‘And what was that?’ Elena asked.
‘Very poorly indeed. Thankfully, the paramedics brought the syringe with them, so the doctors tested for the drug and gave you something they hoped would counteract it, but it was touch and go. We could only watch and wait and hope it was enough.’
‘Well, I’m so grateful to all of them,’ she said before pointing to the drip in her arm. ‘What’s this for?’
‘That’s to hydrate you,’ the nurse said. ‘It’ll help to clear your system of toxins. Now, take your time to properly come round, and if you need it there’s a bowl here if you get a little queasy. I’ll give you a minute and go and notify the doctor.’ She updated the notes and looked to Elena again. ‘Would you like me to notify your parents?’
‘Yes, I suppose,’ Elena said. ‘But please keep them away for a while. I need some space to be with Ethan.’
‘No problem,’ she said and directed her gaze to Ethan too. As she did, the warmth in her face receded. It was only for a moment, but Elena caught it. The nurse said nothing more and left, leaving them alone again.
‘Ethan,’ Elena asked. ‘What did you do, because if looks could kill ...’
He looked at her sheepishly as he ran his hand through his hair. ‘Fine, I admit, I may have been a little overbearing with the medical team when they brought you in.’ He brushed his thumb over her hand. ‘I may have been… a little overprotective.’
Saying nothing, she let her weak smile tease the answer out of him.
‘Okay, so I went into full military mode,’ he said as he took her hand and kissed it. ‘I backed off instantly when I realised, but the damage was done, hence the evil stare.’
She reached out to take his hand, but the motion made nausea swell in the pit of her stomach. ‘Oh,’ she sighed and pressed her hand over her abdomen, waiting for the queasiness to pass.
Alarmed, he moved to stand. ‘What’s going on? Shall I get the nurse?’
‘It’s fine,’ she said as she tugged him back. ‘It’s just a bit of nausea, that’s all. I’m alive; I can easily cope with a bit of sickness.’ She stroked his arm. ‘I’m okay, thanks to you. You saved me. Again.’
He shook his head. ‘I got there in the end, but it was you who did the rest. They told me that an ambulance and the police were already on their way when I made my call. You’d managed to activate the panic button and dial for the emergency services. The doctors told me that those few extra minutes probably saved your life.’
‘Yes, I remember making the call, but after that things are hazy.’ She pulled herself back from the memories. ‘How long was I out for?’
He checked his watch. ‘14 hours, 45 minutes and 37 seconds.’
‘That’s very specific,’ she said as a smile crept across her lips.
He shrugged. ‘I can’t guarantee the seconds, I’m not going to lie, but it was hell on earth waiting, and I never want to go through that again.’
‘You don’t have to,’ she said warmly. ‘Where’s Adam, now?’
‘He was treated at the scene and then arrested. He deserves to be six feet under, but I guess prison is the next best thing.’
‘I guess the police will want to see me too.’
‘They will, but I told them they can wait until you’re stronger.’
She nodded, relieved that there would be no more questions to answer, just yet. ‘Ethan, what happened at yours? When I called you, you already knew it was Adam. How?’
He frowned. ‘I finally accessed the encrypted document. It had everything on it, Elena. Details of the abduction – dates, times, the venue. Information he’d put together. Photos of you plastered all over it. Times of when you went out, times you came home. When you were alone, and when you were with him or friends. There were details of an off-shore bank account. It was empty, and from what I could make out, never had any deposit. The bank account was set up one month before your abduction and closed the day after your release. The most terrifying document was an invoice for a sedative – two vials of the stuff.’
‘And nothing of you in there? Nothing to incriminate you?’
‘No, nothing. Adam was in the dark about me, but that also meant I was in the dark about him. When I finally found out, it was clearly too late. He was already there, with you.’
She held his hand tightly. ‘Adam would have found his moment, and if it wasn’t for you, there would have been no one to stop him.’
With a long exhale, he continued. ‘There has never been a man so ready to destroy another human being as I was when I knew he was there with you. And when I got there and saw what he was doing, I didn’t need any more motivation to knock him out. I could have done so much more. I really could. It was only you that stopped me.’
‘I’m glad you hurt him,’ she said, an obscure and black satisfaction blooming inside her. ‘I hope he rots in hell.’
‘I know,’ Ethan said. ‘But prison will have to do.’
She wished it was enough.
‘How will the police know about it, if it’s encrypted?’
‘Already thought of that,’ he said. ‘All the information has been passed to McAllister, anonymously. He’ll deal with it. Adam may be able to afford a firecracker of a defence lawyer for his involvement in your abduction, but there’s no denying that he went to your apartment and injected you with a powerful sedative, enough to finish you off. That’s attempted murder, and holds a significant term at Her Majesty’s pleasure.’
‘I’m so glad about that.’ She sighed. ‘How did I not see it? His contempt for me, enough to want to hurt me? The signs must have been there?’
He laid his hand over hers. ‘You can’t blame yourself. He fooled everyone. He’d lost everything. He was penniless, the bailiffs were coming for his apartment. He wanted revenge and had nothing more to lose. The doctors told me that this particular drug doesn’t leave a trace once it’s been metabolised by your system, so apart from the puncture wound on your neck, there would have been no other evidence. If things had gone his way, he’d have had plenty of time to cover his tracks and make sure nothing would place him at the scene. Who knows what was going through his mind, but he’d certainly thought it through.’
‘That’s just horrible,’ she whispered, her voice hoarse as tears threatened.
‘I know, but it’s over now. You’re safe.’
‘And Maxim? He’s not going to snitch?’
‘No. Like I said, I’ve got enough dirt to bury him. He’ll leave me alone, and he’s got so many people in his pocket, including the police, no one will go after him.’
She tensed again, remembering someone very important. ‘Oh God. Jack?’ she cried. ‘I forgot about Jack. Is he okay?’ she said as she gripped Ethan’s hand. ‘Tell me he’s okay.’
Ethan hushed her gently. ‘He’s fine, Elena. Absolutely fine,’ he said with a smile. ‘He’s been checked out and is back at home. Apart from a black eye and feeling terrible at having been caught out like that, he’s good.’
‘You didn’t blame him?’ she asked nervously, well aware that in his anger he’d have been capable of it. ‘It was moments, just moments that we were apart. It wasn’t his fault.’
He smiled. ‘Don’t worry. You’ll see him later, when we get out of here. But I’ll call him, he’ll be glad to know you’re awake.’
She nodded and smiled, relaxed a little. ‘Adam assumed Jack was my new man,’ she said. ‘He had no idea about you though.’
‘Well, he found out about me soon enough,’ Ethan said with a dark smile.
‘He did indeed.’ She squeezed his hand. ‘And Milo and my uncle? What are we going to do about them?’
He shrugged. ‘Well, I can’t find anything more on your uncle and his need for a loan, but that’s his problem. And your brother, well, he’s a grown-up, and not a very nice one at that. He’s made his bed. It’s up to the police what they do next, but we don’t need to be involved anymore. I’m guessing his employers, at the very least, will want to know where the
money has gone though, so I’m sure he’ll get what’s coming to him.’ He glanced at her. ‘Your relationship is probably well and truly fucked though.’
‘I’ll cope.’
He smoothed the frown from her forehead. ‘You need to rest. You look tired.’
‘I don’t want to rest yet,’ she said. ‘I want to know what happens next.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Between us.’
He leant forwards and brushed loose strands of hair over her shoulder. ‘Elena, I’m not going anywhere. And neither are you. My feelings haven’t changed, and they never will. And by the way you’re looking at me, I think you feel the same.’
‘I do. You fought for me in a way that no one has ever done, and it means everything.’ She brought his face close to hers and kissed him gently. ‘But I don’t know how to step back into my old life again. I’m a different person now. I want different things. Is that crazy?’
‘No, that’s not crazy. You were caught up in a game, and you came out fighting. It has changed you, but you’re strong and you’re a survivor.’ He moved closer. ‘But I can take you away from it all, if you’d like? We can start again somewhere new, without our history dragging along. Can you do that?’
‘Yes, I think I can. I’m sure there are other museums in the world that need people like me. And wherever we go Charlotte and the others can visit as much as they want. Everything else is irrelevant.’
He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it, his eyes firmly on hers. ‘You’re sure?’
‘Completely. I never want this crazy passion I feel for you to end.’
‘Well, that’s good to hear,’ he said, amused. ‘I’ll take crazy passion any day of the week.’
He pulled her close as his lips met hers, soft and warm, igniting the fire again.
They eventually pulled apart but remained close, unable to break the contact.
‘I do have one request though,’ she said after a moment.
‘What’s that?’
‘Take me to France,’ she said. ‘Take me to meet your brother. I’d like that a lot.’
He smiled and kissed her again. ‘That, sweetheart, is a deal.’
There was a knock on the door that broke their quiet moment and it startled her. Old habits. She laughed. ‘Come in.’
Charlotte walked in, and her eyes widened as they fell on Ethan.
Poor Charlotte. Elena understood how it was to meet Ethan for the first time, and she pitied her friend who was so unprepared for it.
Charlotte turned her focus to Elena and walked straight to her, perching on the side of the bed, carefully managing to hug her.
‘Thank goodness you’re all right,’ she whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks. ‘I was so scared. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you. I’m just so thankful you’re okay.’
‘I am,’ Elena said as she hugged Charlotte back. ‘Because of him.’
Charlotte looked straight at Ethan, the mistrust in her eyes. ‘I suppose I should thank you.’
He smiled, unfazed. ‘I appreciate that, but I’d prefer it if you could find a way to deal with this situation and not let it destroy your friendship, because whether you like it or not, I’m not going away.’
Charlotte looked at Elena.
‘He’s staying in my life,’ she said, confirming it. ‘I want to be with him too.’
Charlotte tutted and crossed her arms.
‘I know you don’t like it, but this is my choice, Charlotte.’ She reached out and took her hand. ‘But I need you too. I don’t want to lose you or fight with you.’
Charlotte weakened, and smiled. ‘I’m not going anywhere either.’
‘I’m glad,’ Elena replied. ‘But I need you to be able to deal with it. Can you?’
She looked at Ethan and seemed to be summing him up. ‘I suppose I will always be grateful that you got to her when you did. It shows you won’t harm her.’
He nodded. ‘That’s the last thing I want to do.’
‘And maybe one day you can share the truth about how you two met?’ Charlotte said, turning her attention back to Elena.
‘There’s plenty of time for that,’ Elena said, knowing that a heavily edited version of events would need to be hashed together before she would do that. But that was something for another day. She reached out to take a hand of both of them. ‘And who knows, one day you might get along?’
‘Don’t count on it,’ Charlotte said before Ethan had his chance to charm her, but there was humour in her voice and a glint in her eye that gave Elena hope.
It wasn’t long before Elena was ready to be alone with Ethan again. She only had to rub her forehead a few times before Charlotte got the hint and made her excuses to leave.
‘Is this really the end of it,’ she asked once they were alone.
‘It is,’ he said. ‘It’s over. I’ve found all I can relating to your abduction.’
‘Even those unexplained dates?’
‘Yes, I dug a little deeper and found a reference to your initials – E.C.D. I think he kept those dates because of the fact that he remembered you being friends with his daughter. It probably piqued his interest, that’s all.’
Elena’s stomach lurched, and this time she fought the urge to vomit. ‘E.C.D. You’re sure that’s what you saw? Those specific initials.’
‘Yes, your initials, right?’ he asked. ‘Although I didn’t think you had a middle name. Maybe you’d care to share?’
She said nothing, lost in her thoughts as she gripped the blanket, hidden from view.
‘Elena?’ he said gently. ‘They are your initials, right?’
‘Sorry, what?’ she said vaguely and then smiled, snapping her focus back to Ethan. ‘I don’t know what he was thinking. That was sloppy. Letting that information slip for people like you to find.’
Ethan looked at her, perhaps trying to read her, and Elena moved her gaze towards the window. She needed time to process this new information. About her, her abduction, and the impact it had made. She calmed her breathing and let this new jigsaw piece fall into place.
He gently brushed his finger over her cheek. ‘Hey, relax,’ he said. ‘I can see your mind racing but believe me, it is over.’
‘I wish it was,’ she whispered.
He squeezed her hand.
‘I’m fine, honestly,’ she said reassuringly. ‘It’s a cliché, but I think I just need closure. I need to put this all behind me.’
‘You will. Give it time.’
She nodded, thoughtful. ‘Will you help me with that?’
‘I will do whatever you want me to. I am at your command.’
She smiled. ‘That’s very good to know. Maybe you could start with a double espresso, if I’m allowed? Kick start the removal of the sedative from my system.’
He laughed. ‘I’m on it.’
With Ethan gone and in the silence of the room, her mind raced. Adam’s part was done. He would now pay for his crime. The other, the lynchpin of her pain, was for her to deal with.
She needed to heal, and she would do whatever it took to make that happen.
Chapter 30
‘You know you don’t have to do this,’ Ethan said as he pulled up outside the building that stood amongst scrubby wasteland. ‘It’s only been a month since you were released from hospital.’ He switched off the engine and faced her. ‘Is this really necessary?’
Elena glanced out of the window and then to Ethan. ‘Yes, it is. It’s something I have to do. I need to see this place again, now that I’m free.’ Her face twitched into a nervous smile. ‘It was the place of my abduction, and I can’t have it lingering in my nightmares anymore. A place of horror and fear.’
He nodded. ‘Well, let me come with you at least. We can do it together.’
‘No, Ethan,’ she said quickly. ‘Thanks, I really appreciate your support, but I need to do this by myself. I need to say goodbye to this part of my life, and I’ve got my phone right here if I need you.’
He studied her for a momen
t. ‘I get it,’ he said and leant forward to kiss her. ‘But I’m right outside. I’m right here.’
She reached to touch his face. ‘I know you are.’
She shut the car door and walked determinedly to the building, taking in her surroundings. An area of abandoned buildings on the outskirts of London, derelict and only reasonably free of the crimes that were committed here because it was still daylight.
Stepping over the collapsed streetlamp, she pushed at the broken front door as memories of the fateful night she tried to escape quickly flooded her mind. A time when she had resisted what was happening to her, not as she was now; surrendered to it, accepting of it, and creating a new life for herself within it. She walked across the hallway. As her shoes thumped against the wood, echoing through the musty air, she tried to block out the image in her mind of Cigarettes’ body crumpled at the foot of the stairs, broken, dead.
Shaking her head, she cleared her thoughts as she slowly climbed the stairs, careful to avoid broken wood, keep a sure footing.
There was a quietness that implied an empty building, but she knew otherwise. She began to hum a childhood song, quietly, almost under her breath, but loud enough to be heard in the quiet air around her. She heard the shuffle, the sound of movement above as someone else registered her arrival, listening and reacting to the footfall on the stairs – just as she had, all those days ago.
Turning at the top of the stairs, she made her way to the familiar room, her heart beating fast as she turned the key of the lock and opened the door. She strode towards the man slumped before her, hands and feet bound, his mouth covered with tape.
Crouching to his level, she smoothed his straggled hair and gently ran her fingers over a bloodied cut, just above his brow.
He struggled hard, his hands straining against the ties.
‘Hey, hey. Careful. You’ll cut your skin,’ she soothed. ‘The best thing I found was to relax my hands. Don’t fight it. That’s what I did, in here, when I was all alone, depending on my family to save me.’
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