone? His car is clean.”
Austin began patting me down. “Like I had fucking time in-between getting my ribs busted and my balls slammed.” He removed my car keys and wallet from my jacket. “Just these.” He dropped them on the table and returned to cradling his ribs.
Belinda pocketed the keys. “No phone? How very inconvenient for you, and how convenient for us. No one knows you’re here, do they?”
I ignored the question, confirming her assumption, and I didn’t miss the gloat in her eyes. “I saw Austin leave you at the hospital.”
She tut-tutted. “See, now I thought you were smarter than that. My charge nurse had all but approved my extended leave over the phone. I didn’t need to talk to her.
But I did need to show up and to leave our phones in my locker so that it looked like we were there much longer.
It also kept this place off the radar. GPS tracking, right?
Can’t be too careful. When I was done, I donned a hoodie and left by a side entrance the smokers use that doesn’t have a camera.
All I had to do then was hunker down in the car and stay out of sight. ”
And I’d fallen for it. “When did you clock me tailing you?”
“Not soon enough. Just down the hill from here, as it happens.” She was clearly disappointed in herself.
“If I’d made you earlier, we might’ve avoided this little .
. . wrinkle in our plan. But it is what it is, and it was too late by then to turn back.
We have a narrow time frame, as I’m sure you appreciate. ”
“You were watching me the whole time, weren’t you?” I played for time, waiting for any opportunity to turn things around, but Belinda’s gun remained unwavering.
She nodded. “Austin came ahead while I kept an eye on you. I saw you hide your car and debate with yourself about how stupid you were about to be. Because you are stupid, Nick. There’s no going back from this. You should’ve walked away and left us alone. You barely know the woman, after all.”
I ignored her words and redirected. “That’s why you used the Honda, isn’t it?” I leaned against the wall for support. “No GPS.”
She looked almost delighted. “See. Now there’s the smart forensic accountant finally showing up.
Pity you didn’t listen to him earlier. Yes, the Honda’s too old for all that GPS nonsense.
Unfortunately, your rental is a different story, which means they’re going to trace you here eventually, and we’re going to have to clean the place top to toe.
A pain in the neck timewise, but doable.
Just as well we’ve been careful.” She waggled the gloved fingers of her free hand and then indicated Chloe.
“Wrapped in the tarp from the townhouse to the bed and hasn’t moved since.
But if the police come looking and only your prints are found—” She shrugged.
“—that’ll confuse things and ultimately work in our favour. ”
I eyed her with disgust. “So, you were in on his batshit plan from the beginning.”
Belinda looked affronted. “In on Austin’s plan?
” She chuckled and shook her head. “Oh no, Nick. I’m not in on Austin’s plan.
The whole thing was my idea from start to finish.
And it’s not batshit. It was fucking brilliant, at least until you showed up.
Do you really think Austin could come up with something like this on his own?
Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great guy and a willing co-conspirator, but he’s hardly what you’d call . . . subtle or—”
“Smart?” I offered with zero sarcasm.
“Shut your damn mouth!” Austin stepped forward and swung a wobbly punch.
I leaned back and it glanced off my cheek. Furious, Austin grabbed the poker from the table with his good arm and brought it down on my injured shoulder. A fire lit up my left side and my scream echoed through the hut. I fell to my knees, tears streaming down my face.
Belinda lifted my chin with the end of the gun and smiled down at me. “Aw, did that hurt?” Her smirk dissolved and she eyed Austin. “Did you get another lot of pills down her?”
He shrugged. “She was still under from the last lot. I only got one down her. She’s supposed to drown, not choke, right?”
Belinda’s gaze hardened on Chloe’s motionless form. “Yeah. It should be enough.”
I followed her gaze and dread crawled through my heart.
Chloe’s chest barely moved as she breathed, her ghostly complexion edging into cyanotic blue.
A light dress and underwear was all she wore against the frigid temperature.
If I didn’t find a way to get her warmed up soon, she wouldn’t survive much longer.