The Girl With Ten Claws (The Adventures of Benedict and Blackwell)

by E. Earle

I was up and grabbing my coat. “Far from it, pussycat.”

  I had a pocket knife in my boot and a torch in my coat pocket as I jumped into my Fiat Punto. Ben hopped in after me and held on as I accelerated away from Craggy’s.

  “You know this is dangerous, right?” I told him as I forced my breathing to calm.

  “I’m there with you every step of the way,” he said simply.

  I thought of the day he turned up on my doorstep, bedraggled, filthy and starving. Letting him in had been the best thing I had ever done.

  The address I had scribbled down was lying on the dash- I had driven past the location twice before. Horneston House, a few hills over from Craggy’s. I had no idea Gabriella was so close.

  It was nearly midnight. Brynn had been there for hours now and hadn’t returned. Panic started to rise in my chest. Something had happened.

  I pulled up to the simple stone house. There were no police cars, no nothing. Not even Brynn’s pickup truck.

  “Where are the police?” I murmured as I pulled up the handbrake. No lights were on inside, but I think I could make out the shape of a car parked next to the building. Gabriella’s?

  Ben meowed, peering over the steering wheel. “I can’t see anyone.”

  I scowled. “We’re going to have to use your nose then,” I said opening the car door.

  We padded silently towards the building and peered through the windows. No lights were on inside and the blinds had been shut down. The house was grand in its simplicity, white washed walls with modest and straightforward lines. Honest.

  Ironic considering its host.

  “Brynn was here,” Ben said, his nose in the air. “So was the woman you don’t like…”

  Olivia.

  I tried the front door and frowned when it opened. Glancing at Ben, I saw his eyes burning in the darkness. I knelt down and cradled his head in my hands.

  “You’re remembering last time,” he said simply and licked my burnt palm. “I’m not going anywhere, silly human.”

  I nodded and slowly stood up.

  None of the lights worked when I stepped in, which made me feel uncomfortable. I had seen films where the woman walks into an empty house with no lights on, and I would always scream for her to run away.

  Something bad is going to happen! I wanted to scream at her. Turn back now!

  I was now that woman.

  My skin prickled as the floorboards creaked under my feet, a long dark hallway in front of me swallowing my shadow.

  “There’s another scent here,” Ben said behind me. “I’ve smelt it before.”

  “That’s probably Gabriella,” I whispered, moving into another room.

  “No… it’s-”

  “Hello, Miss Blackwell.”

  Ben and I just about jumped out of our skin at the sound of another person. Vincent stood in the centre of the room, his hands in his pockets with shadows under his eyes.

  I breathed a sigh of relief and almost laughed. “Oh God!” I stammered, looking for Ben and finding him gone. “You scared me!”

  “Apologies.”

  Putting aside my previous reservations, I walked forward and gave him a quick hug. “Oh God, am I glad to see you! What are you doing here?” I asked, looking around a room which resembled an old fashioned drawing room. “Who on earth lives here?”

  “Nobody,” he said, looking strange as I stepped back, glancing at the room as if realising that he was there too. “Not anymore anyway.”

  I turned away and started looking on the ground for clues. A chair was on its side. Pillows thrown off a sofa. A broken wine glass. Blood.

  My heart skipped and I took a breath.

  Not blood, I told myself, bending down. Wine.

  “You shouldn’t have come here, Vincent,” I told him sternly. “It’s dangerous.”

  I turned around on my heels and saw him pointing something at me.

  “No Ellena,” he said. “You shouldn’t have.”

  That was when I realised he was pointing a gun at me.

  “Oh shit.”

  Hands bound once again, I could only be thankful that Ben had hidden out of view. The relief was soon overridden with the knowledge that yet again, a gun was pointing in my direction.

  I wasn’t stupid. I did what I was told.

  “You’re supposed to be his friend,” I managed through gritted teeth as Vincent opened the boot of his car.

  He simply stared at me, the annoying charm gone from his body. Now he was cold, calculating and expectant of obedience. “And I am,” he said. “I’m being a very good friend in bringing his girlfriend to him.” He made a movement with his gun, his smile falling. “Get in.”

  I tried to keep track of the twists and turns of the road, but I eventually lost track of where the hell we were. I didn’t hear any heavy traffic, so that told me we hadn’t gone on any main roads. Worried for Ben, I closed my eyes in the stuffy darkness, breathing in that new vehicle smell and thought of my feline soul mate.

  He was nearby. I knew it.

  “I swear, Ben,” I said softly, willing for him to hear me. “If you get me out of this, I’ll never badger you about what you eat. You can gobble up all the bacon in the world and all I’ll do is congratulate you.”

  Whether he heard me or not, I was sure our local butcher’s profits would skyrocket in any case.

  When the boot opened, Vincent was braced for my attack. My limbs froze at the sight of the gun pointing towards my face and I scowled.

  “Get up.”

  I obeyed him yet again and got out of the car as gracefully as I could. “Where are we?” I muttered, my eyes scanning my surroundings really for Ben. I was killing time.

  “We’re at the docks,” Vincent said pointlessly, gesturing to the boats upon boats moving up and down on the black water.

  A scene from the Sopranos came to mind and my heart stopped beating for a moment.

  Vincent rolled his eyes. “Oh come on,” he said. “What a cliché.”

  Leading me towards a warehouse, the stench of fish became stronger and stronger. My eyes wandered frantically in the search for anything orange, but if Ben was about, he wasn’t going to give up his location that easily.

  “Where are you taking me?” I asked, my feet unsure of where to go in the darkness. “Where’s Brynn?”

  “You’re about to see him, sweetheart,” Vincent said, holding my wrists behind my back tightly. “Now be quiet.”

  The warehouse was deserted, stray pallets piled up in a corner and a few motion lights flickering on and off. “Doesn’t anyone work here?” I asked, trying to keep the hope out of my voice.

  Vincent gave a sharp tug on the rope around my wrists. “Let’s get one thing clear,” he said into my ear. “No one is coming here. And no one is going to help you.”

  I gritted my teeth and resisted the urge to whack the back of my head into his face. The gun pressing in the small of my back brought back too many memories of the burning barn with Rino.

  “I hope your gallery explodes,” I snarled.

  “Me too,” he said brightly. “Got a hell of an insurance on it.”

  The wind tore at my hair as I continued to walk towards the warehouse. Vincent held my arm tightly as he opened the door and pushed me in. The sudden exposure to light made my eyes blink rapidly, my steps faltering not knowing if I was walking into danger.

  The only thing that gave me joy was the shocked and furious expressions on Olivia and Gabriella’s face when they saw me.

  But the joy was short lived, because then I saw Brynn.

  Chapter Six

  He was unconscious when I managed to grabble to him, wringing myself free from Vincent, careless whether I got shot or not.

  Tied to a chair with him hands bond behind him, Brynn’s face was covered in blood.

  “Brynn!” I shouted, clutching his face. He murmured something in his disorientated state as my hands worked over his scalp and found a cut there. It was only when I realised most of the blood ha
d stemmed from a shallow cut when Vincent grabbed my arm and swung me round.

  “Very touching, Blackwell,” he said, pointing the hateful weapon in front of my face. “But unless you’re going to do as you’re told, this will be the last you see Brynn O’Connell.”

  I stared through the gun and at Vincent, wishing whatever power my soul possessed to strike him down there and then. But whatever I had must have been caught up in the worry for Brynn, because no bolt of lightning came.

  “What have you done to him?” I growled, getting shakily to my feet, ignoring Vincent completely and fixing my glare on Olivia.

  She lifted her chin defiantly at me, her arms crossed in smug satisfaction. “What was necessary,” she replied.

  “He doesn’t know where your stupid treasure is!” I screamed.

  Vincent rolled his eyes and shoved me to the floor. “Sit.”

  Clicking of heels echoed in the warehouse as Gabriella stepped forwards and knelt down in front of me, her leather jacket creaking as she did. Her lips, now painted red smiled at me with a victory that hadn’t been there before.

  “You’ve been keeping secrets from me,” she purred softly.

  My eyes shook in their sockets as my mind jumped at trying to take in the information. Secrets?

  She mistook my confusion for panic and her smile grew. “That’s right,” she said standing. “Your lover told us everything.”

  Forcing my gaze to stay on her face, I moved closer to Brynn. “What are you on about?”

  But she wasn’t paying attention to me anymore. “You have our boat?” she said to Vincent.

  He nodded.

  White teeth flashed in the slash of red as she clapped her hands. “Good. Then your part is done.”

  Clearing his throat, Vincent dusted himself and straightened his jacket. “Very good,” he said, stepping away from me. “And our deal?”

  Gabriella pulled out a small brown leather box from nowhere and tossed it to him. Neatly catching it, Vincent opened it, smiled and closed it again.

  “Until next time, Miss Blackwell,” he said with a salute.

  “Oh there will be a next time,” I said to him through gritted teeth. “When I next see you, I’m going to pummel your teeth into dust.”

  A corner of his mouth quirked at my words. I watched him go out of the door, wishing that it could be me who walked out as easily. But as I looked up, it was now Gabriella who was holding the gun at me.

  “You and your lover will take us to Old Marley’s hoard,” she said, her delicious Italian accent thickening in her anger.

  I was about to shout at her when Brynn groaned behind me.

  Turning, I nearly fell into his lap in my haste to see him. His eyes blinked blearily at his surroundings, as if hoping it had all been a nightmare. I saw the confusion and then dismay settle on his face, before his eyes finally rest on my face.

  Relief flooded them and he actually smiled. “Ellena,” he said brokenly. “You’re ok?”

  I couldn’t stop the tears that were suddenly falling from my cheeks. “Brynn, I’m so sorry!” I urged, my hands going to his face. “I’ll-”

  “Shut up!”

  I turned to see Olivia’s entire body shake, her face ashen against her black leather jacket.

  Gabriella’s hard expression flickered into annoyance for a second before that marble mask of calm returned. “O’Connell has told us everything we need to know, Miss Blackwell,” she purred. “Now just do as you’re told.”

  “I’ve already said-”

  “It’s true,” Brynn said quickly, interrupting me.

  I turned and stared at him in shock. “What?”

  He fixed his eyes on mine with an intensity that I hadn’t seen before. “I’ve told them everything.”

  Slamming my mouth shut, I could see there was something he wanted to say. He nodded ever so slightly, unseen by the two women and I nodded back, unknowing of where we would end up.

  Gabriella and Olivia marched us to the docks, the wind crashing against the waves with a roar that almost deafened my ears. I covered them with my hands, the icy temperature freezing my eardrums into a painful throb.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  Olivia pushed me forwards. “You know exactly where we’re going, bitch,” she spat.

  I breathed in, trying to remain calm, recognising that there wasn’t only me to worry about anymore. Brynn staggered ahead of me, limping slightly but keeping his back straight. He must have a concussion at least, but I was glad there didn’t seem to be any broken bones or anything.

  Brynn was strong.

  My eyes scanned the blackness around us, desperate for that orange orb to stay hidden. Ben couldn’t fight against a gun and nor would I want to. He would know when I needed him.

  He always knew.

  We walked up to a section of the mooring where the day rowing boats were- the only boats that were tied up. They creaked and knocked together with a violence that made me jump.

  “Is this the best you could find?” Gabriella snapped looking back to her niece.

  Olivia bristled uncomfortably under her aunt’s dark stare. “Everything else is locked and alarmed,” she said, fidgeting. “This is the only thing we can take without being noticed.”

  “Take?” I turned to Gabriella. “You do realise what the sea is like right now, right?”

  The woman ignored me and turned to Brynn instead. “You’ve done this before?”

  He nodded, his jaw hard. “Loads of times.”

  I raised my eyebrows and wanted to scoff something at him. He was always telling me of the dangers of the sea, and now I found he was used to going out in this?

  I stopped my brain from calling him a hypocrite and clenched my fists at the sight of his bound hands. The rain had started to come down, and a chill was settling in my fingernails.

  Gabriella jutted her chin at Brynn. “Go- you first.”

  Brynn had the grace to raise an eyebrow at her. “It’s a bit hard to get into a boat with bound hands,” he said coldly.

  Aunt and niece exchanged glances. “You will help him in,” Olivia snapped to me.

  “Me?” I looked to Brynn. “Do you know how much he weighs? He’s twice the size of me!”

  “Undo my hands and I will get in myself,” Brynn said gruffly.

  “Help him in,” Olivia hissed, shoving my shoulder and making me fall into him.

  I turned as the rain started to mix into the relentless wind and stared at him. His eyes, even in the darkness flashed brightly at me in reassurance.

  “It’s ok,” he said softly to me.

  I shook my head, unable to believe him.

  “Get in the boat!” Olivia screamed, hauling me back like a piece of meat. I was really tired of being treated like a ragdoll.

  “I can’t get him into the boat with the waves how they are!” I snarled. “We’ll capsize it and he’ll drown!”

  Gabriella cleared her throat as Olivia raised her hand to hit me. “Untie him,” she said bored.

  Her niece flinched at her voice. “But, aunt-”

  “He’s no good to us dead, now, is he?”

  Olivia glared at me and then the waves sucking at the wood of the docks around us. A slither of light made me flinch as she pulled out a penknife from her back pocket.

  Enjoying my momentary alarm, she grabbed Brynn and sliced through the rope holding his hands. He winced, and I knew she had cut him.

  Smiling, she threw the rope at my feet, and in that moment, I swore I was going to make her pay.

  Watching Brynn rub his wrists out of the corner of my eye, I stepped backwards as Gabriella approached, the gun pointed at us both.

  I thought about pulling Brynn and I over the docks. As soon as the thought entered my head it left. We would have to run to be free of boats and we would probably be shot by then, and if not shot, we would probably either drown or get dashed against the boats.

  “Don’t get any ideas, O’Connell,” Gabriella said, ru
nning her eyes down the length of him. “I would much prefer not having to shoot your pretty face.”

  Brynn got into the boat with an ease that screamed years of sea experience and held out a hand to steady me. But I was never to gracefully get into any boat when Olivia shoved me in. My shin slammed against an oar and I cried out in agony. Brynn’s arm quickly wrapped around my waist and held a standing post to steady us.

  I glared up at Olivia’s smiling face through rain droplets and shook in fury.

  “It’s ok,” Brynn said in my ear, his words lost in the roar of the ocean to anyone but me. I closed my eyes briefly, the heat from his breath seeming to be the only warmth I had ever felt in my life.

  Brynn reluctantly helped the two women into the boat, the waves rocking us with a dangerous urgency. The boat was big enough for eight people, its oars lying neatly within the centre, two discarded lifejackets under the seats.

  The women sat down and watched me as I pulled them out, their orange colour making my eyes flinch. No sooner had I pulled them out, Olivia had snatched them from me.

  “Thanks,” she said, passing one to Gabriella. “Safety first.”

  They forced Brynn to row out from the docks with the gun continuously pointing at his chest. I sat next to him and took an oar- more for body heat and to do something that would keep me warm than for anything else.

  “Where are we going?” I muttered as the ocean spray froze my lips.

  “You’ll see,” Brynn said quietly back, our words stolen by the wind.

  “Row harder,” Gabriella snapped. “I want to be back before the sun comes up.”

  “We would if you put that gun down,” Brynn snapped at her, losing his patience. “One rough wave and that could go off.”

  Gabriella narrowed her eyes at us and the nodded finally, her knuckles white from holding onto the side of the boat. Olivia looked petrified next to her aunt, and I knew how she felt.

  My breath heaved as each wave threatened to topple us over, the water smashing against the back of our spines, freezing our bones into one knotted twine of ice.

  “Where are we going?” I urged to Brynn, my teeth chattering so much my words barely escaped from my mouth. “Oh God, I’m so cold…”