Page 133 of The Black Trilogy

Once she’d recovered, Ash continued with her tale. “When I got him with an uppercut, he dropped faster than a shopaholic’s bank balance. He’d even given me the cuffs and rope to tie him up with.”

“Not bad, baby,” Nick said.

Baby?

“Three minutes, Nicky. Shame it was over so fast—I was having fun.” Then she smiled brightly. “I wonder what the prison doctor will make of his mysterious groin pain?”

She turned to Dan and they high-fived.

Another vehicle pulled up behind Nick’s, and the girls climbed out of their car as Jason unfolded himself from the passenger seat of his.

“What’s this? A convention?” Jason asked.

“Oh, just feeling a little car sick,” Ash told him, voice sweet as pie.

“Strange, that. The prisoner’s complaining he feels sick too, except my officer reports he’s clutching his privates. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

Ash glanced at Dan then quickly looked away. “Can’t help you there, I’m afraid. Maybe he caught himself on the door sill as he fell?”

Jason didn’t look convinced, but he let it go. Everyone climbed back into their respective cars, Ash driving the SUV this time. Her car shot off into the distance, leaving the smell of burnt rubber in its wake and Luke more confused than ever.

Who was Ash, really?

CHAPTER 37

I PULLED AWAY from the lay-by with Dan beside me, leaving Nick and Luke behind to get into their car. I saw Jason watching me in the rear-view mirror as I sped off, hands on hips. No doubt he’d be unhappy when he found out I wasn’t going back to the house, but he knew how to get hold of me if he needed to. He’d get over it. He always did. I made a mental note to give him a call later to smooth things over.

Dan reached over and keyed our destination into SatNav. Forty minutes. At least Howard chose to hold his final showdown close to the airbase so we didn’t have far to travel. Today had turned out to be a good day, and I felt more upbeat than I had in ages. Not only was Tia back home in one piece, but I’d also proven this morning with Jimmy that I still had a good fight in me. And best of all, Luke’s crackpot half-brother was making friends with his new cell mate, who I hoped was six-foot-seven with a penchant for tall, blonde, and grouchy.

Nope, not a bad day at the office.

Of course, the day wasn’t without its low points. My life wouldn’t be complete at the moment without a dash of darkness to even out the light.

The first low occurred as I rode in the van, but not for the reasons you’d think. No, the sadness came when I freed myself, because my handcuff key was built into my wedding ring. Unlocking the cuffs brought back memories of my husband and the heartache that came with losing him.

When we first got married in Vegas, we’d had cheap off-the-shelf rings, engraved on the inside with “CB & MB 4EVA.” Nate’s idea of a joke. I’d tell you what the initials meant, but I wasn’t allowed to use those words—all part of the little wager I was determined to win. But we didn’t manage forever, did we? Although the rest of my life would feel like forever without my husband in it.

We’d put up with the cheap rings for a week before my husband flicked his across the breakfast table.

“Diamond, if I’ve got to wear a permanent reminder of my supposed undying love, I’d prefer something that doesn’t look as if it came from an arcade machine.”

“Agreed. What are you thinking?”

“Surprise me.”

My husband’s new ring had been titanium with two bands, one made from dinosaur bone and the other from a meteorite. The designer told me it would symbolise our love lasting for all time. Back then, I thought he was talking rubbish, but it turned out he’d been right. When I gave it to my husband, I told him I wanted to get something as ancient as he was—he may have only been nine-and-a-half years older than me, but that didn’t stop me from reminding him about it at every opportunity.

My platinum ring with its hidden handcuff key was beautiful as well as practical. And, of course, we’d had the engraving transferred over as a reminder of our drunken wedding.

When I’d unlocked my handcuffs in the van, I sent him a silent thank you. Was he up there somewhere, watching me? If so, I hoped I’d redeemed myself just a little with today’s performance.

The next low point had been leaving Luke and Tia. Guilt gnawed away at me, and I felt kind of sad too. It wouldn’t be easy for Luke at first, dealing with the revelation that his brother was a head case, but he had the strength to deal with it. That much I knew. He’d lent me some of that steel over the past few months and helped me through the worst time of my life. I’d always be grateful to him, but the kindest thing I could do now would be to let him go. He didn’t need me and my troubles weighing him down further. My problems were my own, and I needed to face up to them.

At least Luke and Tia had each other for support. I’d watched them grow closer over the last two months, and now they had the relationship a brother and sister should have. Yes, they’d get through this together.

And me? Well, Luke had dug the pit in my chest a little bit deeper. My life would be worse for not having him in it, but the time had come for me to return to Virginia. Luke belonged in England, and I couldn’t ask him to change everything for me.

Nor could I change for him. I’d been away from home too long, and while I’d salvaged my relationship with Nick and Dan, I still had a way to go with Mack and Nate. That was something best done face to face.

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