Page 75 of Midnight Revelations

In other words, he had them killed. “Psychopath,” I muttered. I took myself back to the seat I’d been hiding in earlier and left the men to discuss death and misery. At least this hospital had soft seats.

I only realised that I’d fallen asleep when I woke up and my head was on a pair of legs. Ash’s hand rested on my shoulder.

“How’s Aaron?”

“The same, but the doctor is more positive since he made it through the night.” His fingers moved over me in their familiar pattern.

“Are we going to talk about last night?”

“Nope.”

I knew better than to push Ash before he was ready to talk. I struggled to sit up since I was stiff. “Have you had any sleep?”

He continued to stare at the ceiling.

“There’s nothing you can do sitting in a waiting room. Let’s get you home and you can grab a few hours’ sleep.” I thought he was going to protest, but he stood up and let me lace my fingers through his.

We stopped at the reception desk. “We’re heading home for a few hours,” Ash told the receptionist. “Phone me if there’s any change.”

“I will, Mr. Blackwood. Get some rest.” She smiled and returned to typing on the computer.

I phoned Papa from outside the hospital. “We’re heading home, Papa, so Ash can get a few hours’ sleep.”

“Why don’t you both come here and I will have breakfast ready for you?” Papa sounded tired. “That way I can keep you safe while he rests.”

Ash shot me a furrowed brow look. It was an olive branch considering he was going to kill him not that long ago.

“Thank you, Papa. We should be there soon.” I smiled at Ash when I hung up. “Play nice, he’s trying his best.”

Ash rolled his eyes but climbed into his car that had appeared at the hospital by the powers of Jordan, the car pixie who worked his magic. Everyone knew he hated sharing his cars.

Ash seemed to wilt over breakfast, his face getting paler and his eyes drooping.

“Come on, you.” I held my hand out to drag him to his feet. Papa tried not to interfere, lifting his coffee cup to go and stare out the window. I tucked Ash into my bed, propping myself up beside him until his breathing evened out and he was asleep, then I crept back downstairs.

“How is he?” Papa asked.

“Exhausted.” I dragged in a deep breath and released it. “That was supposed to be me.”

He met my eyes and nodded. “I visited the apartment on my way to the hospital. Marlow is a sick individual. You can kill someone with dignity, yet he chooses to dismember an innocent woman like a feral beast.”

“Ash isn’t a bad person,” I said in a low tone.

“I know, little one, but this past twenty-four hours has shown what his family is capable of. He had Xavier and Jordan as brothers when he was younger to help guide him.”

I poured myself another coffee to help me stay awake. “What happens now?” I asked. “Did someone phone the police?”

“What for?” Papa raised his eyebrows. “If you insist on living in our world, then you need to realise that we tend to operate by the philosophy that if there is no body then there is no crime.”

“But her family…” I trailed off when I saw his hard expression.

“Lucrezia, we have cleaners who take care of these issues. She will have been cremated and the apartment cleansed. It will look as if no one has ever lived in it.”

“What if it had been me?” I asked, staring out the window with sightless eyes.

“That is why you have security details. To ensure that it is never you.”

I needed time to think and the only place I could do that was in nature. The back courtyard garden had roses growing up trellises and huge terracotta pots filled with fragrant herbs. It was near the end of spring, with enough sun to heat my chilled skin. I settled myself on the garden bench and propped my feet up on the edge of one of the tree stumps that Papa used as mini coffee tables. Closing my eyes, I rested in the sunshine, listening to the happy chirping of the birds and the buzzing of the bumblebees.

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