Page 117 of The Beast's Heart

I thank Christopher profusely for his aid (how much did it cost? Can Adam even afford it?) as I disembark. The tarmac is dark and shimmering after a recent rain, but the night is warm.

A figure in a dark trench and a matching black face mask strides towards me and I look to Christopher, but he’s already returned to his cockpit.Security?

But then the figure waves and I know him.Zane. Zane’s here.

My limbs are at once heavy with relief. I want to fall into his arms in the most undignified manner. But I manage to stay on my own two feet as he reaches me.

“Hey Babybel.”

I start to cry. So much for dignity.

Zane wraps his arms around me and pulls me close. “Hey now. It’s okay. He’s stable. Come, let’s get you home.”

In the car, the radio blares to life with an upbeat pop song. The lyrics are something about drowning in the night and running out of time. Zane turns the volume down. “Sebastian’s been on the phone to your Beast all night. They’re probably still talking now.”

“Adam? Why?”

While Zane navigates out of the airport parking and onto the M23, he explains that Dad’s tumor is now pressing on an important part of his brain. Surgery is no longer optional if he wants to live, but the kind of surgery he needs is dangerous and the NHS is too overloaded to do it. Before I can lose my meagre dinner out the window of his relatively new hatchback, he explains why Sebastian and Adam have been talking.

“There’s a surgeon who can do the op in New York. He’s one of the top guys in this kind of thing.”

“New York? How would Dad get to New York? During a pandemic?”

“Medical tourism—that’s what they call it—is exempt from the travel ban if you can get the right authorizations from the doctors involved. That’s what Sebastian is working on. Adam has been calling in favors to find out if the surgeon can see your father. At the moment even I can’t see him. He’s at Sebastian’s hospital though, so he’s been able to.”

It’s all so much information, but that part catches me. “Sebastian’s hospital?”

“Yeah, he went back. You know what he’s like.”

“You never mentioned.”

He cuts a look at me. “We’re going to compare notes on not mentioning things, are we?”

It’s the first time he’s sounded annoyed with me about this situation. He’s right. I should have spoken to Dad as soon as I was safely at the estate. Instead, I’ve been avoiding him and now… I stare out the window. The sun is starting to brush the countryside, but it’s only a bleak reminder of time passing.

Zane sighs. “Look, you must be exhausted. I can take you home, or you can crash at ours. Get some rest while Sebastian and I make all the calls.”

The idea of going back to the house I share with my father and finding it cold and dark is unbearable. “You don’t mind me staying over?”

“No, Babybel. Of course not.”

By the time we reach Fetchum, the sun has risen properly and it looks like it will be a beautiful day. I feel sticky and gritty.

Zane and Sebastian’s place is a three-story redbrick cottage with large bay windows that let in tons of natural light for Sebastian’s plants. As we crunch up the gravel drive, a little flock of birds sets flight from the hedge.

Inside, the air is scented with coffee. Our footsteps echo on the hardwood floors and I can hear Sebastian’s voice from the kitchen. Zane hangs up his coat and calls a greeting.

Sebastian appears holding a slice of toast in one hand and a phone in the other. “They just arrived,” he says. “All right, will do.”

He ends the call and shoves the phone into the pocket of his robe. He’s in his pajamas, although it’s clear from the dark smudges under his eyes that he hasn’t slept.

“Hey, Jonathan. Nice suit.”

I look down, realizing for the first time that I’m still in the ridiculous outfit that I wore to the party. “We were… there was an event.”

“I know. Adam filled me in. Come, let me get you some coffee and some breakfast.” He gestures into the kitchen.

I’ve always liked their open plan kitchen, with the breakfast bar and wooden table. There are always freshly cut flowers from the garden, and pot plants on every surface. I feel a kick of longing for Adam. He’d love this space.

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