Page 201 of The Black Trilogy

We reached Black’s Corvette, and I lowered myself into the passenger seat. That wasn’t his only hot car—he’d shown me his garage earlier, full of automotive delights. I’d memorised the code number on the lockbox where he kept the keys, just in case an opportunity arose.

The engine growled into life, then we sped on to the next part of my adventure.

Nate arrived at Riverley not long after we did. He obviously had his own key because he came straight into the kitchen and helped himself to a beer. I felt like an amoeba under the microscope as he looked me up and down then turned to Black and raised an eyebrow as if to say, “Seriously?”

“Give her a chance.”

“I thought we agreed to poach someone from the CIA? Or the FBI, even?”

“None of those candidates were right. I thought I’d try a different route.”

Nate glowered at me. “What experience do you have in the security business?”

“Not a lot,” I admitted. “And most of it’s been from the other side.”

He turned back to Black. “Have you lost your mind?”

“Quite possibly. But Emerson’s staying.”

The beef Wellington Mrs. Fairfax made was no doubt delicious, but I barely tasted it. Hostility rolled off Nate and filled the room, suppressing my appetite. I pushed dinner around my plate while Black and Nate talked business. The facts and figures mostly went right over my head, but Nate’s suspicious glances in my direction every time Black mentioned anything about their current clients didn’t. What, did Nate think I was some sort of spy for the competition?

Clearly, I had a lot to prove. Black had taken a huge gamble in bringing me here, even risking the wrath of his friend. Nobody but Jimmy and Jackie had ever shown that belief in me before. What if I let him down?

When Nate left an hour later, the temperature in the room rose again.

“Are you okay?” Black asked. “You were very polite. Not like you at all.”

“He hates me.” I sighed dramatically and collapsed over the table.

Black chuckled. “He’s not your biggest fan at the moment, but he acts that way with everyone to start with. You have to earn Nate’s trust. He doesn’t give it out freely.”

“An uphill battle, seems like.”

“Yes, but you’ll fight it, and you’ll win.”

Right now, I couldn’t even fight my own body. By eight o’clock, I’d already yawned a dozen times as my brain got confused over time zones.

“You should get some sleep,” Black said.

“I think you might be right.” I couldn’t resist adding, “For once.”

“How has that mouth not got you into more trouble?”

“Must be my charming personality.”

If Black rolled his eyes any harder, he’d have to go and retrieve them from his freaking tennis court.

“Charm or not, you’ll have to keep getting up in the small hours. I train early.”

Oh, joy. But at least I wouldn’t have late shifts dancing sapping my energy at the other end of the day. The thought of eight hours of uninterrupted sleep made me smile as I journeyed to my bedroom. I only got lost twice. Not bad.

The next day, I reported for duty at the gym at five o’clock sharp, dressed for battle in running tights and a sports bra. How bad could it be? After all, I’d trained at least five times a week with Jimmy.

I soon got my answer. Every morning, a portal to Satan’s dungeon opened up in the doorway of the gym, and I was contractually bound to step through it. More than once, I checked to see whether Black had grown horns and a tail. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d started poking me with a trident every time I stumbled on the treadmill.

After four mornings in the gym with him, I struggled to walk. I had so many bruises in delightful shades of green and brown I didn’t need to worry about wearing camouflage when he forced me to go running in the woods, and if I’d ventured out in public, I’d have needed to wear a burka to avoid getting dragged kicking and screaming to the nearest women’s shelter. On the plus side, he might have got arrested, which would have given me a day off while his lawyer sorted out the mess. Black was the meanest fighter I’d ever come across, and at JJ’s I’d met more than my fair share.

How I’d ever managed to break his nose, I had no idea. I couldn’t even get him to break a sweat now. He’d start me off on cardio equipment, maybe eight miles on the treadmill or thirty on the stationary bike, before moving on to weights, then boxing or martial arts.

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