Page 314 of The Black Trilogy

Not today, though. Today was overcast with rain showers in Carla’s world. She clutched Justin’s hand as they sat side by side in the corridor, her face streaked with tears. Justin was dressed in a superhero outfit, complete with cape.

“Hi, Carla.”

Her lip quivered as she looked up at me. “Emmy, what happened?”

I glanced at Justin. How much should I say in front of him? “There was an accident at the guardhouse. An explosion.” I crouched down. “Hi, Justin.”

He stayed silent, glaring at me with a sulky expression.

“He only answers to ‘Batman’ at the moment. Or Bruce if he’s not wearing his cape,” Carla explained.

“Hi, Batman.”

“Hi. Where’s my dad?”

“Your dad’s with the doctors, and they’re helping him to get better.” I sincerely hoped that was true.

“Can I see him soon?”

“The doctors need a little bit more time. They have some special machines they need to use. So your job is to stay here and make sure no bad guys get past. Can you do that?”

He looked at me like I was stupid. “Of course I can. I’m Batman.”

I ruffled his hair before turning back to Carla.

“How bad is it?” she asked.

“It’s not good.” I couldn’t lie. “The top half of him was caught in the flames, and he’s got some nasty burns. He was unconscious when we found him, but he was breathing on his own.”

“That’s a good sign, isn’t it?”

“Yes. And he’s a fighter. If anyone can get through this, Seth can.”

“Do you know what caused the explosion?”

“Yes.” How much did I tell her? “It looks as if a missile was fired into the guardhouse.”

Carla clapped a hand over her mouth. “Who would want to hurt Seth like that?”

“It wasn’t about Seth. It was about me. They attacked the house too.”

“Did anyone else get hurt? Did the police catch them?”

“Mick didn’t make it. He was in the guardhouse with Seth. And yes, they’ve been caught.”

A tear ran down her cheek. “Poor Mick! He’s such a…” She caught herself and sniffled. “He was such a sweet man. Only last weekend, he came over to our house for a barbecue. I don’t think he has any family.”

“I don’t think so either, but we’ll check. If there are any relatives, we’ll find them.”

Mick was an army veteran, an only child, and an orphan. He’d grown up in care before he adopted Blackwood as his family. A bit like me, really. There were going to be a lot of upset people in the office tomorrow because he’d been popular with everyone.

In the background, Belcourt came into view with Crane, whose high forehead and chubby cheeks made him look far too young to hold the level of responsibility he did. When he caught sight of me, he raised an eyebrow.

I focused back on Carla. “I’ve got to go. The sharks are circling.” I nodded at the pair of DEA agents. “Make sure the hospital knows that Seth’s to have the best of everything. If the treatment’s not covered by his insurance, I’ll foot the bill. And if you need anything, just call one of us.”

She clutched at my hand. “What if he doesn’t make it?”

Her trembles transferred to me, and I tried to give her a reassuring smile. I’m not sure if I pulled it off, because I wasn’t convinced Seth would survive either.

---