Page 56 of The Question of Us (Fisher & Church #2)

The bitter taste of chlorine burned my throat as water surged up my nose.

I fought and bucked to get free, but Freddie was too strong.

Then my feet brushed the concrete wall in front and managed to get some purchase.

I bent my knees and put everything I had into thrusting up and back, slamming my head into Freddie’s face.

He cried out but didn’t let go, forcing my head back down into the red-stained water.

I wondered if this was it. If I wasn’t going to make it out, after all.

Nick’s face filled my head, and more than anything in the world, I wished I’d told him that I loved him.

Wished I’d ignored my stupid fear and said the bloody words.

And then just like that, Freddie was gone and I could breathe again, coughing and spluttering as my arms flailed to find the edge of the pool.

“Madigan, here.” Hands reached down to help me out.

“Nick, let him go,” an unfamiliar voice demanded from above.

I looked up to find a police officer ready to jump into the pool.

Before she could, Lee beat her to it, hitting the lip at a run.

I spun to follow his progress only to see Nick holding Freddie’s barely struggling body against the central wall of the pool.

Blood poured from Freddie’s nose, the water around them a bright crimson.

His face was a messy pulp, and although I could claim the broken nose, I figured the rest was down to Nick.

Nick, who seemed lost to his rage, glared at Freddie with pure, unadulterated hatred. It was a rage I could relate to, even if it scared the shit out of me.

“Nick, baby,” I tried hopelessly amidst all the shouting. Not that Nick would’ve heard me, consumed as he was by two years of grief and anger brought to his doorstep by the man he held in front of him. A husband and a future lost for no reason; this was a chance to exact some much-deserved payback.

“This is for Davis, you motherfucking arsehole.” Nick’s fist smashed into Freddie’s face and the man went limp. “And this one’s for Madigan.” Nick drew back a second time just as Lee put a hand on his shoulder.

“Stand down,” the younger man soothed.

“Nick! Leave him!” I shouted over the noise of yet another siren wailing up the road.

Nick hesitated, turned to Lee, then looked across the pool to me. His expression softened just a fraction. “Mads?”

“Enough, baby,” I coaxed, managing a tiny smile. “Enough, Nick. He’s done for. Come back.”

“Listen to Madigan,” Lee spoke softly, throwing a warning glance at the police officer who was circling the pool to approach from Nick’s back.

“Give him to me,” Lee instructed gently, and Nick blinked like he was trying to process the request. “Go to Mads. He’s waiting.”

Nick glanced my way and immediately released his hold and started swimming.

Freddie slumped under the water but was pulled clear by Lee and an officer who’d jumped in to help.

I itched to get hold of Nick, but before he could reach me I was hauled out of the water. I growled in protest. I didn’t want their help. I only wanted Nick.

But Nick suffered the same fate as me and we were separated.

A blanket was wrapped around my shoulders, questions were thrown, and hands began checking me out.

In a few short minutes, the barn filled with people and equipment.

A stretcher crossed my line of vision and I recognised Freddie being taken away, still alive by the look of it.

Ronnie and Jack were sitting on the floor next to the barn door.

A paramedic was attending to Jack’s nose and the two guards looked miserable.

When the police and medics finally left me alone, I scanned the interior for everyone else and found them one by one.

Aaron was sitting on a chair on the far side of the barn.

He looked to be in one piece although his expression was worryingly blank.

Not far from Aaron, Gazza stood eating some kind of food bar while speaking to a police officer who was busy taking notes.

A few metres away, Lee was sitting with yet another cop.

He was drawing something on a piece of paper and gesticulating madly with his hands.

In the middle of the barn, a paramedic got to his feet and said something to an officer before they both walked away, the lifeless body of Marty Klein left lying on the floor with a hole in his chest.

I stared at the man who’d been the cause of so much heartache, not sure how to feel about his death. Not sure if I even cared. I was still staring when a male voice offered me a bottle of water. It broke through the fugue in my head and my attention crystallised.

Nick. Where was Nick? I needed to see him. I needed to touch him. I needed to know he was okay. I needed him to yell at me, patronise me, frustrate and infuriate me. I needed everything he was and nothing less.

“Nick.” I jumped to my feet and spun to face the man... detective... whoever it was and his ridiculous bottle of water. “Where’s Nick?”

“You can’t talk to him just yet,” the man soothed. “He’s answering?—”

“Let him go,” an authoritative voice broke in and I turned to see a gentle smile and a kind face. “Hi. I’m Angela,” the woman said. “Nice to finally meet you, Madigan. You boys have had a busy night.”

I could’ve kissed her. “No, thank you ,” I managed in a hoarse voice. “We could be dead if it weren’t for you.”

She smiled. “You’re most welcome. I have to admit I was a little miffed at first when I heard what you guys were up to, but from what I’ve seen and heard so far, it seems you’ve exposed a bit of a hornet’s nest. Enough to save your bacon... possibly,” she amended with a smile.

I huffed. “I’d almost given up on you getting here in time when I didn’t hear the sirens.”

She winced. “Sorry about that. The obvious runaround we were getting at the house set everyone’s alarm bells ringing.

We knew we were being stalled for time, so we split up and two cars headed down here, where you told Samuel you’d seen Nick being taken.

There were two reasons for the stealth approach.

One was to avoid scaring the horses and causing even more of an uproar.

The other was to ensure Marty didn’t simply skedaddle and leave his men to take the blame.

” She looked me over. “There’s a lot still to talk about, but I think there’s more than enough time for you to check on your friend first.” Her twinkling eyes said it all.

I muttered a heartfelt thank you and headed in the direction Angela had indicated to where Nick was lying on the concrete floor, still breathing hard.

A barely out-of-his-teens officer was sitting on a chair next to him taking notes.

He looked totally out of his depth, and I had no doubt everyone was still trying to ascertain exactly what had happened and who to arrest.

Thank God for Angela running interference for us. We owed Samuel a huge thank you for that and I owed him an even bigger apology.

I only made it halfway to Nick before Lee appeared at my side and asked how I was doing. I told him I’d been better and he grinned. Then, remembering my manners, I managed a quick thank you for what he’d done for Nick.

Lee answered with a smile. “I’m not saying Freddie doesn’t deserve to die, especially after what he did to Davis. But not at Nick’s expense. Killing someone is a hard thing for a good man to live with.”

We locked eyes and the pain I saw in those icy blue depths rocked me. Lee wasn’t including himself in the good-man part of that statement; that much was clear. But that was an argument for another time.

Then he grinned and the moment was gone. “See, I said you guys were gonna be a pain in my arse.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I just said, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” His expression softened. “I’m grateful. I really am. No one has ever had my back like that before. No one cared. I won’t forget it.”

“You’re welcome.” I glanced at Nick. “But now I really need to—” My departure was foiled by the arrival of Gazza towing an officer in his wake. I sighed and took stock of my apprentice. He looked surprisingly calm.

Gazza grinned and kissed my cheek. “Well, you sure took your time saving us.”

“Fuck off.” I kissed him back. “If you guys had simply stayed in one place, it would’ve been a lot easier.”

Gazza nodded, smiling. “We’ll try to do better next time.”

“See that you do.” I considered him for a moment. “Are you okay?”

He didn’t answer straight away. “I will be... eventually. For now, my head is still spinning and it’s not just from the drugs.”

Lee placed a hand on Gazza’s arm. “You were amazing. You fooled everyone.”

Gazza blushed furiously. “No, I wasn’t. Not really.

When I started to feel a bit off outside, I thought it was just my diabetes.

I’d been too nervous to eat enough before we came.

My own fault. But it got worse almost too quickly to be that, and funnily enough, drugs were the first thing I thought of.

I’d seen it happen once to a friend. But the only thing I’d had to eat or drink other than bottled water was the champagne, and I’d only accepted that because Marty was insistent.

So, I quit drinking it straight away and ditched as much as I could while everyone was preoccupied with the argument.

Marty must’ve loaded the drinks, though, because whatever he’d put in it still hit me hard.

It wasn’t until I made them take me to the toilet to throw up that my head started to clear.

By the time I was taken to the games room, I was groggy but coming around, and that’s when Lee told me about his choker just in case we needed it. ”

“His choker?” I’d heard nothing about a choker.

Gazza smirked and reached for the empty blade cover still dangling on Lee’s neck. “Yeah, Lee had a small shiv stowed up in here. Gotta love a man with a plan.”