True Colours (The You Don't Know Me Trilogy Book 2) (28 page)

‘Feel this, Maya.  Concentrate on this.  You and me.  When we’re together, we can get through anything.’

He adjusts his position, sending a spark of electricity right through my abdomen.  I see a flash, count the seconds as Dan continues to move.  And while the thunder rumbles across the ocean, my insides quake.

I glance at the shutters.

‘Hey.’  He strokes my hair.  ‘Don’t look at that.  Look at me.’

I do as I’m told.

‘That’s it.  Keep it there.’  He withdraws slowly, kissing me again.  ‘Stay with me.  Feel this.’

‘I can’t …’

‘Yes, you can.’  Proving the point, he drives back into me and I feel it straight away.  A glowing sensation takes hold deep in the pit of my vagina.  ‘You’re doing it now.’

I moan, let out a jittering breath.

‘I’m still fucking terrified.’

‘Just like our first night together.’  Buried deep inside, he comes to a halt and studies my face.  ‘Shall I tell you a secret?’

‘You might as well.  What is it?  No, don’t tell me.  You used to be the Pope.’

He laughs.

‘You’ve got me rumbled.  No.  That first night we spent together, when I made you a little tent … I was terrified too.’

I hear another laugh, and it’s mine.

‘Oh come off it.’

Looking straight into me, his shakes his head.  ‘I wasn’t scared of the storm.  I was scared of the way you made me feel.  It was something I didn’t understand.  All I knew was you’d walked into my life and I never wanted you to walk out of it again.  That’s pretty terrifying for a man like me.’

His admission works like a treat.  Somewhere outside, thunder echoes through the darkness but all I can think about is what he’s just told me.  The first time I went back to his apartment, I had him down as an arrogant prick, and all the time he was simply putting up a front, building his own walls.

‘I love you,’ I murmur.  ‘I fucking love you.’

‘And I fucking love you too.  I’ll never stop loving you.  I’ll never stop protecting you.  You’ll never come to any harm, not while there’s breath in my body.’

He begins to move again, driving into me, over and over, with a slow and steady pace.  And as the edge of pleasure broadens out, I don’t know if it’s the storm moving on or the fact that he’s managed to distract me, but the thunder seems more distant now, hardly relevant.  All I’m seeing is the man who’s arched above me, the powerhouse of his body, the reverence in his eyes.  Completely focussed on him, I might just have fear on the run.

‘Are we ready?’  He smiles.

‘God, yes.’  I smile back.

He picks up the pace, thrusting into me now, taking himself deeper every single time.  And as the pressure builds, I slide my hands over his broad shoulders and down his back, bringing them to rest on his backside.  Clutching at his taut buttocks, I thrust up against him, struggling to catch a tattered breath while my muscles twitch and tighten and glow.

He watches me constantly, even as he begins to untangle.

‘Fuck it,’ he growls.  ‘I’m coming.’

And I let go, completely and utterly, tumbling into oblivion as my insides pulsate.

‘See what you did then?’ he asks, slowing the pace.  ‘You rode out a storm.’

He collapses on top of me, digging his face into my neck.

‘I sure did.’

Lifting his head, he smiles and kisses me deeply for an age before he pulls out and sets about cleaning me up with the edge of the sheet.

‘Yuk.’  I scowl.

‘No tissues.  I’ll put it in the wash in the morning.  Kathy’s never going to know.’

He rolls onto his side and draws me against his chest, face on.  Snuggling into his arms and drinking in his scent, I listen to the rain against the window panes.  I have no idea how long we stay like this, enjoying the closeness, the quiet, but as the minutes tick by, my new-found bravery seems to grow.

‘I want to go and look,’ I say at last.

‘You do?’  His eyebrows dip.  ‘But there might be more lightning.’

‘And if there is, just hold me tight.’

‘Seriously?’

‘Seriously,’ I confirm.  ‘I’m sick of running away.  I’m sick of hiding.  Sometimes it feels like that’s all I’ve ever done.  I don’t want to do it any more.’

He watches me for a moment.  His eyes flicker with admiration.

‘Fair enough,’ he murmurs at last, pecking me on the lips.  ‘Let’s do this thing.’

Out in the lounge, we stand naked in front of the window, Dan behind me, his arms around my waist.  Over the sea, a fork of lightning hits the water.  I wait for the sound of the thunder and there it is, rumbling across the Atlantic.  A small knot of anxiety forms in the pit of my stomach.  The arms tighten and I will the knot to disintegrate.

‘It’s passed,’ he whispers.

‘Thank God for that.’

Another minute or so slip by in silence before he speaks again.

‘I could stay here forever.  No problems.  No work.  Just you and me.’

‘So, this is how it’s going to be?’

‘With Boyd out of the way? Yes.’

I smile to myself, thoroughly contented.  I have the man I love and in every possible way, I’m in paradise.  Things are perfect, and they’re only going to get better.  In fact, I remind myself, he’s already working on our future together.

‘Why didn’t you tell me before?’ I ask.

‘Tell you what?’

‘That you’re thinking of selling Fosters?’

He takes in a deep breath.

‘I only thought of it tonight, Maya.  I’m as surprised as you are.’

***

It’s a brilliant morning.  With the storm over, the air’s a little fresher now, the sun as bright as ever.  When we finally join Bill at the main house, we find him buried in a newspaper.

‘And so.’  He smiles, folding up the paper.  ‘The love birds emerge from their nest.’

‘Sorry, Bill,’ Dan says.  ‘We didn’t wake up until late.’

He gives me a sneaky wink.  In actual fact, we woke early.  We just didn’t get out of bed until almost eleven.

‘You seem to have relaxed, both of you.  The tea and coffee are fairly fresh.  We’ll have to wait for food.  I think Kathy’s just gone down to your place.  She likes to keep it tidy.’

I stare at Dan, knowing for a fact that he didn’t put that sheet in the wash.  With a shrug, he pulls out a chair and waits for me to sit before he lowers himself next to me.  Without asking, he pours me a cup of tea and then helps himself to coffee.

‘Any more thoughts on selling?’ Bill asks.

Taking a mouthful of coffee, Dan shakes his head.

‘You know, there are other building companies that would snap it up.  But they’ll dismantle it.  Take what they want.  People
will
lose their jobs.’

‘I know.’

‘And I know what you’re like.  More sensitive than you let on.’

With a grimace, he looks up over the edge of his cup.  ‘It’s time to move on, Bill.  I’ve got other fish to fry.  I’ll do my best for the people there but, like you said, I can’t be responsible for all of them.  Not any more.’

‘So, how will you keep busy?’

‘I have Maya.’  He pauses.  ‘And there are other things.’

‘Such as?’ I ask, suddenly intrigued.

He doesn’t get a chance to answer.  Huffing and puffing her way up the steps, Kathy comes to a halt by the table.

‘Danny boy!  You left your phone in the bedroom.  It keeps ringing.’  She hands it to him.

‘Take a seat, Kathy.’ Bill waves at a spare chair.

‘I haven’t got time for no chopsin.’  She shakes her head.  ‘There’s linen to sort.’

With a half-disgusted smirk, she waddles back down the steps and disappears inside the bungalow.  I take a peek at Dan, wondering if he’s feeling as embarrassed as me, but clearly he’s not.  Instead, he’s busy scrolling through his messages.

‘Anything interesting?’ Bill asks.

Dan shakes his head.  His face clouds over.  ‘Excuse me.  I won’t be a minute.’

Getting to his feet, he clasps the phone to his ear and walks away across the lawn.

‘Clive, what’s going on?’

That’s all I hear.  Coming to a halt in the shade of a tree, he stays there for a minute or two, listening intently.  It’s not good.  I can tell from the way his shoulders have suddenly hunched.  At last, he says something, thrusts the phone into his pocket and returns to us.

‘We need to go home, Bill.  I’m sorry.’

‘But why?’ I demand, stunned by his announcement.  ‘What’s the matter?’

‘Jodie.  She’s disappeared.’  Sitting back at the table, he takes a sip of coffee.

‘Jodie?’  I’d virtually forgotten about the pink princess.  ‘But she’s a teenager.  She’s probably just slipped off the rails.  She’ll be back.’

‘She’s been gone since Saturday morning and she’s not answering her phone.  She’s never done anything like this before.  She’s always kept in touch with her mum.’

‘Are we talking about Norman’s grand-daughter?’ Bill interjects, his face suddenly creased with concern.

Dan nods.

‘And they’ve called the police?’

‘Yes, but they’re not concerned yet.  She’s not been gone long enough.  And besides, she’s been a bit of a tearaway in the past.’

But not recently, my brain muses. It might be nothing more than a simple coincidence, but then again …  Even though it must be a hundred degrees in the shade, I shiver.  After what happened at the Savoy, there’s every chance that this isn’t a coincidence at all.  I look at Dan, almost certain that our trains of thought are heading in exactly the same direction.

‘What about her dad?’ I ask.  ‘Can’t he go looking for her?’

Dan shakes his head.

‘He walked out on them years ago.  He doesn’t care.’

‘You don’t think …’  I falter.

‘I do,’ he confirms.  ‘And so does Clive.’

I feel sick.  Boyd may well be unbalanced, but surely he wouldn’t go that far.

‘What’s going on, Dan?’

Bill’s voice causes him to start.  He turns and fixes our host in his sights.  And then, without hesitation, he launches into an explanation of everything: right from his first visit to Boyd’s flat in Edinburgh through to Jodie’s disappearance.  And then he fills him in on Boyd’s past record.  Listening intently to it all, the old man strokes his chin.  When Dan’s finished, he takes a minute or two to process the information before he speaks.  And when he does, he sounds different.  There’s a hard edge to his voice.

‘And you’re absolutely sure he’s got something to do with this?’

‘Yes,’ Dan answers crisply.  ‘I underestimated Boyd, but I won’t be doing that again.’

‘I don’t like the sound of this man.  He’s got it in for you.’  He points at Dan.  ‘And that makes him my enemy.  You know, I still have a few contacts back in London.  They’d find him soon enough.’

‘You’re not talking criminals?’ I venture.

From the look on Dan’s face, I’m pretty sure I’ve just said the wrong thing.  I’m about to apologise for jumping to a ridiculous conclusion when Bill confirms that I haven’t.

‘Let’s just say I managed a few shady financial deals back in the day.  I know people with clout.  They can help with finding this bastard … and then they can scare him off.’

I can’t help but think he’s planning on a little more than a simple talking to.  And while I know the world would be a better place without the likes of Ian Boyd, I’m not entirely comfortable with the possibilities.

‘But …’

Holding up a finger, Bill stops my complaint in its tracks.

‘From what Dan’s just told me, this man’s playing dirty.  You need to fight fire with fire.’

Dan gives me an uneasy look.  ‘Let’s leave it to the people I’ve hired.’

‘And they are?’ Bill asks.

‘A security company.’

‘Which one?’

‘Foultons.  They’re good.  We’ve got bodyguards, private investigators.  Ex-military, ex-police, that sort of thing.’

Bill considers the information.

‘You do what you think is right,’ he says at last.  ‘But the offer’s there.’  He leans forwards.  ‘And sometimes you need all the help you can get.  Even if you don’t like where it’s coming from.’

Silence settles over the veranda, each one of us lost in our own thoughts.  It’s Bill who speaks first, evidently deciding that it’s time for action.

‘Now, if you give me your passport details, I’ll get onto the flights.  You can always get a seat in club.’

‘Today?’ Dan asks.

‘If I can’t get you a direct flight, there’ll be something via New York.  And if there isn’t, I’ll find a private jet.’  The old man stands up.  ‘Go and get yourselves sorted.  I’ll give Norman a call and tell him you’re on your way.’

While Dan embraces Bill, thanking him for his help, I gaze up at the clear blue sky.  It’s a cloudless morning, completely calm after the storm, and the sea is glass-like once again.  I’ve had my taste of the things to come.  No worries.  No threats.  Just peace, pure and simple.