Craving (13 page)

Dante had been right. The desolate nearby estate where he took me was a hell-hole of modern construction. I’d spent time in rough areas and even lived in a few, but this place made me feel intensely uncomfortable.

“There was a car crash on this corner.” He nodded toward the road. “I got the impression they weren’t just passing through. Can you do some digging?”

He relayed the basic facts he’d been given: her mother’s name, how long ago it happened, the child that had also died. “Okay,” I nodded. “I’ll start with the kid, find if his parents still live here.”

He ignored me. Standing next to me, he stared intently at the space in front of his bike.

I felt a shiver run down my spine.

“Yeah,” he murmured—but not to me. “Thanks, kid.” The hairs on the back of my neck prickled at his next words. “You sure? Here?”

I narrowed my eyes at him and folded my arms. “And you expect me to believe you’re talking to this dead kid right now? What happened to the séance routine?”

“Fuck you, Raphael.” He rolled his eyes and gave me the finger. “I see spirits, okay?”

I gave an exaggerated sigh. “Okay. So let’s say there
is
a ghost here and only
you
can communicate with it. What’s it telling you?”

He scowled at me and stared at his bike again. “Katie,” he murmured. “He calls her Katie, from number twenty-three. That’s where you start.”

6.4 Katherine

My father wore his smug expression. I shivered as I realized, finally, just how it must have been for my mum. Had she been caught out like this? I licked my lips and dug deep.

“If I go?” I left the question hanging in the air.

Father strolled back to the fireplace and picked up his glass of malt. “Thank you, Olga. You are excused.” She scurried away. I wondered if he’d similarly dispatch Marina.

He pinned me with another arctic stare. “If you go, you leave here with just the clothes on your back. No money, no phone, no car. You walk away as you arrived. With nothing.” I clenched my fists inside my pockets and willed my face to stay calm.

“Just like Mum.” I spat the words out.

One eyebrow arched, and he carried on as though I hadn’t spoken. “I should remind you that you’re not the only person relying on my patronage.”

We stared at each other across the library floor. I refused to show him how upset I was. Marina broke the deadlock.

“For God’s sake, Grayson. Aren’t you being harsh?”

“Harsh?” He laughed. “I’ve barely started. I will disown you, Katherine. You can never come back.” His eyes flicked over me, and I saw his lips tighten in distaste. “Even though your mother was a slut, I had high hopes for you.”

I froze. Up to that point, there’d been the slimmest chance I may have reconsidered. Thoughts fired through my brain like fireworks exploding into the black night sky.

Dante. Wrongly accused of theft and threatened by my father. My beautiful, kind mother. The choices she’d made. And why she made them.

A blast of adrenaline rampaged through my veins. I wrenched George’s engagement ring off my finger and stalking over to my father, dropped it into his malt.

“There’s your answer.”

6.5 Dante

Josh dug into a pocket and produced his keys. Leaning back against his car, he flashed me a cocky grin. “Well,” he drawled, “any other ghostly messages for me? Or are we finally going to sit down and talk about this?”

“Fuck,” I muttered, remembering my plans for the night. “I have to go, I’m late.”

“Oh, come on.” Josh was clearly not pleased. “We had a deal.”

I glanced at my watch. I was due to meet Nan half an hour ago—she would be pissed. “Yeah, man. We will, I promise.”

He stepped forward, right up into my face. “And why should I possibly believe you? You’ve run out on me twice so far.”

I frowned. While Josh ranted, I saw a flash of cream robes appear behind him. Simeon. He bowed to me and reached out to touch my Talisman.

“You’re not even fucking listening to me now!”

Josh snarled at the same time as Simeon spoke. “Let him take the Talisman. He will keep it safe.”

One man and one spirit. My eyes darted between them. One I hardly knew, and one I trusted.

My fingers slipped to my Talisman. Simeon nodded. Josh huffed and turned on his heel, completely oblivious of the spirit beside him. I closed my eyes and unfastened the bracelet—my wrist felt naked. I shivered as I closed my fingers around the leather.

I took a deep breath. Before I could change my mind, I grabbed his hand and stuffed my Talisman into his grip. “You look after this, okay? There’s your proof that we’ll talk.”

* * * *

Nan shared a Victorian, semi-detached house on the edge of Didsbury, one of the more affluent Manchester suburbs. To my relief, she didn’t seem angry at my lateness. I’d had enough emotion to deal with in the last few days, and I still felt numb from Kitten’s betrayal. My savage need to dig up all her secrets had abated, a little, but I had to stop thinking about her.

“Come in, Chuckles.” Nan ran a hand through my hair and pressed a kiss onto my cheek. “Your hair’s long these days, I could trim it for you.”

“Nah, but thanks anyway.”

Her arm snaked around my waist as I tried to move past her. She looked very enticing tonight. A denim mini skirt showcased her slim golden legs while her blouse was practically see-through. The white blonde pixie cut fell artfully around her face, enhancing her fragile bone structure. Nanette had always looked as though a strong gust of wind could blow her away. I found it amusing when people underestimated her strength. “So what’s the deal with you and Ash?”

“Don’t worry about Ash.” Her fingers tiptoed down my arm, whispering over the sleeve of my leather. “He’s off the scene now.” Pink lips curled in another cat-like smile and she kissed my chin. “There’s nothing to stop us from being together.” Her fingers reached my wrist and paused. “Where’s your Talisman, Chuckles?”

When did I tell her it was my Talisman?
Her scent, musky and exotic drew me in. “You never used to wear this perfume. It suits you.” She twined around me, flicking her studded tongue over my lower lip and then reaching up to whisper in my ear.

“The Talisman. Where is it?”

“I’ve left it in a safe place.” She held me tight only to pull away moments later, and I followed her into the kitchen. Maybe this would be the best way to forget about Kitten.

“Why don’t you go and have a shower? Bathroom is at the top of the stairs.” She gesticulated wildly with a long, gleaming knife. “Dinner will be in twenty minutes. The others will be here soon.”

* * * *

I stared at my reflection in the steamed up mirror as I prepared to scrape the fuzz from my face. Everything felt like so much effort. I’d found texts and voicemails from Kitten on my phone and deleted them all unread. I’d tried calling Ash, but his phone was switched off. Nan was to be the only one I could rely on.

No sooner had we eaten when a procession of guys drifted into the house, but despite my frequent poker games with Ash’s group, I didn’t recognize anyone. All tall and solidly built, mostly shaven heads and like me, plenty of metal and tats on display. These were my kind of peeps, and this was where I belonged. A million miles away from the universe Kitten inhabited. With luck I’d double my drug money tonight. Losing simply wasn’t an option.

We didn’t bother with names. Once we’d settled around the table, whisky and vodka ready for pouring and cash on display, it became serious as we got down to business. Nan acted as hostess, topping up glasses, fetching snacks and clearing away the debris. An hour later I’d pulled ahead—with one guy about to fall already. I rubbed my head with my fingertips. A buzzing headache had taken hold again with little shards of pain flying across my forehead. While the dealer shuffled and cut the cards, I sat back in my seat and closed my eyes for a second.
Crap—
that only made me feel nauseous. I shook my head to clear it and leaned back to the table, focusing on my cards. I’d ask Nan for a drink of water. In a minute.

6.6 Josh

A rattle of hail gunned against the windows, and I glanced up from my laptop. Suki slept on and I relaxed, after gazing at her for a moment then turning my attention back to the screen. She’d come back from the spa feeling fabulous, and after a light dinner she’d dozed off while I trawled through a series of search engines. The local newspapers were my first call, trying to find records of the car accident. That didn’t take long, and soon I had the details of the boy who’d died: Dwight Jason Stanley; aged eight; lived at fifteen Willow Avenue. Dante had been right.

Katherine and her mother were referenced only in passing, and not by name.
Strange
. I worked my way through the next couple of weeks’ news, searching for Antonia’s obituary. There was none. Finding a record of her death certificate also proved difficult, and I drew the conclusion that she must have been buried outside Manchester. Another possibility would be if she’d reverted to her maiden name, so I started searching for details of her marriage to Grayson Fitzwarren.

Once again, I felt bad about Dante. What was it about him? He managed to push my buttons every time we spoke. Today I’d been stressing about Suki and hadn’t been in the mood for his theatrics. He probably thought I was a complete arse.

I rubbed my eyes as I stared at the search engine. I’d missed something. I tried to follow my thought trail backward… something about the accident report…
Katie
. That was it—Dante had referred to her as Katie. I kicked off a series of searches looking for references to Katie Fitzwarren, Willow Avenue.

Nothing. I scowled as I stretched. Maybe Antonia called herself Toni instead? And finally, there she was—a blurry photograph of Toni
Warren
with her young daughter Katie. They’d done some fundraising for a local animal shelter, and the story had been captured in the news. I examined the picture. It was definitely Katherine. At the age of ten she’d been a slightly plump pre-teen, with a beaming smile as she handed over her hard earned cash.

A noise caught my attention. Suki, muttering under her breath as she tossed restlessly in bed. The searches could wait. I undressed rapidly and snuggled under the covers, spooning round her just as she woke up.

“Josh,” she murmured, her voice husky with sleep.

I buried my nose in her neck, inhaling deeply. Coconut and something citrus. “Mmm. You smell like a piña colada. Mind if I have a taste?” Enjoying her soft chuckle, I licked the tender flesh beneath her ear and tugged oh so gently on her earlobe. “I might have to try some more.” I rolled her to me and smiled down into her sleepy, brown eyes. She looked adorable, her hair mussed and eyes blinking. My chest warmed inside as she reached up to kiss me, my entire body lighting up at her touch. Falling in love with Suki was something I’d never expected, something I didn’t deserve. Having her love me back, was a gift beyond measure. I would do anything and everything in my power to make her happy and keep her safe. I adored the quiet moments like this, in the small hours between one day and the next. We might have been the only people awake in the entire world.

“Love me, Josh.”

I knelt above her, slid into her slick wetness, and captured her groan with my mouth. Setting an easy rhythm I rocked with her, tender and sweet. Together like this, I knew everything was good between us. The demands of our lives couldn’t reach us here. Suki’s moan vibrated through my chest. Her hands skimmed my back, the nails digging into my spine as she teetered on the edge. I felt her tighten around my cock, her fingers curl round my shoulder, and one hand drag through my hair.

“Josh,” she breathed, “oh God, don’t stop.”

I claimed her mouth, kissing her hard as I flexed my hips and drove deeper.

“Come on, baby, give it to me.”

A moment of clarity where I held my breath, time suspended for a fraction of a second. Suki shattered beneath me, her climax tearing through her and sweeping me along. I exploded into her, panting and utterly spent. My love. My soulmate.

We snuggled together, content to lie tangled, the odd kiss as we drifted into sleep. When she began to thrash in the bed I awoke instantly. Another nightmare.

“No,
no
!” she whimpered.

I kissed the back of her neck. “It’s okay, you’re okay, babe.”

“Josh?” The fear in her voice cut through me.

“I’m here. I love you, babe.”

She wriggled to switch on the bedside light, then turned to me and buried her face against my chest. I could feel her heart pounding. I held tight while I murmured little nothings. When her panicked breathing had subsided, I risked a question. “Do you want to talk about it?”