Page 72 of Last Breath

‘Tom texted saying you needed an urgent fixing.’

She squeezed the bridge of her nose. ‘I told him not to bother you with it.’

‘Itbeing Luca’s baby mumma?’

‘No, it’s not that ...’ Nella could hear a muffled voice in the background – Max. Her stomach dropped. With everything that had been going on, she’d completely neglected her promise to look for some hard evidence against Forrest Valentine. Grey whispered something reassuring and she heard the distinct sound of a gentle kiss. The thought of Max and Grey lying happily in bed made her want to ugly cry into her McDonald’s cup.

‘What is it, Nel?’ Grey’s voice wasn’t strained anymore, but concerned.

Didn’t he realise she deserved none of it?

‘Go back to sleep,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry Tom bothered you with it at all. I’ll sort it out, I’ll ...’

‘Nella.’ Now he sounded like her father.Theirfather. And she’d be damned if she ignored the silent, deadly command.

She told him everything that had happened in the office. Except, of course, the kissing part. She told him what they’d found on the iPad, and what had to happen now. Grey listened wordlessly and when she’d finished, he took so long to reply she was convinced he’d hung up.

‘Do you really think he’ll meet you?’

‘I’ve told him if he’s so convinced Antonio La Marca had a claim to the sangue recipe then he has nothing to lose by meeting with me.’

‘Max and I will be there.’

‘Tell Max Iamlooking at Forrest, I just ...’

‘She knows you’re consumed with this wine trial, she doesn’t blame you.’

She does. I’m not doing enough. I’m not good enough.

‘As for putting Clarkson’s safe back as it was’—she heard the whir of his laptop—‘I’ve got a few contacts who owe me a favour. I think I can get it sorted by tomorrow.’

‘You can’t keep doing stuff like this for us. You’re not our Fixer anymore. Tom shouldn’t have texted you, he shouldn’t have ...’

‘Nella.’ Grey sounded angry. ‘I’m not doing it for Tom or because I feel any sense of duty towards the Barbaranis. I’m doing it for you.’

‘What?’ She shooed away Pearl’s curious eyes.

Grey sighed. ‘You’re my friend, Nel. I’m doing this for you as a friend, not as a half-sibling or a Fixer. Because I know you’d do the same for me.’

Her throat burned. There was a prickling sensation behind her eyes that built and built until she couldn’t hold the tidal wave of emotion back anymore.

Was shecrying?

‘Nella?’

‘I’m here.’ She couldn’t calm the tremor in her voice. ‘Thank you,’ was all she could manage, before hanging up and staring at her phone like she’d just hallucinated the whole thing.

You’re my friend, Nel.

Crap. She should not be losing it over that. Grey wasn’t indebted to her anymore. He did not work for her family. He was not being blackmailed or offered an exorbitant amount of money to do her bidding. He wasn’t looking for fame or social media followers, or a leg-up in his own business endeavours. He wanted to help her because she was Nella. Because he liked her. Because he was her friend.

And now she knew exactly how much she’d fucked up tonight.

As Nella turned on the lamp in the main office room and passed Pearl a slab of orange chocolate from the emergency stash in the fridge, she knew what she had to do.

Challenge 20 (Everyone has to learn to swim by themselves. You can guide your friends and help them float, but eventually you have to let them work it out themselves).

She had to convince Jett that he didn’t have to leave Bindi Bindi and never look back.