Page 347 of The Black Trilogy

I looked at my watch as I worked out the next steps. It seemed like an age since the helicopter took off, but in reality, it had only left twenty-five minutes ago. Seb’s watchers would have departed by now as well—we’d agreed they’d leave at dawn as we went in. I checked the fuel gauge. Half a tank. We’d be able to get to the hamlet fifteen miles away, and hopefully somebody there would have a phone that worked. Then we could call Mack, and she could divert the helicopter to pick us up.

I explained this to Black and he nodded his agreement, never taking his eyes off the road as he concentrated on steering around the worst of the ruts.

It was definitely one of the more unpleasant drives I’d been on. I’d have sold my soul to the devil to have a Huey back. Oh, wait, I did that years ago. Maybe he’d settle for a kidney instead?

The needle on the speedometer stayed firmly below twenty miles an hour as we trundled along. Nobody talked, and Black’s knuckles turned white under the filth as he gripped the steering wheel. I switched between looking at the road ahead and checking our tail in case we’d missed somebody behind us.

Black had never been a chatterbox, but I thought he might have said a few words to me. I didn’t even get a smile. Sadly, I wasn’t surprised about that part. For all intents and purposes, I’d left him buried in a hole for the best part of a year, and he had every right to be furious.

What were his first words when he saw me? Took your sweet time.

And boy, had I. I’d flipped out for three months after I thought he’d died. Three freaking months! And all that time he’d been alive. I should have kept my head rather than being cowed by the likes of Hector Ramos.

Jane coughed behind me, and Black slowed the truck for a second.

“You okay?” he asked her.

“I think so.”

“This’ll all be over soon; I promise.” He gave her a smile then snaked his hand through the gap between the seats and squeezed one of hers.

The rearview mirror may have been dingy, but I didn’t miss her blush when she gazed back at him.

Nor did I miss that he’d smiled at her, but not me. Well, clearly Jane had been there for him all the time I hadn’t. When Nate and I first saw her on our recon, she’d been carrying a tray of food near the villa. Probably she’d been taking Black his meals. They must have built up quite a bond.

And me?

I’d been worse than useless.

Let’s see, while Jane looked after Black, I’d managed to disappear off to England and turn Luke’s life upside down with my lies. After that, I’d nearly got myself killed in Syria and caused my friends no end of worry by disappearing for a week.

My pièce de résistance, though, had to be getting into Ramos’s business and practically inviting him to my house to try and kill those same friends. And just for good measure, I’d got the place destroyed in the process. That was quite an impressive list of screw-ups. Way to go, Emmy.

I sighed. All these years I’d been kidding myself I could make something of my life, but my mother had been right when she’d told me I was a total waste of space.

Stupid, stupid child.

Before I could berate myself further, my thoughts were interrupted by a horrible grating noise coming from the engine. The revs went crazy, and the truck slowed from its bumpy crawl to a complete stop. Fan-freaking-tastic.

Black and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes, kind of like we used to in the old days.

Why us?

CHAPTER 18

BLACK SWORE AND popped the bonnet then climbed out of the cab with me following. As I peered down into the engine, I didn’t need the years of knowledge imparted into me by Vinnie, the dude who taught me how to nick cars, to see the timing belt had snapped. That truck was going nowhere.

“Monkey-flunking shiznits.” I kicked the tyre, just for good measure.

“Well, that’s one way of putting it. A polite way. What’s wrong with your potty mouth?”

“Remember that bet we made?”

“Uh, vaguely?”

“Well, I’m winning.”

But only just. Now we were stuck miles from anywhere with a truck that didn’t go and a pregnant woman. When Mr. Murphy and Lady Luck duked it out to see who would get the spare seat in the back, it was obvious who’d won.

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