Either Side of Midnight (The Midnight Saga Book 1)

by Tori de Clare

  Nathan and Lorie’s job was to fake her death somewhere far away, a week later. Providing Lorie could make it out of the country posing as Naomi, no one foresaw a problem. Handing over Henry Hamilton’s car and playing a part in the murder of his daughter, plus coughing up the thirty thousand pounds he still owed in gambling debts, would ensure Nathan’s freedom from a group of criminals who’d held him hostage for too long. Neither side wanted to see or hear from the other again. If Nathan delivered everything he’d promised, after the wedding, all was square.

  Dan had sat paralysed in his room, listening. Faking an accident? Murder? Nathan was many things, but not a killer. He waited until the call ended then came out from his hiding place. Lorie was on the sofa, Nathan pacing the room. Dan erupted in his quietest voice, even though he knew that the couple who lived next door were away on holiday.

  ‘Murder?’ he hissed at Nathan. ‘Are you out of your mind?’

  ‘Mate,’ Nathan said, striding towards him, clasping Dan’s shoulder close to his neck, ‘it’s going to work.’

  ‘Take her money if you must, but don’t take her life,’ Dan tried to reason.

  ‘Hey, I’m no murderer, you know that. No one will ever pin it on us. That’s why we’re hiring someone else.’

  Dan was speechless for a few moments. ‘Are you missing the point here?’ Dan’s voice was rising. ‘Planning to divorce her was bad enough.’

  Nathan smiled apologetically. ‘Yeah, two problems. Lorie didn’t want me sleeping with her first, plus I thought it’d be better if Solomon had some insurance that I can be airtight once we part company. I’m making a fresh start, Danny. I thought you’d be pleased. No more gambling, no more debt. It’s a new life, with a sacrifice, granted, but –’

  ‘A human sacrifice, Nathan. Just because you’re not killing her yourself doesn’t mean you’re not responsible. You intend to fake her death and go public? You’re perverting the course of justice. You’re stealing a ton of money. You’re committing murder by proxy. You’re insane, both of you.’

  ‘I’m telling you, we can pull it off,’ Lorie chipped in, casually. ‘No problem.’

  Nathan nodded in agreement.

  Dan turned from Lorie in disgust. He refused to even look at her. ‘I don’t care if you can or can’t, this is wrong,’ Dan said.

  ‘Right and wrong isn’t black and white.’ Nathan’s tone had a threatening edge. ‘Solomon’s taken over my life with a game of poker. Is that right?’

  ‘You knew the risk. You took it. You lost.’

  ‘And now I’m taking my life back.’ He paused. ‘And there’s a job vacancy for you.’

  Dan stared at him incredulously. ‘What the hell are you talking about now?’

  ‘We need a digger to assist Carter.’

  ‘Digger? Who’s Carter?’

  ‘Damien Carter. Solomon’s right hand man. He’ll arrive at the cemetery with Naomi the night of the wedding and the grave will have to be open and ready. For practical reasons, she’ll need to walk to the grave herself and be killed there. Someone will need to seal it once she’s in, and ensure they’re not seen.’

  ‘What grave?’

  ‘Irrelevant. There are always funerals on Fridays. We need a full grave, one that won’t need to be reopened. Carter will have his ear to the ground, if you’ll pardon the pun. A cemetery is the perfect place for a dead body, so I’m told.’

  Lorie laughed. ‘Genius.’

  Dan glared at her, then Nathan. ‘You really think I’m going to get involved?’

  ‘You know what’s going down so you’re already involved.’

  ‘And you expect me to turn a blind eye?’

  ‘I know you won’t, which is why I’m bringing you in. Nothing major. You’ll just be a small player on the peripheries.’

  Dan shook his head in disbelief. He was feeling queasy. ‘Leave me out of this.’

  ‘You’re overreacting,’ Nathan said, ‘which makes you a liability. If you don’t agree to come on board, Dan, I might have to force the issue.’

  Dan’s mouth had dried and was gluing together. ‘Meaning?’

  ‘If I tell Solomon you’re in the know, he’ll want to cover his tracks, which isn’t a happy position.’

  ‘Don’t tell him.’

  ‘Don’t make me tell him.’

  Dan couldn’t speak at first. Nathan allowed the silence. ‘Are you saying what I think you’re saying?’

  ‘I’m saying come in from the cold and join the circle. It’s warmer. You don’t want to get on the wrong side of Vincent Solomon.’

  ‘I don’t want to get on any side of him, Nathan.’

  Nathan ignored him and carried on. ‘And don’t imagine you can tip the police or the Hamiltons off either. I’m telling you now, the safest thing you can do is play a small part. Then we’re all happy. We divide the money. Life moves on.’

  Dan’s tongue had lost its purpose. His mouth was open. All he could do was pant at intervals. Eventually, he said, ‘You set me up. You wanted me to hear that call. You’re trying to dirty my hands in a mess that’s all yours. I’ve got a career. I save lives. I’ve only ever tried to help you, Nathan, and this is what you do?’

  Lorie was looking at her nails. Nathan was looking into Dan’s eyes without flinching. ‘Sign up.’

  ‘Screw you,’ Dan said, hurling a final look at his brother. He stormed into his room and heavily slammed the door.

  ‘That went better than expected,’ Dan heard Nathan say to Lorie.

  Seconds later, Nathan opened the door, propped up the doorframe and spoke softly and infuriatingly reasonably. ‘I’m going to give you twenty-four hours to get your head together, bro. Don’t think about doing anything stupid. You’re way out of your depth. Any wrong move puts lives in danger. Remember what you’re about.’

  Nathan closed the door. Dan stared at it blankly. And sitting idle is handing a death sentence to Naomi Hamilton.

  <><><>

  Dan spent the first twelve hours lying on top of his bed in a misty rage. Sleep never approached. His hands shook with fury. Betrayal – a black and filthy word. His head couldn’t absorb the fact that Nathan was prepared to drag him through the mire by blackmail. Like oil on water, it clogged and swamped his mind making rational thought impossible.

  By the end of twenty-four hours, loyalty for Nathan having died, he’d reviewed every legal and moral avenue and had come up with only one solution: he could not allow Naomi Hamilton to be murdered. Beyond that, he had a sketchy plan which didn’t involve the police or properly consider the future. He knew from what Nathan had told him over months, that one wrong move could have devastating results. Crossing members of this group caused ‘accidents’. They were men of action without conscience. Nathan deserved to go to prison for his stupidity, but he didn’t deserve to die. Dan had reached a point of resignation. He would put himself on the line to try and stop them from mindlessly killing.

  Six days before the wedding, Nathan came back to him for a decision, as if there was a choice. Dan had done a shift at the hospital and was exhausted with the lack of sleep. He lay flat on his bed, one arm draped across his forehead, not wanting Nathan anywhere near him.

  ‘I’m sorry it’s turned out this way, bro,’ Nathan said, almost sounding sincere, perching on the end of Dan’s bed with a can of lager in his hand. They were alone in the flat. Dan felt something close to hatred, but suppressed it. ‘I didn’t want to drag you in, but it had to be done. I promise after the wedding, it will be over.’

  Dan shot him a look. ‘What do you want me to do? Thank you? Tell you everything’s going to work out fine?’

  ‘No,’ Nathan said slowly, ‘but I have to deliver. Don’t let me down.’ Dan kept quiet. ‘It will be worth your while financially. Plus I’ll pay you the five grand I owe.’

  ‘I’m not in it for money.’

  Nathan shifted on the bed. ‘So you’re in?’

  Dan was looking down, drawing lines on his bed cover. ‘On my terms,
not yours. I’m not doing any digging or stealing or sealing of graves. I’ll collect Naomi and deliver her to the cemetery. Then I’m leaving. I’m not hanging around to witness a killing.’

  Nathan stood up, too excited to sit. ‘Someone will need to bring the rings back to the hotel for Lorie. Then that’s it, I swear.’

  ‘Fine. But that’s all I’m doing. Take it or leave it.’

  ‘I knew you’d see sense.’

  Unbelievable! ‘If anything goes wrong, you won’t see me for dust, Nathe. It’s going to be your problem if it hits the fan.’

  Nathan grinned. ‘Nothing will go wrong. Naomi will want her necklace. I’m going to make sure it stays in the car. You’ll be standing by in a balaclava waiting for her to come back for it. I’ll text you when she’s on her way down. The car won’t be in view of any security cameras. You’ll tell me if the car park isn’t clear and I’ll delay her somehow. You’ll take her to the cemetery. Agreed? Lorie will be with you until Naomi has gone, then she’ll come back inside the hotel with me. No one will know she’s not my wife. Simple.’

  ‘Simple,’ Dan echoed, sarcastically. ‘Now get out and leave me alone. I’ve been working all day. I need to sleep.’

  ‘Do me a favour, Dan,’ Nathan said, enjoying himself now. Dan glared at him as if to say what now? ‘Before you leave her at the cemetery, show her your face. Introduce yourself and tell me about her reaction.’

  ‘What? What the hell for?’

  ‘Humour me. I think about stuff like that.’

  Dan glared at Nathan a moment while his stomach churned relentlessly. ‘You can go now.’

  ‘Think about it.’ Nathan happily left the room and Dan lay back and – with sleep not remotely on the horizon – reviewed his skeletal plan for the hundredth time. Naomi would never reach the cemetery. He’d snatch her from the hotel and take her somewhere secluded until he could work out what to do next. Once Nathan realised she hadn’t been delivered, he’d abandon his plan to travel with Lorie and call Dan. Nathan would be livid, but Dan would negotiate her return her on conditions of a divorce and not a death. The Rolls-Royce would be stolen as planned. The crew would get their prize. They’d be satisfied. Dan would have to turn a blind eye to that. Nathan would already have the Hamiltons’ money in the bank. Naomi would think that Nathan was the hero and that she’d been kidnapped and returned for a ransom. She’d never know Nathan was responsible. Loosely, that was Dan’s counter plan. He went online and started looking at lonely cottages and ways of detaining her so she couldn’t possibly escape.

  <><><>

  Two days before the wedding, Dan had booked emergency time off work built on a sob story, and had helped himself to a few packaged needles and enough anaesthetic to knock Naomi out for days. He’d found a cottage in the Lake District that ticked the boxes. From the pictures, it even looked like it had old-fashioned internal doors with keyholes. He’d booked it for two weeks. He’d had to buy some wrist restraints from a revolting joint with obscure windows, and be served by a woman who had more body piercings than teeth. He modified his purchase with extra long chains so Naomi could reach the bathroom. He bought a few essentials for her, hardly daring to believe she’d ever reach the stage of actually needing and using them. He’d bought a bolt for the bedroom door, just in case. He’d hidden everything inside the spare wheel of his car having filled up with petrol and checked the tyres; he withdrew as much money as he had.

  Dan was beginning to hope that things were going to work when one comment from Nathan sent his plan into orbit. It was Thursday evening. Dan was making a show of reading a medical magazine while Nathan watched Top Gear and ate Ben and Jerry’s ice cream with a small spoon straight from the tub, and swigged a bottle of beer. He was in a fantastic mood. The Hamiltons had finally handed over the long-awaited cheque.

  ‘Carter is going to follow you to the cemetery just to watch your back,’ he said without averting his gaze from the TV. ‘Another guy will be at the grave.’

  Dan was crumbling inside and trying hard to muster the ability to speak. He looked up casually from behind his magazine. Nathan didn’t meet his eyes. ‘I don’t need an escort, thank you,’ he managed.

  ‘Whether you need one or not, Carter insists on shadowing you.’

  Every part of Dan’s airtight plan was deflating. ‘He can get stuffed.’

  ‘Even stuffed, he’d find a way to make sure you deliver. They’re professionals, Dan. Standard procedure. Deal with it, don’t fight it.’

  Dan found he couldn’t reply, not now his tongue felt thick and useless. Deal with it? He was a junior doctor. His only experience with ‘professionals’ were with medical people who extended and enhanced lives. He stared through his magazine, focus beyond it, words a meaningless black blur. Nathan, taking his silence as agreement, stood up and changed the subject.

  ‘Good news. I’ve got a best man, my mate Dave from Bury. Let’s hope Camilla doesn’t recognise him. And I’ve finally told Mum and Dad I’m getting married,’ Nathan said. ‘I didn’t want it to be a shock to them when it all kicks off. It’s bound to make the headlines unless the Queen hands the throne to Charlie.’

  ‘What did they say?’ Dan managed. He could feel the blood draining from his head and wondered if he’d pass out. The room was losing colour and clarity. There was a shortage of oxygen too.

  ‘What can they do from the States? It’s worked out perfectly. They think the wedding has been thrown together in a rush. I told them we’d have a reception when they get back so they can meet Naomi. Mum’s too distracted with Gran to fight a battle.’

  ‘Whatever,’ Dan said, attempting to sound vague, struggling to remain conscious. ‘When this is over, return her ring.’

  ‘What do you take me for?’ Nathan said, with mock sincerity. He did Dan the favour of standing, hurling his spoon into the sink from several metres away, and announcing he was packing some clothes. He turned on his way to the bedroom. ‘Oh, and by the way, slight change of plan. I’ve told the pro we’ve hired that you’ll pull the trigger.’

  ‘What?’ Dan couldn’t say anymore. He could barely see.

  ‘I’ve got a balaclava in my room, and a gun. It isn’t loaded. It’s just for show to shut her up if you need to. The pro will have the loaded gun, with a silencer. Aim and fire. Simple. And don’t forget to introduce yourself to her first. Her face should be a picture. In fact, have a camera ready.’

  Dan stared at Nathan, but could only see his outline. ‘What the hell have you told her about me?’

  Nathan laughed and calmly strode off to his room, while Dan doubled up, lowering his head, gasping for air, fighting the urge to vomit with the smell of cookie dough ice cream too close.

  <><><>

  So here Dan was on the morning of the wedding in the wake of a bright dawn, exhausted, fearful, the heaviness in his chest a constant reminder that so much was at stake. He didn’t want to get up and acknowledge that the dreadful day was beginning. Staying in bed, eyes fixed on the opposite wall behind which Nathan was sleeping, held it at bay. His revised plan was so full of risk and danger, his heart trembled whenever he went over it. It could backfire. He daren’t think about it. He daren’t not. Must it happen at all, this crazy wedding?

  Daylight fuelled Dan’s limbs until he twitched with restlessness. All week he’d planned how to save Naomi without properly questioning the insensibility of it all. Pumped with emotion and resenting the fact that he hadn’t heard Nathan stir all night, he found himself bouncing out of bed and heading for Nathan’s room. His only plan was to make Nathan see the insanity. His legs moved purposefully forward and only faltered outside Nathan’s room. He closed his eyes and landed two clear taps on the door.

  The bed creaked. Nathan was conscious. Dan opened the door and caught sight of a dark suit hanging from the curtain pole where weak light was finding a way in.

  Nathan looked round, facing Dan framed by the doorway. Nathan squinted at him without sitting up. His voice was croaky. ‘S’
up, Dan?’

  ‘Don’t . . . ’ he stopped. His throat constricted; his voice shook with the effort of speaking. He swallowed. ‘Don’t do it. Back out. Break her heart.’ Nathan stared, blinked some more, looked as if he was struggling to know what day it was. ‘Take the car. Rob the house if you must while it’s empty, but don’t go ahead. It’s madness –’

  ‘Hell, Dan. House won’t be empty if there’s no wedding.’ Nathan turned his back on him angrily. ‘What time is it?’

  ‘Ten to seven.’

  ‘Wedding’s not till three.’

  ‘Time to undo it.’

  Dan waited for a reply and wondered if Nathan had drifted.

  ‘You’re worrying me, Danny,’ Nathan eventually said, almost in a whisper. ‘If I can’t trust you –’

  ‘Trust me? You betrayed and blackmailed me and hung me out to dry. This isn’t about me or you, it’s about crime and murder, Nathan. Use your head.’

  ‘I have – and constructed the perfect plan.’

  ‘It isn’t perfect, it’s evil. Back out.’

  Nathan unearthed himself suddenly and flung the covers back. ‘You don’t understand these people. They’re the evil ones, Dan. If not her neck, it would be mine.’

  ‘Run then. Take the money this morning and disappear. Make sure they never find you.’

  There was no hint of indecision. ‘The cheque hasn’t cleared yet so there is no money. Anyway, I’ve built myself up to this, Dan. Earned it. It’s been brewing for a year. By next week, I’ll be famous. And rich. And free. I’m looking forward to it.’

  Dan dropped his head. Trying to reason with Nathan was hopeless. Futile.

  Nathan carried on. ‘Accidents, you know, they happen. Tragic. At least she’ll have had a blissful week of marriage first. The press will love it. It’ll sell. People will talk about it for a few days then forget. I’ll slip into the background, broken. Lorie and I will find comfort in each other. I’ll gradually restart my life. I’ll ring Camilla now and again for old times’ sake.’