Flame

by Toya Richardson

  ‘Hi, sorry about that.’

  ‘You’re supposed to be resting.’ He chastised her gently.

  ‘I am, but I still need to keep my finger on the pulse. Besides, it’s not fair to leave Simon to do all the work.’

  ‘I’m just keeping an eye out. That’s what friends are for, to make sure everything is okay.’ He emphasised the word ‘friends’ quite firmly. Friends didn’t seem to be a fitting description, although Amberley would keep telling herself it was… until she believed it.

  She planted a confident smile on her face. ‘Come on then, let’s get going.’

  As she locked the door, she saw a man in the distance with a camera pointed directly at them. Her brow furrowed. When he saw her looking, he began to take pictures of the general area.

  ‘Is something the matter?’ Greg asked her, his eyes following her line of sight.

  ‘Did you see that man just now with his camera?’

  ‘What about him?’

  ‘I’m sure he was taking pictures of us.’

  ‘Did he look like Steve?’

  She frowned and shook he head. ‘No, he was a lot bigger. Steve was a keep fit fanatic, always concerned about appearance. I’m seeing the bad guy wherever I look now.’ She shook her head.

  Greg laughed and put an arm round her. ‘It’s the tourist season, he’s probably taking pretty pictures to show everyone when he gets home.’

  ‘I’m sure you’re right.’ However, as she said the words she wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince.

  ***

  As they approached the beach, Amberley could hear the sound of music and people laughing. She stood rooted to the spot. Greg looked at her questioningly.

  ‘What’s the matter now?’ he replied, trying not to let his exasperation show.

  ‘I’m not so sure this is a good idea. Maybe I should meet them all some other time.’

  ‘Why? This is the perfect opportunity, relaxed and informal.’

  ‘I haven’t socialised for so long, I don’t know if I’m up to it.’

  ‘Don’t be silly! You are such a confident person. This should be a walk in the park for you.’

  ‘Greg, you don’t understand - because of my job, I haven’t had time to make real friends. I lost contact with the ones I made at school and college once I started work.’ Taking a deep breath she continued, ‘work took over my whole life. I don’t have close friends, plenty of business acquaintances, but they aren’t real mates. They’d stab you in the back if it meant furthering their own careers.’

  He stood still, waiting for her to finish.

  Running her fingers through her hair, she looked down at her feet. ‘What I’m trying to say is that I am as nervous as hell about meeting your friends. I’m shy, Greg, extremely shy. I put on an act when it’s business but socially I’m useless.’

  Looking down at her feet again, she kicked nervously at the sand.

  He took her face in his hands. ‘This is exactly the reason why you should go. No one knows you here, so you can be yourself. Your secret is safe with me.’

  She smiled hesitantly at him. ‘You’re right, I can do this. If I make a complete fool of myself, I can hide away, never to be seen again.’

  He laughed. ‘You’ll be fine,’ he said, taking her hand and leading her towards the beach.

  ‘Finally! I was just sending out a search party to see where you were.’

  They looked up at the sound of Keith’s voice. He strode up to Amberley and grabbed her in a hug. ‘Come on! There are people dying to meet you.’

  Before Amberley could protest, he took her firmly by the hand and led her towards the music. She could see around twenty people, including children; the adults were all around her age group. She broke out in a cold sweat and swallowed hard, wishing she were anywhere else but there.

  ‘Hey guys, this is Amberley.’ Keith spoke loud enough for the whole beach to hear.

  Everyone went silent and stared at her. Amberley prayed for the ground to open up and swallow her.

  ‘Subtle as usual, Keith! You could give lessons on how to embarrass people. Hi, Amberley, I’m Chrissie, Keith’s much better half and I’m really pleased to meet you. Tell you what – I’ll make the introductions. You can’t trust a man to get anything right,’ said Chrissie as she glared at him.

  Amberley was glad Chrissie had taken her under her wing. She was open and friendly, making it easier to meet Greg’s friends, most of whom were welcoming but she did observe two of the women eyeing her cautiously.

  Chrissie spotted them too and whispered to Amberley, ‘They both have a ‘thing’ for Greg – have done since college. Take no notice of them.’

  Amberley watched Greg chatting easily with a group of people. He certainly was popular.

  ‘Greg’s a great guy isn’t he?’ Chrissie smiled, as Amberley carried on looking at him. ‘He’d do anything for anyone; one of life’s good guys.’

  Greg felt someone watching and he glanced towards Amberley. For someone who claimed to be bad in social gatherings, she was doing remarkably well. He smiled; happy that she was feeling so relaxed around his friends.

  ***

  After speaking with everyone, Amberley excused herself and went to dip her toes in the cold water, which was invigorating and reminded her she was alive. Looking off in to the distance, she was certain she could see the same man with the digital camera. She laughed at herself, maybe Greg was right and perhaps she was paranoid. She felt a hand lightly touch her on the shoulder.

  ‘Are you having fun?’

  She turned to look up at Greg through her lashes. His blue eyes were studying her as though he was reading her very thoughts.

  ‘Yes, more than I thought I would. They’re a great bunch, you’re very lucky to have such good friends.’

  ‘I hear Chrissie has already invited you out with the girls one night. She’s a great judge of character; she wouldn’t have done that unless she genuinely liked you.’

  ‘Hey, Greg, Emma’s arrived.’ Keith shouted down to them.

  Amberley saw Greg’s face light up and felt troubled for some reason. She thought back to what Keith had said at the museum. Perhaps Emma was the name he was saying when he stopped.

  ‘Excuse me, Amberley, I just have to see an old friend.’ He hurried off.

  Slowly, Amberley made her way back to the group and her heart sank. Emma was a stunning, blonde-haired beauty with a perfect ten figure. Amberley felt shabby in her presence. She watched in despair as Greg lifted Emma up, swung her around and kissed her.

  Her teeth bit the inside of her cheek until it bled, trying to focus on not sobbing like a baby. Repeatedly she had attempted to convince herself, and him, that they were just mates, but her feelings and emotions told her otherwise. She had no claim on him; she had been the one to push him away. He was only a friend and if he wanted a relationship with someone else, then he had every right to. Greg walked towards her with Emma hanging on his arm. Amberley put her best corporate smile on her face and waited for them to draw near.

  ‘Amberley, this is Emma, we’ve known each other since I lived in Australia.’

  ‘Hi, Amberley, pleased to meet you.’

  Emma held Amberley in a warm embrace and smiled at her. She had a beautiful, open and friendly face. It was hard not to like her.

  ‘Good to meet you too, Emma.’

  ‘Greg tells me you’ve known each other since you were kids. I think that’s so sweet.’ She smiled at Greg.

  ‘Yes, we used to have some fun times. It has been great to meet up with him after so long.’

  Talking to Emma was easier than she’d expected, although the way Greg kept looking at her made Amberley feel that she was missing something.

  ‘I’m sure you two have lots to catch up on,’ she said, eventually. ‘I’d better go. I promised Keith a dance,’ she rolled her eyes.

  She danced with Keith and a few of Greg’s other mates but she found it hard to concentrate on making conversation. Her
eyes kept moving to Greg and Emma. She felt empty inside. They hadn’t left each other’s sides since Emma’s arrival.

  It was in that moment of clarity that she realised she was fooling herself about her feelings for him. She was in love with him – pure and simple. She wanted more, but watching the two of them interact she knew her chance had gone. There was a bond between Greg and Emma and she could do nothing about it. The light was fading. It was seven o’clock. Thunder rumbled off into the distance. Amberley walked over to Greg and Emma.

  ‘Sorry to interrupt,’ she said, ‘but I need to be getting back.’

  ‘I’ll walk you home.’ Greg offered.

  ‘No, don’t be silly. You and Emma have a lot of catching up to do. You stay here; I can walk back along the beach. Nice to meet you, Emma, hope to see you again soon.’

  ‘Cool, as long as you’re sure…’ said Greg distractedly.

  Amberley wanted to cry; part of her was hoping he would walk her home, that he would protest that she might be in danger from Steve and want to protect her.

  ‘I’m positive,’ was all she said.

  ‘Okay, I’ll catch up with you later,’ he said, as he continued his conversation with Emma.

  She said goodbye to everyone and walked slowly to the shoreline. Her head was bowed in resignation. She had lost Greg and she only had herself to blame.

  ***

  Walking back to the village path, the bitter sting of tears pricked at Amberley’s eyes. If she kept seeing him, she wasn’t certain she could hold it together. Trying to bury her feelings for him would not work anymore. It was stupid, she loved him and that fact would never change. The thunder rumbled louder, followed by bright flashes of lightning. Rain began to fall heavily. She was soaked to the skin within minutes but too numb to care.

  The silence between the thunderclaps was loud in her ears. Suddenly, a hand gripped her arm. She yelped in pain and turned around. It was Steve. The colour drained from her face.

  ‘You’re hurting my arm, let me go.’

  ‘Not until you’ve told me what the hell is going on.’

  She noted his eyes were wild and his teeth bared in anger. She cursed silently for leaving without Greg; she had now put herself in danger. He squeezed her arm tighter. She attempted to prise his arm from hers. He grabbed her other arm.

  ‘Ouch, stop it.’

  ‘I know you’ve got another bloke in tow. I have the photographic evidence to prove it.’

  ‘No I haven’t, he’s a friend.’

  ‘Liar! You’re coming with me!’ He started to drag her from the beach.

  She dug her feet deeply into the sand in an attempt to pull away from him. She screamed loudly, but the thunder drowned out her cries. She pulled one of his hands towards her mouth and bit down on it as hard as she could.

  ‘You bitch, you’ll pay for that!’

  He raised his hand to strike her. The thunder slowed and she heard her name. Amberley looked back to see Greg running full pelt towards them. She struggled against Steve’s grip and screamed until her throat hurt.

  Steve threw her to the ground. ‘You haven’t heard the last of this.’

  He ran in the opposite direction to Greg, leaving her sobbing on the path. She sat up and rubbed at her arm, the bruises were already beginning to come out.

  Then Greg was there, he knelt down and held her to him. ‘Amberley, are you hurt?’

  She was still sobbing and her throat hurt too much to speak so she shook her head slowly.

  ‘I’d better get you back to the village. Can you walk? I need to get you home as soon as possible.’

  She nodded.

  He helped her up, held her gently but firmly by the waist, and led her back to the safety of the village. She was grateful for the heat and strength of his body. She looked over her shoulder once, afraid that Steve would come after them.

  ‘It’s okay, he’ll be long gone by now. Bloody coward! Let’s get you into the warm. Then I’ll call the police.’

  On reaching the cottage, Greg let them in through the front door and locked it behind them. He pulled out his phone, called the Police and then put the kettle on.

  ‘You go upstairs and get changed,’ he instructed her. ‘I’ll deal with the police.’

  ‘What… what about you?’ she stuttered, through her chattering teeth. ‘You’re soaked too.’

  ‘I’ll sort myself out in a minute. Go on, don’t worry about me.’ He smiled reassuringly at her.

  Before going up, she went through into the living room and up to the front door. Something didn’t feel right. Her gaze fell to the letterbox. There was a padded envelope stuck in it. Pulling the packet from the box, she studied it. There was a typed sticker on the front with her details on it. She shook it and it rattled. Her curiosity piqued, she opened it and stuck her hand inside. Something sharp pricked her fingers. She yelped in pain and pulled her hand from the envelope.

  Greg appeared from the kitchen.

  ‘Oh my God, look at your fingers, they’re bleeding.’

  She stared in horror at the tips of her fingers, watching as the blood dripped to the floor.

  Her mouth opened in a soundless scream. The contents of the packet fell to the floor. There were shards of glass and along with them, pictures of Greg and her together. There was a typed note inside that stated simply. ‘You will pay for your betrayal!’

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  While they waited for the police to arrive, Greg had bathed Amberley’s fingertips; the cuts were only superficial and wouldn’t require stitches. He had also taken pictures of the wounds and bruises to give to the police, with her digital camera. With this new development, there had not been time for her to change out of her wet clothes and so she sat and shivered whilst Greg kept an arm round her shoulder, stroking it absently. A car pulled up outside and she went to get up.

  ‘You stay there. I’ll let them in.’

  She managed to keep calm while she gave details of what had happened on the beach, and was about to sign her statement, when she recalled something.

  ‘I almost forgot,’ she said, pausing, ‘I’ve seen a man on at least a couple of occasions taking photographs. He didn’t look like Mr Jackson. It may be nothing but I’m not sure.’ Her brows knitted together in concentration.

  ‘It could be a vital piece of evidence, Miss Masterson. Mr Jackson may have hired the services of a private detective. That person may be an unwitting accomplice in all this.’

  ‘Would someone really go to all those lengths, officer?’ Greg asked him.

  ‘He appears to be a fairly desperate man, so anything is possible.’

  After the officers had gone, Amberley looked at Greg. ‘I’d better call Simon,’ her voice was barely audible.

  ‘Do you want me to? I really think you need to change, your lips are blue with cold.’

  He sat back down next to her. ‘Why don’t you go and have a bath and I’ll call him? You can speak to him later on, plus it will give you a bit of space after what’s happened.’

  She smiled gratefully at him. ‘Would you mind? If he speaks to me, he will want to come running down here and I don’t think that fair on Sarah or him. I will survive; I’m stronger than he thinks.’

  After running a steaming, hot bath, Amberley lowered herself into it. Grateful for the warmth after feeling so cold and numb, she relaxed her aching muscles. Her fingertips ached but that would pass, although she was certain her latest encounter with Steve would give her nightmares for weeks to come. She tried not to think about the ‘what ifs’ if Greg had not shown up.

  There was a light tap at the bathroom door.

  ‘I’m going home to get changed, then I’ll be right back.’

  ‘You don’t have to do that, Greg, I’ll be okay.’

  ‘Sorry but unless you want Simon chasing down here, that’s the deal. I will be staying here for a few days.’

  ‘But…’

  ‘No buts, Amberley.’

  She was too tired to argue a
nd so she sighed resignedly.

  ‘All right… thanks.’

  She heard him go out of the front door and began to wonder what Emma would have to say about this. Perhaps she should invite her to stay too. As much as Amberley would love to have Greg to herself, she wouldn’t be so cruel as to keep Emma away from him.

  By the time Greg returned, Amberley was in the kitchen attempting to make a chicken stir-fry. He stood in the doorway, watching her.

  ‘Hey, I could have done that for you.’

  ‘I’m not that much of an invalid and anyway, it keeps my mind busy.’

  They ate in silence. Amberley was too weary even to attempt at small talk. The day’s events had drained her. Once in the living room, she sat on the sofa and drew her knees in under her chin, hugging them tightly. She watched as Greg wrote something on a pad.

  ‘What are you doing?’ she asked.

  ‘Making some notes to take to the bank.’

  ‘Here,’ she said, holding out her hand, ‘let me see please.’

  ‘You’re tired; you don’t want to bother about this.’

  ‘I’m a workaholic remember? Plus, I need to keep my mind busy at the moment.’

  He moved closer to her, making her very conscious of his presence. Taking the notepad from him, she began to read through his notes.

  She was aware of him staring intently at her. She felt dizzy; maybe having him staying with her wasn’t the best idea.

  ‘These are good concepts,’ she said looking up at him after a while. ‘You should be in the advertising business.’

  The tops of her fingers began to throb; she ran one finger over the top of them.

  ‘Ouch.’ She had rubbed a little too hard, causing one of them to bleed.

  Greg got some warm water and cotton wool and took the offending finger in his hand.

  ‘Here, let me see to this.’

  Gently he cleaned the blood away, although by this time she had forgotten all about the pain. He sat so close that the heat of his thigh brushed against hers. The tenderness with which he bathed her hand, and the touch of his flesh against hers, fired up her desire for him. Desire, which she thought she had buried deeply. Looking up, her eyes connected with his. She watched as he swallowed hard, his breathing uneven. Slowly she exhaled the breath she had been holding.