Calamity Jena (Invertary Book 4) (35 page)

He’d found it in his soul mate.

37

“So I take it you’re not looking for a job in the city anymore?” Josh said to Matt. There was a wicked gleam in his eye.

It’d been a week since the funeral and life was back to normal in Invertary. Well, as normal as it ever got. November had hit and the temperature had plummeted. Even the stoic Scots who wore their shorts at the first sign of sun had packed them away for the winter. Matt had slipped into an easy rhythm with Jena. One where he picked her up every day after his shift finished and took her back to his place. He wasn’t sure if she’d noticed they were living together, and he didn’t want to ruin the peace by bringing it up. Apart from a lingering sadness from the loss of his dad, all was good with the world.

Josh elbowed him in the ribs to get his attention. “So you’re staying put in Invertary, then?”

“Aye, I’m staying put.” All Matt wanted to do was have a nice, quiet breakfast with his mates. Unfortunately, he’d forgotten those mates came with their dodgy senses of humour.

“Guess there’s plenty of excitement in Invertary for you after all,” Josh said.

Matt glared at him as Mitch, Harry and Lake started to chuckle.

“Okay, Josh, spit it out, what are you getting at?” Matt sat back and folded his arms.

Josh grinned with glee. “Seems like your life has taken an unexpected turn. One you weren’t exactly keen on. What did you say again? Harry, help me out here.”

“I think his exact words were: ‘I’m not looking for a woman; I have enough trouble without one.’”

Mitch cleared his throat before he grinned. “Yeah, weren’t you the first to laugh when Lake got engaged to Kirsty?”

“That’s a good point.” Matt turned to Lake. “When are you getting married, anyway? Is it ever going to happen?”

“Don’t change the subject,” Josh said. “You can’t get away with this. You’re the one who told us we were nuts letting women walk all over us. You laughed at the L word. You mocked my wedding ceremonies.”

“To be fair,” Matt said. “You did have two.”

“Not the point.” Josh folded his arms over his
Breakfast Club
T-shirt. “The point is you’ve fallen and you’re in just as deep as the rest of us.”

“You’re desperate to sing na-na-na-na-na, like a little girl, aren’t you?” Matt said.

“What do you mean, rest of us?” Mitch said. “I haven’t succumbed to this mating frenzy you guys are in. I don’t plan to, either. There’s no way I’m giving up my single life. While you guys are here, cosying up to your one and only woman, I’ll be going out with a different one every night.” Mitch grinned widely. “Idiots.”

As one, the men laughed at Mitch.

“What?” he demanded. “What’s so funny? I’m not the one wrapped around somebody’s finger.”

Harry pointed at him. “You insist on jinxing yourself, man.” He shouted at Dougal, “Start a new board. Put Mitch’s name on it. I bet one hundred pounds he falls hard before the year is out.”

Dougal grinned as he turned the chalkboard over, wiping off the heading of Calamity Jena. “Any other takers?”

Mitch smirked as the bets were made. “You know what they say, a fool and his money are easily parted. Well, say goodbye to your money, suckers, because I’m too smart to tie myself to one woman.”

There was more laughter.

That was when the earth shook. A huge blast vibrated through Invertary. A minute later, it was followed by a much larger one.

“What the hell?” Matt was on his feet and running towards the door.

The men were close on his heels as they ran into the street. In the distance, on the edge of town by the hills and the old mine, was a massive plume of black smoke.

“Jena,” Matt said.

“Damn,” Josh said. “Has she blown something up?”

Matt snapped, “Everyone to their cars.” He looked at Dougal. “Call the doc. Get fire and medical out here too.”

“On it,” Dougal said as he bustled off.

The men ran to their cars.

“Take this.” Lake thrust an earpiece into Matt’s hand. “Stay connected. I’ve got my men coming in.”

The men kicked their cars into gear and headed towards the source of the explosions. Matt gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles were white. He prayed Jena was okay. She had to be okay. She had to.

Matt had dropped Jena off at her house early, telling her he had a breakfast meeting with the men. She’d grinned—gossip session, more like. She’d kissed him goodbye, leaving herself breathless and regretting his absence, then she’d hiked up her stereo volume and blasted Taylor Swift as she finished tiling the kitchen.

With Matt’s help, the room was coming together nicely. The walls were a lovely, soft eggshell blue, and the tiles were bright white with a navy accent. The counters had been ripped out and the floors sanded. All that was left in the room was an old white butler’s sink she’d salvaged and bleached, and her ancient fridge. Even her oven was in the dump as she waited for the new one Magenta was dropping off later in the week. Gordon had sourced a set of kitchen cupboards for her at cost price. They were cheaper than usual, as they were factory seconds. The small areas of damage on the white wooden doors were negligible, but it still brought the price way down. And the best part about the deal was her working the costs off in the shop. Gordon had also volunteered to show her how to install the units. Life was good.

She grinned around the room. Her kitchen was going to be gorgeous. Just like a real kitchen, in a real home. If she let herself, she could imagine a family here. Her family, maybe with tiny boys running around, all with Matt’s blue eyes and black hair. She shook her dream off as she concentrated on aligning the tiles. She worried her bottom lip, not wanting to make a mistake.

That was when the doorbell rang. With a grump about being interrupted, Jena went to answer it. She wiped her hands on her faded jeans and tugged at her vintage Backstreet Boys T-shirt. Her hair was in a messy knot on top of her head and her feet were bare. Whoever was at the door would have to take her as they found her.

Her smile disappeared as soon as the door swung open. Frank was smirking at her.

“Thought you’d get rid of me that easy?”

Jena jerked back as she tried to slam the door. Frank was too fast for her. He pushed the door back and grabbed her arm.

“You’re coming with me,” he spat at her. “You’re going to come back to Atlantic City and do as you’re told. Or you’ll regret it.”

“I already regret knowing you.”

He lifted her, holding her tight against his body as he marched towards his car. Jena struggled, clawing at Frank. Yelling for help. It was useless. He just propelled her towards his car.

She noticed two other cars beside his. The men leaning against them were hard, scarred and terrifying. Jena stiffened with fear, making Frank laugh.

“I picked up some friends of mine on the way through Glasgow. What you and that asshole cop keep forgetting is I got connections. You don’t mess with me and get away with it.” He wrapped his hands tight in Jena’s hair to stop her from struggling. “Boys, get it done.”

One of the men nodded. He leered at Jena as he pulled his car door open. “Do we get to play with her on the way back?”

“If you don’t do any damage. I need her in one piece to dance at the club.”

Jena felt her head spin with his words. Her breakfast fought to come up her throat.

“We can do that,” the guy said before he climbed into his car.

To her horror, he revved the engine and aimed for her house. The car crashed through the living room window, hitting the house at an angle so the passenger side took the brunt of the damage.

Jena screamed. Frank laughed. The maniac in the car climbed out and sauntered over as though he drove into houses every day of the week.

“See,” Frank said against her ear, “it’s like this. When we’re through, there’ll be nothing to keep you in Scotland. This piece of shit house is about to be demolished. You’ll have nothing left. No house. No money. Nothing. You’re out of options, Jena. Time to do as you’re told and work off the money you owe me.”

“No,” Jena wailed. Tears streamed down her face. Her house. The home she was making. The work she’d put in. “No!”

Frank laughed. “Two minutes enough, boys?”

“More than.”

Frank threw Jena into the back seat of his car. She scrambled to get out. He leaned in and smacked her across the face. “Kid locks. You ain’t going nowhere.”

Jena cradled her face as he climbed into the driver’s seat.

“Better buckle up, baby—this is gonna get real.” He backed down the road at full speed, making Jena scream. He screeched to a halt at the side of the road, coming alongside the other car. He nodded at the men. Someone held something up, gave her a sick smile and pressed a button.

And the whole world exploded.

“Hell yeah,” Frank shouted. “Shut up or I’ll smack you again.”

It took Jena a minute to notice she was screaming. She bit her lip and whimpered as she fought to keep silent. Tears streamed down her face as she looked at the site where her house used to stand. The car had been rigged. It had taken the house with it when it blew. There was nothing left except rubble and smouldering ashes.

The men were laughing when the second explosion rocked them. Frank’s car slid off the side of the road into the ditch. Jena screamed as she tumbled inside it. Her head struck something. Pain shot through her. She blinked hard to get her bearings. Frank was up on the road. He’d been thrown away from the car. The driver’s door was still open. Jena scrambled for it.

“What the hell was that?” someone shouted.

“I only rigged one explosion,” the other guy yelled.

Jena ran. Fast. Hard. Stones and sticks bit into the soles of her feet. She had to get away. She had to get help. Frank shouted. Jena cast a quick glance over her shoulder. He was chasing her, but she still had some distance on him. She ran across the field. She saw Abby standing on her front stoop. Abby shouted. Jena didn’t hear the words. Her lungs burst as she pushed herself to go faster. She could make it. She had to make it.

The earth trembled. It began to disappear under her feet. Jena screamed as she fell. The mine beneath her collapsed. Darkness overwhelmed her.

She was underground.

38

The desolation that confronted Matt almost brought him to his knees. The house was levelled. There was no sign of Jena.

“Keep it together,” Harry ordered him. As though Matt had any other choice.

“Over here,” Lake yelled. “Two guys. Both injured. One unconscious.”

Matt ran to where Lake was standing beside the road. A car had been thrown off the tarmac into the bushes. A guy lay out cold beside it, blood on his head. The other one was propped against a tree, cradling his arm. Matt recognised the type—Glasgow thugs.

Matt strode over to the one who was conscious. “Jena. The woman. Was she in the house?”

The thug ran his tongue over dirty lips. “Naw. She was in Frank’s car.”

Matt looked around. He didn’t see a car. “Where?”

“Up the road a wee bit.”

“Lake?”

“I’m on it.”

Matt took a step towards the guy. His body vibrated with barely contained rage. “Is she hurt? Did you hurt her?”

The hard Glaswegian thug licked his lips again nervously. “We didnea touch her.”

He was leaving something out. Deliberately. “Did Frank touch her?”

“Just a slap.”

The rage inside Matt turned cold. Frank Di Marco was a dead man.

“Matt.” Lake’s voice was eerily calm as it came through Matt’s earpiece. “Get over here. We have a problem.”

Matt felt fear battle anger. “If anything has happened to her…”

He watched the man pale before he turned and ran towards Lake. He barked an order over his shoulder at Jason, telling him to watch the men.

Lake was standing at the edge of what used to be a field. Now it was a series of ravines. The earth had collapsed into the old mine shafts. Matt could hardly process what he was seeing. Before the explosions there had been a grassy expanse between Jena’s and Abby’s houses. Now there was dust, rubble and holes in the earth. Beyond the field he could see Abby standing on the doorstep of her house, Katy in her arms. Matt pulled out his phone and dialled her number. He watched as she reached into her pocket and retrieved her phone.

“She was running over the field and just disappeared.” Abby’s voice shook.

Matt stilled. “Jena?”

“She fell into the mine.” It was a whisper.

Matt’s heart actually stopped as he stared at the mess in front of him. She was under this?

“Lake.” Matt looked at this friend. “Jena’s under here.”

Lake’s jaw clenched. “We need silence.” He pressed his ear and gave the order. Matt relayed the word to Abby. The whole area went deadly silent.