Page 17

Chapter 17

Anders

I ’m pretty sure the Greggs sausage roll I ate two hours ago is about to reappear. What on earth made me think we’d pull this off?

There are over ninety apartments in Emeralds, and god knows how many tenants live in each. The likelihood of us getting caught is astronomically high.

I pop my head out of the emergency exit, surveying the car park for Jahmar.

Where the fuck is he?

I release the door and step back inside, pacing the corridor like a wild beast trapped in a cage two sizes too small.

We figured entering through the back would be best if we didn’t want to bump into anyone. There are three lifts, and the one closest to the emergency exit is the staff lift that maintenance and cleaners use during the day.

Jay

Two mints out.

What!? Are you here?

Jay

Sorry, text to speech, lol. I’m two minutes away, sweetheart.

Pfft, fucking sweetheart. Is he having a laugh? How is he so chill? He has an actual person he’s kidnapped rolling around in his boot, and he still has time to use pet names. Yet here I am, crawling out of my skin and experiencing aggressive palpitations. This is a terrible idea. I really will risk everything for a good piece of arse and pretty brown eyes.

I wedge my foot in the door, half hanging out of the exit, looking back and forth between the lifts and car park. What feels like two minutes passes, and my heart pounds like I’ve taken ecstasy.

Jahmar’s car swings around the corner, lights on full beam. Bloody idiot, he isn’t even trying to be discreet.

He pulls up right outside the exit and jumps out of the car with a bright smile, acting like what we’re doing isn’t completely illegal.

“Hey, you.”

My stomach flips at his sultry tone; I almost forget what we’re here for when he grabs my hips and kisses me senseless. My head tips back, and I melt into him. I refuse to acknowledge the little whimper I make. Shoving him away, I feel slightly light-headed from the all-encompassing kiss.

“Jahmar, hurry the fuck up. Do you want to get caught?”

He smirks, not even marginally offended by the fact I’m being a whiny bitch. I scowl in his direction, and he just leans against the car like we’re two old pals having a casual chit-chat.

“Relax, little lion. It’s a ghost town at this time of night.”

He pushes off the car, swaggering to the boot. I finally take in his mouth-watering attire. Black trousers, combat boots, a snug long-sleeved top and a cap also in black. Fuck, he looks hot. It’s giving secret service; I’m-about-to clean-up-dead-body vibes. A shiver runs through me.

I keep the door ajar as he heaves the trunk out of the boot, grunting like he’s being pounded.

“Shit, do you need a hand?”

“Nah, I’ve got it,” he huffs, flexing his muscles and sending me a wink.

The staff lift pings, making my stomach drop.

“Anders, weh yuh a duh?” Femi asks as she steps out.

I slam the exit shut, swinging around to face her with an overenthusiastic ‘nothing to see here’ smile.

Heat rushes my pale face as I scrabble for an excuse. “Nothing, I erm, I’m just doing my walk around. I thought I heard something out there. Probably foxes, horrible little bastards.” I release a forced chuckle.

Femi’s eyebrows crease and lips purse. “Yuh a one odd bwoy, yuh know dat, Anders?”

Her tone is laced with a heavy dose of scepticism.

I release an awkward laugh. Imagine the hyenas from The Lion King, after they’ve downed two cans of Red Bull. That’s how outlandish my laugh sounds.

A light knock comes from the exit, making my stomach twist into tortuous knots.

Please, not now, Jahmar.

“Weh dat was?” Femi quizzes, stepping towards the exit with pinched eyes.

I swing my arm around her shoulder, leading her back to reception.

“I’m almost done. Now, how about you get the kettle on? Do you have biscuits? I hope so. I’m losing weight, look.” I pull the waistband of my trousers, which fit me exactly how they always have, but it’s enough to distract her.

“Yuh rite, mi haffi’ fatten yuh up. Mi a go bring in some Jamaican rum cake pan Friday, weh yuh tink?”

“Amazing!” I practically cheer, pushing her through the double doors. My forehead slams against the doors when they close, and my shoulders sag in relief.

“Anders,” Jahmar whisper-shouts through the closed exit.

I reluctantly drag myself back to the door, scanning my surroundings before opening it up.

“Jahmar, that was way too fucking close. Femi almost caught us. We need to hurry the fuck up.”

“Alright, alright, calm your tits,” he teases.

Because Jahmar can’t help himself, he claims me in another dizzying kiss. When he pulls away, I’m smiling like a fool. Of course I fucking am because no matter how much I panic or act like a misery guts, he accepts me. He pulls out my soft side, and I think I pull out his serious side…sometimes. We’re not perfect; if anything, we’re a train wreck in the making, but there’s no one else I’d rather wreak havoc with.

Once I’ve helped Jahmar lug his ‘patient’ upstairs, I go back to my duties and try to entertain Femi for a bit, chatting her ear off while we drink tea and eat the ‘good biscuits’.

Her suspicion from earlier seems to have subsided…for now, at least. I don’t like lying to her. She’s important to me. My circle is pretty small, and I like it that way, so it sits heavy on my heart that I have to deceive her. I have to focus on the bigger purpose, though.

The stuff I read in those requests were things of nightmares. I can’t even fathom the physical and emotional torture these people went through. Part of me wishes we could help more of them find justice, but the risk is too high, and despite how this unconventional thing started with Jahmar, there’s light at the end of the tunnel now. We want to explore this, and we won’t be able to if we’re behind bars.

As Femi wanders off to clean something probably, I pull up Jay’s video feed. I can’t see him, but there’s a man, roughly in his late thirties, lying there out cold with a dry patch over the wound where Jahmar removed his testicles. I wonder what he does with the balls after. Does he keep them or just flush them down the toilet? The thought makes me shudder but also feel a little pleased; these sick fucks had it coming.

Jahmar comes into view, still scrubbed up. He effortlessly glides around the room, checking his patient and cleaning up. I can’t decide if I’m horrified by what he does or slightly turned on. I’ve always felt a bit weird about finding doctors hot because of my brother. Still, Jahmar, all scrubbed up and serving justice, on the other hand, has my cock thickening. I squirm in my seat, readjusting the crotch of my trousers as they grow tight.

Watching him does something to me; I could probably watch him brush his teeth and sport a semi. The fact that he’s blissfully unaware of my gaze has every hair on my body standing up and all my blood rushing south. Before my brain and body can have a sensible discussion, I snatch the master keys and prowl towards his apartment.