TWENTY-SEVEN #2
‘Besides, I think we should let Grainger and Dom know how you saved me. We should tell them together, at breakfast, when Matty and Smithy are there too. I expect Dom will be particularly impressed.’
I looked at Henderson and could see him weighing it up. I couldn’t overplay it, but appealing to his vanity might just work.
‘Okay,’ he said. ‘Let’s do that. And then, I’ll help you get cleaned up.
Do you remember how you looked after me?
I want to do the same for you. Everything that happened in the past, we can just put that behind us.
We can start again on an even footing. It will make things so much better. You do know that, don’t you, Alex?’
I nodded. ‘Yes, I do.’
I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes as I remembered how vulnerable I’d been at his mercy before. I had not seen it coming. I was not the same person now as I was then. It wasn’t my fault what happened. It wasn’t my fault now. But I was determined this time, the outcome would be different.
‘I’ve missed you, Alex,’ he said as we walked around the loch. ‘Missed having this closeness with you. Watching you from afar has been torturous.’
‘You didn’t have to spy on me,’ I said.
‘I wasn’t spying.’ The words were curt. ‘I was looking out for you. Waiting for the right moment for when you needed me. But it never happened so I had to make it happen. Had to make you realise we were meant to be together.’
He stopped walking and looked at me. His hand still gripping my arm. ‘You know that now, don’t you?’
I nodded. ‘Yes.’ It was what he wanted to hear.
‘Good girl.’ He smiled and continued walking. ‘I used to watch you. To make sure you were safe. Walking to work. Walking home. Going to the job interview. I was with you all those times, you just didn’t know it.’
‘Why did you send me the photos? To frighten me?’ I really wanted to understand what was going on in his head because when this was all over, I needed to know for my own sanity.
‘Not to frighten you. To let you know I was there, even if you weren’t quite ready for me to be there in person. In a way, I already was. You just needed to come around to the idea.’
‘And that’s why you applied for the job with Laker Security––to be near me?’
‘Exactly. And it’s worked, hasn’t it?’ We were nearly at the canteen barn. ‘Now, remember, Alex, don’t say anything to anybody about our arrangement, our reconnection, and no one will get hurt.’
‘What exactly do you want from me?’
‘Nothing. Just you but first there is something I want to do.’
‘Leave Noah alone.’ The words shot out of my mouth.
‘Of course, I will. As long as you just keep quiet for a bit longer and then we can be on our way. Just a couple of days.’ He leaned in and kissed the side of my temple. I shied away. His expression hardened. ‘I won’t take that personally. I know it will take you time to get used to me again.’
A minute later, we were in the canteen barn.
‘What the hell happened to you?’ said Matty, looking up from his breakfast as I limped into the barn. I hadn’t been able to shake Henderson’s hand from my arm.
I looked at Grainger. He looked back at me as I hobbled over. He got to his feet. ‘You wouldn’t be taking the piss out of me there, would you, Doc?’
‘I wouldn’t dream of it,’ I said.
Dom reached me at the same time as Grainger did and somehow managed to manoeuvre Henderson out of the way.
‘Thanks, Fletch. I’ve got her.’ With Grainger on one side and Dom on the other, I relaxed for the first time since being up there alone with Henderson. ‘Smithy, tea. Two sugars. Matty, first aid kit from the kitchen. Now.’ Dom pulled out a bench from one of the empty tables. ‘Sit there.’
‘What happened?’ asked Grainger.
I glanced at Henderson. ‘I was out running this morning. I was at the top of Risk Point. Too busy admiring the view, I somehow slipped down the hillside. Landed on The Shelf.’
‘For fuck’s sake,’ muttered Grainger and then clearly, ‘What the fuck were you doing so close to the edge? I mean it’s a nice view, but it’s not that fucking amazing.’
He had a point.
‘Where do you come into this?’ asked Dom, looking at Henderson.
‘I was up there too. Good job, I was really.’ He came over and put his hand on my shoulder. ‘Could have been a lot worse, couldn’t it, Alex?’
I flinched at the contact, then tried to disguise it by making a fuss of Buddy, who had trotted over and sat in front of me. ‘Yeah, it could have been.’
‘Like I said, good job I was there.’
‘Here. Drink this,’ said Smithy, coming over with the tea.
Matty appeared with the first aid kit. ‘What do you need us to do?’ asked Dom.
‘I can assess her,’ said Henderson.
‘You’re not a fucking doctor,’ snapped Grainger.
‘I am––’
Henderson managed to stop himself. More was the pity. He nearly tripped himself up then. He had desperately wanted to say he was a medic but, of course, he couldn’t because Fletcher wasn’t.
‘I have advanced first aid,’ he said instead.
‘The doc knows best,’ said Grainger. ‘She can assess herself.’
‘Alex?’ It was Dom.
‘I’m okay. No concussion. No loss of consciousness. Sore right knee, five out of ten for pain. Shoulder, seven out of ten. Superficial cuts and bruises. I might need an x-ray on my arm, though.’
‘I can take you,’ said Henderson.