Persona (The 'Professional' series)

by Ceri Bladen

  She looked him straight in the eyes. “Yes, I would like that.”

  He released his breath and slowly brought her close, in a tender embrace.

  His chest was warm and comforting. She could feel his erratic heartbeat underneath his steady breathing. She sighed in bliss when he placed a tender kiss on the top of her head. Yes, she really did want to be alone with him.

  “Come on, that bed is looking more and more attractive the longer we stay!” He realised her, gently took her hand and grabbed her bag that she had long forgotten.

  She watched his back as he gently led her towards the stairs. Ella felt like she was in a dream, she felt so lightheaded. Boy, she was excited, more than she could ever remember before.

  At the bottom of the stairs, anticipation was coursing through her when he placed her shawl over her naked shoulders, his fingertips gently caressing them.

  She turned back around to smile at him, but something caught her eye. Some of her euphoria evaporated when she saw Scarlett making her way over to them. Daniel picked up her hand and squeezed it in reassurance.

  Scarlett spotted the shawl draped over Ella, she snarled slightly at the fact that she had seen Daniel put it there.

  “Darling, you just cannot go yet!” Scarlett’s lips pouted. “You know how I like you to stay to the end!” There was enough innuendo in her statement to make Ella cringe.

  Daniel cursed, he should have thought of this hurdle. Thinking on his feet he said, “Ella has a little headache coming, so we thought we would go back now, before it gets any worse.”

  Ella half turned to eye him, not sure if it was the best excuse to say to Scarlett and secretly hoping he would have just said that he wanted to take her to bed! That would put Miss Beautiful in her place!

  He shrugged his shoulders at Ella, he looked as though he was trapped. Ella sighed, she did understand that he couldn’t upset the hostess, after all he would be working with her for months.

  “Why, Eric can take her back.” Scarlett jabbed his chest with her manicured finger, a sexy smile on her lips. “You… young man, have not finished doing the rounds.” Her fingers gently pulled on his tie.

  Ella watched Daniel sigh and roll his shoulders, he looked as though he was trapped.

  He turned to Ella. “Or you can stay?” His face lit up in what looked like, relief.

  “It’s okay Daniel. If Eric doesn’t mind, I would like to go back.” Ella wasn’t sure if her heart or stomach could watch Scarlett all over him again. Perhaps it was for the best anyway, some breathing space for them both, a chance to change their minds.

  Ella watched his face fall. “If that is what you want, I won’t be long. I promise.” He hoped she could see the desire burning in his eyes, but all Ella could see was the daggers Scarlett was sending her.

  Chapter 26

  Lindsey smirked to herself as she saw the car headlight turn into the drive. She unclenched her hands that had gone white with the tension of waiting. So he was arriving home, at last. It was nearly over.

  She prided herself on how patient she had been over the weeks, but she was losing placidity now.

  Initially, it had been problematic to find out where Daniel was, as she wasn’t privileged to any information now she had lost her job. Never mind, she was good at finding out information. She only had to pretend she was Alice Hall, Daniel’s agent, to get all the information from Scarlett’s agent. They had even told her where Scarlett lived. Incompetence was something that Lindsey couldn’t tolerate.

  To find Daniel, it was then a case to find out which houses were being rented, and hey presto, here she was, waiting in the cold, irritating sand. What a bonus that he had rented a house with so much glass, you could view every room from the beach where she hid.

  She stood up and straightened her trousers. It was time to go in and make Daniel hers. She was only hoping that he hadn’t brought Eric along and that, that whore, Ella. She smoothed her newly cut, short, dyed hair. No, that Ella would have finished her assignment by now, it was one of the reasons Lindsey had waited so long. She wanted Daniel all to herself.

  The car door slammed shut and someone walked away from it. It was dark, so Lindsey failed to notice it was Ella, not Daniel that had exited the car.

  The interior light of the car illuminated Eric’s face. She hesitated when she realised that he was not getting out, he was going. Great, she would have Daniel all to herself without any interruptions from his friend.

  ~~~~

  Ella pushed open the front door into darkness. She breathed in sharply. The design flow of the house allowed her to see straight out onto the beach, the reflections of the stars twinkling on the still water. It looked like a mirror, so peaceful.

  It was pulling her, so she walked over to the windows, not putting the lights on, as they would reflect on the glass and spoil the view. She sighed, she felt so content. She had grown up near the sea and it always calmed her, her thoughts drifted.

  Ella jumped, a noise pulling her out of her trance. She turned around. Oh, great, she had forgotten to close the front door. Smiling to herself, she walked over to close it, flicking on the lights as she went.

  Butterflies started bouncing in her stomach. She had no idea how long she had been daydreaming at the view and Daniel would be back soon. After those smouldering kisses in the party, she knew what would happen when he got back and she was looking forward to it. It was what she wanted.

  A sudden rush of nerves pitched through her, perhaps he didn’t want her anymore, perhaps he would realise that it was Scarlett her preferred? She shook her head, she should have more confidence in herself, she could see and feel how she affected Daniel. She would just have to trust in fate.

  ~~~~

  How on earth was that woman here? Lindsey was seething. She tried to peep out from behind the drinks cabinet without being seen, although she could see Ella’s movements in the reflection of the glass.

  To think that she had just walked through the open front door, ready to greet Daniel, and been confronted by Ella standing by the window instead! Her nails dug into her palms. That woman had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn’t even noticed her walk in.

  This changed things. This woman was obviously too connected with Daniel. She would have to be taken care of.

  The lights flicked on, as she noticed Ella making her way up stairs to the bedroom. The lip that she was biting started to bleed, but Lindsey didn’t notice the pain. She knew what she had to do. She reached into her bag for her gun.

  ~~~~

  Ella opened the drawer she had put her new underwear in a couple of hours ago. Lace and silk stared back. Okay, so she might have hoped something would happen with Daniel on this trip, it certainly wasn’t her usual underwear!

  A cold sweat came over her. Perhaps she shouldn’t wear this underwear – did it look like she had brought it for him to see her in? She took a deep breath to balance her fluttering heart. She was just nervous. She was old enough to know, that once he had her in his arms, all her nerves would disappear. Wouldn’t it be nice for him to ‘find’ her in some lovely underwear?

  She picked out a deep purple one. It would look nice and sexy, but not too vampish. She put it on, alright, perhaps it did show a lot of flesh, but it did make her feel feminine and sensual. She picked up her black robe and tied it firmly around her. Even if Eric came back with Daniel, he wouldn’t know what was underneath her modest robe. And if the situation had changed with Daniel, if he had changed his mind and didn’t want her anymore, he would never know what was underneath either!

  Happy with her choice, Ella started down the sweeping stairs to the lounge. .Her forehead puckered into a frown. Strange, she thought she had left more lights on; it was quite dark in the sitting room.

  She looked towards the bar, what drink would help steady her nerves? Ella stopped abruptly. Lindsey was standing behind the cabinet with a gun pointed at her! Her mouth went dry, no words would come out as fear had gripped her throat. Lind
sey held her eye contact, revealing nothing of her thoughts.

  All Ella’s senses went on to alert. In the total silence, she heard a car arriving. Daniel and Eric were returning! A tear slipped from the corner of her eye in relief. She turned her head towards the door, a mistake, and felt the searing pain of a bullet. Everything went black as she collapsed down the hard, cold, marble stairs.

  Panic welled in Lindsey, the car returning wasn’t in her plans. She had wanted to make Ella realise that she was meant to be with Daniel before she shot her. She hadn’t had time to make Ella realise that she had no choice but to get rid of her.

  Ah well, never mind, it was all done now. She impassively looked towards Ella. Good, she was hidden from view, behind one of the leather chairs. Footsteps approaching the door required Lindsey to turn in greeting.

  Daniel was excited and strode to the door quickly. It had annoyed him that he had to stay at the party, he had definitely wanted to go home with Ella. Just think what they could be up to now if he hadn’t had to stay for another hour!

  The little scene when he told Scarlett that he wanted to be with Ella hadn’t gone down well at first. But after a while, she seemed okay, she even gave them her best wishes.

  He smiled, even his good friend, had known that he wanted time with Ella, alone. Eric had gone back to the party, back to that lady he was chatting up. Daniel grinned to himself, he was hoping his friend struck lucky tonight too, it had been far too long.

  The house was dimly lit. Perhaps Ella was already in the bedroom? Now that would be good. He had missed her when she had left the party. He chuckled, he recalled the moment of panic he experienced in the party, when he realised that he always wanted her around. He didn’t just love her, he wanted her around permanently! That is when he decided to have a quiet word with Scarlett, make sure she got the message that he was off limits from now on.

  He shook his head, he obviously wouldn’t tell Ella yet, she had just recently split up with Jeff and he didn’t want her to feel rushed into another permanent relationship. He would give her time, it would kill him, but he would be patient. He knew that he felt completely different towards Ella than any of his previous lovers. She made him feel good, she completed him. His heart gave a little squeeze which he enjoyed.

  He saw a slight movement and turned towards the silhouette by the window, a large grin splitting his face. His heart gave another squeeze, but this time in anxiety. He recognised not Ella, but Lindsey smiling back at him, with a gun in her hand.

  Daniel thought quickly. He needed to make small talk to buy time to assess what was happening. His head felt lightheaded, while his adrenaline raced through his system.

  “Well, hello Lindsey. Fancy a drink?” He made his way slowly over to the drink cabinet, hoping some inspiration would come to him. His heart was thundering in his chest. He noticed his hands were shaking when he picked up the whiskey glasses.

  “Yes. But not whiskey. I would like some of the Champagne I just opened. Why don’t you join me with Champagne, so much more a social drink, don’t you think?”

  Daniel was desperate for the burn of the whiskey, but poured the Champagne, unwilling to upset her until he knew where Ella was. He was desperately hoping, like previously, she was bound, but safe, upstairs in one of the bedrooms.

  The small talk did not come easily to him. He detested wasting time talking to the mad woman, but knew time was his only hope. If Ella had time, she could perhaps free herself and call for help. If Eric had time, perhaps he would return and help somehow?

  Daniel’s mind was running overtime, something that Lindsey would not be able to tell from his outwardly calm appearance. He reached over to put the side lamp on, he was tired of the intimacy of the room.

  “Let me put this light on, I can see you better then.” He gave her a charming smile, which made him sick to his stomach.

  He passed her the drink and Lindsey relaxed back into the sofa, her knee touching Daniels. Daniel’s smile froze, the light mirrored the room back at him, through the refection in the windows. He saw Ella on the floor, behind the chair, spilling dark red blood on the white marble. She was still. It took all his might not to turn and run to her. He couldn’t afford to let Lindsey know he knew she was there. The blood drained from him, his knees would have buckled if he had been standing. He grasped the glass tightly, desperately trying not to be sick. He didn’t know if Ella was dead or alive, there was no way he could get past Lindsey, who kept the gun next to her, to find out.

  He realised, all of a sudden, he didn’t really care what happened to him now, if Ella was dead. He gulped in some air as he looked at Lindsey’s face in front of him.

  He heard the car return, he had been listening out desperately for Eric’s return. He needed to distract her somehow, whether he survived or not - all he knew was that his friend was also going to get mixed up in this mess soon.

  ~~~~

  Eric placed the car keys into his pocket. Gosh, he was tired. It was surprising how talking to a gathering of strangers could take it out of you. He stifled a yawn. Perhaps it was good that he wanted to sleep, he had seen the way Daniel had been looking at Ella all night, it would be best if he wasn’t hanging around!

  She had told him about Jeff a couple of days ago. He hadn’t told Daniel, he wanted her to tell him. Looks like she did! He sighed, he certainly didn’t have any luck tonight. Lisa, the lady he had been flirting with most of the night, had left when he had taken Ella home! Never mind, he yawned properly this time, he needed a good night sleep, alone.

  Eric bent down and took his shoes off before he started up the steps that led to upstairs from the garage. He smirked; it wasn’t only women who got sore feet after a party. That would teach him to wear his new leather dress shoes without breaking them in, never again. He straightened and headed up quietly, he strained to hear any sounds from upstairs as he didn’t want to accidently walk into any love scenes!

  He hesitated as he heard voices, Daniel and… someone else? Not knowing who the other voice belonged to, Eric tempered his entrance into the lounge.

  The scene that confronted him was totally unexpected, he paused. He briefly caught Daniel’s eye, before Daniel grabbed the woman, who had her back to Eric, in a passionate kiss. Eric hesitated, who was that woman with short blonde hair? If certainly wasn’t Ella.

  He caught the movement of Daniel’s hand, he was pointing towards something behind the woman’s back. Eric was appalled as he saw a spreading trail of blood. He froze, his mind going blank for a second. Reality hit him like a speeding train. He knew Lindsey was back.

  Eric looked towards Daniel again, he had stood up, still kissing the woman. Daniel had cupped one hand around the back of her neck, his eyes wide open and staring at him. Daniel’s other hand was pointing out the lampshade to Eric. Eric gulped, was his friend asking him to knock her out?

  Daniel was trying to make the kiss realistic, while his stomach was turning. What was Eric doing? His friend was just standing there! The kiss couldn’t go on much longer as Lindsey would be sure to think there was something wrong. He needed Eric to knock her out, she still had the gun firmly in her hand. He had hoped she would have dropped it during the embrace, but he could still feel the cool of it through his clothes.

  He used his two fingers and thumb to imitate a gun, hopefully Eric would realise then what was happening and snap out of his trance. He saw realisation in Eric’s eyes, then stealthily he picked up the lampshade.

  When the time was right and Eric nodded, Daniel broke the kiss being careful to keep his hand on her neck. He was trying to keep her in place for Eric. He looked down on Lindsey, her eyes still half closed in passion. She never had a chance to open them, or squeeze the trigger of the gun, before everything went black.

  Daniel didn’t even wait for her knees to buckle before throwing her towards Eric. “Check to see if the bitch is alive,” to be truthful he didn’t care, “and then call for the Police and an ambulance.”

  He darted
towards Ella’s lifeless body. When he kneeled beside her, he didn’t know what to do with his hands, they seemed to be waving over her, like a magician waiting to levitate an assistant.

  He saw her eyelids flicker, thank goodness, she was still alive. He took off his shirt and pressed it against the area with the most blood. He just hoped he was doing the right thing for her, he wished he had taken a first aid course.

  It felt like ages until help arrived, but he knew it wasn’t that long. Daniel knew she was hanging on to life, but by the sheer amount of blood, he knew it was a thin thread.

  Everything felt in slow motion. The emergency service pushed him out of the way to tend to her wound. People had previously told him about ‘out of body experiences’, this felt like one. He really did feel as though he was looking down on the whole scene which was unfolding.

  He hazily acknowledged Eric as he shoved a whiskey into his hand. For the shock he vaguely heard him say. He followed as they took Ella towards the waiting ambulance, distantly aware that Lindsey was sitting handcuffed, talking to the police.

  Chapter 27

  Daniel pounded the corridor again, the tasteless hospital coffee cold in the Styrofoam cup. When would she be out of surgery? He felt sick to his stomach. She wouldn’t be in there now, being cut up or goodness knows what, if she hadn’t come to write about his life. Oh, but by God, he was so happy that she had come into his life, he couldn’t live without her.

  Tonight was supposed to be so different. He was supposed to come back and seduce her into his bed. He wanted her in his bed. He always wanted her in his bed. Christ, it is what she had wanted too, he had seen it in her eyes, in her responses to his caresses.

  He remembered seeing the purple underwear she had put on, hopefully for him, when the ambulance crew had opened her robe to see to the wound. It wrenched his gut to think she put it on in anticipation of his return. He wished he had had the opportunity to rip it off, instead of it being cut off in the hospital. If he wasn’t so dazed, he was sure he would have been downright angry at anyone, other than himself, seeing her in that sexy underwear.