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brEN
It’s been two weeks since that morning. I wasn’t sure what had changed for me, but I was tired of fighting with Alec. I could admit to myself that he’s always been the one for me and more than likely always would. We’ve settled into a routine, and I can’t say that I hate it.
This Alec was so different from the Alec of the last few years. I wasn’t sure what to do now that Lexi and I were his sole focus. It was like he’d done a complete one-eighty. Both Sam and Ben had told me that he’d been the one to organise my security even though Dad had already been working on it. He’d gone to Dad with a secondary plan. Not that Ellie or I’d argued about the security. We were by no means defenceless; our family had made sure of that, but I wasn’t going to say no to additional eyes, and the guys had more muscle than we did.
That being said, both Ellie and I wore our boots with the hidden knife compartments that Aunt Noni had had custom-made for us years ago, and we each wore our bracelets that could be used as a garrotte if needed or to tie someone up. Our trackers were working; Ellie checked them daily. We were as prepared as we could possibly be. Carly had upped our training again, much to my dismay. She knew how much I hated it, but I also knew that I needed to keep it up. The bonus of having to get sweaty three times a week was that my body was firming up nicely after having Lexi.
“There’s another one,” Ellie says quietly from her desk in the office we’re sharing. We’d taken over the spare office in Beau and Bella’s company. Not only were they in the middle of the village, but they had a security system, and Beau was in the office with us. I looked over at Ellie when she spoke, pulled out of my profit and loss spreadsheets.
“Did you say something, Els?”
Ellie nods towards the TV that was hung on the wall in the reception. Usually, it shows the different currencies and FTSE index. When the news comes on, it switches over. There’s a breaking news banner running along the bottom of the screen. Standing up, I walk into the reception, picking up the control; I adjust the volume to listen to what the reporter was saying.
‘There has been another body discovered in the New Forest. The police are still investigating, but early reports are showing that the body was found in a similar condition to the previous victims. So far, the police are not releasing anything further. We’ll keep you updated as more information is revealed.’
She ended her report, and the cameraman panned out so that we could see the entire scene.
“How many is that?” I ask.
“Four in two weeks,” Ellie replies from behind me. There’s something in the tone of her voice that has me turning to look at her .
“What’s wrong?” I want to know. Going towards her, I wrap my arm around her.
Ellie shivers slightly. Beau walks out of his office into the reception. Switching off the telly, he asks, “What’s going on?”
“There’s been another murder and something about it has upset Ellie,” I answer him.
“What’s bothering you about it, Els?” Beau asks gently. Taking her hand, he walks her over to the couch in his office and tucks the blanket he keeps on the back around her. The action surprises me; I didn’t think that Beau cared much about anything but his spreadsheets, but it seems like all of us, he has a soft spot for Ellie. He doesn’t wait for her answer, though; instead, he disappears once he’s tucked her in and I can hear him knocking about in the small kitchen.
Ellie hesitates before she speaks, “I don’t have any proof, okay, just a feeling.”
Sitting on the edge of the couch, I put a hand on her leg and squeeze her calf, “Ellie, you know I’ll believe whatever you have to say.”
Beau comes back in with a mug of tea that he hands Ellie, “Here, it’s camomile,” he tells her before sitting on the coffee table as we wait to hear what she has to say.
Ellie cradles her mug of tea and still looks uncertain when she says, “I think it’s Christian Helmsworth killing those girls. I can’t prove it. It’s a feeling. Whenever the news reports on murder, I get that same oily feeling I had when we met with them at the factory that day.
“I also don’t think these are the first murders he’s done. I think there are more, but the police haven’t connected the dots.”
“We need to let Reaper know,” Beau says, taking his phone out of his pocket. “Maybe he can get Greg to give him some information.”
“Good idea,” I agree. Greg has long been a friend of the family and was our local contact in the police. Patting Ellie’s leg to get her attention, “I have a feeling you’re right, Ellie. It just means we have to be extra careful, okay?”
Ellie nods her head in agreement as Beau ends his call, telling us, “Reaper is going to give Greg a call. He’ll update us once he has news. Are you girls about done for the day?”
Looking at the clock, I see it’s nearly four o’clock. Lexi has been with Alec most of the day, and I could do with feeding her again, so I nod, “Yeah, I’m ready to call it a day. Can you drop me at the garage so I can feed Lexi?”
Beau nods, then turns to Ellie, “What about you, Els?”
“Can you take me home?” she asks.
“I’m on my bike,” he tells her. Ellie’s face falls, “Oh, I can wait with Bren then.”
“If you have your jacket and helmet, I don’t mind giving you a lift home on my bike, Els,” he assures her.
Ellie’s face lights up. I’m not sure if it’s because she loves being on a bike or if it’s because Beau’s offered. This was not something I’d seen coming. Beau’s always been insular. He loves his brothers and he’s close to Bella, and when it comes to the MC, he’ll do what needs to be done, but otherwise, he’s a closed book. Ellie throws the blanket off her legs and stands. “I’ve got my jacket and helmet in the car,” she says, rushing past us. Beau grabs hold of her to stop her from rushing out, “Slow down, pack your stuff up and we’ll all leave together. We’ll drop Bren off on our way out.”
Ellie deflates slightly, saying sheepishly, “Oh, yeah. You’re right.”
Laughing, I take her hand and pull her towards our office to pack up our laptops and anything else we need.
“Beau, huh.” I tease, making her blush, but she’s smiling.
“Maybe,” she says softly, “I can’t read him, so I don’t know if he’s just being kind or if he’s interested. He’s nearly nine years older than me, maybe he sees me as an annoyance.”
Wrapping my arms around my little sister, I whisper in her ear, “I don’t think he does. I’m not saying your age isn’t holding him back, but be patient; he may surprise you.”
We pull apart when Beau knocks on the door, “Is everything okay?” he asks.
“Everything’s fine,” I assure him. “Hey, do you know when Bella will be back?”
Beau shakes his head, looking away for a minute before replying, “She didn’t say. But as it’s the first time she’s been on holiday in years, I’m glad she’s taking her time.”
Ellie and I exchange a look; yeah, Beau wasn’t being completely truthful about Bella being away, but the two of them had been friends and business partners for a long time, and they had their own loyalty to each other.
Picking up my bag, I follow Beau and Ellie out the door to my small Jeep. Ellie gets her helmet and jacket out as soon as I unlock it. I get in and wait for them to pull out. I follow along behind them to the garage and pull into a parking space, smiling when Alec comes out to greet me. I wave at Ellie and Beau as they pull back out onto the road and watch as Booker joins them as they ride out of the village and home.
“Hey, baby,” Alec says huskily, snaking an arm around my waist and pulling me tight against his body. Tilting my head back, I smile up at him, replying, “Hi,” just as his lips take mine. Standing on tiptoe, I wrap my arms around his neck and return his kiss. “Missed you today,” he mutters as he breaks away and rests his forehead against mine.
“You did?”
“Yeah,” he nods, hugging me tight. I relax into his muscular chest with another smile, loving that he’s not shy to show his affection to me anymore. “Do you want to go out for dinner tomorrow night?” he asks suddenly.
Tilting my head back so I can see his face, I reply, “I’d love to. I need to check if either Mum or Bev can have Lexi, though.”
“I’ve already checked. Your mum and Reaper will babysit for us.”
“Where are we going?” I want to know.
“I thought we’d go to the restaurant next to The Lounge and then onto the nightclub. Unless you want to do The Lounge.”
Shaking my head, I reply, “No, the nightclub is good. Maybe ask the others if they want to join us there, but dinner is only you and me?”
Alec smiles, “I can do that. Come on. Let’s get you inside to see our girl.”
His arms fall from around me, then he takes my hand and walks me towards the doors of the garage. I catch sight of our reflection in the large office windows, and I’m still a little shocked at seeing us both looking happy and being content in each other’s company.
Stepping into the office, I laugh at Lexi, who starts bouncing in Gunny’s arms as soon as she sees me. It always hits me when I haven’t seen her all day how much she’s grown since Alec first arrived home. In the last few months, she’s started interacting so much more with us.
Holding out my arms, I chirp, “Hello, my Lexi,” and, taking her from Gunny, I hold her to me, inhaling her beautiful baby scent. “Mummy missed you today, baby girl.”
“Here, sit,” Alec says, guiding me into a chair and putting a bottle of water next to me before handing me the blanket I used when I nursed Lexi here.
“Thank you,” I tell him, getting her settled at my breast. “No problem, babe. I’m just finishing up; I’ll be good to leave in about forty minutes.”
“I’ll be waiting,” I reply with a smile. Alec bends and presses a quick kiss to my lips, then to Lexi’s head before he disappears back into the workshop.
“I’m glad to see you two have worked things out,” Gunny says in a gruff voice.
Looking up from Lexi, I agree, “Me too, Gunny. Me too.”
“You and Lexi have been good for him. I was worried he’d never grow up,” Gunny admitted. “He’s finally turned into the man I always knew he could be.”
“He’s had a good role model, Gunny,” I tell him with a small smile. I’ve always loved the gruff and slightly grumpy man. I especially loved the way he treated Bev.
Gunny waves a hand, a slight tinge of red on his cheeks, making me chuckle. Taking pity on him, I change the subject, and we spend the next half hour chatting while I wait for Alec to finish up so we can go home.