Page 29 of The Lost Zone (Dark Water #3)

Chapter Nine

Josiah

“Where would we go?” Alex asked, returning to the living room carrying a small bowl of water and a cloth to wash Josiah’s cut face.

“Initially, we’d stay with Liz, but not for long, as it’d put her in too much danger.”

Alex dabbed at the wound on his head, and Josiah was surprised by how much blood there was. He’d been so full of adrenaline during the fight that he hadn’t been in any pain, but now the immediate danger had passed, he realised his knuckles stung and his head ached.

“Could you get us both out without me being caught? My face is so well known.”

“Do you remember Emma James?” Josiah asked.

“The celebrity chef? The one who was murdered by her ex?”

“Yup. Her IS, Bram Janssen, was the only witness to the murder. He was so terrified by what he saw, and so terrified he’d be blamed, that he went on the run. I gave nightly news bulletins on sightings of him – for a few weeks, he was the most famous IS in the country.”

“I remember. His face was everywhere. I used to live for those nightly briefings just to see you.” Alex smiled brightly. “That’s when the legend of the indiehunter was born – you, chasing down this fugitive IS, promising he couldn’t hide forever. The whole nation was on tenterhooks.”

“Yeah – and it was all a lie.” Josiah grinned. “I had Bram in custody already. I didn’t believe for a second that he was the killer – but I wanted to flush out the real killer by lulling him into a false sense of security.”

“Wow! And it worked. Everyone thought Bram did it.”

“Yup. Then, when we caught the actual perp, Bram’s contract was quietly sold on a few months later, and people forgot about him.”

“But not you,” Alex said quietly.

“No. I got to know and like Bram, and I felt bad for making him so notorious. I asked him if he wanted a way out, and he said yes. A few months after the trial, when all the fuss had died down, I got him out of the country. He was a very famous face by then, but I got him out.”

“As famous as me?” Alex put a dressing over Josiah’s head wound and stuck it in place.

“Nobody’s as famous as you are right now.” Josiah snorted.

“And you’d be coming with me; you’re not exactly inconspicuous yourself.”

“No, but I’ve done this hundreds of times before.” Josiah shrugged.

“And if anyone can do it, it’s you. I know.” Alex moved on to his knuckles. “You should really give these a break – they’re only just healing from last time.”

“I’ve had worse.” Josiah caught his hand. “Alex, you need to make this decision tonight. We have to get going before dawn if we’re leaving. If we walk into Inquisitus tomorrow, I can’t promise I’ll be able to save you.”

“I know.” Alex sat down beside him with a thump. “You and me, together, on the run… you have no idea how much I want that.”

“But?” Josiah squeezed his hand.

“I made a promise to Solange. If I leave…”

“Would Solange expect you to prioritise that promise over your own life?”

“No. Solange wouldn’t have asked me to do any of this. My mission is entirely self-imposed.” Alex gave a wry smile. “But it’s all that’s been keeping me going for years. I have no idea what I even am without it.”

“We can find out. Together.” Josiah leaned in to kiss him. “If you want me,” he added as he drew back, feeling suddenly insecure. He was as good as asking this man to live with him for the rest of his life, and that was presumptuous.

“Oh, that’s not in question.” Alex kissed him with enough passion to make his doubts disappear. “It just feels like giving up – and I’m not sure you’ll be happy to live life on the run. You might grow to resent me.”

“It’s all a risk. We have no idea how we’ll feel in time.” Josiah sighed.

“No.” Alex looked off into the distance, smiling.

“What?” Josiah squeezed his hand again.

“I was just thinking how we’d make money. I have a few modest skills as a servant, courtesy of Belvedere, and they always need men like you in security jobs.”

“We’d be on the run. We’d have to be paid in untraceable cash cards. We couldn’t stay in any one place for long.”

“That’s what makes it so exciting.” Alex grinned.

“I’ve always wanted to travel. We could flit around Europe, maybe even make it to the US.

We’d have to change our names, though I can’t imagine you as anything other than Joe.

” He looked the most animated Josiah had ever seen him.

“You could grow a beard. You’d have to dye your hair – it’s so damn blond.

There’s no way we can lop any inches off your height, sadly – you do stand out in a crowd. ”

“As do you,” Josiah retorted. “People will always notice someone as ludicrously good-looking as you.”

“Shaggy beards for us both, then.” Alex grinned. “We can do this. We’re both clever, resourceful, and driven.”

“Is this what you want?” Josiah asked, watching Alex carefully. “Because if you say the word, I’ll make it happen – but you have to be sure.”

Alex took his face in his hands and gazed at him. “It’s the only chance we’ll ever have at a happy ever after. If I stay, even if Tyler doesn’t get his hands on me, my contract will still be sold on. We’ll never be together, Joe, even if I do manage to get justice for Solange.”

“I know.”

“Solange would tell me to go. She always wanted me to escape. She’d hate it if Tyler got me back.”

“Are you saying that this is what you want to do?” Josiah asked. “Be really clear about it, Alex, because once we set it in motion, there’s no turning back. I’ll be a wanted man with no clout in the legal system here. Tyler will get away with killing Solange.”

Alex’s smile faded. “I want justice for Solange, but if I’m dead by this time tomorrow, where’s the justice in that?”

“I’d still do my best to bring Tyler down, if that happened,” Josiah said, although he could hardly bear to think about it.

“God, Joe – you already feel guilty for Peter’s death. I can’t stand the thought of condemning you to yet more guilt for not being able to prevent mine.”

“Don’t make this decision based on what you think I’m feeling,” Josiah said sharply. “Let it be about you. You’ve denied yourself for long enough.”

Alex nodded. He gazed into space for a long moment, then turned back to Josiah. “Let’s do it. Let’s go. Let’s get as far away from Tyler as we can. Let’s live, Joe. Let’s actually live , after all these years of just existing.”

Josiah kissed him again, slowly, deeply. Drawing back, he stood up. “Come on! There’s no time to lose. Let’s pack and get out of here,” he said briskly, hurrying towards the stairs.

“Where will we go?” Alex ran up the stairs after him. “Tonight, I mean?”

“To the coast. I have associates there. Then, tomorrow, we’ll take a boat across the Channel – I have a friend who’ll smuggle us out. The authorities can’t – and don’t – patrol every inch of the crossing. We know the weak spots.”

They ran into the bedroom together.

Josiah found a couple of rucksacks and threw one at Alex. “Just a few basics. We’ll travel light. While you’re packing your clothes, I’ll go and pack us some food.”

“Won’t you need clothes?”

Josiah took his old army pack out from the wardrobe. “I always keep this packed and ready in case the Kathleen Line is discovered.”

“Of course you do.” Alex grinned at him, and Josiah grinned back, feeling suddenly energised.

Finally, his life was starting again, after years of grief-numbed stasis.

Finally, he was feeling again, and was full of hope, energy, and excitement.

He’d been so dour for so long that he’d almost believed that was all he was.

Now, he had a purpose, and a chance at happiness, and he was sure they were doing the right thing.

He grabbed Alex, pulled him in for another deep, heady kiss, then ran down the stairs with his army rucksack.

He jogged into the kitchen, packed up the most easily transportable food, and then looked around, his mind racing as he tried to think through what they’d need for the next few days.

It was only then that it struck him what he’d leave behind: Hattie’s collar and leash, pics of Peter, all Peter’s possessions, the life they’d led together…

the bloody Jaguar, of all things. They couldn’t take that; it was far too conspicuous.

Which meant he’d have to take his Inquisitus duck as far as the garage he kept in Ashford, where he’d lock it up – nobody would find it there for a very long time.

He kept a spare duck there, registered in a false name, and fake documents, too – passports and driving licences.

He’d have to alter them, so they resembled him and Alex, but he’d done all this hundreds of times before.

What he’d never done before was plan to leave.

He’d be running out, leaving Esther to face Tyler’s music alone.

He wouldn’t have a chance to say goodbye to anyone, or even to explain himself.

Reed, Esther, Mel… even Winston down the gym…

he’d miss them all. Hell, he’d even miss Baumann and all her tight-lipped disapproval.

He wasn’t just leaving this house behind, he was leaving a job he loved, people he’d worked with for years.

And for what? A man he’d known for a week?

What madness had come over him? Was he really seizing a chance at happiness, or did he just want to throw his whole sad, miserable life out and set fire to it?

Was this still about Peter, the way everything had been about Peter from the minute they first met?

Or, worse, was he unable to live a life of his own, separate from the concerns of the men he loved?

He’d thrown in his lot with Peter and the Kathleen Line without a second thought, and now he was abandoning his entire life to run away with Alex.

He’d never viewed himself as a particularly rash or impulsive man, but it seemed that where the men he loved were concerned, that was exactly what he was.