Chapter Nineteen

The drive back to London seemed to go on forever. Luke had said something about an explosion but Jenna was beyond taking any more in.

“Jenna.”

The car had stopped. She forced her eyes open and turned to him. “What?”

“I’ll see you upstairs then I’m going to work. See if I can find a link to Merrick.” He guided her across the garage.

Jenna leaned against the wall of the elevator and wondered whether the alcohol was affecting her. It felt like a buzz in her brain.

Luke frowned. “Are you okay?”

Was he crazy? She was as far from okay as it was possible to be. “I just want to go to bed.”

For once, there was an expression on his face she understood—worry. It almost made her smile.

He led her through the apartment and stopped in front of her door. “Get some sleep.”

Yeah, right. That wasn’t going to happen. “Can I have another drink?”

“I’ll get you something. Do you need more painkillers?”

Shaking her head, she pushed open the door to her room. She could feel Luke’s gaze following her as she walked through, but she ignored him. Once inside, she stood in the center of the floor, unsure what to do. A minute later, Luke stepped in behind her. He placed a half-full glass of amber liquid on the table by the bed and walked away.

At the door, he paused. For the first time, he appeared unsure. “I have to go.”

Irritation flicked at her nerves. Why didn’t he leave? “I’ll be fine. Just go.”

His eyes widened a little at her abrupt tone, but he turned and left the room. Sinking onto the bed, she picked up the glass. There was a fine tremor in her fingers, but she didn’t know whether it was the onset of her illness or merely reaction. Right now, she didn’t care. She swallowed the drink down in one gulp, almost choking as the burning liquid flowed down her throat. Leaning back against the headboard, she closed her eyes, but images of David, of Merrick, of her father on a slab in the morgue, played across her mind.

Her nostrils clogged with the stench of death, and a wave of dizziness washed over her. Her stomach recoiled, and she lurched to her feet, ran to the bathroom, and threw up in the toilet.

Collapsing to her knees, she laid her cheek against the cool porcelain, waiting for her head to stop spinning. Her mouth tasted foul, and she pulled herself up and drank straight from the tap, then brushed her teeth until her gums bled.

She tore off her clothes and stood under the steaming shower, trying to wash the stink from her body. She felt as though she were the only real thing in an unreal world.

…

Luke stopped off in the control room on the ground floor.

At this time of night, the room was quiet, just a couple of guys monitoring the chatter, and a third in charge of internal security, reviewing the CCTV cameras around the building.

He nodded to the man sitting at the bank of monitors. “Gary. Anything happening?”

“No, sir. It’s all quiet.”

Luke made to move away, but on an impulse, he sank into the seat next to Gary instead. He leaned across, punched in his security code, and switched the monitor to the bedroom in the apartment.

An image of Jenna curled up on the bed filled the screen. She must have showered; she was wrapped in a white towel, her hair damp about her shoulders. At first, he thought she was asleep, she was so still. But her eyes were open and staring.

He switched off the connection and turned to Gary. “I want you to have someone watch the penthouse apartment.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Make sure no one goes in or out. Except me.”

“Yes, sir.”

Luke rose to his feet and hurried from the room, punching in Callum’s number while he waited for the elevator. “What’s happening?”

“It was definitely murder, not suicide. I’ll get a report to you by morning.”

Luke felt no shock at the words. In fact, he’d been expecting them. “Did they get the body out?”

“Yes.” Callum replied. “I’ll make sure we get a copy of the autopsy report, but I’m betting it won’t come up with anything other than suicide.”

“Did you pick up any prints?”

“Nothing suspicious. These guys were professional. We did get the hard drives off Merrick’s computer and his laptop and phone, so we’ll get the lab analyzing them to see if we can’t find something. But I’m guessing the place had already been gone through.”

“That’s what I came up with.” The elevator arrived and he stepped inside.

“But the fact they set the place to blow suggests they thought there might be something still there. If there is, we’ll find it. How’s the woman?”

He was pretty sure the question didn’t arise from any concern about Jenna’s well-being. “Sleeping,” he snapped. Then he sighed. “Look, Callum, I’ve not gone soft on you—I’ll do whatever’s needed. But I don’t think force would work with her. Did you see the report from the man who tortured her?” It had made interesting reading.

“Yeah. He reckoned she wouldn’t have broken. But everyone talks in the end.”

“Not everyone. There’s a small proportion of people who respond differently. They reach a point where they’re physically unable to talk. A sort of stubbornness.”

“You think she’s one of those?” Callum asked, his tone skeptical.

“The report said she became angry rather than scared as the interrogation went on.”

“I still think you should keep it as an option.”

Maybe as a last resort, but he didn’t actually believe she could tell them anything. “We’ll dig into Merrick’s background first. I have a feeling if we can find a link between Merrick and Jenna it will give us something to work on. At the moment, everything points to the link being her father.”

“Stefan’s already investigating him. We should have the information by morning.”

As the call ended, Luke ran a hand through his hair. The elevator hadn’t moved, the doors still open. Although he was exhausted, he knew he wouldn’t sleep. He needed something to take his mind from the woman upstairs. He’d been about to press the button for the penthouse; now he changed his mind.

He needed to work.