Page 77

Chapter Twenty-One

Alex

There was a long silence, and then all hell broke loose.

Ted launched himself at Tyler, shouting, screaming, and lashing out with his fists.

He landed a punch to Tyler’s face before Drummond and Mick jumped on him and wrestled him to the floor.

Tyler wiped away a fleck of blood from his cut lip, while Mick wrapped his arms around Ted to keep him still.

All the fight went out of Ted, and he deflated into a huddle beside Solange.

Mick released his hold on him a fraction, and Ted reached out a shaking hand to stroke Solange’s hair.

“Sorry, baby,” he said. “Sorry I didn’t get to you in time. Sorry we didn’t get our happily ever after. So sorry, my love. So sorry.”

Alex was too badly hurt to move. He lay on the sofa in shock, wondering if this was actually happening, or if he was dreaming.

Solange was a little heap on the floor; all he could see of her was the black dress, a cloud of hair, and a little puddle of blood.

He tried to clear the fog from his brain and grasp what was happening.

Solange couldn’t be dead; she’d been standing over there by the fireplace just a few minutes ago, alive and well.

He struggled to remember why she was now lying on the rug with blood congealing on her head.

He’d been bent over the sofa, screaming.

He must have passed out briefly – he’d been struggling to breathe with this thick collar around his neck, and the pain, the terrible pain, and she’d…

Solange had tried to stop Tyler from killing him, and Tyler had hit her.

She’d cracked her head against the fireplace and broken her neck, and now she was dead.

Solange was dead. The knowledge finally reached him, like the blade of a knife being pushed slowly into his heart. He choked out a sob.

“We need to make some decisions,” Tyler told Drummond in an undertone, taking hold of the major-domo’s shoulder and leading him away from Ted. That brought them closer to Alex, and he heard every quiet word they said.

“We could call an ambulance – say she fell,” Drummond said. “We’ll have to clear up this mess first.” He jerked his head at Alex, lying on the blood-streaked sofa.

“There will be questions,” Tyler said. “A post-mortem. Apart from the fatal injury, her face is bruised.”

“You’ve got Bagshaw,” Drummond reminded him.

“He’s an IS Agency compliance officer. This is a little outside his remit.”

“We have a couple of IAs onside,” Drummond suggested.

“Still risky – we couldn’t depend on one of them being assigned to this case,” Tyler said in quiet, rapid tones.

“Solange was off-grid for the first few years – because of him.” He glared at Alex.

“I made her sign a contract, but I didn’t register her with the IS scheme, or give her a microchip and ID tag, because I didn’t want Alexander knowing what she was when I sent her to Oxford.

That’s illegal. I chipped her later, but if someone started poking around, asking the wrong kind of questions, there’s a lot that could come to light.

This is a string that could unravel a very long way, and we have too much to lose. ”

“Then what do you suggest?” Drummond asked.

“We cover it up. We go back to her roots and dispose of her in a way in which her people would approve.” Tyler gave a tight smile. “Have you ever heard of something called the Quarterlands Splash?”

“Isn’t that what the Quarries do with their dead?”

“Yes, and it’s what we’ll do with her. Go and get something to weigh the body down, and then we’ll take a trip to the deepest section of water we can find and let her sink to the bottom without a trace. ”

“There are witnesses, sir,” Drummond pointed out, glancing around the room at Mick, Ted, the two security guards, and then at Alex.

“We’ll take care of them the usual way. There are only two we really need to worry about, I think.”

Drummond’s gaze flickered to Ted and then back to Alex. “Agreed.”

“I’ll take care of them both,” Tyler said grimly. “You take care of the others – you can have all the money you need and make whatever threats you like to balance the equation.”

Tyler went back over to Ted, who was still lying on the floor, sobbing, being half restrained and half comforted by a shocked Mick.

Tyler waved Mick back and then crouched down in front of Ted.

He put a hand on his shoulder. “You have a decision to make, Ted,” he said gently.

“I know how much you cared about Solange, and…”

“Cared about her? I loved her! We were going to get married one day, when our contracts were over.”

“I understand.” Tyler nodded sympathetically. “And I know your heart is broken right now, but she’s gone, and you have to decide what’s best for you and your family.”

“What?” Ted looked up at him sharply.

“Nothing can bring Solange back, but she wouldn’t want you to throw your life away, would she?”

“I don’t…” Ted shook his head, confused.

“You’ve got a choice.” Tyler took a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to him. “You’ve got family back in the Quarterlands, haven’t you? Your mum and a little sister?”

“Yes… but…” Ted appeared too shocked to take any of this in, but Alex could see where Tyler was going with it.

“Well, we could get them out of there, buy them a little flat somewhere – nothing fancy, but a million times better than they have now.”

“Are you trying to buy my silence?” Ted demanded contemptuously.

“Yes, of course.” Tyler shrugged. “It’s a straightforward business transaction.

We get your family out of the Quarterlands, and we promote you, get you away from here, give you a fresh start somewhere else in the Tyler empire.

I have a beautiful estate in Scotland, and I could use a good security guard up there to help take care of it.

I could make you deputy head of security, and we could find your family a place nearby, so you could visit them regularly. I’d give them an income to live on.”

“Or?” Ted asked. “There’s a great big ‘or’ to this deal, isn’t there?”

“Obviously.” Tyler gave a tight smile. “Or you can join her.”

“Join her?”

“You’re a loose cannon, and I can’t have that,” Tyler said apologetically.

Ted sat back on his heels, realisation flooding in. “So it’s the carrot or the stick?”

“That approach has always worked for me.” Tyler shrugged again. “What’s it to be? A promotion, a good life for your family, and a fresh start for you, far away from here – or do you want to follow Solange?”

Ted stared at him.

“You’d also have to ask yourself whether you’d be believed if you said anything. You know how things operate around here. You know how many people I own – both officially and unofficially. You know this could crush you and your family. Why not accept the deal?”

“Because it’s blood money,” Ted hissed.

“A court case wouldn’t be good for my reputation,” Tyler told him firmly. “So, I really can’t allow that. Solange would say you were a fool for throwing away the chance of a better life for your family out of misguided principle or misplaced pride – you know she would.”

“Fine. Whatever. You always win,” Ted said. “I don’t stand a fucking chance.” He lowered his head.

“Good man.” Tyler put a hand on his shoulder. “You’ve made the right choice – your family will thank you for it. Now… I’m sorry, but I have one more thing to ask of you.”

Ted looked up again, a weary expression on his face. “What?”

“You’re going to come with us, Ted. We’re going to give her a proper Quarterlands send-off, and I’d like you to do the honours.”

“What?” Ted repeated blankly.

“We’re going to give her the Quarterlands Splash – that’s what it’s called, isn’t it? You, me, Mick, and Drummond are going to take Solange out in a duck and do that for her. I think that’s what she’d have wanted, don’t you? ”

“No,” Ted said tightly. “All she wanted was for you to stop tormenting that poor bastard over there and leave him alone.” He nodded at Alex.

“And for us to serve out the rest of our time in this hellhole and then leave, with our heads held high and a bit of money in our pockets, so we could stand a chance of a decent life.”

“Then you have to adjust your expectations,” Tyler said briskly. “These things happen. I’ve had it happen to me. You have to find a way to use it to your advantage. So get up and help, or join her in the water. Your choice.”

The two men stared at each other for a long time, and then, finally, Ted clambered shakily to his feet.

“You’ve made the right decision,” Tyler said. “I’ll see things go very well for you and your family from now on.” Ted looked defeated, his shoulders hunched. “Good man.” Tyler said softly. Then he beckoned one of his security guards over to lead Ted away from the body.

Tyler looked down at Solange, an unreadable expression in his eyes.

Kneeling, he touched her face gently. “Damn it, girl. Why did you help him?” he asked, in such a low whisper Alex almost wondered if he’d imagined it.

Tyler grimaced, his fingers gently caressing Solange’s cheek.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” he murmured. Then he straightened up and was all business again.

Drummond returned with what they needed to dispose of Solange’s body. Alex watched as he and Mick wrapped her in the rug she was lying on, added bricks to weigh it down, and tied it tightly around her body.

Tyler appeared beside him and gently stroked his hair.

“I’m not done with you, yet, but I have to take care of this right now,” he murmured in Alex’s ear.

He took a key from his pocket and unlocked the heavy collar around Alex’s neck.

“A shame – I wanted you to wear this for much longer,” he said regretfully.

Alex took several deep, gasping breaths as Tyler removed the collar and handed it to Drummond.