Page 89 of The Lost Zone (Dark Water #3)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Josiah

Josiah dressed carefully the next day, in a burgundy suit with a navy-blue shirt and tie.

“All armoured up to visit our nemesis?” Esther raised an eyebrow when he walked into her office.

“Something like that.” When he was dressed correctly, with a pocket square and smart suit, everything matching, he felt at ease inside his own skin.

He’d even put two dark chocolates into the little silver case and dropped them in his pocket, hoping that before long Alex would be well enough to resume the little ritual.

They didn’t have far to go, as Tyler was in residence at Vertex Tower, a short duck ride across Ghost Eye. He appeared to be ready for them, too, with a posse of lawyers flanking him.

Josiah glanced around the sterile white suite with its red and black furnishings; Tyler, also, liked things to look a certain way.

He was dressed in his customary black suit, with a black turtleneck underneath, looking leaner and more cadaverous than ever.

He’d once been a handsome man, but now his cheekbones jutted out, giving him a hungry, wolfish appearance.

Josiah was glad to see that the events of the past few weeks had been as stressful for Tyler as they’d been for himself.

“I see you’ve been in the wars, Raine,” Tyler commented, glancing at the stitches on Josiah’s forehead and his black eye.

“I wonder if it has anything to do with the alert I received from Alexander’s microchip a few days ago?

I do hope he’s okay. When all this is over, I intend to take possession of him again, and I’ll be seriously pissed off if he’s in bad shape. ”

“He’s fine.” Josiah maintained his composure, refusing to let Tyler needle him.

“I heard he’s in the hospital after being abducted by an old friend. That seems a tad careless. I thought he was supposed to be staying with you for safekeeping? I’ve instructed my lawyers to sue for his return, as you clearly can’t look after him properly.”

“Go ahead. No judge in the country will authorise his return to you with a court case for murder hanging over you, and Alex one of the main witnesses.”

“I’m assuming that’s why you’re here?”

“It is.” Josiah flicked Tyler’s charge sheet up on a holodoc in front of him, then read him his rights.

“Are you bringing me in for more questioning?” Tyler didn’t even look at the charge sheet.

“No. I don’t think there’s any point. We have enough evidence to charge you.”

“Hmm, I wonder if you do.” Tyler gave an enigmatic smile.

“Not to worry. I’m rather looking forward to my day in court.

” He placed a hand on Josiah’s shoulder, directly on his stab wound, and squeezed, causing a spike of pain, then leaned in close.

“I do enjoy a good fight – something we have in common, I think? I’ll annihilate Alexander in the dock, then come after you.

By the time I’ve finished, you’ll be lucky to get a job cleaning toilets, let alone as the nation’s favourite investigator, the revered indiehunter.

” He spoke in a silkily smooth tone, at his urbane best.

Josiah refused to show an iota of the pain he was feeling.

He took a step away, removing himself from Tyler’s grasp, and looked him straight in the eye.

There was something almost too bright, too energised about him, and Josiah recognised that expression very well.

Tyler was in the zone right now, cruising on adrenaline and wits and loving every minute of it.

Josiah could see the sparkle in his eyes.

This was, to Tyler, what fighting was to him.

“Enjoy it while you can,” he said, smiling. “I’ll see you in court.”

“It’ll be a pleasure,” Tyler replied, smiling wolfishly back.

“By the way, please ensure Alex is implanted with another chip as soon as possible. He’s still my property, after all, even if he’s in your temporary custody.

My lawyers insist on it, so we can keep an eye on him. He’s a very valuable commodity.”

Josiah wanted to smash his fist into Tyler’s smug face, but he knew it wasn’t a request he could deny. His heart sank at the thought of having to broach the subject with Alex in the condition he was in, but Tyler was well within his rights to demand it, and he had no reasonable grounds to deny it.

“He’s not a commodity. He’s a human being.”

“Ah, fine words coming from the indiehunter. Maybe he cares more for indies than he lets on?” He raised an eyebrow, his eyes gleaming with malicious intrigue.

Josiah refused to react. Tyler might have his suspicions, but if he knew anything for sure, he’d have used that information by now.

“I’m not the one being charged, you are,” he said in a bland tone.

Everything Tyler had said and done had been designed to intimidate.

He clearly knew all about Alex’s abduction, and he’d known precisely where to put his hand on Josiah’s shoulder to cause maximum discomfort.

I know , was his message. I know everything about you, and I will use it to bring you down.

“Tut tut, Raine. People who live in glass houses…” Tyler wagged a finger at him.

Josiah took a moment to compose himself by taking his silver box out of his pocket and slowly choosing a chocolate.

He let it melt silkily in his mouth, deliberately looking as nonchalant as possible, knowing he was riling up Tyler in the process.

Every studied action was designed to say, Bring it on, Tyler. I’m not afraid of you.

“That’s an interesting choice of phrase, given that you’re the one who lives in a glass house, not me,” he said finally, waving his hand at the huge windows.

Tyler stood, gazing at him speculatively for a moment, then something strange happened. His urbane mask dropped, and he actually looked sincere.

“Can I speak to you privately for a moment?” he asked, gesturing with his head to a room to one side.

Josiah glanced at Esther, who shrugged.

“Sure.” He followed Tyler into the small anteroom. Tyler turned the minute they were alone, speaking softly and urgently.

“I’m giving you one last chance, because I was once where you are now, and I know how bloody awful it is. Listen to me. Alex doesn’t love you. He’s using you to play out a vendetta against me. You’re a puppet, Josiah.”

Normally, Josiah would have dismissed this as the usual Tyler bluster, but on this occasion, it felt raw and honest. He also noticed that Tyler had used “Alex” instead of his preferred “Alexander”. Something about this felt different.

“He’s a damaged man, because of what you did to him,” he retorted, watching Tyler keenly. He saw a flicker of something – guilt, remorse? – in Tyler’s eyes.

“Neither he nor I behaved well,” he sighed. “But trust me on this – he doesn’t love you, and he will break your heart. He did it to me, and he’ll do it to you.”

“You were in love with him?” Josiah stared at him in frank disbelief. Tyler had said so before, but he’d assumed it was a lie. Now, he was less sure.

Tyler rocked back on his heels with a bark of laughter. “Of course I bloody well was. That’s what he does to people. I don’t think he knows he’s doing it half the time, but he sucks you in, drives you mad, and then you realise he never meant any of it.”

“Are you trying to tell me that you and he had some kind of romantic relationship?” Josiah raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

“Oh, you can doubt it if you like, but it was real, on my side at least. It took me a long time to get over him. Maybe I still haven’t.” Tyler gave a twisted smile. “He’s not the victim here, Raine, but you will be, if you think he really loves you. He doesn’t. He’s not capable of it.”

Josiah gazed at him searchingly, looking for some kind of understanding of what he was being told.

More lies? Or was there at least a kernel of truth in there?

What had happened between these two? Alex had never told him.

He’d alluded to it being an almighty mess, but had never explained what, precisely, had gone down.

“You could be right,” he said grudgingly. “But this isn’t something I’m prepared to discuss with you.”

Tyler sighed and spread his arms wide in a gesture of surrender. “I can only warn you. Don’t make the same mistake I did. Get out now, before it goes too far.”

“Good advice. Forgive me for doubting its source,” Josiah snapped. Then he turned on his heel and left.

He knew Tyler would be granted bail. His lawyers would make sure of that, and the courts rarely sent anyone to prison if they could help it, given the overcrowding situation.

His job was to gather as much evidence as possible between now and the trial to ensure Tyler never had a chance to make good on any of his veiled threats.

It was entirely possible they wouldn’t find anything more than they already had – in which case, Josiah knew that both he and Alex were facing a very grim future.

He strolled into Alex’s cubicle a few hours later bearing a cardboard tray with a couple of cups on it, fully aware of the symbolism. He set the tray down carefully and handed Alex one of the drinks.

“Chai,” he said. “From that nice place you like. Thought you might fancy it.”

Alex gave him a disinterested glance. “Thank you.” He didn’t even bother taking a sip.

“I have both good and bad news,” Josiah said crisply.

In truth, he didn’t know how to be around this dark, depressed Alex.

He just hoped that if he acted normally around him, eventually he’d snap out of it, but he didn’t think it’d be either quick or easy.

“The good news is that I charged Tyler today.”

Alex frowned. “How…? The skull wasn’t hers.”