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Time passed. When Alex was awake, he drank, finishing the first bottle with ease and starting on a second. Day and night blurred together, yet despite his best efforts, he couldn’t block Sylvie out.
He wasn’t sure whether he was awake or dreaming, but when Rico spoke to him, he had to be asleep.
“Hey, Alex.”
It seemed normal for Alex to turn his head and greet him with a smile. “Hi, Rico.” Then, as an afterthought, “What are you doing here?” Alex felt a pang. This was the man that Sylvie loved.
Rico looked fit and healthy. As he had been in life. He cocked his head to one side. “I’m here to talk to you.” It sounded obvious.
“Sure. What’s on your mind?” In his dream, Alex spoke with no slurring alcohol-laden speech.
“What are you doing here, Alex? Why aren’t you with Sylvie?”
Hearing her name made Alex wince. “You know, Rico, it’s damn hard to follow in your footsteps.”
“She needs you. Believe me.”
“She doesn’t need me. She’s yours.”
There was a long pause, and then Rico gave him the lazy smile Alex had seen so often. “You don’t get it, do you? I was only looking after her until you came along. It’s you she loves. Always has been.” Rico touched Alex’s arm. “Go to her. Please.”
In the time it took to blink, Rico disappeared.
Alex yawned. What a weird dream. Hunching onto his side, he went back to sleep in the chair.
****
Adele launched into packing up her files and documents on Monday morning, ready for the move. It was fun to see Karl wandering around on her floor, sorting out cables and connections for everyone’s computers. He smiled at her and came over to stand by her desk. “Still okay for squash tonight?” he asked.
She liked that he sought her out. It made butterflies flutter inside her. “Yes. Definitely. We’re booked at six. Will you be free by then?”
“I hope so. It’s crazy this week. It’s a huge gamble that we can get everyone moved in and all running by Friday morning. I’m going to be working around the clock at this rate.”
A thought nudged at her, and then retreated. Something important, but what? What did Karl say that sparked that? “Karl, would you repeat that, please?”
He quirked his eyebrows. “Sure. It’s a huge gamble—”
Gamble. The poker game Jason took her to. “Yes. I didn’t tell the police about Jason’s poker game. It might be significant.”
Karl smiled, his eyes crinkling in the corners. “It might. Are you going to?”
“You bet.” She squeezed his hand. “I’ll make an appointment right now.”
The police were very interested. The poker night added another dimension to Jason’s social life. Adele didn’t know the address of the place the game had been held at, but by piecing together what she remembered of getting the cab home, they narrowed down the location to four streets.
The rest of the day flew by in a blur of activity, but she made it to the gym in time, dashing onto the court to find Karl warming up.
They played hard, and Karl had her running across the court, stretching for every shot. She was delighted to take several hard-earned points from him. As they came off the court, red faced and laughing, they bumped into Jordan and Nick, who went on straight after them.
Nick greeted her with a beaming grin and a quick hug. “Drinks later?”
“Karl and I are going for a drink, if you want to join us?” Adele spoke without thinking, and Nick’s surprise showed.
He glanced at Karl, and then back to Adele. “Nah, I’ll pass. Have a good evening. Catch you tomorrow for coffee?”
Nick and Jordan went onto the court, and Adele headed for the changing rooms, Karl at her side.
“It’s none of my business,” said Karl, his voice casual. “But I was wondering if you and Nick had a thing going between you.”
“No. Of course not.” She made her voice indignant. “He’s married.” Paris didn’t count. Besides, nothing happened there, so she wasn’t lying.
“Okay.” He sounded as though he believed her, and a shard of guilt wormed its way into her gut.
No matter how she told herself nothing happened, it almost did. She’d been a hair’s breadth from kissing him, and who knows what after that.
She and Karl spent the evening in the Frog and Bucket, along with a crowd of other TM-Tech people. Adele was tired, though, and by nine she’d had enough of being sociable. She picked up her bag and shrugged into her jacket.
She wasn’t surprised that Karl insisted on walking her back. It was another sweet gesture that put her at ease. She’d underestimated how lovely he was, and it nagged at her that she hadn’t paid him any attention when they first met. She’d written him off as a tech-obsessed-geek, when in fact, he was a gentleman.
It wasn’t far to her apartment block, but she appreciated his presence. They linked arms, and it felt good. Now they were in the fresh air, Adele was in no rush to go home, so she dawdled, enjoying being with him.
She blew out a breath and saw the vapour hang in the air. “Cold tonight,” she murmured and snuggled closer.
“Yep.”
“Will it take you long to get home?”
“Twenty minutes on the Tube.”
Now they were almost there, she didn’t want him to leave. “It’s still quite early. Would you like to come in for a drink?”
He glanced at her. “I’d love to, but not tonight. I have to be in the office crazy early in the morning, for the next batch of moves.”
In some ways, Adele might never be ready to sleep with a guy again, but if she was going to take that step, taking it with Karl would be the right way to go. The idea terrified her, but like going to a club with Nick, she couldn’t let it break her.
She caught hold of the front of his down jacket. “You could—you know—stay the night.” The words tumbled out of her, and she paused to drag some control back. “It’d be quicker to get to the office from here. If you wanted to.”
He held her gaze and slowly raised one hand to touch her face. He smoothed a tendril of hair off her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. “Another night, maybe?”
She caught his hand and pressed it to her cheek. “Why not tonight?” Her voice was husky. She couldn’t bear to ask if he was rejecting her.
Karl huffed a soft breath, and then slipped his arms around her, to hold her close. He smelled nice. “I’m not ready to have my heart broken again.” It was a whisper against her ear, and her heart lurched. She didn’t know what to say, so she enjoyed the moment while it lasted.
All too soon, he pressed a kiss against her hair and said goodnight. As before, he made sure she was safe behind a locked door before he left, and Adele watched him wave and stride down the street.
He’d only gone a few steps, when another man emerged from the building and set off in the same direction. There was something familiar about the guy. She recognised the long trench coat. One of the other TM-Tech people?
He tossed a glowing cigarette into the gutter, and she froze.
She must be more tired than she thought. For a second, he looked like Jason.
Adele rubbed her eyes. No. Her heartbeat accelerated, and her lungs tightened. She had to be mistaken. There was no other explanation.
****
Sylvie was running out of time. Daisy was due to arrive on Wednesday, which meant Sylvie only had until Tuesday night to find Alex. She’d also run out of sleeping pills.
Despite Sylvie visiting every drinking hole in the city, her husband was nowhere to be seen.
She drove onto the overnight ferry back to Holyhead, locked up the car, and made her way on weary legs to the cabin she’d booked. She was utterly heartsick. She came here convinced she’d find Alex, but all she found was disappointment. Where was he? Nobody had heard from him. He could have dropped off the edge of the planet.
Sylvie didn’t know where else to turn. She’d called every hospital and clinic, as well as each of the many spas and retreats, and done everything short of contacting the press. If nothing else, this matter remained private. Her heart would continue to break, but nobody outside their immediate circle would know.
With no white pills to knock her out, she sat awake all night, gazing into space. There was no sudden burst of inspiration. Things had never looked bleaker.
She was practically on her knees with exhaustion when she docked at Holyhead. It took two of Frankie’s yellow pills to lift her enough to go back home.
Daisy arrived in the afternoon, full of excitement for her new job. Sylvie gave her a thin story about how Alex was working away for a few days but would meet them in London.
Wherever he was, surely he’d keep the appointment with Social Services.
She had to keep Daisy occupied. She showed her around the house and surrounding area, and they worked together to make sure everything was ready for Callum. Then it was a matter of waiting.
They drove down to London on Thursday afternoon, to stay with Kate and Jordan, as planned. Sylvie wanted to shout Alex’s name from the rooftops. She wanted him here with her. She couldn’t do this by herself—not just Callum, but also the memorial service. Alex promised to be with her for this. She couldn’t bear that he would let her down.
Five days had passed with zero contact. At what point did she notify the police that he was missing?
She retreated to bed with more of Frankie’s white pills and a large glass of malt whisky from Jordan’s collection. For the first time since Saturday—since her life imploded—she gave in to the luxury of crying herself to sleep.
****
Jordan was stunned by the amount of people that wanted to attend the memorial service, some merely to offer their support. Jon and Anita would be there, along with most of the families of the deceased and many other friends and colleagues.
Marcus and Thaddeus were due in town on Thursday afternoon, and Jordan made the time to meet them at the airport. Thaddeus was tall and vigorous, as usual, despite several major heart attacks the other year.
The last time Jordan saw Marcus was as he left for Houston at the start of the year. At the time, Marcus had been recuperating from a long spell in the hospital, and had been white faced and thin. Now he’d filled out again and looked as he always did.
Jordan left no room for awkwardness. As soon as he saw them walk through the Arrivals Hall, he stepped forwards and clasped hands with Marcus. “Good to see you, man,” he said. He’d lost Rico and come close to losing Marcus. To be able to greet his oldest friend was a blessing.
“You too.” They slapped each other’s back, and Jordan took a moment to compose himself before turning to his father.
Thaddeus nodded to him. “Jordan.” He wasn’t big on greetings.
“Thaddeus,” Jordan replied. That was the extent of the small talk.
As they headed to Canary Wharf in a cab, Thaddeus demanded to know about TM-Tech matters, while Marcus checked his emails.
It was fair to say Jordan had an unusual relationship with his father.
After the workday was done, Jordan picked up Kate, and they went to meet Marcus at his hotel.
Kate greeted Marcus with an excited squeal and a huge hug. “Hello, stranger,” she said. “We’ve missed you so much.”
He hugged her back. “Have you, really?”
“Yes, of course. You must see Poppy before you go back. She’s grown so much. And how is Ted? Do you see much of Louisa?” Kate’s happy chat propelled the conversation forwards, while Jordan watched and admired her.
There was a difficult question to get out of the way, though. “How is Marianne?” Jordan asked.
Marcus smiled. “She’s good. Thanks. It hasn’t been easy, but we’re planning on getting married next year. When the divorce is finalised. She wanted to come with me, but I felt it would make it harder for Sylvie.”
It had been Marianne, Sylvie’s boss, that Rico was rescuing from the rubble when he was killed.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” said Jordan, and he meant it. “I hope you’re happy.”
Marcus met his gaze. “You warned me at the time. You said it would be hard to leave Louisa and Ted, and by God, you were right. But Marianne has made it all worthwhile.”
They spent another hour together, before Kate started yawning and they headed back to the apartment. Jordan was used to being in charge and fixing problems as they arose. The issue with Alex frustrated the fuck out of him, but he had no solution.