Friday's Child (23 page)

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“Why not just call in? Tell them what’s happened.” A red flag went up in Patrick’s mind as he spoke and he went into agent mode. What would make her need to go to work? With Abbie on the brink of major surgery, he needed to keep them both inside and away from danger as much as possible.

“It’s not feasible. I have to go in. It’s better to do this sort of thing”--she waved her hands in agitation--”in...person.”

“We squared it away with the library on the phone. Besides they close at five, you know that.”

“No, I need to go to the club.”

“You realize I cannot protect you and Abbie in two different places.”

“So get Shay to stay a bit later tonight and keep an eye on Abbie. Please, I wouldn’t ask if this weren’t important.”

“Do you need the money that badly? I can pay child support or whatever you need.”

“It’s not the money. Please just let me go tonight. It’s important.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other telegraphing her unease. “There’s a lot depending on this.” She added.

What aren’t you telling me, Elle?
He was still on this case until Thursday, or until the boss pulled him off it. He could still wrap this up. The agent in him had to let her go...

But the man who was in love with her wasn’t going to let her go… not without a fight. And on his terms.

Patrick scowled. “I’ll set it up.” He headed into the kitchen, letting the door shut firmly behind him.

Shay looked up. Worry creased her face. “What’s up?”

He crossed his arms and met her gaze.

“Can you watch Abbie for a couple of hours, while I escort Elle to work at the club? She’s insisting on going despite how sick Abbie is.”

“I’m sorry?”

Shay read the situation as he had. And as much as he hated to believe it, Elle
was
involved in this investigation.

“That’s what I thought.” He’d lowered his voice so only Shay could hear. “There is something going on. Something she’s not telling me.”

“You know protocol.”

He nodded curtly. “That’s why I’m going to put a bug in her bag and let her go in alone.”

“Alone? You know what this man can do.”

“I’ll be in the bar, but she’ll have to go into the office on her own—assuming he wants to see her tonight. When we leave have someone sent to guard the front and back door. Oh, if DI Nemec gets here before I get back, make him coffee. His plane landed at two, and I’m hoping he’ll come here tonight.”

“Will do.” Shay reached into her bag and pulled out a listening device. “Here.”

Patrick grinned. “Girl scout in a former life, huh?”

Blinding afternoon sunlight filtered in the kitchen window and Shay pulled down the shade. “Of course.”

Patrick crossed to where Elle’s bag sat on the counter. He unzipped it and stopped short. He pulled out the package. “What on earth is this?”

Shay’s gaze met his. She didn’t need to say anything.

Drugs

Patrick picked up a knife and slit the package open. Several small packets fell out, each containing white powder. He closed his eyes.
Lord God, what do I do now?

He picked up two of the packets and handed them to her. “Get them to the lab. I’m going to put the rest of this in the safe.”

“Pat—”

“Until she has been to the club, and I know how far she’s involved in this, no one else is to know where they came from.” He pushed a hand through his hair, feeling as if he’d just been punched in the stomach.

Shay looked at him long and hard. “If it were anyone else asking me this, I’d refuse. But I’ll agree on one condition. If we have to arrest her—”

Patrick swallowed hard. “We’ll do it. But after the surgery. Not before. Who she is, isn’t going to stop me doing my job and upholding the law.” He wired up Elle’s bag and then went over to the larder. Swiftly he pulled everything from the right hand side of the lower shelf.

“Your safe is in the larder?” Shay snorted.

He rolled his eyes. “Last place you’d think of looking. And it’s a little less obvious than behind the family portrait over the fireplace.” He winked. “Or in the knicker drawer.”

Shay snorted again. “Darn, now I have to hide the family heirlooms and my passport someplace else.”

With the package hidden, he went to find Elle.

Elle sat with Abbie.

“It’s all set. Let’s go then.”

She looked at him. “Everything all right?”

“Fine,” he said curtly. “Sooner we go, the sooner we get back.” This had to end and end now. If this meeting didn’t further his investigation, he was going to confront Elle tonight.

Elle turned to Abbie. “I won’t be long. Just going to the club for a bit.”

“What about my song?”

“I’ll write it when I get back. You be good for Shay.”

“OK. Can I watch what I like on the TV until then?”

Patrick crossed the room and turned on the TV. “Nope. You can have…the kid’s channels.”

“Oh, wow. Thank you.” She took the remote and settled back happily to watch.

“Since when have you had the kid’s channels?” Elle asked him. “I didn’t think you needed them.”

“I upgraded to the full package this morning. Figured it’d give her something to do the next few days.”

“And when we leave here?” she whispered.

“Then I cancel them.”

21

Elle felt Patrick’s hand on her lower back as he hurried her into the club. The rain, which began as a drizzle when they left, had turned into a downpour. Patrick’s umbrella had saved her to some extent but he looked like a drowned rat. A very angry drowned rat. She had the feeling she’d done something to upset him, but despite her best efforts to draw it out of him, he’d just grunted and ignored her.

He led her through the back.

“You’ll need to wait by the bar,” she began.

“I’ll wait where I want to,” he snapped. “Let me get you to your dressing room.”

Zeke stood by her dressing room door. “Where have you been?” he snarled. “You’re not answering your phone, either home or your mobile. And what’s he doing here?”

“He drove me in. You know my mother died a few days ago. And Abbie’s been in the hospital. You’re lucky I’m here —”

“We start recording tomorrow at six in the morning. The car will pick you up from your place at four thirty.”

“I’m not doing it. I have Abbie to look after.”

Zeke jerked his head at Patrick and lowered his voice. “I’m sure lover boy here could look after her.”

“No.” She would not sing in a bar or for either of those men again.

His hand tightened on her arm and he pulled her to one side. “You will do it,” he hissed.

“No. Zeke. I quit. No more.” She tugged free and went back to Patrick, gripping his hand tightly.

“Lisa, if you quit, you leave now. No money, no recording contract, no nothing.”

She nodded grateful Zeke had used her stage name not her real one. “Suits me fine. Patrick, take me home, please.”

Zeke’s brows furrowed and rage sparked from his eyes. “Don’t you dare walk away from me.”

The office door flew open. PJ stood there, shirt sleeves rolled up, dragon tattoo plainly visible on his arm. “What is going on out here?”

“Lisa finally showed up. I was just explaining to her why she can’t quit.”

PJ fixed his ice stare on Elle. “Get in my office now.”

Patrick took a step to go with her.

Elle shook her head. “Wait here, this won’t take long.”

PJ pointed at Zeke. “Zeke, stand here and watch him. He so much as blinks and you know what to do.”

Zeke nodded. “It’ll be a pleasure.”

PJ glared at Patrick, jabbing his finger in his direction. “You don’t move from this spot. Is that understood?”

“Crystal.” Patrick eyes were as icy as his tone. He looked at Elle. “I’ll be right here. Yell if you need anything.

“OK.” She eased past PJ and into the office.

PJ slammed the door behind him. Expletives fell from his lips as he glared at Elle. “Where have you been?”

“I called in. My mother died. My sister has been in the hospital.”

“I asked you to take care of something for me.”

“Yes, but like I said, things happened, and I wasn’t at home when they came to collect it, apparently. Then what with the accident and Mum dying and Abbie getting sick, honestly the whole thing just went right out of my head.”

He held out a hand. “Give it to me.”

“Sure, it’s right here.” She opened her bag and moved things around. Her stomach fell into her shoes. Her throat dried and her voice stuck. “I…I…it…”

“What?”

“It’s n…not here.”

PJ drew himself up to his full height. “Then where is it?”

“It’s probably at home. Or at my friend’s house. I’m staying with a friend for a few days.” She backed away, terrified of what this man would do.

“The bloke in the hallway?”

“Yes. Let me go back with him and look for it. If I find it, I’ll bring it back tomorrow.”

“Tip the bag onto the desk.”

“Why?”

“Just do it.”

With trembling hands, Elle tipped the contents of her bag onto the desk. She cringed as PJ rifled through her bits and pieces. Nausea flooded her. Where was it? Had Patrick found it? Is that why he was so angry with her? What on earth did the parcel contain to make PJ this upset with her? When he nodded, she scraped everything back inside and zipped it up.

“Find it. I want it on my desk in the morning.”

“Or what?”

“Being fired will be the least of your worries.”

“You don’t need to fire me. I already quit. I don’t want your money or your help or your packages anymore.”

PJ’s face changed. It was as if he suddenly sprouted a pair of horns. His skin reddened, and a look of pure evil shone from his eyes. “No one quits, Eleanor.”

“I just did. At least twice.”

He leaned in, his face inches away from hers, his nails digging into her arm viciously. “If you love your sister at all, you will keep working for me in whatever capacity I deem fit. Is that understood?” He shook her hard, yelling at her. “Is it?”

“Y—yes,” she whispered.

“Good. Numbers fourteen verse eighteen. Go.”

Not needing to be told twice she left. She had to get out of this mess. The only way was to tell Zeke she wasn’t coming back and trust Patrick to keep her safe and away from this place. PJ wasn’t the man she thought he was.

Patrick’s concerned eyes held hers as she scurried from the room. “Elle, are you OK?”

She nodded and looked at Zeke. “By the way. I quit. You can tell PJ that. He wasn’t listening to me.”

Zeke reached out for her.

Patrick formed a wall between her and Zeke.

“Back off.” Patrick looked down from his substantial height advantage.

Zeke’s eyes widened a little as his gaze went to Patrick’s shoulder. He’d seen the holster. “Fine, you take her then.”

Taking her hand, Patrick exited the building. He didn’t say a word until he’d ensconced Elle in the safety of his car. He leaned down as he pulled the door closed, and held her gaze. “Elle, what are you doing?”

“What I should have done a long time ago. Quitting.”

He shut the door and quickly ran around the car. He got in and looked at her. “Are you going to explain?”

“Yeah, but I got something while I was there.” She reached into her bag and waggled a flash drive between her fingers. “PJ made me empty my bag and when I put everything back, I took it off of his desk. Give me a while to look through this and I might figure this out.”

“No. That has to go to evidence.” He snatched it from her fingers, pocketing it.

She sighed. “Fine. Oh, by the way, did you find a package anywhere in your house? A brown padded envelope?”

He narrowed his eyes and frowned. “Why? Did you lose one?” He started the car and turned on the lights. Across the car park, lights blinded them.

Irritated, she turned her face away, putting a hand up to shield her eyes. Then she settled back in the seat as Patrick drove out of the space. “No of course I didn’t,” she said sarcastically. “That would be why I asked.” The car opposite did the same. She pulled down her sunshade, watching the car follow them.

“This discussion will have to wait.” Patrick kept checking the mirror as he drove. “I think we have a tail.”

“You think?”

He changed lanes and turned right onto the main road. He reached up and activated the Bluetooth earpiece for his phone. “This is Page. I’ve picked up a tail. I’m currently driving east on the London Road heading into Headley Cross. I’m going to try to lose him on the back roads.” He glanced at Elle. “Hang on.”

Elle closed her eyes as Patrick began driving like a madman. He took corners too fast, and although she didn’t normally get car sick, she definitely was nauseous now.

She hit the seatbelt as Patrick slammed on the brakes, performing a hand brake turn. She stifled a scream and braced herself.

“Sorry. Are you all right?”

“Yeah.” She closed her eyes and hung on tightly.

Another two or three sharp turns later and Patrick sighed. “Lost him. Heading home now.”

She kept her eyes shut until the engine finally turned off. She opened the door and quickly darted up the path to the house, gulping huge breaths of fresh air.

Patrick ran after her. “Elle?”

“I’m fine.” She headed inside as soon as the door was unlocked.

Shay came into the hall. “Everything all right?”

“Not really,” Patrick huffed. “Where’s Abbie?”

“She’s lying down in your room, watching TV. She said she was tired. DI Nemec is staying in the Rainbow Lodge Guest House tonight. He’ll be over first thing in the morning.”

“OK. Thank you.” Patrick caught Elle’s arm as she headed for the bedroom. “Lounge, we need to talk.”

“Tomorrow, please. I’m tired.”

“I want to talk about this now.”

“I don’t.” She wrapped her arms around her stomach, willing herself not to throw up. By the time he knew the truth, he wouldn’t want anything to do with her.

“You just quit your job for a reason, and I have a feeling it has something to do with why you’re being protected. Not to mention the fact we got tailed. So sit down and wait for me while I bring Shay up to speed. It’s time you told me the whole truth. And that includes the package full of drugs from your bag.”