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Chapter Forty-Five

The sensation of falling was what I remembered the most. I don’t know how high the deck was, but I seemed to plummet downwards forever. Heat was rolling off my body and the pain was so intense it almost forced my mind to go blank. A second later, cold hit me as if I’d slammed into a wall of ice.

‘Beatrix!’

I could hear voices, full of fear and panic, but I didn’t know who was calling my name. Was it my parents? They’d called my name in the same way the night I’d been taken. That was the last time I’d ever spoken to them.

I had felt so far away from them for so long, but now I could feel them moving closer…

The darkness surrounded me – was it going to consume me? Fear stilled my heart.

But then it was as if I were being wrapped in the softest, warmest blanket, every inch of me held in a gentle, comforting embrace. I didn’t know who or what was doing it, but I knew that I was safe. And it was wonderful.

Water filled my ears. At first all I could make out was the crash of waves but then something changed and there were voices too, faint words as if they were coming from miles away.

‘Fraser, is that...? What have you done ?’ That was Yanni’s voice.

‘I didn’t have any choice.’ His voice was slow, sombre.

‘You must have had!’

‘No, I didn’t. It was this or we lost her. We’ll talk about it later.’

‘She has to—’

‘We’ll talk about it later.’ His tone silenced her. How peculiar: it wasn’t like Yanni to be silenced so easily. Was she hurt, too? Please don’t let her be hurt!

My concern for Yanni forced my eyes open. Blinking against the light, I tried to focus. ‘Did you get him?’ My words were barely audible.

‘We got him. Don’t worry about that.’ Fraser’s voice was soft and his touch was like the cosy blanket that had caught me when I fell. But surely that had been my imagination?

‘He’s in the car with magic cuffs on him so he can’t change or move,’ Yanni confirmed. She sounded fine. That’s good , I thought to myself. That’s good .

I closed my eyes again and let the warmth surround me. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this way – safe, whole, like something that had been missing from my life for years was finally back where it belonged.

The thought of Gilbert and the fight flickered through my mind. We had got him. That was done. But Maddie… I needed to see Maddie. I needed to tell her we’d done it.

I jolted awake. How could I have forgotten? I needed to get back to her. I sat upright, only for the blood to rush from my head. The entire world swayed as I glanced down at my bloodstained side. Blood? What the hell? God – I’d been shot.

Now I remembered. Gilbert had a second gun – and he’d shot me! The little prick.

Expecting pain, I pressed my hand against my side but I felt nothing more than dampness. When I drew my hand away, I saw the hole in my T-shirt the size of a bullet wound. ‘What? I— I...’

Shrugging off the leather jacket from my shoulders, the one I recognised as Fraser’s, I lifted my top. There was no sign of any injury. Confusion overwhelmed me. Had I caught my top on the railing on the way down and torn it? But the blood…?

I shook the thought away. It didn’t matter. Maddie was what mattered. ‘We need to get back to Old Jacobson’s.’ I twisted my neck so that my eyes locked with Fraser’s. ‘We need to make sure Maddie’s okay.’

‘Maddie?’ Yanni said tightly. ‘Why wouldn’t Maddie be okay? Beatrix? What’s wrong with Maddie?’

Oops. The chill I’d expected from the water finally hit me, though it had more to do with Yanni’s sharp voice than the actual temperature.

‘Beatrix, tell me! What’s going on?’ she pressed. ‘Why do you need to get to Maddie?’

I kept my eyes on Fraser; for some reason I trusted his judgement now more than ever. His chin moved the smallest fraction, but I knew what he meant: I had to tell Yanni what had happened.

I was trembling as I turned to her. ‘I swear I didn’t know how bad it was.’

Her face blanched and her lips curled in a way that reminded me more of her bear form than the human police inspector I was used to seeing.

‘Take me to my granddaughter. Now,’ she snarled.