Page 66 of A Very Happy Easter

“But the fire was started in your neighbour’s apartment, not yours.”

“I think he miscounted the windows. After he threw the second bottle, he ran to a moped, and the moped had a courier box on the back.” The chill turned to full-on cryogenesis. “And if it is the same guy, that means he’s after me and not necessarily you. The last thing I want to do is put you in danger.”

“Why would he be after you?”

“I don’t know yet, but it’s a fair bet that I’ve pissed off a bunch of people over the years.”

“What if I beef up security? Hire those twenty-four-hour guards we talked about?”

“You need to do that anyway. Can I borrow your phone again? I’ll speak to the scheduling team and set the wheels in motion.”

“But where will you go? Where will you stay? With Serena and Owen?”

“I don’t want to put them in danger either. We have sleep pods at the office, so I can stay there for a while.”

“What about clothing, toiletries, that kind of thing?”

“Blackwood has emergency supplies.”

“Do you think any belongings survived in your apartment?”

Heath grimaced. “I doubt it. But I don’t have a lot of stuff, and I’ve never been the sentimental type. It’s hard to be when you’re travelling the world with a kit bag.”

“If you write a list of whatever you need, I can replace it.”

“You should stay at home, for the next few days at least. Don’t go out shopping.”

“Hello? You’re talking to a professional recluse here. I’m a whizz at buying things on the internet.”

That earned me another smile.

“Then I wouldn’t say no to a couple of T-shirts and a pair of sweatpants.” Heath held up his bandaged hands. “Skip anything with buttons, though. I can pay you back.”

“Are you kidding me?”

The smile turned into a laugh. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’m glad you’re here.”

The feeling was mutual.

“I just want the police to fix this mess. I just want it to be over.”

Heath glanced over at the cordon. “Guess I should have a chat with them.” He didn’t seem thrilled by the prospect. “But right now, speaking with my own team is more important. Where did you leave the car?”

“Behind all those reporters.”

The ones yelling questions over the police tape. Talk about insensitive.

“Let’s go, then.” Heath tucked an arm around me, and I kept my head down as we pushed our way through the crowd to the car. I wanted to scream at them to get out of the way, but wouldn’t that look great on the gossip pages? So I kept my mouth shut, kept my cool, and—unlike on the way—stuck to the speed limit as Heath directed me to the Blackwood offices. We parked in an underground garage. All I wanted to do was stay with him, but he left me with a female colleague, one who made me tea, found me a packet of chocolate biscuits, and made small talk until I finally asked if there was somewhere I could get some sleep. Not that I expected to actually sleep, but I was tired of talking.

The Edie jinx had struck again. The glimmer of happiness was gone, and darkness fell in its place.

Eighteen

“Edie?” Heath shook me gently. “Hey, sleepyhead.”

My eyes were gummed shut, and I rubbed them groggily. “What time is it?”

“Seven a.m. I’m glad you managed to sleep.”