With his hands stuffed deep into his pockets and his collar pulled up around his neck in a vain attempt to keep the cold out, Rob watched the paramedics do their job. Naturally, they trampled over the scene, focusing on saving Emmett’s life above everything else.
Rob has no issue with this because, of course, it was the right thing to do, and Emmett was in desperate need of medical help. But a part of him still cringed as he watched the paramedics trample over the scene.
As the ambulance crew worked, getting Emmett onto a stretcher ready to carry him to the waiting ambulance, Rob’s eyes wandered over to the covered body of Valerie.
It was her all along.
She’d watched her husband discover the head in their bin, where she’d dumped it, and then watched as he and Scarlett had turned up to assess the scene.
She’d killed Penny here and then both Radek and Izabela at the brothel, all because Emmett was playing away. The true reason why she’d cut Penny’s head off and placed it in their bin might never be fully known, but he could take a guess.
It was probably a warning aimed squarely at her husband. They’d need to check with Emmett once he was able to talk, but Rob guessed Emmett had paid Penny for sex, and somehow Valerie had found out, which led to Penny’s murder. But not satisfied with just killing the girl, she then needed to send a warning to her husband.
Rob could only guess how it must have felt to open the bin and see a face he recognised staring back at him. It would probably haunt Emmett’s dreams for the rest of his life.
“Do you think that’ll be the end of the fighting?” Scarlett asked.
“Between the gangs?” Rob clarified.
“Yep.”
He shrugged, unsure. “I hope so. Both Abel and Radek are dead now, so…”
Scarlett nodded as the paramedics and a couple of helpful police officers carried Emmett past on a bright orange stretcher. Emmett offered them a brief smile and a grimace as he went.
He looked a little ashamed of his actions, and he wasn’t yet aware of the full extent of these consequences. All these lives ruined or lost could be traced back to Emmett’s inability to keep it in his pants.
It was sad, really.
The paramedics bundled Emmett into the back of the ambulance, and as the vehicle pulled away, Rob saw a car pull up, and Nailer climb out. He spotted Rob and made his way over.
“The gaffer’s here,” he remarked to Scarlett, alerting her to his arrival before turning to greet his superior. “Guv.”
“Well done, you two. That’s a good job done, from what I hear.”
Rob grunted. “Well, she killed herself, so it could have gone better. I would have preferred to take her in alive.”
“As would we all, but things are what they are, and ultimately this means we have our woman, and maybe, just maybe, things can settle down again.”
“Here’s hoping,” Scarlet agreed. “With Abel and Radek out of the picture, the gangs might actually call it a day.”
“Radek?”
“He was the body dressed in black at the brothel,” Rob explained. “We saw him in the same room as Izabela. Emmett confirmed it was him before the paramedics got here when we were helping staunch the bleeding.”
“I’ve just come from the massage parlour,” Nailer replied. “There was no other body in Izabela’s room.”
Rob frowned. “You’re sure?”
“Positive. And I was one of the first on the scene. No one had been in there before us.”
A feeling of dread spread through Rob’s body as he considered the options, but there was only really one that seemed to fit. “Damn. He was alive and playing dead.”
“He ran away?” Scarlett added. “Damn it. So that means, between us leaving and the authorities arriving, he legged it.”
“Bollocks,” Rob cursed. “I knew it was too good to be true. Crap.”
“Yeah, he was gone,” Nailer confirmed, screwing his face up in frustration. “Well, I have faith in my team. We’ll find him. So, Emmett’s on his way to the hospital, I take it?”
“Yeah, that was him leaving as you pulled up,” Rob confirmed. “Valerie shot him in the back but didn’t kill him outright. With any luck, he’ll pull through.”
“Valerie wasn’t as lucky,” Scarlett added. “Her headshot killed her instantly.”
“That depends on your definition of luck.” Rob shook his head, removing the image of Valerie’s last action.
“So, she was the one who killed Penny?” Nailer asked.
“She admitted as much, and Emmett seemed certain of it. We’re hoping to get the full story from him when he’s in a more stable condition, plus, we know what we’re looking for now. There’ll be proof, I’m sure of it.”
“I hope so,” Nailer said.
“What about Caprice and Nigel?” Scarlett asked. “Any news on them? We left them with a couple of officers.”
“Yeah. Unfortunately, Nigel’s dead,” Nailer answered. “But Caprice should be at the hospital too by now. As far as I know, they’re hopeful she’ll pull through. So, here’s hoping.”
“That’s great news,” Rob said, relieved that it wasn’t a total loss.
“That’s good,” Scarlett agreed. “I was a little worried about her.”
“Me too,” Rob agreed then turned to address Nailer. “We’ll need to talk to her as well, and anyone who survived the massacre at the massage parlour. Our work is far from done.”
“Indeed, it’s not. No rest for the wicked,” Nailer quipped.
“Or those who chase them,” Scarlett added.