‘It’s him, Elena. I guarantee it. Look, I’m on my way, I never should have left you alone. Lock yourself in. Don’t let anyone in. Do you hear me?’
She was paralysed, terrified, as she listened to the sound of footsteps behind her. He was here. She stopped listening to the rest of Ethan’s words as they faded into silence, carried away.
She couldn’t breathe.
‘Hang up the phone Elena, there’s a good girl,’ Adam said behind her.
Ethan heard it too. ‘Elena, who is that? Who’s there?’
‘He’s right here,’ she whispered as Adam’s hand covered hers, prising the phone from her grasp.
‘What? No! Elena… Elena!’ Ethan bellowed down the phone as the call was disconnected.
She turned as the puzzle fell into place. He wanted her dead, and now he had come to finish what he had started. And she had made it so easy.
He looked down at her, a strange smile across his lips. ‘Don’t you know that you should always be sure to close your front door, sweetheart?’ he said as he tucked her phone into his pocket. ‘It’s the first rule of home security. You never know who’s out there, waiting.’
His eyes were disturbingly empty, and the fear of what that meant sent Elena’s body into action.
She pushed him hard and rushed for her door, and was halfway across the room when he grabbed at her arm and gripped it, shoving her back.
‘Not so fast,’ he said as he turned her to face him. ‘I think we need to have a little chat, my darling. Now, I know there are no rules as to how long one waits before throwing themselves at another, but, really, you’ve wasted no time with your little friend down there.’ He wrinkled his nose. ‘A bit disgusting really, don’t you think?’
She stood still in his grasp, trying to get her mind to work. She needed to keep him calm.
He smiled, taking her silence as an admission of guilt. ‘My, my, you have been a busy little girl, haven’t you?’
‘Adam, it’s not like that. He is just a friend, that’s all.’
‘You expect me to believe that?’
‘Yes, I do. It’s the truth.’
‘And just who were you on the phone to, eh? Another one, like him downstairs?’
‘No one.’
He paused, considering what she’d said. ‘Really, then where have you been all this time.’
She didn’t reply.
‘Maybe I should have installed a tracker on your phone when I replaced your old one,’ he mused. ‘Maybe I would have been able to find you sooner, but I really didn’t think it necessary. You are the most predictable person I know, after all. Well, so I thought, but now I’m not so sure.’ He was momentarily lost in thought and then shook his head. ‘But it doesn’t matter now. I really don’t care, and I don’t care if you sleep with the entire male population of London.’
He released his grip enough for her to back away and glance at the door. ‘Adam, why are you here?’
He said nothing, but his eyes remained on hers. He looked like the Adam she knew: his build, the contours of his face, but behind his eyes he was different – a stranger. A stranger who wanted her dead. And it frightened her.
‘Look, I don’t know what you’re planning, or why you’re here, but the police are on their way. I called them when I came up,’ she lied. ‘They’ll be here any minute.’ She truly wished she had.
He stared, assessing her, and shook his head. ‘No, I don’t believe that at all.’
He stepped forwards a little, noticing the space she had managed to create between them. ‘Do you really want to know why I’m here, Lena?’
She nodded, keeping the door in her sights.
‘Well, fine, I’ll share,’ he said. ‘This year has been particularly stressful for me. I’ve made a couple of big deals, but they were risky and one went wrong. Badly wrong. Lost a couple of mil. A shoddy deal, I know that. I rushed it you see? Didn’t think it through.’ He shrugged, pragmatic. ‘Bound to happen in my line of business, but I didn’t need anyone to know about it. So, I made plans. Plans that included you. I decided you were going to help me out with that, one way or another.’ He laughed. ‘And I chose the other.’
‘With the help of Maxim, your new friend?’
He stared. ‘How the fuck do you know about him?’
‘I know a lot of things,’ she said, taking the smallest step away from him. ‘Made it my business to know.’ She didn’t know where she was going with this, she just knew she had to keep him talking.
‘Doesn’t matter, I suppose,’ he said with a small shrug. ‘In fact, it feels good to be able to talk about it. Get it off my chest. So thank you for that.’ He moved closer still. ‘You can’t imagine what a mess everything became when the whole abduction thing went wrong. Those people still wanted their share, and they didn’t take no for an answer. I spent a lot of time and effort to get that money, and lost a lot in the process. Your fault. Again.’ He sighed. ‘Why didn’t you just die?’ he murmured in a low tone, suddenly filled with hatred.
‘What?’ she gasped.
‘It would have been so much easier if you had. Now I have to do it all myself, and that was not part of the plan.’ He tutted and rolled his eyes. ‘So, you’re going to be a good girl and make this easy. For both of us.’
Suddenly, in an action that she didn’t even register, he snapped out his hand around her throat, like a lizard catching a fly.
She let out a strangled cry and scratched at his hands. ‘Don’t you touch me!’
‘What are you going to do, Elena?’ he goaded.
She answered that question by ramming her knee firmly into his groin. He cried out and bucked backwards. ‘You stupid little bitch!’ he yelled as he shoved her hard, making her stumble backwards over the arm of the sofa and onto the floor.
She turned, scooted away and saw him pull out a long plastic box from his jacket pocket, revealing a syringe that was identical to the one used to sedate her before.
‘This is a little stronger than the others,’ he said with a cold stare. ‘Just so you know. You won’t wake up after this one, I’m afraid.’
She cried out and grappled to her feet, rushing for the door. She nearly made it too, but as she reached for the handle to drag it back, his hand reached out from behind and firmly pushed it shut. He wrapped his arms around her forcefully, so that her own were trapped by her sides, leaving her unable to move. He dragged her back, away from the door and freedom.
‘Adam, stop it! Stop it!’
‘Now, it’s time for a little nap, and I’m going to help you with that,’ he said as they shuffled across the room in a strange dance until he managed to turn her to face him and push her against the wall, ramming his arm across her chest.
‘Get your hands off me!’ she screeched as she thrashed and fought to free herself, staring at the dangerous chemicals in his hand.
‘Fuck, just… stop… struggling,’ he panted as he pushed his body against hers and put the cap of the syringe between his teeth, pulling it free.
She stared straight into his eyes, absent of any humanity; absent of any emotion at all. He breathed heavily as he clamped his hand around her chin and forced her head to one side, exposing her neck.
‘No!’
‘Keep fucking still!’ he yelled as he tried to steady his hand, but in the fight and without any proper control of the syringe, he stabbed the needle into her shoulder, making her shriek out with pain and fear. Still unable to get a good hold, he attempted to plunge the liquid into her, to invade her with the poison.
He’s going to do it! He’s going to kill me!
In that moment, a primal force grew within her. The need to survive. She wasn’t going to let this happen again. Memories of everything Ethan had taught her rushed into her mind and, within a second, she hugged her arms close to her body and pushed her hands against him with such force that she managed to propel him away from her. He grunted as he staggered backwards, plucking the syringe from her skin. With no time to t
hink twice, she charged forwards and struck him hard under his chin with the heel of her hand, letting out a loud, shrill cry that merged with his. His head jerked back, and the motion sent him tumbling backwards, cracking his head against the corner of the table before he fell to the floor.
Silence.
He was out cold.
She coughed, gasping for air as she stumbled against the sofa and bent over, resting her hands on her knees. She took a moment to check the damage, holding her hand over the stinging wound. ‘I’m okay,’ she panted. ‘I’m okay.’
She shook her head and snapped into action. She had little time. Reaching down, she fumbled into his pockets and grabbed her phone. The syringe lay by his side, its needle embedded in the carpet, bent and out of shape. She stared. It was half-empty.
She kicked it out of reach even though it was useless now, and dialled the emergency services.
Hurry.
She pressed the panic button and hit the buzzer to release the main front door. She hauled open her own and launched herself out into the corridor, hurrying to her neighbour’s apartment. Hammering on their door, she yelled for help as the first sensations of wooziness started to take hold.
No reply.
She banged repeatedly, glancing back at her apartment and began to cry. ‘Please. Answer the door.’
Still no reply. With no other option, and having to use the wall for support, she stumbled to the top of the stairs. Got to get down. Got to get outside. Ethan.
The stairs swayed and danced before her eyes as her legs trembled with the effort of keeping her upright. ‘Come on,’ she cried. ‘Get out of here.’
A faint voice. She looked down at the phone in her hand. Emergency services.
‘Hello.’
Her legs gave up the fight, and she collapsed to her knees. ‘Somebody please, help me,’ she said as she held on to the bannister. She wasn’t going anywhere.
Events began to blur; hazy, snippets of actions that didn’t splice together. Another quiet voice, but when she looked down at her hand, her phone was gone.
‘Hello,’ she said again as the sound of plastic and glass splintering against the floor below rushed through the silence. That, and the sound of him behind her.
‘What’s the matter, Leens?’ he asked. ‘You look a little unsteady on your feet there.’
She turned to face him, slowly, giddy from the drug.
Very much awake now, he stood by her apartment door, a small trickle of blood running down his face. He watched with amusement as her body processed the drug.
‘You murdering bastard,’ she hissed as she gripped the bannister.
Closer now, he crouched behind her. ‘Let’s go back inside, shall we? Get you more comfortable.’
She wrestled uselessly and was easily overpowered. ‘You won’t get away with this,’ she cried.
‘Oh, Elena. You’re such a cliché,’ he said. ‘And I don’t see anyone here to stop me. Do you?’
She looked to the stairs. ‘He’s coming. He’s coming…’
Stay awake. Don’t let him win.
‘Who’s coming, Elena? Who is this imaginary person?’ Adam said with a chuckle as he tucked his arms under hers and pulled her back to the privacy of her apartment.
‘No, Adam, no,’ she sobbed, weakly bucking against his hold.
The hinge of the heavy front door downstairs squealed as it was thrown open, a distinctive sound, and it brought Elena back to the present. Ethan’s voice echoed through the hallway as he frantically called her name, a sound that mingled with footsteps climbing the stairs.
She began to fight. ‘Ethan.’
‘ELENA!’ he bellowed as he reached the top of the stairs and rushed towards them.
Adam hurried along the corridor, but Ethan was quicker and grabbed hold of him, dragging him away from her.
‘What the hell have you done?’ Ethan growled, his voice laced with fury.
‘This little whore is getting what she deserves.’
Through a haze, she steadied herself and watched as Ethan knocked Adam down with one blow. He straddled him, holding him by his collar to deliver three hard blows to his face until his head lolled backwards, unconscious.
Releasing him, Ethan rushed to Elena as she attempted to stand.
‘Elena, I’m here,’ he said as his panicked eyes scanned over her. ‘Jesus, what did he do?’
The room spun. ‘He’s injected me with something. I don’t know what it is. I’m frightened, Ethan. I don’t want to die.’
‘You’re not going anywhere,’ he said holding her close as she slumped against him. He pulled out his phone and began to dial. ‘Where’s the syringe?’
She waved her hand in the direction of her apartment as her legs buckled beneath her again, the pull of unconsciousness starting to win.
‘No, no, no,’ he ordered gently as he wrapped his arm tighter around her. ‘Stay with me.’
He shifted his arm to gently cradle her as he kneeled down. ‘I need an ambulance,’ he demanded. ‘My girlfriend, she’s been attacked. She’s been injected with something.’ His voice echoed in the hallway. ‘She’s losing consciousness.’
His words rolled through her blurred mind. Girlfriend.
‘Well, where is it? We need it right now.’ He stopped and listened, taking instruction. ‘Yes, okay, okay. I’m keeping her still. She’s still awake, yes, but only just. Jesus, just hurry,’ he said. ‘She doesn’t look good at all.’
Sirens in the distance.
‘Hold on, Elena, hold on,’ he whispered in her ear as he pulled her close. ‘Stay with me; they’re coming. Just stay with me.’ His hands brushed over her face, smoothing away her hair, and she was aware of how warm they were. How warm they always were. But they were trembling too and it confirmed her worst fears.
It was no good; Adam had won. She mourned the bad timing of it all. She had so nearly found happiness, found a meaningful connection with someone, but just as she’d grasped at it, it had slipped through her fingers, like sand. If she had the energy, she would’ve sobbed at the loss of it. Instead, all her body managed to do was to allow a few tears to slip from her eyes as they fluttered and closed.
‘Elena, open your eyes. Look at me,’ Ethan demanded softly.
She wanted to look at him, she wanted his face to be the last thing she would see, but the weight of her eyelids were too heavy.
More footsteps thundered up the stairs, just like before when she was a survivor, and not as the ghost she was becoming – one foot in this world and one in another – lying in the arms of the man she loved, in the corridor of her apartment building.
Other voices mingled with Ethan’s hoarse demands, and someone said her name, talking to her, trying to bring her back to the world she was clinging to by a fine silvery thread.
Something sharp stung her arm, but it was meaningless as the blackness surrounded her like a warm blanket.
Chapter 29
The rhythmic beep of a machine swirled in Elena’s mind. Distant at first, it became louder, clearer as she came to. Opening her eyes, her vision cleared to the sun shining, gloriously. It never let her down. It stood by her, bringing her round, waking her up; it was her symbolism of hope and the living world.
Her body was heavy but comfortable, laid out under warm sheets and blankets. The only part of her that suffered from any discomfort was her shoulder, which ached when she attempted to move. The action set off a flash of memory. Someone standing above her. A doctor, talking to her with a sense of urgency, asking her to open her eyes, encouraging her to wake.
It didn’t matter now. She was alive and seemingly in command of her senses too, with no apparent disablement from the drug in the syringe. She couldn’t help giving thanks to an unknown being for allowing her to survive her ordeal.
She glanced around. Another hospital room. For a moment, she worried that she was back at the hospital just after her release and all that had happened since had been a dream. But as she registered the sen
sation of her hand encircled by another, a warm hand, it proved that was not the case at all.
A monitor was by her side, and a drip fed into her arm. But all of that was secondary, irrelevant, as the sight she focused on completely was the man sleeping close by. At the side of her bed, with one hand wrapped around hers and his head resting in the crook of his other arm, was Ethan. The dark circles that underlined his eyes and the full stubble indicated that he hadn’t left her side. She reached out and caressed his hair, delighting in the softness of it under her touch, her senses bright and sharp. Alive.
He jumped and blinked his eyes into wakefulness and looked straight at her.
She smiled. ‘Hello, Ethan.’
‘Elena,’ he gasped as he kicked back the chair and hurried closer. He cradled her face with both hands. ‘You came back to me,’ he breathed. ‘You came back.’
With reverence, he repeated her name and kissed her eyelids, her cheeks, her forehead and nose, before placing a soft, gentle kiss on her lips.
He strode to the door and called for the nurse before returning to her side. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he rested his forehead against hers. ‘I thought I’d lost you, Elena,’ he murmured, his voice deep and raw. ‘It was the worst moment of my life, and there was nothing I could do about it.’
He disappeared into the memory.
She held him close and ran her fingers through his hair. ‘It’s okay, I’m here,’ she said. Her eyes brimmed with tears, but she fought them. They had no place here because this was a new beginning that would never be taken for granted. They were together, and that was all that mattered.
Their quiet reunion was broken by a nurse entering the room. ‘Hello, Elena,’ she said as she strode quickly over to her. ‘We’re very glad to see you’re awake. How are you feeling?’ she asked with a kind smile as she took Elena’s pulse.
‘I feel good. Very woozy, but good,’ Elena said as she kept her eyes on Ethan.
‘Any pain or discomfort?’
‘No, not really. My shoulder is a little sore, but that’s it.’
‘We’ll get the doctor to check you over, but you certainly have the colour back in your cheeks, and your pulse is strong. That’s very good news considering your condition when you arrived.’
When I Know Your Name Page 26