Colour Series Box Set (6 page)

“Let me get this straight.” He sets the whiskey bottle down hard on the table between us. “You killed Ellia but you didn’t kill her and you are holding her prisoner at the estate for ten fucking days before you call me? And you haven’t even talked to her yet! You need to get rid of her. Where the fuck were you going to send her she can’t be here now she is dead? Why did you wait ten days to tell me man? What have you been doing?” Callum’s patience is gone. I see the twitch in his left eye, the twitch that says I am going to hurt you, the one that I only ever see when he gets physical and beats the ever loving shit out of someone. He is restraining himself only because we are friends and in a very public setting.

“I was watching her, trying to get my head around how to fix this. I don’t know bud I don’t know.”

He just looks at me. I am in so much shit it’s not even a joke. The frown lines on his brow let me know he is still not impressed by my bull shit excuses. He bangs the bottle down again this time hard enough that a few glances are thrown in our direction.

“Bud you are fucking screwed, no offence but it’s time to jump ship. I think you need to pack her up and dump her ASAP. Keep her local, this fuck hole is one place it’s very easy to hide in plain sight,” he says slowly making sure I understand him, not taking his eyes away from mine as if looking for a confirmation that I am listening and taking in his lecture.

I sigh, sinking back into the uncomfortable plastic chair and shove my hands in my pockets not sure what to do with them right now, I don’t want to drink anymore right now, I need to try and clear my head. The damn whiskey got me into this mess I am sure of it.

“How do I explain this to her? I need to suck it up and get this done but I feel like I am missing a piece of a puzzle that’s why I haven’t moved her yet. Something about this husband doesn’t sit right with me, plus I want to fucking kill him.”

I lean back sliding further down in my in my chair and stare out at the bay the sun is gone and the surfers are packing it in for the day on the beach in front of us. Doodles will be crawling in few minutes. I try to think about why the hell I feel like I can’t let her go, which was the plan all along save her and let her go. Now I don’t want too. I feel like a kid playing with someone else’s toy, I want it to be mine but I know I cannot keep it.

“I moved all her money so that fucker husband won’t get any, it’s just gone. I figured he really does have enough of his own. I intend on making him very much gone too. Something is up there I can’t quite put a finger on it but I will.” I try rationalising my crazy behaviour to my friend who is holding back his rage for now.

I see Callum shifting in his seat. He’s eyeballing all the wet half-dressed kite surfers heading our way and turns back to me. He hates surfer dudes.

He slaps his hand on his knee bringing me back from my thoughts.

“Fucking fix this Ro and do it fast. I have to go; the locals are going to fill this place with their surferness now. I’m not in the mood for it today. I’ll help you with anything you need but you can’t keep her. She’s not a pet.” He pulls his wallet out of his designer pants pocket. The way he says pet gets his point across loud and clear to me. He stands and throws way too much money on the table and stalks over to flirty girl. I see him whisper to her while grabbing her ass and she smiles a huge smile. As Cal walks out she grabs the money and I see her ask the manager to leave. At least one of us will get laid tonight. Cal loves the jail bait here in the Cape and no doubt he will be having a night of wild sex and paying her to fuck off in the morning. He’s an asshole to women. But then again so am I.

I sit for a while thinking about this whole mess I seem to have caused. I just don’t want to let her go simple; I want her to be mine. I am not sure why or what I would actually do with her if she stays but I am just not going to let walk away. I stalk back to my black Range Rover it fits with my socially acceptable cover job; I am a wine farmer after all. I feel a little relief that I told Callum but I am irritated by these stupid feelings I have. I hate feeling.

I HAVE BEEN IN
here for ten days now and if I’m honest, I’m starting to get a bit of cabin fever. At first, I was so very glad to be free of my God awful life that it didn’t matter that I was in a cage but now my mind is working overtime and I want some answers. I have paced the floor, watched the telly, done all I can not to die of boredom. I also want some real food; these people can’t cook for shit. I don’t think I can face another plate of bland instant noodles that have been cooked past the point of no return, or runny eggs. Gag. The best meal was half burnt toast with marmite on it you have to be all kinds of useless to fuck that up. I would also commit murder for a cup of coffee. I get a bottle of nasty energy drink once a day and I can drink water from the tap but I need caffeine to function. I lie here imagining a latte in my hand as I chug the blue energy drink down. I think I’m going a bit crazy if I’m starting to imagine the things I miss.

I see that it’s very dark out now so I do as I have for ten days now; I shower and put on clothes from my wardrobe that was stocked when I arrived. I am out of pyjamas now since no one has fetched or done any laundry for ten days. I throw on a long sleeved T-shirt and a pair of knickers.

Climbing onto my bed, I continue to turn my brain to mush by watching the telly.

I wait until my watch says it’s eleven and I am irritated and angry enough to snap, I stand up on the bed and talk directly into the camera I know is watching my every move. Thankfully I haven’t seen any in the bathroom so I know it’s not a perverted peeping Tom who kidnapped me. I get up and stand on the bed as close as I can get to the camera above it.

“Please tell me what’s next? And for fucks sake please can I have some real food in here? Your cook sucks balls!”

I sit down, satisfied with my little tantrum and go back to flipping channels. I never expected what happened next, not even in all the wild scenarios in my head had this been one. You can’t dream up things this crazy.

The door clicks open and a tall man walks in. Oh shit. I’m in my knickers I blush. I feel the deep red heat burning its way up my neck and onto my cheeks.

I recognize the man in front of me instantly. I only met him once but I crushed on him for years after that. Rowan. It’s him, older now but still sexy as hell and I’m in my knickers, please floor swallow me up now. I grab a towel and cover my legs so he cannot see my scars. It’s a reflex. I cannot however hide the blush that has turned my face into a beet.

“You.” Was all I managed to get out of my mouth. I was so shocked by his presence. Even more mortified that I was meeting him in my underwear. My throat is starting to close with start of rising panic. I won’t let him see it; I won’t let him know I am weak.

The years have been kind to Rowan. He’s as sexy as he was all those years ago only now he is much manlier. My heart has stopped beating I’m sure. Maybe I really am dead. I can see him eyeballing my clothing choice and I rush into the bathroom to pull my dirty yoga pants back on.

He runs his hand through his hair then shoves both into his jeans pockets and just stares at me when I come back out, waiting for me to say something. His jeans are definitely designer and fit him like a glove making his athletic build sexy as hell. His face says I am nice guy but his eyes show me that there is more to him than meets my eyes.

“Rowan,” I mumble, now fully clothed. My brain still trying to catch up with my reality.

“Yes, it’s me; I didn’t think you would remember me at all. I’m so sorry Ellia for everything, so sorry. I didn’t know what else to do. Oh God you must hate me. I am sorry.” His gravelly Irish accent rolls off his tongue and I cannot actually believe it’s him in front of me. What’s he sorry for? Does he know?

My brain suddenly stops its man induced malfunction and I start talking out loud and not just inside my head.

“Why am I here Rowan? And why are you sorry? Why am I locked up? Why are you in my Dad’s house? He died Rowan, did you know that? Why am I dead for fucks sake, what’s going on?” I spit the questions out all at once with as much venom as I can muster in my voice.

He sighs and pulls his hands through his hair again. The frown on his face leads me to believe none of the answers he is about to give me will make me feel any better.

“Your husband hired me to kill you so he could get your money, I couldn’t kill you because I am, I mean I was your watcher so I killed Ellia and brought you here. I am so sorry I locked you up and that your dad died and that I never came in here. Fuck Ellia. I’m so fucking sorry.” He huffs out sounding just as confused as I feel. His shoulders slump slightly like feels defeated by the whole situation. His cool exterior doesn’t match his eyes, I want to know more I don’t understand I afraid and I feel the panic clutching at my chest with every single breath. I try taking his answers in. But I am hungry and confused and quite frankly I can’t stop looking at Rowan’s body. Stop it brain work dammit. He kidnapped you for crying out loud being hot doesn’t make that right.

“You can’t cook; I mean you cannot cook for shit. My husband hired you? Really? That makes fucking sense now. Asshole. Why are you in my Dad’s house Rowan?” I look him in the eye, hoping my glare gets me answers.. But all I see is those blue eyes that featured in all my teenage fantasies. Fuck stop! Only they are not quite so inviting now. I need to stay calm I don’t think I can trust this man.

“I know I can’t cook sorry again, maybe you can cook later? Your dad left me the estate and his business when he died Ellia that’s why I’m here. I stopped watching when you got your happily ever after just like Mick asked me I never dreamed he would want to kill you. You got married. You looked so fucking happy. Why did you thank me for killing or not killing you?” His voice is calm as if he wants to reassure me, thing is I don’t trust sweet words I trust actions and he kidnapped me. Faked my death and locked me up for ten days. Shady level is dangerously high. I laugh out loud again. Oh Rowan you fool. You saved me from the deepest darkest depths of hell. You could not possibly understand what you have done for me.

“My husband killing me would be and really is a blessing. He’s an evil man Rowan, a powerful evil man. The only way I was getting away from him was in a body bag. You’re a shit watcher by the way. I never got a happily ever after. I got eight years in hell. I thank you for freeing me Rowan I would have killed myself eventually living that life. This way I can be dead and alive.” I answer him and look closely at the man standing in my room waiting for him to talk again.

I can see pain and defeat in his eyes. I know my dad had asked him to keep me safe but he had no way of knowing no one ever would. I am relieved that it’s Rowan here somehow I know, my dad had loved him as son, and he told me that once after our trip to Ireland to bury my Gran. I also knew that it was not so farfetched that my husband had hired him to kill me. He had no idea who and what my husband was. I didn’t think I even knew the whole truth of that. But I did know he was evil. Pure fucking evil. Rowan however was trying to appear harmless but his eyes betrayed his words.

“Tell me what happened Ellia. When I left, you seemed genuinely happy.” He seems genuinely concerned about what has happened to me. My defences go up and I instantly feel a vicious need to make him feel guilty. He could have saved me if he watched me a little longer.

“I fell in love with a very handsome, charming man Rowan and he let me believe that till he had me so convinced that he loved me and I agreed to marry him, but very soon things changed and the charming handsome man revealed the vengeful monster that lived below the facade and that was just the start.” My words are toxic as I spit them out, just thinking of Renzo and the hell I have survived has me angry at the whole world. Rowan seems to struggle with a reply I try to read his body language but he seems to guard himself closely the only clue to an actual feeling is in his blue eyes.

“I had checked him out he was squeaky clean. You guys looked so happy.” He defends himself; he doesn’t need to even if he was watching he would never have known Renzo was too careful.