Amber Storm (Assassin In Paradise Book 1)

by Jack Stroke

  “But… she does.” Confusion in his voice.

  “No, Mother needs to leave me alone. So do you. Remind her I’m retired.”

  Amber hung up the phone, heart fluttering. Was it Pierre’s presence making her anxious? Or the unexpected phone call from Tony? Or both? Contact from Mother could only mean one thing. She was coming for Amber.

  Of course, she had never forgotten about Mother or the danger she was in. She had simply managed to push her handler to the back of her mind. Until now.

  Amber placed the burner phone down on the floor and smashed it to pieces with her heel.

  If Pierre agreed this was a good idea, he didn’t show it.

  35

  The sun was well and truly up by the time Amber awoke after a fitful evening. She was pleased to see Pierre had finally disappeared, having stayed with her until the early hours, making sleep difficult. The call from Tony hadn’t helped things either. Even though she was of no doubt Mother was looking for her, the phone call confirming it was unsettling. Should she run again now? Except Mother was just as likely to find her here as anywhere else.

  Despite all of these concerns, the early morning sunshine made her feel good. Better than she had felt in the depths of the night.

  Stepping out of the front door, she saw Ben loitering around the rear of her cabin near the gate. It was the first time she had seen him in his school uniform. It made him look younger. She wandered up.

  “Hey.”

  “Hi, Amber.”

  “School today?”

  He didn’t bother to respond, giving her one of those contemptuous stares teenagers are so adept at instead. Fair enough. It was a dumb question.

  “What are you looking for?”

  “Can’t find my keys. I must have dropped them…” His sentence died away as he seemed to realise this possibly wasn’t the best direction for the conversation to go. “Never mind.”

  “Do you think you dropped them around here?” Amber asked, enjoying watching him squirm. “When do you think that might have been?” She resisted adding ‘When you were blind drunk the other night?’

  “Don’t worry about it,” Ben said.

  “I’ll keep an eye out for them.”

  Megan pulled up in a little white hatchback and Ben climbed in the passenger side.

  “Morning,” Amber said when Megan lowered the driver side window.

  “For some. I’m just dropping grumpy pants at school.” She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, Mum wanted to see you.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  Megan smirked at her in a manner that was not entirely pleasantly. “So, I hear you and Mum are having lunch.”

  “Yes, I think we’re going to Port Simmons.”

  Megan and Ben shared a smile. “Good luck with that.”

  “Why? Why do I need luck?”

  Neither said anything, just continued to smile.

  “I’m sure you’re welcome to come if you’d like to.”

  “I’m sure I am too, but I’m not going to,” Megan said. “You have fun, though.” Ben and Megan sharing a joke that Amber wasn’t in on.

  Megan went to pull away but stopped.

  “Oh, and Amber… We should, you know, have a girls’ night out or something some time. That would be good.”

  “Cool. Just let me know when you want to.”

  “Will do. Enjoy your lunch.”

  Megan drove off with two blasts of the horn.

  Amber wandered towards the cottage, pleased to possibly be making some progress with Megan. Of course, this meant they would probably have to have this girls’ night out at some point which concerned her a little, but she could freak out about that later. For now, everything felt pretty good. The sun was shining and all her troubles seemed a good deal further away than they had last night. Pierre couldn’t hurt her. And the fact Tony called meant Mother most likely had no idea where she was, and she was in no immediate danger.

  On her way to the owner’s cottage, Amber made a detour to pat Lion who was sunning himself on his favourite flat rock. He purred, stretching out lazily as she scratched behind his ears.

  “Have a fun day,” Amber told Lion. As if he could do anything else.

  Knocking as she entered, Amber called out. “Joan? Are you around?”

  The older woman was seated at the kitchen table. She wasn’t alone.

  “Hello, Amber.”

  “Mother…” Amber blurted out before she could stop herself.

  36

  Mother stared at her over the brim of a large coffee mug, obscuring most of her expression. Sunglasses on, naturally, even though they were inside. The wind went out of Amber like a blow to the stomach.

  Was Mother here to kill her? Why didn’t Amber have her damned Sig with her? Would Mother do it here and now? In front of Joan? Was her best bet to turn and run? How far could she get? Although the answer was clearly not very far. If Mother was here now, she had the situation well in hand.

  “Well, here you are at last, sleepyhead,” Joan said. “Take a seat.” She scraped a chair out. “Would you like a cup of coffee?”

  Amber nodded, or did her best to muster something that resembled a nod anyway. The kitchen wasn’t far enough away for her to be able to communicate anything with Mother without Joan being aware.

  “What are you doing here?” Amber asked through gritted teeth.

  “Just a pop in visit to see how you’re doing.”

  “That’s some pop in,” Joan said from over near the percolator. “People rarely pop in all the way to Paradise Cove.”

  “Amber is not just any employee. She is a particularly special one.”

  “She is very special.” Joan returned with another large white mug, handing it to Amber. “And what is it you ladies do exactly? Amber refuses to give us too much information.”

  Amber watched Mother carefully, intrigued as to what she might say.

  “Oh, we’re in logistics. Private contractors. Businesses hire us when they have a specific issue they require help with. Amber is one of the best we’ve got.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Joan said.

  “No, I’m really not,” Amber said. “At least not anymore.”

  “Oh, nonsense. Logistics is one of those things. You are either good at it or you’re not. You don’t lose your skills.”

  You may lose your mind, though.

  “It’s funny,” Joan said, “because we were all under the impression Amber had quit her job…”

  “People say things in the heat of the moment. It doesn’t necessarily mean it is what they truly want, when they have had time to calm down and reflect.”

  “Calm down… from logistics?” Joan asked. “Is it really the sort of thing that gets people’s pulses racing?”

  “You would be surprised,” Mother told Joan. “What we do is quite involved and highly pressured.”

  A phone rang in the other room.

  “Oh, I’ll just get that,” Joan said, hurrying out. “Excuse me.”

  Amber’s heart attempted to pound its way out of her chest.

  “Nice lady,” Mother commented.

  “Don’t hurt her. Please.”

  “Why would we hurt her?”

  “What are you doing here?” Amber asked.

  “We have work for you. You weren’t taking our calls.”

  “I said I can’t do this anymore, remember?”

  “You were upset and we discussed you needing a holiday.”

  Amber cleared her throat. “I was quite clear.”

  If Mother was by herself, Amber could run now. Make it to cabin six and grab her Sig. If Mother was alone. But Mother would have a plan. Mother always had a plan.

  “You were upset. We believed with sufficient time to reflect on the situation you might come to change your mind.”

  How would things play out if it happened here? How would Mother do it? Were there are other agents around? Waiting? Watching the cottage?

  “People in our line of work, with yo
ur specialised skill set, don’t retire, Amber.”

  Amber gulped. “Is that a threat?”

  Mother said nothing, merely flushing one of her Cheshire Cat smiles as Joan walked back into the room.

  37

  A small part of Amber had been waiting to die her entire time back in Paradise Cove. Expecting it. Now that it seemed imminent, she had no interest in it happening at all.

  Joan smiled broadly at them both. “Sorry about that. An enquiry about a booking would you believe.”

  “Why wouldn’t we believe that? You rent out cabins, don’t you? That’s your line of business,” Mother said.

  “We do, but unfortunately we don’t do too much business at this time of year. More coffee?”

  Mother shook her head while Amber indicated her cup was still full.

  “I take it you don’t need somewhere to stay,” Joan said to Mother. “We have plenty of cabins available.”

  The thought of Mother sleeping in one of the cabins brought a smile to Amber’s face. One of the fancy hotels in Port Simmons maybe, but the rundown rooms here? Not a chance.

  “Thank you for your kind offer. This is merely a quick visit though.”

  The three of them sat in uncomfortable silence.

  “So, Joan,” Mother said eventually. “How do you know Amber?”

  Was there a way Amber could redirect the conversation? Not one that she thought of quickly enough.

  “Oh, we’ve known Amber for years. She and my daughter Megan were best friends all through school.”

  Mother nodded, accumulating information and giving away nothing. Amber knew what she was doing. Mother had taught her all her tactics. Or at least the ones she was happy to share. Amber suspected there were more Mother had kept to herself. Right now, she was exposing Amber’s weak points. Making it clear to Amber she knew all about them. That they were vulnerable.

  “And you live here with your daughter?”

  “Yes and her son, Ben.”

  “How lovely. Ben… And how old is he?”

  What did Joan hear in Mother’s tone? Compassion? Interest? Because all Amber heard was veiled threats.

  “Ben is seventeen.”

  “Almost a man.”

  “Almost. A bit of road to travel before we hit that mark though.” Joan chuckled and took the coffee mugs. “Amber, you have barely touched yours, dear.”

  “Sorry, I thought I wanted it… But…”

  “Don’t apologise. It’s fine.”

  She took the mugs into the kitchen.

  Was it possible Amber was misreading the situation? Maybe it was simply surface and they were merely making conversation, yet all she could hear and see with Mother were warning signs. Be careful with your next move. I see. I know. No more games.

  Time to get things moving. She stood.

  “Joan, thanks for your hospitality, but Mother and I might have a word in private if that is all right.”

  “Of course, of course. Would you like me to leave?”

  “Don’t be foolish,” Mother said, standing as well. “This is your cottage. A breath of fresh air might do us some good.” She shook Joan’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Joan.”

  As Mother moved out the door, Joan grabbed Amber’s arm, trying to communicate something to her with wild eyes. Amber interpreted it as ‘I am here if you need me’, which was a nice sentiment.

  Frankly though, no matter what her good intentions, it was largely useless in a practical sense.

  This was Mother that Amber was dealing with.

  38

  Amber and Mother headed across the road towards the beach.

  “Wonderful location,” Mother said dryly. “Beautiful and yet quiet.”

  Amber couldn’t think of a less beachy person than Mother.

  “How did you find me?”

  “Oh, please,” Mother said, mildly insulted. “You’re being very rude. You have been rude ever since you first laid eyes on us back there.” She emphasised ‘there’ to show her disdain with the Paradise by the Bay and the owner’s cottage.

  They stopped on the grass just before the sand. Mother wouldn’t care for sand.

  “What about you?” Amber said. “Exposing my weak points. Showing you are in control. That you have the power.”

  “Yes, that is how one should act in the field or when trying to exert influence over a target. However, we are not in the field, are we? There is no target.”

  Amber studied Mother’s expression, doing her best to dissect it.

  “Then what are you doing?”

  “Attempting to assist a colleague who is, for whatever reason, having a few difficulties. More than just a colleague actually. A friend even.”

  “I wasn’t sure you had any friends.”

  Mother gazed out across the gently lapping water. “It’s dangerous to have close relationships in our line of work, something you are well aware of. How many years have we known each other? A closeness develops.”

  The unexpected direction of the conversation messed with Amber’s already fragile mind. Maybe it was Mother who’d had a breakdown and not her. Or maybe all of this was a trick.

  “Why are you here?”

  “We might ask you the same question. You have already asked us that several times.”

  “How about you answer it then?”

  “We have a job for —”

  “I’m not interested.”

  “Please don’t interrupt, it’s rude. We are after some drug smugglers operating in the area. Chatter indicates a large shipment is on its way here any day now. Heroin.”

  Amber shook her head.

  “The shipment needs to be destroyed. The smugglers neutralised.”

  “Clearly you know all about it,” Amber said. “Go to the police. Or customs. I don’t know.”

  “Don’t be so naïve. You know perfectly well any drugs seized will find their way back onto the streets in due time. The only way to make a difference is to bypass those channels. This is what we do. How we achieve positive results.”

  “Not me, I’m done.”

  Mother turned to Amber, gazing down at her. “This thing, what we do, who we are. It’s not something you can simply walk away from. You are a finely tuned instrument, my girl. Like a Swiss clock. A clock can’t be anything else, not even a watch, even if they have similar functions.”

  Amber turned away. “Watch me.”

  Mother didn’t understand, taking a moment to nod. “Oh, we thought you were continuing my timepiece analogy. You meant watch me as in observe me. What do you believe you are going to do? Live here in this charming place for six months until it drowns in debt?”

  Amber studied her. Did Mother know something specific about Paradise by the Bay or was it merely an educated guess? No, this was Mother. She knew something.

  “I’m not sure what I plan to do yet, but whatever I do it will be my decision. Not yours.”

  Amber strode away, refusing to turn back. Waiting for Mother to give the signal to an agent to appear from nowhere and put a bullet in the back of her head. It was a surprise to make it all the way back to cabin six. That didn’t mean it wasn’t coming at any moment.

  Amber had to remain vigilant.

  39

  Amber and Joan took the small, white hatchback into Port Simmons for their lunch date. The roads were quiet, Joan insisting Amber drive despite it being her car.

  “Let’s go to Mar Lar,” Joan said. “Does that sound alright?”

  “Whatever you want, Joan.”

  “Oh, you are so much easier than Megan. She won’t let me take her to Mar Lar. She says it’s too full of oldies, but it’s beautiful seafood and not outrageously priced like all the other restaurants in Port Simmons. Well, not all. Most.”

  They followed the same winding route the bus had taken, without the stops.

  “Is Paradise by the Bay doing okay?”

  “Yes. Why do you ask?”

  “When I first arrived you said you had no visitors at this time
of year. I thought you meant it was quiet. I didn’t think that meant no visitors at all.”

  “Yes, but it’s off-season.”

  “I know that.”

  “We’ll be fine. It’s a challenge because we are so cut off. The location is good if you’ve got a car. Otherwise, there’s not a lot to do in Paradise Cove.”

  “That’s what’s so great about it.”

  “Ha, you and Megan, you are like peas in a pod. I agree. That’s why we used to like holidaying here so much. Me and Pablo, then with Megan and you. I don’t know. Families don’t seem to want to holiday like that anymore. They want to be entertained all the time. They want things to do. The state of the cabins doesn’t help. They look shabby and rundown. Megan won’t let me change a thing. Like a lick of paint would rob them of their soul somehow.”

  Amber agreed with Megan, although she didn’t say anything. If they were freshly painted and new looking, the cabins might lose their magic.

  Port Simmons was busier than when Amber had visited earlier, although hardly busy.

  “Pull up here,” Joan instructed.

  Amber couldn’t see any restaurants.

  “I’m just going to nip into the chemist first, if that’s all right with you.”

  “Oh. Sure.”

  As Joan disappeared inside, Amber stretched out, leaning against the car to wait. Enjoying the warmth of the midday sun. The novelty of having nothing to do was still pleasant. Being in no hurry. She remained fully aware of her surroundings, however. It was impossible to switch that part of her brain off. That is how she spotted the man.

  He wasn’t a tourist or a local. He was something else entirely. He had made some effort to dress like a holidaymaker, and yet it was evident by the way he moved he was something quite different. He spotted Amber as well, not quite quick enough in disguising his surprise.

  They eyed one another, like a couple of cowboys in an old western, ready for a gun battle.

  After a second he kept moving, striding straight at Amber. She readied to defend herself. Nothing happened. He passed without incident. Had she imagined that? Jumping at shadows again?