Human Nature (Book 4): Human Nature IV by Borthwick, Finlay (book recommendations website .TXT) 📗

here, guys,” he grumbled at them, “When it burns you, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Sulking, he stormed off back downstairs.

Completely unmoved by Kieran’s forewarning, Nikola picked up her radio and put a call through to Gwen on a private channel.

Alek had been discharged from the hospital. By his own request, he was currently snuggled up with Emile on the sofa in their cottage.

The seemingly happy couple were binging some of their favourite old films; they secretly had the only DVD player in the entire safe zone, and despite not quite being a VHS player, they knew that if Mac knew of its’ existence, he’d steal it from them without a second thought.

‘Knock-knock-knock!’

There was a polite and rather unhurried calling at the door.

As Alek went to get up, Emile put his arm over him, “Don’t worry, I’ll get it. You just take it easy.” He nodded to Alek’s patched up wound with an endearing smile, to which Alek smiled back at him in kind.

Upon opening the door, Emile was greeted by Marianne.

“You wanted to see me?” She asked him with great curiosity.

Emile stepped out onto the cottage porch and shut the front door behind him without saying a word.

“What is it? Is it Alek?” Marianne further asked as she attempted to glare through the frosted windowpane on the front door in order to see if Alek was inside.

“Alek’s fine.” Emile quickly reassured her as he stepped in front of the door.

“Then why did you ask me to come all the way out here?” Marianne referred to how the cottage was on the complete opposite side of the safe zone to where she lived.

Emile sighed, “Adela’s pregnant.” He revealed.

Marianne’s eyes widened, “Oh...? Right?” She didn’t quite understand why this information was being given to her.

“The baby’s mine.” Emile revealed as he swallowed the guilty lump in his throat.

“I—What?” Marianne was suddenly at a complete loss for words. “I mean, how? How is that—How?”

“The normal way.” Emile sarcastically responded.

“No but… You two?” Marianne was still too shocked to form a coherent sentence.

“Alek doesn’t know,” Emile continued, “We’d had an argument, I got drunk, Adela was also drunk, so we slept together.”

“…That’s disgusting.” Marianne judged him with a repugnant look on her face.

“Yes, and now you’re the only person other than myself and Adela who knows the secret.” Emile professed.

“You mean… You haven’t told Alek?” Marianne appeared to be even more disgusted as she realised this.

“No, and if you’re gonna try and tell him, I’ll just say that you knew the whole time but let him carry on blindly.” Emile blackmailed her.

Marianne didn’t quite understand what Emile’s game was, but was scared regardless, “Why are you telling me this?”

Emile swallowed hard, “I know you don’t begrudge Tia for shooting him, but I do… I want her out of here.”

Marianne laughed at him, “You want what?”

“I’m serious, Marianne.” Emile was stern, “Tia’s a threat. I don’t trust her not to shoot Alek again, nor shoot anybody else for that matter.”

“She was in a plane crash, Emile!” Marianne lowly raged at him, not wanting Alek to overhear their conversation. “It’s a traumatic experience that caused her to remember an equally traumatic day! She’s not gonna do it again!”

“We don’t know that.” Emile was looking to the ground in shame as he said this, feeling guilty about wanting to banish a child from their only kin, but also knowing that he had to do anything to protect Alek. “We don’t have to find that out either if she goes—I don’t care how you do it, I just want her gone.”

“…Does Adela know how much you hate her sister?”

Emile shook his head, “Adela hates my guts and I hate her sister’s guts in turn. These things swing in bouts.”

“No,” Marianne denied Emile’s request, “I’m not going to send a child out there! Anything could happen to her!”

“She’ll only get what she deserves,” Emile expressed his belief in karma, “If she deserves forgiveness, she’ll be fine. If she deserves punishment, then who are we to stand in the way?”

“She loves you like an uncle, Emile!” Marianne pointed out to him. “Who are you to stand in the way of judgement? You’re a person that she fucking adores! That’s who!”

Feeling something snap inside of him, Emile grabbed Marianne by her collar and stared her fiercely in the eyes, “You are going to get rid of that little brat! If you don’t, you’ll be the one who conveniently disappears,” he threatened her, “And if you try to tell Alek about Adela’s baby, that’ll get you disappeared as well. If you walk away from my house affirming that you will not do this task, then I will go back in there and tell Alek that you knew I cheated on him all along. Do I make myself clear?”

Fearful for her life, Marianne desperately nodded. A small tear had even formed in her eye; Emile used to be a great friend of hers with whom she had worked very closely with, but now, he was nothing more than a vengeful and vindictive monster.

“Good.” Emile released her from his grip. “Now, run along and get rid off of her!” He commanded, also in a low tone, for he himself was afraid of Alek finding out.

With jelly legs, Marianne ran off as fast as she could.

After the presence of a hostage had been called in to her by Nikola, Gwen was storming towards the semi-detached house where Donna was being kept, with Elliot and Annabelle both at her side, much like the angel and the devil on her shoulder.

“She’s down there.” Rubin nodded towards the basement stairs as he allowed Gwen and her kin to pass.

Although Elliot had tried to make his way down the stairs with the aid of nothing more