by Helen Bright
After a few minutes, Ryan opened the front door and leaned on the door frame. He was drunkenly trying to light a cigarette, and it took four attempts of his swaying hand to do so. After he had taken a few drags, I noticed a dark figure appear in front of the building, making its way towards the front door.
“Ryan,” said a voice I recognized. So did Ryan apparently as he jumped with fear, dropped his cigarette and tried to close the door.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Ryan hissed, still struggling with the door.
“I came back two weeks ago to try to see you, but you had left. I overheard someone in the next town talking about this party, and I had an idea you would come back for it, so I came to try and find you again.”
“Why?” Ryan asked.
“I wanted to thank you for what you did for me, and I wanted to ask you why you helped me.”
“I don’t want your thanks, Maxim, because I shouldn’t have done it. You nearly killed Keeley, and for what? Because you were jealous of what you thought she had going on with Gregor?”
“Why did you remove the stake from my heart if you felt so angry about what I had done?” Maxim asked.
“Because I know what it’s like to have such a deep unrequited love for a straight man, and I felt sorry for you. But I want you to go now, Maxim. Go far away and never come back. And whatever you do, don’t try to make contact with me again.”
This time, Maxim finally let Ryan close the door.
I watched Maxim walk away near to where Yuri stood, and within the blink of an eye, Yuri grabbed him from behind. Using my vampire speed, I was with them two seconds later as Maxim tried to free himself from Yuri’s hold.
I didn’t waste any time with long reasons as to why I was doing this; like you see killers do in the movies. Instead, I said nothing as I rammed the stake deep into his heart.
We carried Maxim’s body behind the old gardener’s potting shed, both of us satisfied that we had prevented any further hurt and disruption in the lives of someone we loved. I text Nik to let him know, and to tell Gregor and Josh that Yuri and I were having a bonfire tonight, and both Gina and Keeley would no longer have to live in fear.
THE END
Read on for the first two chapters of Gregor’s Reason
The Night Movers Vampire Series, Book Three
Gregor’s Reason - Chapter One
Chloe
The orders had been coming in since the shop opened at 8:30 am this morning. I’d had orders coming through by text on my mobile before that, since getting the news that Julia Staithes had her little boy, Rory, at 10:36 p.m. last night.
I had drafted in my assistant Pam to work all day instead of her usual six hours; and I was making sure my Saturday girl Emma was working, covering the till and gift areas. Pam, me and Michelle, my young apprentice, were busy making up all the orders for the new mum and baby in the back room of my shop.
I had taken over the little flower shop in Barrowfield after it was left to me by my Aunt Joyce in her will just over a year ago now. I wasn’t sure what to do with it at first, because when I went through the books it didn’t seem that my Aunt had been making much profit in the last few years. Still, I didn’t have the heart to change the little shop into something else.
I had spent lots of happy school holidays here over the years, making up bouquets of flowers with my Aunt in this very same room, and she had always told me the shop would be mine one day. She suffered a massive stroke last July and had sadly passed away a week later without regaining consciousness.
When her will was read it revealed that my Aunt had left me the flower shop and the apartment above it, her little minivan and a large collection of earrings, a pair of which I was wearing today.
I retained Pamela, and for a short time, while we sorted everything out with the solicitors, I just kept the shop as a florist’s. But, after all the legal stuff was sorted out, Pamela and I sat down and discussed any changes we would like to see happen to enable the business to survive. We decided to diversify a little and also sell various gifts, candles, and small decorative items, as well as party products. We redecorated and gave the shop a new name, Chloe’s Flowers and Gifts, and have been doing well financially for the last ten months.
I have been taking various flower arranging courses, and I am really enjoying my work, I just wish my Aunt Joyce was here to see how well her little shop was doing now.
I have enjoyed the challenges that my new business has given me. I love what I do, and although the business came to me in sad circumstances, it also came at a time in my life when I needed a change and a new direction and purpose.
I had married my ex-husband Craig when I was a loved up twenty-six-year-old. We had been engaged for over two years beforehand, and I thought I was so lucky to meet such a sweet guy after a previous abusive relationship. The boyfriend before Craig had become violent towards the end of our time together.
The emotional scars from that relationship lasted longer than the bruises he gave me, and I swore off men for a while. So when Craig came around with his thoughtfulness and gentle ways, I thought my dreams had all come true. Granted, there wasn’t as much passion as I would have liked in our sexy time, but I thought we could work on that, and passion wasn’t everything, right?
Craig’s family was quite wealthy and gave us enough money to buy our first home as a wedding gift. His mother and father were wonderful people and had Craig, who was an only child, quite late in life.
They were very much in love and after being married for fifty-two years passed away within four months of one another, his father having a massive heart attack after losing Craig’s mum to bone cancer.
That was three and a half years ago. A month after Craig’s father’s funeral, Craig sat me down to discuss something. I thought that it would be what we were going to do about his parent’s home and belongings; what I didn’t expect him to tell me was that he thought he was gay.
To say I was shocked was an understatement. In fact, I was so shocked and unbelieving of what he had just said that I burst out laughing. Afterwards, when I realised that he wasn’t joking, I went through a whole range of emotions and actions.
I cried, I screamed, I shouted, and I also paced up and down and threw a hairbrush and two lipsticks at him. I ordered Craig to leave our home, but he wouldn’t. He kept saying he was sorry, that he didn’t want to hurt me, and that he would always love me, just not as a husband should love his wife.
It took over a week for me to calm down, and at least two months to accept this new development. As I have said previously, Craig and I didn’t have a lot of passion in our relationship. I used to feel like it was because he wasn’t as attracted to me as I was to him.
Craig was tall, fit, and very good looking, with blond hair and baby blue eyes; and he often turned the heads of other women whenever we went out. I, on the other hand, was short, plump, and pear shaped, and although I wasn’t unattractive, my light brown hair and pale freckly skin did make me a little ordinary, although my blue/green eyes were quite pretty.
But, as it turns out, I could have been a playboy model, and it still wouldn’t have made Craig get all fired up and passionate, I just didn’t have the right genitalia to get his motor running.
After six months of coming to terms with Craig’s sexuality, and with divorce proceedings underway, I moved out of our home. We had sold Craig’s parent’s house, and I used some of the money from the sale of that for the rent on a modern apartment near to where I worked, and Craig was happy for me to do that.
My parents owned a B&B on the Costa Blanca in Spain, and although they offered me a room in their home, I wanted to stay in the UK, so I could keep my job as a medical secretary, which I’d had for years.
Craig eventually met a great guy called Jake, and I could see that he was really happy. We finally divorced, and Craig made sure that I had a great settlement, so I was okay, financially. I know some people think that I’m crazy to remain such great friend
s with Craig and his now husband Jake, but I still love him dearly (although now only as a friend), and I adore Jake.
They helped me decorate the shop, and we see one another regularly. Their friendship helped me out a lot when I gave up my job and made the sixty-mile move from the outskirts of Nottingham, where I lived previously, to the little flower shop in Barrowfield, South Yorkshire.
I have made quite a few friends during my time in this village, the new mum, Julia Staithes, being one of them.
Gregor’s Reason - Chapter Two
Chloe
After Julia’s husband, Alex, sent me the text last night to let me know about baby Rory’s safe arrival, he was the first to place the order for Julia’s flowers. Of course, this order also had to include a helium balloon as was customary for the couple, since Julia had first bought Alex one on the day she proposed to him. I don’t know what it was about them that Alex loved so much, but love them he did.
Alex wanted to say thank you to his wife for making him the happiest man on earth, for loving him and making him a father. I suggested red carnations, instead of roses for the flowers, as they were Julia’s favourite. I had also included baby’s breath and various bits of greenery to bring out the red in the bouquet.
Inside the arrangement was a single small heart shaped red and white balloon on a stick which said thank you. The customary helium balloon was white with red lettering that said I love you. Alex wanted this to be all about Julia, as he knew baby Rory would end up spoiled by everyone else. He was right about that.
The next order came from Joshua York and his fiancé Keeley, not ten minutes after Alex sent his text. They requested a blue floral arrangement with an ‘It’s a boy’ helium balloon. Keeley also wanted to send a blue teddy from her daughter Daisy.
Keeley and I were also friends, and I had provided the floral arrangements and fairy lights that decorated the secret garden at Gregor Antonov’s Manor House, where her engagement party was held.
Gregor was next to request an arrangement. Unlike everyone else last night, Gregor’s request came by a phone call. What made this even more special was that Gregor was in Russia at the time, so it was good to hear his voice.
He was flying in today and would be staying at his home in Rothley for at least two months on this visit. I was glad. I had missed the flirty friendship we had going on when he wasn’t around, and I hoped we would get the chance to spend more time together while he was over here.
I first met Gregor when I called over to Rothley Manor to deliver some flowers for Keeley (Gregor’s P.A), who had been staying at the Manor at the time. Gregor took me on a tour around his home and flirted shamelessly while we discussed what type of floral arrangements would suit the rooms in his new home.
I couldn’t believe it when after my tour Gregor had asked if I would go out to dinner with him. I wondered why he was asking someone like me, I mean Gregor is a tall, good looking, sexy Russian billionaire, and I’m just a plain nobody that just happens to own a flower shop.
I will admit to taking much better care of my appearance since I moved to Barrowfield. I kept my hair short and styled in a pixie cut, and it’s a shiny chestnut brown at the moment, instead of the dull brown it once was. I have a healthy tan from all the time I spend outdoors at the flower markets and garden centres. Yet, for all that, and the twice weekly swimming sessions and Zumba class I did, I was still a little too chunky in the hips and thighs, and at nearly thirty-five years old my boobs had started to gravitate in a southerly direction. So why would Gregor be interested in flirting and spending time with me?
For whatever reason, I had been extremely happy about it. Gregor was not only nice to look at, with his short brown hair that had just a few fleck’s of grey in the sides, piercing blue eyes and GQ model looks; but he was also smart, charming, generous to a fault and always treated me with the utmost respect.
Of course, I would have loved him to rip my knickers off and fuck me up against the nearest hard surface whenever we were alone; but that was never going to happen. Unless I suddenly grew a few more inches in height, lost about thirty pounds in weight and got a head transplant. But a girl can dream if nothing else.
Gregor’s bouquet for Alex and Julia was going to be made up of white carnations and deep blue Gerbera’s interspersed with blue Irises. Gregor said he had also bought Julia sapphire and diamond earrings to celebrate the birth and show her how special she was…. Another reason right there why women seem to swoon when in Gregor’s presence.
But for some reason, even though Gregor had all these great qualities, and was more swoon-worthy than a handsome A-list movie star, I found myself wondering just what Gregor’s dark secret was. I suppose with my track record with men anyone would understand my wariness, but there was just something different about Gregor, something that I just couldn’t quite put my finger on…
A Note from the Author
If you enjoyed my book and could spare the time to leave me a review, I would be very grateful. As many authors will tell you, reading a review from someone who has enjoyed your book can really make a difference in your day and has often given me the boost I need to keep me writing.
About the Author
Helen Bright is forty-something, married, and mum of two grown up daughters. She has one grandson who she absolutely adores, and through him is rediscovering her love of singing and dancing along to Disney movies.
She lives in a South Yorkshire village and enjoys walking her two dogs, writing, reading and spending time with her family and friends.
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