AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What is?”
“That I’m the love of your life. Oh, and also that you don’t think I murdered a priest.”
Lilith
I’d just got out of the bath and wrapped myself in one of the hotel’s pristine white bath sheets when there was a soft knock on the door.
“Is that room service?” I asked. “God, they’re prompt at this place.”
“I reckon so,” Finn replied, then called out, ‘I’ll be there in a sec,” to whoever was out there.
Then there were three more knocks. Louder this time, and somehow far more agressive.
“That’s definitely not good, is it?” Finn asked me, lowering his voice to a whisper, and I shook my head.
I didn’t know who it was out there or what they wanted, but the fact that we’d simultaneously had the same amygdala response told me all I needed to know. So many things might have contributed to it: the timing, the volume or the staccato style of the knock, but it didn’t really matter because somewhere in that most ancient part of our brains we’d both received a warning that whatever was behind that door was a threat.
“Mr Strachan? Miss Bresson? Could you open the door please?” a voice called from the hallway. “We need to have a word.”
“Hell, that’s Stevenson,” I said, recalling the bumbling older police officer from the day before.
The corrupt, bought officer from the day before.
“Ah, shit,” Finn said.
I reached for the inhaler that he’d placed next to the bath and took two blasts before speaking. “And they know we’re in.”
“Well, they know one of us is,” Finn said.
“Oh God no,” I mouthed as I realised what he meant. “No. No, Strachan, don’t you bloody dare…”
“Listen to me Lili,” Finn said, his voice low and urgent. “I need you to stay right here, okay? I’m going to switch the bathroom light off and answer the door, and you have to stay low and keep quiet, sweetheart. It’s me they want, and you never know, they might just want to ask a couple of questions, yeah?”
I knew that what he said made sense; if I stayed behind, I could make some calls, find out more information, and maybe find that single opportunity to work things out. At the very least, as Finn clearly wanted, I could be the one to remain safe. “And if they don’t?” I could hear the plea in my voice, and I hated myself for it.
In reply, Finn gave me the most beautiful smile I’d ever seen. “Then you’re smart and you’re brave and if there’s anyone in this universe I’d trust to come after me, it’s the unstoppable Lilith Bresson.” Then before I could argue he kissed me on the forehead and walked out of the bathroom, flicking off the lightswitch as he went. I crouched down behind the door in the darkness and hated myself.
“Is Miss Bresson here?” Stevenson asked.
“Nah, she went out for a run ooh, ‘bout ten minutes ago,” I heard Finn say, as casually as anyone could possibly sound. “You know what these fitness freaks are like, yeah? Not sure when she’ll be back – she’s doin’ about five miles a day at the moment.”
I held my breath in the darkness and listened to one of them step into our suite to take a look around. I guessed that would be the younger one of the two whilst Stevenson kept an eye on Finn.
“No one here.” As I’d presumed, McKinnan was the one to search our room, but due to either ineptitude or nerves he’d merely given the place a perfunctory glance.
Then Finn’s voice again: “Er, not bein’ picky or anythin’ fellas,” he said, almost imperceptibly louder than his normal tone, “But pretty sure your lot aren’t meant to be armed, yeah? Especially not some ancient, shitty Glock. Did yer fella Sergei not have any flintlocks left?”
“Shut the fuck up,” Stevenson snapped, and I could hear the fear in his voice. He certainly wasn’t a controlled and professional law enforcer right now; he was just a scared, stupid man who was in so deep that he felt he was drowning, and now I knew he had a gun that had apparently been bought on the black market. All I could do was stay silent and will Finn to stay calm.
There was the sound of a scuffle, of three people leaving our room.
Then there were only fragments of words, drifting from the hotel corridor, through to where I hid:
Finn Strachan, arrested… murder… not obliged to say anything… Writing… Evidence…
Then an all-engulfing, terrifying silence.
I swallowed hard to stop myself from shouting out or throwing up again. Finn had managed to give me both a warning and vital information. In that one awful moment he had still thought of me, but now he was gone and I had no idea how I would ever get him back.
