Encore (The Black Eagles Series Book 2) (17 page)

Detective Inspector Fox sat in his car outside the familiar block of expensive apartments. He had hoped he would never have to visit this couple again. He was equally concerned that Melissa was on her own and security would have to be stepped up. She was now in serious danger. He got out of his car, and made his way to their intercom, and pressed their number. He heard the soft voice and wished he didn’t have to do this. Melissa sounded shocked to hear it was him and let him in.

              ‘Inspector Fox, what are you doing here?’

              ‘Melissa, I’m sorry to have to inform you…’

              Melissa heard the words but they didn’t seem real, and her legs gave way. Fox caught her and moved her to the sofa. ‘No, no, no!’ she cried, her phone already in her hands. Luke was so far away and the panic confused her. It was the early hours of the morning and Luke didn’t answer as she redialled over and over. She tried Ray, and he answered, sounding sleepy but alert.

              ‘Liss, what’s wrong?’ He knew if she was calling him at 5am, there was a problem. Melissa broke down and almost screamed down the phone.

*****

‘I don’t fucking care about the cost. Get our girls on a plane now!’ Luke screamed down the phone to Nancy. He was fully awake and raging. ‘How the fuck did she get away?’ Melissa was the main target but Amber would stop at nothing to get to her. After his panic had taken hold he’d thought about Ebony and couldn’t risk it. The world knew how much he adored that little girl. He had posted many a picture holding her, referring to her as his niece and how much he loved her. Beth was a new mum, on her own. And then there was Megan. There was panic as Luke paced the room. Dale looked frantic and Toby was already on the phone to Megan telling her to pack a bag.

              Nancy promised Luke she would sort it and quickly, before hanging up.

              Luke looked at Dale and patted his shoulder. ‘Don’t worry, mate. They’ll be with us soon.’

              ‘She wouldn’t go for a baby, surely?’ Dale asked.

              ‘I wouldn’t put anything past that nutter. I’m taking no chances. If anything happens to any of our girls, especially my little Eb…’ Luke didn’t finish the sentence.

              There were faint smiles as they heard Ray down the corridor shouting orders to the crew. ‘I’d be surprised if that thing actually makes it to the other side of the world, but knowing our luck the evil witch will find a broom and cast a spell and fucking fly her way here. Eyes and ears open, take no fucking chances. If you don’t know them, you tell them to fuck right off. I don’t care if it’s fucking Simon Cowell – his name ain’t fucking authorised, so he can fuck off too.’ Ray ended his rant by promising to sack anyone not doing their job right.

              ‘Ray’s all over it,’ Luke commented.

*****

Melissa was throwing things in a suitcase when Beth and Megan arrived at the apartment. The car booked to take them to the airport, where a private jet would be waiting for them, would arrive in less than an hour and she was in a right state.

              ‘Liss, babe, deep breaths,’ Beth said trying to be as calm as possible.

              ‘How is this happening? I thought this was over...’ Melissa wept on her friend’s shoulder. Beth was worried but refused to show it and the sleepless nights weren’t helping her emotions. Ebony stirred in her car seat but Megan was there to soothe her while Beth mothered Melissa.

              Eventually they were on their way to the airport, and had to endure the usual media scrum. It hadn’t taken long for the news of Amber to have circulated.

              There was a team of security waiting to escort them through the airport. Eight very large men surrounded the girls, three specifically for Melissa, and the rest surrounded the other two and Ebony. They were under strict orders: nobody so much as spoke to them. An autograph hunter tried to get Melissa to sign something but was met by a wall of muscle and swept to the side. Melissa groaned as she spotted Jimmy, their very own paparazzi stalker, in the scrum trying to get a good angle. He was definitely not a welcome sight. He still had that smirk on his face.

              An hour later they finally took off on a very long and tense flight.

*****

The car pulled up outside the hotel, where Luke was waiting with a team of security and hotel staff. He headed to the car and yanked the door open. Melissa flew into his arms and her tears flowed.

              ‘It’s OK. You’re safe,’ Luke whispered in her ear.

              Beth stepped out, struggling with Ebony in her car seat. Luke instructed his security team to get the girls inside while he grabbed the car seat from Beth. ‘I’ve got her,’ he said.

              Beth smiled at him, and placed her hand on his cheek. ‘Glad to see you, Black.’

              ‘Glad to see you, Gobby,’ he said, too stressed to smile back. He lifted Ebony so she was securely in front of him, and the security that remained surrounded them. Ebony began to cry at the commotion around her and Luke stroked her cheek to calm her.

              ‘Where’s Dale?’ Beth asked once inside the reception area. She was a little disappointed he hadn’t been there to welcome them.

              Luke could see the irritation on her face and he winked at her. ‘Don’t start getting pissed. Come with me.’

              The three girls followed Luke into the lift, which took them to the top floor. They emerged onto an extravagant hotel floor, beautifully decorated in creams and beige, gold ornaments and elegant pieces of art.

              There were only six doors on the very long corridor and Luke nodded in the direction of the door furthest away, which had the number 1 on it. It looked like a castle door to Beth. Luke handed Ebony to Melissa and knocked on the door. A few seconds later Dale opened it, grabbed Beth round the waist and picked her up to kiss her. He told her to close her eyes and then went to his daughter. He held her against his chest and kissed her small head gently, and kept kissing her. ‘Hey, princess. Daddy has missed you.’

              ‘Do I have to stand here like this all night?’ Beth asked. She sounded irritated, but she was exhausted and wanted to get herself organised. Dale laughed and nodded to Luke to guide her in. Melissa and Megan gasped at the sight of the suite Beth was now standing in.

              ‘Wow,’ was all Melissa could say. She was quickly ushered out and they left the little family to it.

              ‘You can open your eyes now.’

              Beth opened her eyes and was stunned at the suite. It wasn’t a room but a small apartment. It had a large lounge area with sofas and a large TV mounted on the wall. The bathroom was the size of a normal sized hotel room. Candles burned around the room and a bottle of champagne with two glasses was on a dining table on the balcony. Low music played in the room and there was a child’s swing chair beside the dinner table.

              ‘Oh, Dale, this is…perfect.’ She was completely overwhelmed by it.

              Dale placed Ebony in the swing chair and pressed a button to make it swing slowly. He grabbed Beth’s hand and she almost fell against his chest. ‘You both look beautiful,’ he said as he stroked her hair. She looked tired and he felt guilty for leaving them both so soon. He guided her to the bathroom where a bath was ready, with bubbles and more candles. ‘Go and relax and I’ll take care of my baby girl for a while.’

              Beth couldn’t remember the last time she had been able to take a bath without it being in record time between naps and she didn’t need telling twice. It was hard to believe that Ebony was already five weeks old. The time had flown by in a blur of sleepless nights, hundreds of nappies and bottle feeds. She loved being a mum but felt a bit self-conscious about how she looked these days. Mainly, she felt fat. She sighed at herself in the mirror before getting into the warm water. Her baby weight was screaming at her and she felt like crying. It was made worse when she noticed the black lacy lingerie that had been placed on a chair in the corner of the room. A rose lay on it with a note that said, ‘WEAR THESE’. There was also a silk dressing gown to match, making her feel slightly better that she could at least cover up. She was worried about where Dale wanted this night to go. She wasn’t really feeling back to normal and if she was honest the only thing on her mind to do when Ebony was sleeping was do the same. But Dale had clearly made an effort and she was now torn about what to do. She took as long as possible soaking in the bath to enjoy the peace and to put off disappointing him. Before she shrivelled up completely in the bath she got out and dressed as instructed, wrapping the silky dressing gown around her.

              ‘Huh, not bad,’ she whispered to herself. Just having that time to unwind had made a small difference to her state of mind and she didn’t think she looked all that bad. Her slightly damp curls hung around her shoulders as she walked out to find Dale singing
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
and tickling Ebony’s tummy. ‘That’s her favourite,’ Beth said as she knelt down next to them.

              Dale’s eyes lit up at the sight of her. ‘I had everything planned out tonight. Dinner, champagne and…’ He cupped her face in one hand using his thumb to stroke her cheek. ‘Do you know how much I’ve missed you both?’

              Beth nodded knowing how much she missed him. ‘Dale, this is just incredible.’

              ‘It was actually Luke who arranged it. We have four more shows here over the next week and he decided we were going to live in style. All the rooms on this floor are like this, but this one is the biggest. We have more of us, so it’s only fair. Just wish it wasn’t because of that goddam girl it has even come about.’

              Beth put her finger to his lips, and looked over at Ebony who had fallen asleep in her chair. Dale poured them both a drink and they settled on the sofa where he took Beth’s hand and kneeled in front of her. ‘Beth, you know that I love you. And I want you to marry me. You’ve already said yes, no backing out. But I’d missed something.’ He pulled a box from underneath the sofa and opened it. The ring was gold with three diamonds in a line.

              ‘It’s beautiful,’ Beth said through the tears that were now streaming down her face as he placed it on the finger of her left hand. It sparkled so brightly and in that second she felt almost complete. ‘I can’t wait to marry you. I’d do it tomorrow if we could.’

              Dale looked up and kissed her, then pulled her to him. It had been a long time since they had been so close to each other and he missed it. ‘You’re the only girl I’ve ever wanted. I mean really wanted.’

              ‘You must have liked your other girlfriends?’ she asked.

              ‘Yeah. Once. But it was nothing like this. I’ve had a child with you, I’m getting married at twenty-three and I’m not scared in the slightest.’

              Beth looked over at their daughter and her heart almost exploded with love for her family. They placed Ebony in the cot provided, wrapped in a cream blanket with Fledgling stitched into it.

              ‘Come with me,’ Beth said taking his hand and leading him to the balcony. The sun was going down and they watched it huddled together. After it grew dark they fell asleep together next to their child. It was never about sex for Dale, just about making her feel better and loved.

*****

Melissa couldn’t really feel the sense of awe for the room she was standing in. Amber overshadowed everything, again. Luke made a call to room service to bring up some food but he doubted she would eat. Her sobs filled the room as she collapsed against him. ‘Why won’t this end?’ she screamed into his chest.

              ‘She won’t hurt you. Not this time,’ he promised her. Amber couldn’t get to them on the other side of the world, the police were confident about that. She was mentally ill, with no means of money or transport. Her face, now as famous as Luke and Melissa’s, was plastered all over the news. They just had to wait it out until she was picked up. It wouldn’t be long.

              ‘You’re here with me. All of us together, no need to panic. She can’t get far.’

              ‘I’m not going home until she’s found. Please don’t let them make me go home,’ Melissa begged. ‘She’s coming for me. That day when I found you, her face as they led her away was pure venom. I had some horrible thoughts on the flight here.’ Melissa looked at the floor, horrified with herself. Her thoughts were full of violence and she wished she could go back to that day and drive the knife right through Amber’s heart. It made her shudder that her mind had gone to such a dark place. Taking someone’s life was a vile thought to have, let alone do.

              ‘Liss, that girl has put us through hell. You’re not a bad person. I’ve had the same thoughts too. I don’t ever excuse violence towards women but in her case...’ He stopped before he finished the sentence. It was something he never thought he would ever say.

              Melissa lifted her head and found his lips, warm, familiar and safe. He was her home no matter where they were. To her it wasn’t about a fancy house, wherever he was she called home. A hotel, tour bus, rusty old transit van, it didn’t matter. ‘You have tonight off?’

              ‘Yep. I’m all yours…’

              She kissed him again, fierce and full of passion. He lifted her up onto the dining table, her legs wrapped around him. In their usual fashion, when they had been away from each other for over five minutes, their clothes were frantically removed. ‘There’s a perfectly good bed...’ Melissa pointed out.