Knight-in-Arms - Ultimatum: (BWWM Interracial Paranormal Billionaire Shifter Romance Part Four [Final]) (2 page)

“Some girls are fearful or sceptical of the Order at first. We understand this; it is a vulnerable time for them. They just need a little encouragement. Perhaps from someone like you”.

“Me?”

And here was the kiss of Judas – seemingly benign but in reality, a hidden dagger. He wanted her to encourage these vulnerable girls to join the Order.  She wasn’t sure what would happen. Once in the Order, they could persuade the girls to give up their babies, or forcibly take the babies and kill the mothers, or experiment on the babies… Rochelle’s imagination ran wild with horrors.

“We have a girl – seventeen years old”, continued Tobias, “Her boyfriend… let’s just say he left her”.

Rochelle had the feeling the boyfriend had been killed. It gave her goose bumps to hear how casually he talked about it.

“She’s been on the run ever since and she’ll be due in a few months. If you bring her to us, we’ll save Xavier”.

She looked back at him, a feeling of foreboding creeping over her.

“What are you going to do to her?”

Tobias smiled.

“You’re a curious one” he said, “But you should know, Miss Phillips, that curiosity killed the cat”.

“I’m not a cat”.

“True” he remarked, “But I often find the principle still applies”.

Rochelle felt the sting of a threat in his words. Her deal was just to bring the girl. If she pried, untoward things would happen to her.

“So, Miss Phillips”, said Tobias, “Do we have a deal?”

Rochelle wanted more time to think, though it perhaps wouldn’t have done much good. Her thoughts were rotating on a never ending carousel. She didn’t want to give the Order the girl. But if she didn’t give the Order the girl, Xavier would die. The only way to save Xavier was to give the Order the girl. But she didn’t want to give the Order the girl. But if she didn’t give the Order the girl, Xavier would die. The only way…

“We have a deal”.

“Good” said Tobias.

He offered his hand. Rochelle shook it.

“A life for a life”.

*              *              *

Rochelle looked up at the house. It was narrow and terraced. Moss grew over the dark red bricks. There was an air of neglect about it.

Rochelle walked up to the stained, white door and reached for the doorbell. Did she really want to do this? Was she really able to do this?

What if she just walked away right now and pretended she'd never made a deal with Tobias Heath?

Xavier would die.

Yes, Xavier would die and it would be all her fault. But the girl - Maria Fawkes - might die too. And her baby.

One of them had to die; she couldn't stop that. But she could choose which one of them it was.

A lifetime of guilt or a lifetime without Xavier? Never seeing him laugh again. Never hearing him tell her he loved her. Never feeling the warmth of his embrace.

She pressed the doorbell.

A woman came to the door. She looked pale and worn out, as though worry and anxiety had bleached her features. Her ginger hair floated in thin, careless fluffy waves around her.

She looked to be in her forties.

"Hello" she said brusquely.

"Is Maria there?" Rochelle asked. Even though she'd rung the door bell, even though she was standing here to put a noose round a girl's neck, even though she was determined to do anything for Xavier, she was wavering.

The woman looked at her suspiciously, as though she were someone not to be trusted like a policewoman or a social worker.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“I-I’m a friend” said Rochelle.

A friend indeed. More like a wolf in sheep’s clothing…

“What’s your name?”

“Rochelle”.

The woman went to go and get Maria.

The girl came to the door. She was small with dark, wavy hair and green eyes.

“Why are you here?” she asked. They both knew she didn’t have a friend called Rochelle.

“I’ve come to help you” said Rochelle.

“Thanks, but I don’t need your help so…” she started closing the door.

“I know the father of your baby wasn’t human”.

Maria stopped.

“How did you know?” she asked, “Are you friends with Matt?”

She seemed to light up at the last question.

“I-I don’t know Matt but my boyfriend isn’t human either. I just wanted to talk to someone who knows what it’s like”.

Maria looked at her for a moment.

“Okay” she said.

She grabbed a set of keys lying in a bowl on the windowsill by the door.

“Claire, I’m going out!”

She stepped outside, closing the door behind her.

They sat together. In a quiet little café down the road.

“My landlady, Claire doesn’t know Matt isn’t human” said Maria, “I feel like I have to keep everything secret about what’s really going on. And I’m worried about whether the baby will have any of his traits.

“Matt never hurt me but when he turned, it was scary”, she said, “I remember the first time I saw him turn. He was walking me home after my friend’s party and some boys were about to mug us. I didn’t know whether to run from him or the muggers”.

“My boyfriend eats people”, said Rochelle, “The first time I saw him turn, he bit me. It can be a struggle but we work through it. He’s the most wonderful man I’ve ever known”.

It was nice talking like this, with someone who understood your situation, someone you could be honest with about the things that scared you or intrigued you about being in a relationship where your partner wasn’t human.

Guilt stabbed her heart.

“You know, I’ve really enjoyed this chat” said Maria as they made their way back along the road, “I’ve never spoken about this stuff with another person before”.

“Well, have you heard of the Order of Jessick?” asked Rochelle, the words seeming to catch n her throat, “They have a reach out programme for girls like us. They even have facilities for you to give birth. A normal hospital wouldn’t even have to find out about your baby being half human”.

Maria seemed interested. Rochelle hated herself.

*              *              *

Shawna was back from university. This meant so was Rochelle’s car. It was wonderful to have some freedom again – to be able to drop everything and go somewhere without having to schedule in bus and train departures and arrivals or taxis.

Rochelle lay in bed, thinking. It was 2.48 in the morning. Today was the day she’d hand Maria over to the Order of Jessick. She felt awful but she had to keep thinking of Xavier. If she did that, she’d be able to do anything.

Rochelle knocked on the door.

Maria opened it. She looked happy to see her. Rochelle’s heart was beating wildly as she took Maria to her car.

They drove to the Order’s headquarters. Maria listened to music and chatted enthusiastically. Rochelle tried to match her energy level but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was leading a lamb to the slaughterhouse.

“Maria?”

“Yes?”

The traffic lights flickered from amber to green.

“Whatever you do, don’t trust the Order”.

Rochelle turned left instead of going straight and turned left twice more to get her back on the road they had come. Maria clung to the door handle.

“What on earth, Rochelle!” she exclaimed.

Rochelle drove frantically, adrenaline fuelling her flight.

“Slow down!”

Rochelle looked down at her speed. She was doing over 40 in a 30mph zone. She slowed down to the correct speed.

“Sorry” she said.

“What’s this about not trusting the Order?” asked Maria.

Rochelle’s driving had finally slowed down to the point where she could think about something other than imminent death.

“The Order isn’t what it pretends to be”, said Rochelle, “My boyfriend is dying because of them”.

“What do you mean?”

Rochelle told her what happened in Italy.

Maria seemed shocked.

“They know about you, which means your life – and your baby’s life – could be in danger”.

They pulled onto Rochelle’s road.

“You need to lie low”, she said, “Stay at my house for now”.

Rochelle parked outside her house. She crossed her arms over the steering wheel and buried her face in her arms.

“Rochelle, are you okay?” asked Maria.

“No”, came Rochelle’s muffled reply, “I’m a horrible, horrible person”.

She sat up and looked at Maria.

“You know my boyfriend’s dying?”

“Yes”.

“Well the Order promised they would save him if I turned you over to them. But I can’t do it. I can’t be that person. I just can’t. I’m so sorry, Maria”.

Rochelle crumpled over the steering wheel once more and burst out crying. All the stress she’d been under with Xavier’s illness, the deceit and her intended betrayal of Maria… everything bubbled up to the surface and she couldn’t stop her tears.

She felt a comforting hand rubbing her back. She didn’t deserve Maria’s compassion.

“You know”, said Maria, “My mum always used to say that if we judged and convicted people on their thoughts, we’d all be in prison right now. You thought about turning me in but you didn’t do it so I don’t think you’re a horrible person”.

But Rochelle knew she was a horrible person. Not only that, she was also a coward. And Xavier would die for that.

*              *              *

“So that’s why Xavier’s dying”.

Sebastian looked back at her. His sense of humour was usually never far below the surface, but today, sitting in his study in his London residence, he was very grave as she told her story. Of course, she left out the details of how Xavier had got mixed up in the Order in the first place.

“I didn’t know who else to tell” she said.

Rochelle felt a little bit awkward. They weren’t exactly on heart-to-heart terms. She’d had to get his phone number from Xavier.

“Well, it was good of you to come to me” Sebastian said.

Rochelle would have left it at that and gone home but Sebastian seemed to have more he wanted to say. He hesitated a couple of times. Rochelle got the sense, even before he started that this was going to be an awkward conversation for him.

“I’m glad Xave has found someone like you” he said eventually, “He always had a hard time accepting his… nature. I know it sounds really mushy and he’ll probably hang, draw and quarter me for saying this, but these past few months, I’ve never seen him so happy and in love and I know you’re the reason behind it”.