Repairer of the Breach (Stones of Fire Book 4) by Sarah Ashwood (reading eggs books .TXT) 📗

It was just—every instinct demanded I do what I could to help Carter.

You’re not helpless yet, I reminded myself in an attempt to calm down. You still have your weapons. Nobody knows about them. You still have your phone. This isn’t over yet. Stay calm. Keep a clear head.

The last two things were getting more and more difficult as we approached Mrs. Costas’ driver assisting her into her wheelchair. She smoothed her coat, her slacks, as Darla stepped up behind her to take the handles of the chair.

“Ready to go in?”

“Yes, thank you, Darla,” Mrs. Costas craned her neck to smile over her shoulder at the woman…and that’s when she caught sight of me.

The mask slipped. The mask of cultured, polite society woman. I saw shock and then sheer hatred fill her stunning green eyes.

“Charles,” she said, her voice as cold and piercing as an icicle. “What is she doing here?”

Both of her companions turned, spotted me. Darla, with her perfect, professional makeup, hair, and suit blinked a few times. Charles set down the bags he was carrying.

“What do you want me to do, Mrs. Costas?” he inquired. His tone was casual; his meaning was anything but. If I was allowed inside, if I got to her husband, I had the potential to expose them. They weren’t about to allow that.

“Javier.” Mrs. Costas beckoned to the groundskeeper sweetly, regaining her façade like it had never slipped. “Will you bring her here, please?”

I felt Javier’s hand press into the middle of my back. Fight or flight kicked in. Wild scenarios of ducking away and pulling my gun, or ducking away and running flashed through my brain. Instead, I froze.

“Let’s go, Miss Ellie,” Javier urged with a gentle shove.

My feet moved.

Do something, Ellie, my instincts were screaming. Something inside restrained me. I didn’t know if it was fear or wisdom. I didn’t know whether to play my final card—my weapons—just yet, or wait. In the end, I chose waiting. I couldn’t seem to collect myself to do anything else except pace up to Mrs. Costas, Darla, and her driver, who all stood watching me with hard faces and frosty stares.

“Ellie,” Mrs. Costas said, when I stopped in front of her. “You’re alive. You’re alive and back from wherever you went.” She looked me up and down, as if checking for injuries or obvious signs of trauma. Finding none, she went on, “Where’s Carter? Did he survive too? Did he return with you?”

“No.” I shook my head. “He didn’t make it.”

“Then why are you here?” Ciara Costas demanded. “If you’re not here for Carter, you must be coming to warn my husband. Am I correct?”

I tried to say no, but I couldn’t even get the word out. I was definitely a terrible liar. It was a good thing Carter hadn’t risked letting the police interview me all those months ago, taking the drastic step of marrying me instead. I’d never have survived a police interview.

Since I couldn’t speak, I shook my head. That wasn’t enough.

“I see,” Ciara said coldly. Then, “What are we going to do with you?” she asked. She looked over my shoulder at Javier, standing behind me.

“Javier, this young woman is dangerous. Do you understand? She can’t be allowed inside. Do you have some place you can take her?”

Fear seized my chest like a giant fist was squeezing my heart.

“Yes, Senora,” Javier answered. “I can put her somewhere she won’t be found.”

“Excellent. Please make sure she doesn’t get out,” Ciara responded. “Also, make sure she isn’t harmed. Plenty of time for that later. There’s still a chance I might need her.”

My brain didn’t even process Javier’s reply. I felt like the world was spinning circles around me. Like I couldn’t catch my breath or fight past the brain fog.

But I had to. I had to. I’d put myself in this mess. I had to get myself out. Plus, I still didn’t know where the detectives were or where Carter was. At this moment, the lives of all of them could potentially be in my hands. Ciara had warned Javier not to hurt me, so I clung to that as I allowed him to shove me into her car. As Ciara, her personal assistant, and her driver made their way into the mansion, Javier climbed into the driver’s side of the car and took off at a slow pace, circling around behind the mansion. I parted my lips, inhaling several times to fight off the dizziness and clear my brain before speaking.

“Javier,” I said, grateful that I didn’t stutter and my voice didn’t catch. “Javier, this is all a big misunderstanding. I’m not here to hurt anyone or do anything wrong. I just need to talk to Carter.”

“Because of your argument.”

“Yes.”

Javier parked the vehicle and set the parking brake. His face was tight.

“Carter is not here that I know of, and Senora Costas tells me you are dangerous. She wants me to lock you away and keep you safe. You tell me that Senor Carter is here, but you tell Senora Costas he didn’t make it.” He looked over at me, brown eyes probing. “What am I to believe?”

“I—can’t tell you what to do or what to believe,” I answered, clenching my fists to keep them from air-washing themselves in my lap. Or to keep them from going for my gun prematurely. “But I can tell you that Mrs. Costas probably isn’t the person you think she is.”

His posture was attentive. He was listening.

“Go on,” he said.

Internally, I was quarrelling over whether to take the leap and confide what I knew. Would he believe me? If he didn’t, what was the worst he’d do? Lock me up? He was going to do that anyway, per his boss’s orders. That decided me.

“I can’t explain everything,” I said. “There isn’t time. But I can tell you that Mrs. Costas is not loyal to her husband and his beliefs. She’s been colluding with Nosizwe behind his back. They stole the Stones that he had.