by Elise Noble
“Yup.”
“Do I want to know?”
“Probably not.”
“What about Nigel?”
Nigel... Nigel... “How do you fancy staying upstate for a few weeks?”
“Will it be safe?”
“As a fortress.”
“Uh, I'd love to, but I don't have much money for rent, not if I have to leave my job.”
“How do you like decorating?”
“Decorating?”
“Bradley could use a hand re-doing my lounge.”
“I could do that. I took an interior design course in community college.”
“There we go—sorted. Now, it's time for us to get some rest before our last day in the fun factory, and if anyone tries to make me drink nettle and ginger tea for breakfast again, I'm gonna throw the damn cup.”
“Where should I sleep?” Nigel asked.
“Take Dan's room. She can share with Mack.”
Dan went to collect her things while Mack saved Nigel's video to the secure network at Blackwood before she headed off to bed as well. Only Carmen stayed behind, stretched out on the bed as Emmy changed into the sportswear she habitually slept in.
“Nice shooting tonight, Dime,” Emmy said.
“You too, Valkyrie.”
“More by luck than judgement. My bloody hands were shaking so much from caffeine withdrawal I'm amazed I got his head first time. Maybe Bradley's onto something and I should cut down?”
Carmen picked a stray peppermint tea sachet off the quilt and flicked it at her. “Herbal tea?”
“I'd tell you to fuck off if you weren't probably right.”
“You don't need to quit completely. Most things are good in moderation.”
“Like killing people. When we arrived I thought the whole weekend would be boring as hell, but it's turned out to be reasonably interesting, hasn't it?”
“Sí, you could say that. Who'd have thought a trip to the spa would result in so much drama?”
“You forget Bradley organised it.”
“He always finds trouble. You remember the time he organised that trip to the beach and we ended up sunbathing in the middle of a drug-smuggling operation?”
Oh, that day was great—Emmy rarely got to ride on a coastguard cutter. “How could I forget? But he makes life so much more colourful.”
Carmen levered herself off the bed. “Yes, he does. We all love him really.”
They exchanged one final hug before Emmy fought against her inevitable nightmares. “Yes, we do.”
CHAPTER 11
BRADLEY NUDGED EMMY at the table the next morning. “Sweet Mary Jane, she's coming.”
Emmy peered over the rim of her coffee cup as the manager strode over, eyes locked onto Mack's iPad, which was sitting next to her on the table. Or was it Bradley’s neon green skinny jeans with the diamantes? Or Tia's sequin-covered top? They'd all made the effort to dress up for breakfast, and Bradley's cowboy boots had got another outing just to make him even more sparkly.
“Where are your tunics?” she hissed. “And is that an electronic device?”
“Our tunics got arrested for crimes against fashion,” Tia explained.
Before the woman could hook her barbs into Tia, Carmen cut in. “Yes, it's an iPad. Probably you wouldn't recognise it since you seem to be more of a Microsoft fan.”
“I beg your pardon?” She leaned towards Emmy and sniffed. “Is that coffee you're drinking?”
“Sure is. I figured you wouldn't mind as you're fond of a cappuccino yourself. Perhaps you wouldn't mind making me one with that fancy machine in your office?”
The woman paled a little. “How do you know about that?”
“Oh, just a rumour, but thanks for confirming it.”
“I can't have guests acting like this at Cedar Ridge.”
“And I can't listen to a hypocrite preaching about the evils of modern technology when she spends her lunch breaks playing Grand Theft Auto.” Especially when it wasn't nearly as much fun as the real thing.
“That's it! You need to leave right now.”
Emmy checked her watch. “We're paid up for another six hours and forty-five minutes. Don't worry, we'll be leaving at four on the dot.”
“Don't even think about coming back.”
The entire table burst into laughter, and diners who'd been pretending to look away turned and stared openly.
“Don't worry, if we find ourselves with time to kill in the future, there are plenty of other places we can do it.”
“Today didn't turn out too bad, did it?” Mack said as they lifted the last of their luggage into the cars. Between the eight of them they'd made light work of carrying everything to the parking lot.
“That masseur certainly worked my kinks out,” Dan said, grinning. “All of them.”
“Oh, Dan, you didn't?”
“Of course I did. He was hot.”
“Are you ever going to settle down?”
“I'm not planning to.”
“I bet you will one day. You'll meet your Luke.”
“I hope not—I only understand half of what he says. Most of the time he speaks in techno-jargon.”
Emmy felt the same way as Dan, but Mack's eyes took on a dreamy look. “I love that about him.”
Oh, please, spare the saccharine. Emmy slammed the trunk of the Porsche closed. “Ready to go? Nigel, are you sure you've got everything?”
“Yes. I kept all my stuff in my car just in case I needed to run again.”
“And you've got the address in case you get left behind?”
“In my SatNav.”
“Perfect, so we're good.” Before she could hop into the driver's seat, Emmy's phone rang. Alannah Myles' “Black Velvet,” chosen because of the way her husband's finger's slid down her thighs and... Stop it, Emmy, and answer the damn phone.
“Diamond, I missed you.”
Oh, now who was being sweet? “Missed you too, Mr. Black. How's Vegas?”
“Just about to fly back.”
“Did you have a good time? A wild weekend of gambling and strip shows?”
“Not exactly.”
“So it was boring?” How could Vegas be boring?
“Oh, there was one interesting part. You'll never guess what happened...”
EPILOGUE
FROM THE FAIROAKS Observer, June 24th
Local businessman Sheldon Bernadino's life was cut devastatingly short in what is believed to be an out-of-season hunting accident last weekend. Mr. Bernadino mentioned his intention to bag a deer to several acquaintances, and when he didn't show up at his weekly poker game, they raised the alarm. Law enforcement officials found him with a fatal head wound in the woods behind his house and as yet, they have no leads on the culprit. Anyone with information is asked to contact the sheriff’s department.
“It was only a matter of time before something like this happened,” a local resident told the Observer. “Too many people out hunting early this year. Them rich folk think the law doesn’t apply to them.”
The death is the second tragedy to hit the Bernadino family this year, following the unsolved disappearance of Sheldon's wife Laurel. Close friends are said to be shocked at the news.
Mr. Bernadino's funeral will be held at 2 p.m. on June 30th at Our Lady of Peace Chapel.
From the Fairoaks Observer, June 29th
Following on from the devastating loss of one of its most prominent citizens last week, Fairoaks was dealt another blow with the death of Paul Wesser, of the town’s law firm Wesser & Phillips. Mr. Wesser slipped while attempting to prune a cedar tree in his backyard with a chainsaw, and the resulting damage to the femoral artery and surrounding area meant his death was sadly inevitable.
We at the Fairoaks Observer would like to remind all budding gardeners to follow proper safety procedures and to consider using a professional for more tricky jobs. Take a look at our landscaping feature on page 37, including a list of certified arborists in the local area.
&nb
sp; WHAT'S NEXT?
THE BLACKWOOD SECURITY series continues in Out of the Blue, releasing in early 2017.
Chess Lane is getting married. The church is booked, the guests are invited, and in three short weeks her husband will give her a night she'll never forget. Only her wedding happens a little sooner than she planned when she meets Jed Harker, a CIA agent with a big ego and a bigger... No, she doesn't even want to think about it.
Chess has hit rock bottom when a simple favour for a colleague leads her to Washington, DC and an offer she can't refuse. As chaos spreads faster than the plague, one thing's for sure—her life will never be the same again. But will anybody else's?
Find out more here: www.elise-noble.com/blue
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END OF BOOK STUFF
WHEN I FIRST introduced Bradley in Pitch Black, I knew I wanted to write a story about him, but as he’s happily settled with Miles, I didn’t have enough for a full novel. But when Bradley’s around, there’s always drama, so I figured it was only natural he’d run into trouble organising Mack’s bachelorette party. He has a few problems at the wedding too, but you can read about that in Out of the Blue. And I’m sure he’ll cause more havoc in future :)
Big thanks to my lovely friend Rach who did the first read through this story in the pub one lunchtime (The Blackwood Arms - where else?)—when she kept laughing, I knew I’d got something right.
And thanks to my Team Blackwood beta readers: Chandni, Hence, Jeff, Erazm, Helen, Terri, and Musi. Plus my wonderful editor, Amanda, and my proof readers, Emma, John, and Dominique. I might write the stories, but these books wouldn’t be what they are without your help.