by Elise Noble
“Thank you. I’m so sorry about the horrible things that happened these past few months, but I’m glad to be here.”
“Everyone’s glad you’re here. I’ll get Georgia to call you about the foundation—she’ll be one of your new neighbours, and she helps us out with the books at the moment. You can meet up for coffee.”
Emmy grinned over her shoulder as she headed for the door, and I stared at her retreating back. I had a new job, a new family, and soon I’d be getting married. Freaking hell. My heart did a little skip, but this time, it was out of joy. Not everything in my life was perfect yet, but things were definitely heading in the right direction.
CHAPTER 52 - EMMY
EMMY FELT LIKE whistling as she sauntered along the hallway after the meeting with Corazon. Which would have been stupid because people only did that shit in movies, plus she couldn’t hold a tune to save her life.
Only one loose end left. The Banker was still alive, but Mack had all the information she needed to move his money, so he didn’t need to stay that way for much longer. The rebuild of the lake house was progressing nicely and would serve a dual purpose—give Marisol, Vicente, Dores, and Isabella somewhere to live, plus provide a nice, deep hole to toss a body into once the foundations were dug. Far easier to keep The Banker alive until that point than kill him now and have to deal with the smell of a decomposing corpse.
Plus Black seemed fond of spending time with him, and Emmy had to concede that the way The Banker’s past had shaped his future was fascinating to study. His mother had been a prostitute, much like Emmy’s, and Black theorised it was her penchant for entertaining men in the room next door to her son’s that had planted the seeds of his deep-rooted issues with women. Locking them up gave him power, and punishing them through sex was a way of getting back at the bitch who’d screwed up his childhood.
Keeping him at Riverley was kind of like having a pet that lived in the basement. A grumpy little troll. Speaking of pets, at least Bob and Stewart had turned up back in their tank at the office. Emmy still didn’t know who’d taken them or where they’d been, but if she ever found out…
That train of thought was interrupted when her phone rang. Alaric calling. Although their romance was long since over, she’d secretly missed him in his self-imposed exile. Of all the men she’d dated, he’d been the most similar to her in terms of character. They’d shared the same impetuous streak, the same willingness to take risks, and the same inability to face up to their problems. Oh, and Alaric was a dirty fucker.
It had taken Emmy almost dying to bring Alaric into the light again, and they’d gradually been increasing their contact, although Black may not have been entirely aware of just how often they spoke. Why stir up his jealous streak over a relationship that was purely platonic?
Especially since Black had been a little more easy-going around Mr. McLain lately. Barely disguised hostility had turned into grudging tolerance, and Emmy had hopes that the two men could have a decent professional relationship in the future. Because she intended to keep throwing work in Alaric’s direction. Guilt still weighed heavy over what happened seven and a half years ago, and even though she was as innocent as Alaric in the whole mess—she knew damn well he hadn’t done what he was accused of—the fact that they’d never got to the bottom of the mystery bugged the hell out of her.
And truthfully? It was kind of nice having him around again.
“Hey.”
“How was Colombia?”
“Productive. Are you back in Florida?”
“No, I’m in Italy.”
“Business or pleasure?”
“Business, baby. It’s all about the business now.”
“So this isn’t a social call?”
“No, Cinders, it isn’t.” Her old nickname. Black had called her Diamond ever since they met on the streets of London, and Alaric harked back to her rags-to-riches past. “You owe me a favour, and it’s time for me to collect. I need you in England in three days.”
“What for?”
“Maybe nothing. Maybe everything.”
Alaric’s tone said what his words didn’t. Excitement with a hint of nervousness could mean only one thing. He had a lead on Emerald, and he was looking for closure.
Uh-oh.
Black was gonna be so thrilled about this. But Alaric was right—Emmy owed him, and she always paid up. Even though she hadn’t had a proper day off in months and tiredness had crept into her bones like a malevolent spirit, she’d pay up.
“England, three days.” Fuck. “I’ll be there.”
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Blackwood Security series will continue in The Girl with the Emerald Ring.
After a nasty divorce, Bethany Stafford-Lyons is forced to transform herself from a high-society housewife into one of London’s worker bees. Using a last connection to her previous life, she lands a job at Pemberton Fine Arts, a world-renowned gallery and restoration studio. With her art degree, it should have been the perfect role, but she soon finds interning for Hugo Pemberton is a challenge in more ways than one.
Eight years ago, Alaric McLain got fired from the FBI after an undercover operation ended in disaster. Still missing? One masterpiece, ten million dollars in cash and diamonds, and his once-glowing reputation. When he retreated overseas to lick his wounds, he made a vow—he’d find The Girl with the Emerald Ring if it was the last thing he did.
The trail leads to Chelsea, where assisted by his ex-girlfriend and a seventeen-year-old brat he wants to handcuff to a railroad track, Alaric’s soon embroiled in a game of cat and mouse with a talented team of thieves. Let the fun begin…
For more details: www.elise-noble.com/emerald
My next book will be Lead, the sixth book in the Blackwood Elements series, releasing in 2019.
Imogen Blair’s best friends are both engaged, and their joy makes her realise what’s missing from her own life. Or rather, who. With her future happiness at stake, Imogen comes up with a plan to land the guy of her dreams, pastry chef Jean-Luc Fortier. But you know what they say about the course of true love? It never runs smooth.
With Malachi Banks—special-ops commando turned reluctant sidekick—strong-armed into helping her, Imogen’s determined to win her man. But will the prize be worth it?
For more details: www.elise-noble.com/lead
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END OF BOOK STUFF
I bought a plant! This week, I looked around my workspace and realised that my desk essentials consisted of chocolate, hand cream, coffee, Percy Pigs, iPads, and gin. One of my Team Blackwood crew told me I needed greenery (thanks Jody), so I did, and now it’s gently breathing oxygen over me. I feel healthier already, and it’s far better than pretending I want to go to the gym :)
Anyhow, I should probably say something about writing…. Oh, I waited for the longest time for this book. Ever since I wrote the Colombian par
t of Forever Black, I wanted to know what happened to Black’s family, and while I always planned for him to have a niece and nephew alive, his mother came out of nowhere. Marisol’s a tenacious old bird, and she elbowed her way into the story despite my best efforts.
As with Ultraviolet, there’s a bit of geekery at the heart of Quicksilver. Genetics has always fascinated me, how we’re basically coded out of atoms to become these thinking, moving beings. Whether you believe in God, science, or witchcraft, there’s something magical there. And nature versus nurture—what’s the balance? Emmy and Black were both born to be assassins, but they still needed a kick along the way—Black from the military and Emmy from our favourite dark lord.
There’s more genetics coming up in my next Electi book too, with Nicole determined to find out what gave them their supernatural powers. I love the whole research thing—I was the kid at school who read textbooks for fun.
But back to Blackwood… Like the directors of every good company, Black et al have to think about succession planning. Nobody lives forever, something the da Silva family are all too aware of. In Rafe, Black’s got a new sidekick to train. But what about Emmy? Well, I have plans for her, but you’ll have to read the next book to find out. That’ll be Alaric’s story, and when I was just writing for fun (did you know I drafted the first seven Blackwood novels—badly—before I let anyone read Pitch Black?), my goal was to think up a happily ever after for each of her exes, plus a story for James because I like him. But I’ve had so much support from my reader group (Team Blackwood—I love you guys! *blubs*) that there’ll be at least two more books in the Blackwood Security series after that.
What about Emmy and Black? So many people have asked to see more of them that I’ve written them an extra story. Stolen Hearts is a mystery/thriller, and if people like it, I’ll write more books in that series. When I stop crying into my gin over the editing, I’ll get around to publishing it. But Lead’s up next—Imogen and Malachi’s story, complete with a hot rickshaw rider, a trip to Fort Lauderdale, and Emmy’s terrible attempts at drawing.
See you in Florida!
Elise
OTHER BOOKS BY ELISE NOBLE
The Blackwood Security Series
Black is my Heart (Emmy & Sofia prequel)
For the Love of Animals (Nate & Carmen prequel)
Pitch Black
Into the Black
Forever Black
Gold Rush
Gray is my Heart
Neon (novella)
Out of the Blue
Ultraviolet
Red Alert
White Hot
The Scarlet Affair
Quicksilver
The Girl with the Emerald Ring (TBA)
The Blackwood Elements Series
Oxygen
Lithium
Carbon
Rhodium
Platinum
Lead (2019)
Copper (2019)
Nickel (TBA)
The Blackwood UK Series
Joker in the Pack
Cherry on Top (novella)
Roses are Dead
Shallow Graves
Indigo Rain (2019)
Blackwood Casefiles
Stolen Hearts (2019)
Blackstone House
Hard Lines (TBA)
The Electi Series
Cursed
Spooked
Possessed (2019)
Demented (TBA)
The Trouble Series
Trouble in Paradise
Nothing but Trouble
24 Hours of Trouble
Standalone
Life
Twisted (short stories)
A Very Happy Christmas (novella)