by Beth Abbott
“So how did you figure it out?” Luke asked.
Shit, she hadn’t told him about seeing the papers.
“I was trying to get into the bottom drawer of my dresser in the bedroom, and had to nudge your bag out to get it open. As I did, the folder inside slid out and the photos fell onto the carpet. I recognised the photo of your brother lying on the carpet.” Ellen breathed in deeply, trying to ignore the way her stomach was pitching and rolling again.
“I had to rush into the bathroom to be sick.”
Luke hugged her closer.
“When I was able, I came back out and looked through the file. I’m sorry. I didn’t go snooping through your things on purpose, honestly. You just hadn’t zipped the bag closed and it fell out.”
Luke was silent for a little while.
“Are you mad at me?” Ellen whispered.
“What? No!” Luke reassured her. “I’m the bloody moron who left them in there in the first place.”
“Yeah, but if you hadn’t, neither of us would be any the wiser, and we probably wouldn’t be laying like this right now.”
Luke nodded, realising the truth in her statement.
“So, what now?” Ellen was back to the original question. “What did JT have to say?”
Luke blew out a breath, not knowing how she was going to handle things.
“JT, Matt and Danny have been trying to help me get answers about my brother’s death, ever since it happened. We’ve got a lot of dirt on Georgie, and we thought we knew what had happened to Casey, but without anyone to corroborate that he was working under-cover, nobody would listen to us. We have contacts at the Met, but they can’t get the Crown Prosecution Service to charge George on the evidence that we’ve gathered, especially as there haven’t been any eye witnesses to speak of. He’s been charged with a number of crimes, racketeering, money-laundering and so on. But that’s just the tip of the ice-berg. There is so much more. A lot of them are crimes which your father would probably have evidence of.”
Ellen nodded to let him know that she was following his explanation.
“So, JT and Danny are coming up here this morning, to talk to you.” He explained. “I’ve given them the potted version of what you told me, but I’d like you to tell them everything again, and leave nothing out, Ok? It’s important that they hear it from you.”
Ellen’s eyes widened.
“You sound like I’m gonna have to give witness testimony or something.” She said, sounding nervous.
Luke nodded. “Well, both of them are experts in interrogation!”
Ellen wasn’t totally convinced he was joking, until he grinned at her.
“Asshole!” She punched him in the arm.
“Before we ask Matt to come over, I wanted to check with you whether Suzy knows anything. I wasn’t sure what you had told her.”
Ellen bit her lip.
“I’ve never really told Suzy anything about what happened that night, even though I’ve wanted to a thousand times. I just didn’t want her involved. It was my mess, and there wasn’t anything she could do about it. She knows I was running from something, because I’ve been constantly looking over my shoulder, but that’s about it.”
Luke nodded his understanding.
“So, you’ve never told anyone?” He asked.
Again, Ellen shook her head.
“G and Fran think I got out of an abusive relationship. I never told them that, but that’s the conclusion they reached by themselves, and I never put them straight. Apart from them, all the staff that were there when I started have left now, mostly university students, only there for a year at a time. The only one who’s been around nearly as long as me is Gary, the bartender. He started the week after me, so for all he knew, I might have worked there for years. I’ve never discussed it with him.”
Luke’s lips twitched. “That would be the same guy who was behind the bar yesterday?”
“Yeah, that’s him. Why?” Ellen asked suspiciously.
“He tried to warn me away from you last night.” Luke snorted. “Needless to say, I wasn’t about to listen to him. I guessed he was simply an admirer, maybe a bit jealous.”
“Psshht!” Ellen hissed. “Stalker is more like! He used to try and walk me home all the time, and when I refused, he started sneaking out a few minutes early, and strolling slowly up my street, waiting for me to catch up with him. Then he’d try and get me to invite him up for coffee. One time, he claimed to be desperate to use the toilet.”
Luke’s face had darkened. “Did you ever let him in?”
Ellen’s face was a picture of righteous indignation.
“Do I have the words ‘Stupid Bitch’ inked to my forehead?” She asked testily.
“No! I never let him in here.” She shuddered. “Too creepy! Anyway, not long after that, Suzy started at the restaurant, and we became good friends quite quickly. She told him to back the hell off, and thankfully, he did.”
“How long has it been since he pestered you?” Luke asked.
Ellen had to think about that.
“Maybe, two years?” She estimated.
Luke nodded, seemingly appeased.
“Well, if he gives you any shit again, just let me know, Ok?” Luke said gruffly.
“Awww shucks!” Ellen clasped her hands to her cheek, and looked up at him adoringly. “My hewo!”
A split second later, Ellen was flat on her back, Luke all but squashing her into the mattress.
“Taking the piss out of my chivalrous nature, huh?” He growled, the corner of his lips twitching. “I should put you over my knee and spank you for that insolence.”
“Ooh, kinky!” She giggled. “And how do you know I won’t like that?”
“I’m fairly sure I could make you like it.” Luke grinned, leaving Ellen blushing at the image of him giving her an erotic spanking. If the tingling in her pussy was anything to go by, she was pretty sure she would love it.
“However, as JT and Danny were heading straight up here, with an ETA of……” He glanced at his watch. “…anytime in the next half an hour, I’m pretty sure that starting something we don’t have time to finish properly will leave both us frustrated, and not in the greatest frame of mind for the rest of the day.”
Sighing and putting on her sad puppy face, Ellen looked up at him adoringly. “Oh, well. If we really don’t have time….”
Luke grinned at her.
“And you said I’m the ‘bad’ one!”
Chapter 30 - Luke
Luke helped Ellen tidy up the flat, although in all honesty, it was pretty much spotless already.
Ellen just seemed to be moving things from here to there as something to do, to keep her mind of the upcoming visit.
Matt had text to say he and Suzy would be over a soon as they could get Charlie to his grandmother’s house.
Just as she was about to switch some ornaments around for the fourth time, Luke decided he’d had enough.
Slipping his arms around her waist from behind, he leaned down to nuzzle her neck.
She rolled her head to one side to give him better access.
“No hickey’s Mister!” She scolded. “I have to work this week, and Fran will be in my face if I’ve got chomp marks all down my neck.”
Luke’s laughter burst out.
“Hickeys? What are we, in high school or something?”
“Are you kidding me?” Ellen laughed. “With the number of times Suzy has come into work with make-up on her neck, or a scarf covering up the evidence? In August! Christ, you’d think Matt never got fed at home!”
Luke snorted again.
“Honey, I promise you, if ever I’m tempted to give you a hickey, I’ll make damn sure to leave it where nobody but me will ever see it.”
As he spoke, his fingers teased the front of her shirt away from her chest, giving him a perfect view of her boobs.
“Somewhere down……” As his hand started to slide down inside her shirt, there was a loud knock at her front d
oor.
“Shit! That asshole always did have crappy timing.” He kissed her soundly on the cheek, before pulling his hand out slowly.
“I’ll get it.” Luke turned towards the door, while Ellen quickly straightened her blouse and tried to get her heart to stop pounding out of her chest.
A minute later, Luke came back into the living room, followed closely by two huge guys.
The first one was dressed in a really fancy suit. Probably Armani, she thought, although she wouldn’t have known the difference between an Armani and a Hugo Boss. But whatever the label said, suits like that didn’t come in that size off any rack she’d ever seen, so this was most definitely made to measure.
The guy behind was dressed casually, in a pair of those canvass trousers with a million pockets, for the guy that can’t leave home without a ton of stuff. Paired with a black t-shirt and aviator sun-glasses, he looked pretty hot-stuff.
Luke smirked at her, knowing full well she was taking inventory.
Holding his hand out to her, he pulled her forward to make the introductions.
“Ellen, this asshole is JT, my former Captain in the military, and now partner in not-crime.” Luke smirked.
JT shook Ellen’s hand. “It’s Jon Thornton, Ma’am, but JT does just as well.” He smiled warmly at her.
Luke snorted, obviously annoyed by his friend’s having turned on the charm.
“Pleased to meet you.” Ellen smiled.
“And that dickhead is Danny!” Luke continued. “I wouldn’t shake his hand if I were you. We didn’t give him much time to shower this morning, and you don’t wanna know where that hand was last night.”
“Luke!” Ellen scolded him, as Danny burst out laughing.
“It’s fine.” Danny reassured her. “As it happens, my hand was somewhere inappropriate last night… several inappropriate places actually.” He grinned at her, holding it out for inspection... “But I promise it’s been washed since then.”
Ellen couldn’t help but smile as she shook his hand. “I’m glad to hear it.”
Introductions over, the guys found seats, and Ellen went to get some beverages sorted out.
“You seem cosy here.” Danny commented, barely managing to keep the grin off his face.
“And your point is….?” Luke raised an eyebrow.
“No point here, nuh-uh.” Danny lifted his hands innocently. “Just saying.”
JT punched him in the arm. “Don’t bloody start! Shit, it’s like dealing with a bunch of pre-schoolers. Do I have to make you stand in different corners and face the wall?”
Ellen laughed as she came into the room with a tray, having heard JT’s comment.
“Do you have to do that often?” She asked sweetly. “Scold the naughty children?”
JT rolled his eyes at her. “More than you would ever believe.” He admitted shaking his head.
“Somehow, I don’t find that as surprising as you might expect.” She smirked at Luke, who grinned back at her.
“What the hell is that?” Danny pointed at Luke’s head, twirling his finger at it for emphasis.
“What?” Luke demanded, looking between Danny and Ellen.
“I believe, if I’m not mistaken…” JT leaned closer to Luke so he could get a better look. “Yep, I’m pretty sure it’s a smile.”
Danny burst out laughing.
“Thanks man!” He bumped fists with JT. “I just had to be sure what I was looking at.”
“Assholes!” Luke grumbled, still unable to keep the grin completely off his face.
“And that’s surprising, why?” Ellen asked her visitors.
“Cos that son-of-a-bitch doesn’t do….” There was more twirling finger-pointing at Luke’s head. “……that!”
Ellen grinned as she realised what they meant. Luke was happy. And smiling!
Remembering back to when he’d first stepped inside the restaurant, Ellen realised just how much had changed in a few weeks.
“The first time he came into the restaurant, he was so rude and sullen, my boss gave him a nick-name.” She grinned.
“Oh?” JT smiled. “Do tell?”
Ellen bit the inside of her cheek and tried not to grin.
Luke was glaring at her, his eyebrows raised.
“Yeah, um, she called him Mr Tall, Dark and Moody.”
Danny bellowed with laughter as JT choked on his coffee. Even Luke looked amused.
“I’ll bet it fit him perfectly.” JT commented.
“Well, it kind of did back then.” Ellen mused. “But I reckon she’ll have to rethink it once she sees those dimples.”
Luke blushed furiously.
“I do not have dimples!” He insisted.
“Hmm-hmm.” Ellen agreed, trying to choke back her giggle.
Realising he was beaten, Luke scowled at them all.
“Oh, what-the-hell-ever.” He growled. “Shall we get down to business?”
That pretty much sobered them up instantly.
Ellen sighed.
“Where do you want me to start?”
Chapter 31 - Ellen
Before she had a chance to speak, another knock sounded at her door.
“That’s probably Matt and Suzy.” Luke murmured before going to let them in.
Suzy rushed in and ran straight up to Ellen to give her a hug. As she pulled back, Suzy stared at her, and her mouth formed a perfect O.
“Where did you get those bloody eyes?” She squeaked.
Ellen smiled sorrowfully.
“They’re the ones I was born with. The brown ones were just contacts.” She explained.
Suzy looked at Matt, then Luke, then JT, and finally back to Ellen.
“I was just about to tell JT and Danny my story, so if you want to know about my eyes and everything else, you’d better take a seat.”
Suzy couldn’t speak. She just nodded and let Matt lead her to the sofa where he sat down, pulling Suzy onto his lap.
“Just start at the beginning love. Your graduation night...” Luke took her cold hand in his warm ones, and guided her to the armchair. He seated himself on the floor at her feet, never letting go of her hand.
Ellen started to retell her story, trying to remember as much detail as she could.
Where Luke had been quiet when she’d told him, JT, Danny and Matt all threw questions in, and she did her best to answer every one as best she could.
The longer it took to tell the whole story, the more exhausted she became. She hated telling the part about how she’d met Casey, and how he’d ultimately died right in front of her.
Luke had tensed the second she’d mentioned him, and although he hadn’t moved away or loosened his grip on her hand, she knew the anguish she was causing him with every word.
By the time she’d finished telling what had happened on the night Casey had died, she was wrung out.
When she looked up, Suzy was staring back at her, her face pale as a sheet, her eyes wide.
“Suze, I know you must think I’ve lied to you all these years, and I suppose by not telling you the truth I have. But I couldn’t take the chance that you would be at risk just by knowing my story or my name. I’m so sorry! I hope you can forgive me, but I’ll understand if you can’t. Or if you feel you should keep Charlie away because I’m not safe to be around.”
Tears were pouring down Ellen’s cheeks.
Suzy shook her head vigorously, as if by doing so she would shake her thoughts into some kind of order.
“Your name?” Suzy looked puzzled. “You said I don’t know your name?”
“No.” Ellen shook her head. “My real name is Emma. Emma Thomas-Lansing. But I won’t be going back to that, I don’t think. Unless George and his men are all dead, I don’t think it will ever be safe for me to go back.”
Suzy nodded. Obviously, she was still processing.
Danny coughed to get her attention back.
“So, what do you know about George’s organisation?” He asked.
“Absolutely
nothing!” Ellen reaffirmed. “Everything I know I’ve told you, and all of it was learned that day. Before that, I didn’t even know who my dad worked for. We never discussed his job, and he never brought work home when I was home from university.”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry I can’t help you further, but I honestly know nothing.”
They all sat quietly for a little while, each of them processing the facts in their own way.
“There is one person who can help us though.” Matt said, turning to Ellen and Luke.
Ellen raised an eyebrow, still unclear where he was going with this.
“Your father knows where all the bodies are buried…If you’ll excuse the expression.” He pointed out.
Ellen stayed silent. She’d feared that one day she would be called upon to give up his location. She’d thought it more likely that the information would be tortured out of her, but having it coaxed out of her by people she cared about, well one person at least, almost made it worse.
“He’s the key to taking George down, even if he no longer has all the physical evidence.” JT pointed out. “We already have loads of documentary evidence. What we don’t have is the evidence and your father’s witness testimony together as a package. We’ll need that if we want to get George sent down for life.”
“Ellen, you know what JT’s saying is true. With your father’s testimony, the case against him would be exponentially stronger than with only what we’ve got already.” Luke squeezed her hand.
“Don’t you think I don’t understand that already?” She looked Luke straight in the eye. “But you’re asking me to give up my father! His life won’t be worth shit once he comes out in the open. Mine either!”
She stood up and paced the room, before looking back at Luke, still sitting on the floor.
“I know I owe your brother everything, Luke! I know it! And if I could trade places with him, I swear to you I’d do it in a heartbeat!”
She spun back to JT.
“But what you’re asking me to do, virtually signs my father’s death warrant! George’s men will come for him, and this time they’ll find him. They have moles everywhere. Even inside the police. Nowhere will be beyond their reach. The only reason we’ve stayed alive this long is because we’ve stayed completely off the grid.” Ellen’s voice was climbing, becoming more hysterical.