She writhed as his fingers caressed her, her breast receiving equal attention from his mouth. Her core melted to hot liquid silk, and she moaned in supplication, in need. He raised his head, watching her as he stroked her, his blue gaze light as steel. She clutched at his shoulders, sliding her arms down his back, trying to pull him closer as her breath hitched at his skilful touch.
He shifted, and then she felt him nudging her entrance. She lifted her hips to meet him as he entered her, his eyes never leaving hers. He halted when he was inside her, and her toes curled in frustration, in need, desperate to feel his full strength.
‘This is real,’ he murmured to her, and she nodded.
‘This is real,’ she whispered back. No lies, just him, her, and a shared passion that was driving her close to combustion.
He lowered his head and kissed her, tongue and lips wringing a sweet carnal passion from her as he started to move slowly, drawing her pleasure out to the nth degree.
Their bodies moved in unison, their breaths synchronising as he made slow, steamy love to her, and she closed her eyes, trying to hold on to the sensations for as long as possible, until his movements drove her over the edge into a pleasurable abyss, his groan teasing her ears as he followed her.
They lay there for a while, long, slow kisses as they slowly sank back into the present. Dom rolled to the side, pulling her with him so that he could cradle her in his arms, her back against his chest. She felt his lips on her shoulder as her heart slowly eased back into a steady, restful beat.
She knew when he fell asleep, could feel it in the way his muscles relaxed, the deep, regular rise and fall of his chest against her back, and she closed her eyes, trying to hold on to the bittersweet moment, not wanting to let go of consciousness to slide into sleep, but eventually she did, worrying about what tomorrow would bring.
Fingers clenched the steering wheel as ice-blue eyes glared up at the lamp-lit window.
He was with her.
After everything the woman had done, he still wanted to lie with her, to be close to her. That showed promise, and hope for the future.
Unfortunately, though, the woman would have to die. What a shame. Dom would be devastated.
Perfect.
With the greater police presence, it was impossible to get into the grounds and do something about her now – but the police wouldn’t be there forever.
No, at some stage they would leave, and then the woman would die.
Gertrude rose from the sofa where the two little ones slept. They were in an abandoned restaurant or cafe of some sort, with some alterations for their situation. It was one large room with a door leading to a small bathroom with two stalls. A fully-stocked kitchen, a number of chairs and banquet lounges long enough for them to sleep on, and an area with a very modern entertainment system all made it seem like a secluded holiday. The man who’d taken them had been true to his word: not a hair on their heads had been harmed. Actually, he’d taken great pains to make it fun for them: DVDs to watch, a popcorn machine, ice-cream, food for sandwiches.
He didn’t stay with them, which was a blessing. Although he’d smiled at the kids, Gertrude noticed the smile didn’t reach his eyes, just like the day he’d come to find Darcy. He didn’t fool her – he was dangerous, and not above using physical force. He would check on them occasionally, but she hadn’t seen him since she’d heard his car pull out earlier in the morning.
She wandered around the room once more, trying to get a feel for their location. The kids had been tired and distraught, so she’d sat with them for some time, trying to soothe them. Now, they were quieter, calmer, and she could explore. She could hear lots of birds, but not so much traffic. She tried the door, not surprised to find it was locked. He was dangerous, not incompetent. She walked the perimeter of the room, her fingers trailing along the wood panel frames set evenly along one wall. She frowned. It was an odd design choice.
She stood back and looked at the wall carefully. It was made of plaster, except for those panels of wood. Her eyes widened. They must be boarded-up windows. No, not boarded, more like shuttered panels.
She went up to one panel, examining it carefully in the gloom. She realised there had once been a latch, but that it had been removed. She hurried over to the kitchen, opening the top drawer to remove a flat-bladed knife. It took her a few moments of jimmying, and several soft exhalations and perhaps she did take the Lord’s name in vain once or twice, but Gertrude finally managed to slide the blade between the correct joins and locate the latch and she eventually managed to push it up. She heard the soft click, and she paused, listening, holding her breath.
Nobody came to see what she was doing.
As quickly and as quietly as she could manage, she swung open the panel. She was right. There was a window – but it was boarded up on the outside, too. No wonder no light had gotten in.
She unlocked the window latch, surprised that she was able to simply flick and turn it, so she could slide the middle pane up. The shutters on the outside were steel, not timber, and it took her a moment to find the control: it was an enclosed box on the window frame that had a strap leading up the side of the window. Pulling gently, her tongue between her teeth, she managed to raise the shutter, which rattled softly.
Jonah sat up, rubbing his eyes as the room lightened. ‘What are you doing?’ he asked sleepily as his sister stirred beside him on the wide leather bench seat.
‘Oh, just exploring,’ Gertrude whispered, then put her finger to her mouth and beckoned them over.
Jonah nudged his sister, who protested, but blinked when she realised something exciting was happening. They rolled off the lounge and scampered over to her.
Gertrude looked carefully out. There was a field and a road. She craned her neck, watching the road meet up with another. It was quiet, though, the cicadas’ whine quite loud in the hot stillness.
She looked down. A large garbage bin, the kind you’d find out the back of a restaurant, sat against the side of the building. It was a fair drop, but she felt they could manage it. She desperately hoped so. She wasn’t as young as she used to be – or as spritely.
She turned to the kids, forcing a bright smile on her face. ‘Do you feel like going on an adventure?’
CHAPTER
31
Dom watched from his shaded position in the bar at the side of the entrance to Luna Park. Undercover police officers were scattered around the venue, and he knew there were many more outside.
‘I want to be closer,’ he muttered.
‘Not going to happen,’ Alex muttered back.
‘She’s so exposed.’ He watched as Darcy stood in the main thoroughfare of Luna Park, a few metres from the Ferris wheel. She shifted again, turning to wander towards the wheel, then back out in the open.
It had to be sweltering. The mercury was nudging the mid-thirties, and she was standing in direct sunlight in a black T-shirt and jeans. She couldn’t even wear a hat. Someone had already passed her a bottle of water, but he could see her face was shiny with perspiration. Every now and then she raised her hand to the shoulder she’d injured, then would drop it again when she realised what she was doing.
The vest. Standing in that heat, doing not much at all, it must be damn uncomfortable. He looked into the crowds.
Damn, where were they? Every child that walked past, that ran to catch up to a leading parent, or who jumped up with a balloon or bag of fairy floss drew his gaze, made his heart stop, then race. Where were Julia and Jonah? God, he hoped they were all right, that they would come soon.
‘This is killing me,’ he said softly.
Alex nodded, sipping his lemonade and twisting to look out the other side of the venue, towards the boardwalk and Sydney Harbour. ‘I know, but we have to sit tight.’
For another hour and a half they sat there, waiting, staring at every boy or girl who was the same age, the same height, or had the same hair colour as the twins.
Bern came over to them, wearing his wai
ter’s uniform, and collected the empty glasses from their table. He folded a coaster and slipped it into his back pocket, and Alex raised an eyebrow.
‘What’s that?’
‘You’re not going to believe it, but some chick just slipped me her phone number.’
This time both of Alex’s eyebrows rose. ‘You’re picking up while on the job?’
Bern shrugged. ‘I have to make this undercover gig look authentic. It’s not like I can say no.’ He turned briefly to look out at Darcy, sweltering in the early afternoon heat. ‘It looks like it’s a no-show. They’re over two hours late.’
Just as he finished speaking, his pager buzzed discreetly. In fact, a lot of conversation stopped as the other undercover police officers in the bar received the same alert.
Bern checked his pager, and Dom tensed. Oh God. This was it. His heart in his throat, he waited for Bern’s update.
Bern blinked. ‘They’ve found them.’
‘What?’ Alex asked. ‘Where?’
‘The Ku-ring-gai National Park,’ Bern said, reading the texts. He beamed. ‘And they’re all okay.’
Dom’s shoulders sagged with relief. Thank God. He rose, despite his shaking legs. ‘I want to see them.’ He looked out the large windows. ‘Darcy.’ They had to get her out of there. Even as he said it, two undercover officers dressed as clowns showed Darcy their badges and led her to the bar. He didn’t relax until she stood in front of him, hot and pink and confused. She was safe.
Dom turned to the Knight brothers. ‘I need to see my family.’
Bern nodded. ‘They’re en route to your home as we speak. Come on.’
The team of officers provided impressive cover as they surrounded the group and hustled them down the boardwalk to the private jetty. His kids were okay. They were going to be okay. He reached for and grabbed Darcy’s hand, clutching it tight. Everything was going to be okay. The kids were safe, Darcy was safe – all was right with the world once again.
He boarded his motor launch alongside Alex, Bern and a number of other police officers, and was content to let someone else man the wheel, gazing out across the sparkling waters of the harbour as they sped over the waves, giving the ferries a wide berth.
He shook his head in amazement. Out of all the scenarios they’d discussed, and the others he’d imagined, not once had he thought it would end as simply as this – Gertrude and the kids being found, apparently safe and well. It was almost anti-climactic – but he sure as hell wasn’t complaining.
Bern’s phone rang, and he answered it. He put a finger in his other ear to better hear the call over the sound of the engine and racing winds.
‘Uh huh. Great. Will do.’ He ended the call and held up the phone. ‘They have a former employee in custody. Does the name Anthony Blewitt ring a bell?’
Dom turned to Alex. ‘Does he mean Tony Blewitt?’
Alex frowned and nodded. ‘Could be.’
‘Who’s Tony Blewitt?’ Darcy asked, raising her voice to be heard.
‘He’s an ex-employee,’ Dom told her, anger rising in him. ‘He embezzled funds from a trust account we had for some investors. It wasn’t a huge amount of money, but it would have been embarrassing for the investors to hear of it, so he was given the option of leaving quietly, and relinquishing all rights to wages and entitlements, or else be arrested.’
‘You let him go?’ Bern asked.
Alex nodded. ‘We were at a delicate stage with the White Bay negotiations. If any negative publicity came out, it would have seriously affected the outcome. He had to sell his house and some jewellery to pay us back.’
‘Well, it appears Blewitt is definitely behind the letter bomb. They’ve just found him hiding out in his mother’s garage.’ Bern grimaced. ‘He sounds like he sustained some injuries. How is it that you guys didn’t peg him as the letter writer?’
‘Oh, he was definitely on the list,’ Alex said, ‘after he sold the house and engagement ring, his fiancée broke up with him and we haven’t had a fix on his address since. I bet he lives in Pymble now.’
Bern shrugged. ‘Dunno.’ He turned his face into the wind. ‘I have to say, though, this is a good day.’
Dom put his arm around Darcy and hugged her close. ‘Yes, it is.’
Now, if only they could find the man behind Darcy’s troubles, it would be perfect.
Dom raced into his home, yelling for Julia and Jonah, and was almost tackled by his children as they ran to greet him. He knelt down, laughing, as he hugged them close. They were chattering, Julia was sniffling, but they were in good spirits – and uninjured.
He looked up. Gertrude sat on the lounge in the living room, firmly ensconced in her husband’s embrace, and the two looked like they weren’t going to move anytime soon. She smiled at him, not bothering to lift her head from her husband’s shoulder, and even from here he could see the faint shimmer of tears in her eyes. She was surrounded by officers and giving her statement, but later he would talk to her. For now, he contented himself by walking around behind the sofa to lean over and press a tender kiss to her forehead.
‘Thank you,’ he murmured, resting his hands on her shoulders. She tilted her head back and smiled, patting his hand.
Julia went over to him, her thumb in her mouth, and he scooped her up, smiling at her squeal. He reached down and picked up his son, who hugged him tightly around the neck. He kissed them each soundly on the cheek, the smacking noises drowned out by their giggles.
The police had already gotten some information from them, but Bern advised there would be another interview for the twins, one conducted by an officer trained in dealing with children. For now, though, he could relax. He closed his eyes, pulling his children close to his heart. Thank God, they were okay. They were alive, they were unhurt.
A cold rage coiled deep inside him. Whoever had done this was going to pay. The doorbell rang, and an officer opened the door to allow Darcy entry. She’d insisted on him having the opportunity to see them first without her as a distraction. She hung back at the door, her uncertainty evident in the way she clasped her hands, one foot still pointing towards the exit.
Dom felt Julia’s gasp. ‘Darcy!’ his daughter screamed, and he winced as the shriek reverberated in his ear.
‘How could you tell?’ Dom asked her, surprised, as he walked over to the slender woman hesitating in the foyer.
‘She’s got her other eyes in,’ Julia said, then held her arms out to Darcy.
Darcy’s gaze widened, and she looked at Dom for a moment, as though seeking permission. He smiled and nodded, and she lifted her arms and smiled as she accepted the child.
‘Hey, you.’ She hugged her, then shifted her to her side, and reached out to pat Jonah on the back. ‘Hey, I heard you two were so very, very brave,’ she said. Jonah nodded, and Julia smiled around her thumb.
‘We went on an advenna,’ she said.
‘An adventure? Wow! You’re going to have to tell me all about it one day, hmm?’
Julia nodded, and Jonah lifted his face to look at her. ‘Why did you leave?’ he asked her, pouting, and Dom saw Darcy’s gaze falter.
‘Darcy had to take care of some special business,’ he interjected, and Darcy shot him a look of gratitude. ‘Hey, who wants ice-cream?’
‘More ice-cream?’ Jonah exclaimed, his eyes brightening.
‘What do you mean, more ice-cream?’ Dom asked, cocking his head to look at his son.
‘We ate lots at the holiday place,’ Jonah said, then wrinkled his nose. ‘I didn’t like that place though, Daddy. I don’t think we should go there again.’
Dom’s eyebrows rose and he turned back to Gertrude. ‘A holiday place?’
She nodded, giving him a brief, feeble smile.
‘Okay, Jonah. We won’t go to that place again.’ Dom squeezed his son just a little tighter.
‘Cross it off the holiday list,’ Julia said, making a slashing motion with her hand. They thought it was a holiday. He owed Gertrude so much.
‘Come on, I think we have some rainbow ice-cream in the freezer,’ he said gruffly.
Darcy looked up as Dom hailed her, and she turned from the open car door. Stepping into that car would close one chapter for her, and open another. Her ride to a safe house, to security, to protection. A few days, and she’d be in front of a jury, giving evidence. She was strangely reluctant to take that step – away from Dominic and the kids. Now that Jonah and Julia were home, she wanted to be there with them, tucking them into bed, reading them stories, making sure they felt as loved and protected as any child should – making sure nobody, but nobody, harmed a hair on their heads.
But that wasn’t her place. She was the interloper, the intruder into this intimate family unit. Gertrude was more than capable of raining love upon them, looking after them, keeping them safe. Not Darcy. She was the one who’d brought them into the line of fire. She had no right being anywhere near them.
Dom approached her, his hands in his pockets, his dark hair falling over his forehead. She liked this rumpled look on him. His blue eyes found hers, and she saw the dark exhaustion that brought shadows to his face, the lines bracketing his mouth. She’d done that to him. She’d added those lines, those shadows.
He stopped when he was less than a foot away – well within touching distance. So close, yet she couldn’t seem to bridge the gap, didn’t know what was needed. How do you forgive a person for lying to you, for nearly destroying your family?
‘So, you’re going away, again.’ Dom’s tone wasn’t accusatory, just conversational.
She nodded. ‘Yes.’
He nodded, then gazed down at his shoes. ‘Well, it looks like it’s all over, then.’
Her heart grew heavy in her chest, and she nodded. Over. They were over. She masked her pain at his words with a tight, grim smile.
Runaway Lies Page 27