Bleeding Edge: Elliot Security (Elliot Security Series Book 2) by Evie Mitchell (short story to read .txt) 📗

inside. Firefighters frantically called directions as their hoses sprayed water over the inferno.

Smoke billowed out, ash floating down to coat our faces and clothes. Luc stood frozen, his eyes on the burning ruin of his house.

The hairs on the back of my neck lifted.

David.

This wasn’t an accident. This wasn’t a loose wire or a leaky gas pipe. They were here.

I pivoted, turning back to the road, hands lifting, ready to bolt. The keys were still in the ignition, my purse in the passenger seat. I could−

Stop.

I forced myself to turn around. Slowly, feet heavy, I walked towards Luc. I lifted my hand distantly noting how it trembled. Inside, I fought every instinct that screamed for me to run. I laid my hand on Luc’s arm, and immediately he turned, sliding over to pull me to his side. I settled there, my arms around him, both of us watching his house slowly break down to embers.

I opened my mouth, words blocked by the lump of guilt in my throat.

“Don’t.” His eyes were still on the flames, his face dotted by ash. Our eyes watered from the smoke. “We don’t know yet. The wiring was shit, it could be an accident.”

But I knew. Even if he didn’t want to admit it.

In the commune I’d watched David destroy people without remorse. He’d start by breaking them piece by piece. First, he’d take their home, then their job, their reputation, and finally, their family. He’d break them down until they had no options, no friends, nothing.

The fire now reduced to glowing embers and pieces of charred wood and stone, Luc turned to me.

“Your comics.” Grooves I’d never noticed before scarred his face.

I squeezed him. “Comics can be replaced, you can’t. Why are you worrying about my things? That’s your entire life gone. Your medals? The photos of your team?” I asked.

“Pax has back-ups and the medals can be remade.” He rubbed a hand over his face, smearing the ash. “Our life was meant to start in that house.”

I shrugged. “We can rebuild.”

“I wanted you to feel like you belong. I wanted to give you somewhere you felt safe.”

“I do.” I squeezed him. “It’s right here.”

His thumb grazed the apple of my cheek. “Forgive me?”

A cough interrupted our moment. Our heads twisted to the two police officers hovering nearby.

“Mr Falco?” one asked.

“Yes?” Luc kept his arms tight around me.

“We’ve got some questions, if now is a good time?”

He looked back down at me. “You okay?”

I nodded. He dropped his arms, taking my hand. “Do we need to go to the station or…?”

“We can do the preliminary here. We’ll need an official statement, but I expect that can wait.”

We followed the officer down the street towards a patrol car, away from the crowd and cameras that had arrived. The officer lifted a pen and notepad.

“Do you have any ID on you?”

Luc reached for his back pocket. “Fuck, it’s in the car.”

“I can grab it.” I squeezed his hand. “I’ll just be a second.”

Luc shook his head. “No, we’ll both–”

“I’ll take her.” The second officer offered. “Your friend Mr Elliot has filled us in on the potential motivation.” He pointed off to the side where Pax, Brean, and Jack were all standing. They had phones raised to their ears or were talking to officers. Their eyes were on the crowds as they kept watch.

I offered Luc a reassuring smile. “See? I’ll be fine.”

Luc frowned, his dark brows pulling low as he looked from me to the officers and back. “It’s the black Alfa up the street.”

“We’ll be right back,” the second officer promised.

I led the way, dodging hoses, weaving between emergency crews and ducking under police tape. The scene was chaos. Luc’s house was big and the fire had been fierce.

“It’s arson, right?” I asked the officer as I hit the locks, pulling the passenger door open.

“They’re still investigating,” he said as I leaned into the car, my butt sticking out as I fished Luc’s wallet from the centre console.

“What do they…” I froze, cutting myself off. Something hard and cold dug into the middle of my back.

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” the officer explained, pressing the metal deeper into my back. “You’re going to slowly get in the car. You’re going to sit in the passenger seat and not make a sound. We’re going to drive off and you’re not going to kick up a fuss. You get me?” He twisted the metal deeper, bruising my skin.

“Yes.”

“Good.” He pulled back, and I slipped into the front seat. He came around the car, gun low but visible. Sliding into the driver side, he held out a hand and I placed the keys in it. With his free hand, he kept the gun trained on me as he started Luc’s car.

My eyes searched the heaving mass of people. A fire truck blocked me from Luc’s view. Brean and Jack had their backs to me. I couldn’t see Pax. Damn.

The officer backed the car up, turning. We drove away from the scene, and I had a hysterical thought.

This is what a kidnapping felt like. Double damn.

Chapter Forty-Nine

Luc

“Tell me again how something like this happens?” I didn’t care if I sounded like a crazed lunatic, I wanted some fucking answers.

“The guy was new, the paperwork said he’d transferred in from…” The police officer trailed off. “There’s really no excuse.”

Annabelle slapped her palm on the table, the officer flinching. “No, there isn’t. Get out.”

The guy scrambled up and out of the room. We were back in the War room. Emmie had been missing for approximately forty-five minutes. They could be anywhere. The police had issued an alert for my car, but we’d heard squat. I dragged hands through my hair, pulling at the roots. “We have to find her.”

“This is about the money,” Annabelle commented, walking across to our whiteboard. “Emmie is a distraction.”

“Emmie is a fucking hostage, we can’t–”

She cut me off. “Pull it together, Falco.” She tapped the board. “You want to find them, follow the cash.”

“What