Page 300 of The Black Trilogy

“And the inside?”

“Nightshade leather, special order. I think that’s a fancy term for purple.”

I leaned against the cool wall, blinking away the prickly feeling from the corners of my eyes.

“Okay, it sounds like it might be for me after all. Can you put the guard back on, please?”

When Seth came on the line again, I told him to let the truck driver in, and I’d go down to meet him. Pull yourself together, Emmy. I put the necklace and card away in the safe hidden behind a painting in my room then went back outside.

In the driveway, I struggled to keep my emotions in check as my beautiful new car was lowered out of the truck. So shiny, and they’d even put a big bow on the top.

Still, I had to unclench my fists as I signed for the delivery. Black should have been standing by my side, and right now, I missed him more than ever.

“Cheer up, lady,” the driver said. “Anyone else getting a new Corvette would at least have a smile on their face.”

“Yeah, probably.”

He shook his head as he climbed back into the truck, no doubt thinking what a spoiled little brat I was. Black had always tried his best to make me happy, never the easiest job in the world, and even from beyond the grave, he was still having a go. Another wave of grief hit me as I realised this really would be the last birthday gift I’d ever get from him.

To be on the safe side, because Black taught me to be paranoid, I checked the car with Nate’s electronic gizmos. Clean. And when I ran a mirror around underneath, all I found was a small tag that said Good. Another of Black’s special requests, no doubt, and his way of congratulating me for remembering to do my job properly.

Now what?

Well, the car had been delivered with a full tank of fuel, and what better way to cheer myself up than to go for a blast? I shoved the bow in the passenger footwell, hopped in the driver’s side, and took off.

The sun was shining, the roads were clear, and the car was awesome. The only thing missing was Black. If he’d been alive, he’d have been right next to me, arms crossed as he muttered, “For crying out loud, Emmy, brake!”

After a couple of hours of aimless driving, I returned home with an ache in my chest that even a wild ride in the countryside couldn’t get rid of. Not that I’d truly expected it to. Upon checking my garage, I evicted an Explorer so I could park the Stingray beside the Viper. With Black’s Porsche Cayenne next to that, I had one mean-looking line up of cars, but even that failed to bring me any joy today.

I was all ready for episode two of my pity party, which involved a box of Belgian truffles and a bottle of red, when I found Luke waiting for me outside the house, leaning against Mack’s car.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hi yourself.” What was he doing here?

“Uh, I was wondering if I could ask a favour?”

“You can ask.”

“Can I come in?”

I shrugged and swung the door open, and his footsteps echoed on the tiled floor as he followed me to the kitchen. I could hardly start on the wine and chocolate at eleven in the morning with company, so I set about pouring myself a bowl of muesli instead. If nothing else, it would absorb the alcohol I planned to have for lunch.

“Your lawyer’s drawn up the papers for the building lease, but they need your signature. I’m trying to get things moving, so I hoped you’d be able to sign them now.”

Luke was opening a new branch of his company in the States, and yours truly just happened to own the empty office he’d be basing it in. “No problem. Where are they?”

“In the car. I’ll get them.”

Luke returned with the lease agreement, and I settled down to read over it. Not that I didn’t trust Luke and my lawyer, but Black had always taught me to be thorough. Everything was fine, so I signed and handed it back.

“Tia told me it was your birthday today.”

“Yeah.”

“She made a present and asked me to give it to you.”

Made a present? Nobody had ever made me a present before. Paid someone else to make it, maybe, but not made it themselves.

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