A Ghost Story 25
There are days when every thought is insightful, every ambition achievable.
Days when everything is clear.
For Alicia Locke today was that day.
The heart specialist she had reluctantly consulted was sympathetic, but there was no expectation of recovery. Surgery was possible, but it treacherously offered hope of nothing more than a few months, while actually risking what life she had left on the operating table.
The inevitability of death focused her mind on the dilemma of the Locke inheritance. Robert was never going to shoulder those responsibilities. Like his grandfather before him, the family was second to his own personal needs and ambitions. It always would be. To him the family name opened the right doors, nothing more. The land was merely an asset that could be liquefied if necessary.
The very thought made her shudder.
There was, as far as she could see, only one answer.
His child Sophie would, of necessity, become her heir.
Of course the estate would continue be administered by Travers and Beck, they had been the family solicitors for years, she trusted them implicitly.
She would considerably enhance Robert's trust fund, that should satisfy him, but she would bequeath Locke House and its lands to her great-granddaughter. The mother could not refuse a dying woman's last request surely? Dr. Letty Warren appeared to be devoted to her child, as well as a committed professional, she would be a fool not to secure her daughter's future.
"Travers, I wish to make the changes to my will that we talked about. How long would that take?" Alicia spoke to her solicitor as she always did, clipped, direct.
A few minutes later she replaced the receiver and sighed. The team of lawyers and accountants would have the amendments to her will in place in a day. Now all she needed to do was to inform Robert and Letty Warren of the resolution to her dilemma. Neither would take it lightly, but she was not a woman who cared overmuch for the petty insecurities of others.
It would be done, and Travers would ensure that it could not be undone.
She picked up the receiver again.
"Robert, I would like you to bring Dr. Warren to dinner tonight. There is something you both need to hear."
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Letty was curled on her battered sofa. She had tried to read, watch TV, sleep, anything but talk to Adam. It had been three days since the memories of the attack and rape of Arlette had crashed through Letty's brain. The truth of the assault, of its brutality. The terror and disgust still left her nauseous, and even Adam's tender, but very male presence caused her discomfort. She couldn't look at him, froze if he touched her.
Her logically trained mind told her he hadn't known the plans of his trollish mentor. He hadn't given his gentle young wife for the beast to do as he pleased, but he had left her exposed, unprotected. A foolish boy who trusted where he should not, and Arlette paid the price.
Simple.
Letty shuddered at the thought of the spiteful fingers on her skin. But it was not her, it was Arlette who had endured, whose body had been bruised and torn, not her's. The Adam who guarded her now was not the easily manipulated, adolescent boy of then. But still she rejected him, blamed him. Unreasonable as it was, she couldn't help it.
And she missed Sophie.
She resented Sue's practical good sense. Letty wanted routine again, she wanted Adam to disappear, wanted the disturbing memories of that sad life to disappear with him. She needed the quiet organised existence of Sophie, work, and study.
Adam alternated between desolation and anger. He had no idea how to help her, he could not heal the wounds with soft words or kisses. Promises of love and protection brought him contemptuous looks and silence that speared his heart. But he knew well how old anger seethed deep.
The phone rang, Adam answered it automatically.
"She is…un-well, I'll tell her you called." He moved to cut the call short, but she snatched the receiver from him.
"Don't you dare!" She glared at him. "Hello?"
"Who's the Neanderthal?" Rob did not sound pleased.
"None of your business," she snapped. "What do you want Rob?"
"Grams wants to see us as soon as possible. She says it's important." He paused. "I don't like a guy being there, is that the soldier boy?"
The sneer in his voice was galling.
"But I thought the cottage was settled?" She ignored his question.
"It is. She's old Let, who knows what she's thinking? We just need to humour her. Ditch the corporal and I'll come and get you now."
She sighed. Part of her wanted to tell him Adam was a sergeant, another wanted to tell him to fuck off. "Give me half an hour." She hung up.
"You can't go anywhere, you are…"
"I'm what, incapable, stupid?" Anger was good, she felt the power of it rise in her, pushing the fears aside. "Rob is taking me to see his grandmother about the cottage." She was up and striding to the bathroom. He caught her arm to pull her back to him. Shrugging him off she hissed, "Don't touch me. I am not a child, not a possession. I'm a bloody doctor for Christ sake!" She slammed the bathroom door on him.
Adam wanted to smash something, break something.
Instead he clenched his fists and roared at God.
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The curious fascination these people had with machines baffled the Shade. He watched the sensual pleasure with which his future self stroked the smoothed, curved bodywork of the car.
His greed for new life ate at him. Soon that body would be his, he would touch and feel again. Would he gain his pleasures thus?
He believed not. Men ruled by their passions, their bellies, their cocks were his inferiors. The carnal pleasures as momentary diversions were agreeable, but as a goal? Had not his own life been marred by his imprudent hunger for the man he now sought to destroy?
Ah, but power, there was a true and delightful lover, the elegant beauty of the subtle manoeuvring, the ability to control the will and actions of others was like nectar, and was reward in itself.
Rob adjusted his position and stroked the steering wheel. He smiled like a child with a longed for toy. This car said it all, classic style combined with basic hard muscle. What more could a man want?
The Shade chuckled…You know so little, boy, so little.
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Anger and fear had Adam pacing the flat.
Letty sat on the edge of the bath, ready to meet Rob, but reluctant to actually leave.
Blusher lifted the pallor of her cheeks, a little kohl and mascara hid the rawness about her eyes, a coppery dab of colour at her lips and she could pass for…normal?
All she needed to do was smile and be pleasant to her new landlady. Smile and move on, forget the awfulness of Arlette's sadness.
But how could she forget with Adam there, how could she forget Adam?
Opening the door, he was waiting outside. He looked so different now from the dying soldier she first met in the Brain Trauma Unit. The clothes he wore fitted his stronger, toned body. Biceps curved beneath the fabric, his chest was wide, firm. She looked up, his beautiful eyes were red rimmed and shadowed from lack of sleep. Her throat contracted as he looked down, away from her.
He knew what she was going to say.
"I'll get Rob to drop me at my parent's house, I'll collect Sophie." Her belly dipped and clenched. "I think you should go…"
"No." Just one word, an unequivocal, 'No'.
She hadn't considered he'd refuse.
"I failed you before but no more." Straightening his shoulders, he raised his head high, spoke clear and strong, "Your trust was lost to me, I must regain it. I will protect you, not leave your side…" He paused and looked up, resigned, "…till I am no longer needed."
"Adam, you have to go. I can't do this magical mystery thing anymore, I want my life back."
"I will take you to see this woman, to…"
"Listen to me. I said…"
But he was beyond care now. Big hands held her shoulders firmly. "You are the reason for my life, you brought me here. The love we have will hold true this time, I will not surrender it to panic." His voice was a gravelled anger.
"It's not that simple. It's too much, just too much."
"'Tis not a thing of philosophy, not a mathematical puzzle, it is love!" His desperate sarcasm stung her. His grip tightened. "Tell me you do not love me?" The demand was lanced deep with pain.
"I…I don't…" but she could not say it. The memory of suffering and death, the dreaded foulness that caused it, she knew it all.
But knew too that she loved him, whoever he was, Adam Bourne or…
He tugged her protectively into his arms, held her there. "Would you have me beg?" His words were softly said.
Letty sighed, here was where she wanted to be, held and beloved. Just to love him without reservation, without doubt or blame, only to love, simply love.
The boy she had married bullied and bossed her at first, argued, told her she was a silly girl. Threw tantrums when she was right, crowed when she was wrong.
But there were moments when he would touch her hand, smile his foolish boy smile. And in their bed at night gradually he took pleasure in her delight. They learned together about their bodies. In the quiet aftermath of love, he spoke of his hopes that his sister, given into a marriage to a much older man, had found as such peace and promise as he.
The boy he was, the man he had become, she loved.
Reaching up she stroked his cheek. "Never…"
Then he was kissing her mouth, her eyelids. Soft, sweet grazes, coaxing reminders of his body's need.
She relaxed into him. She had thought never to want any man's touch again, but the acknowledgement of Arlette's life had closed the circle. Brought her to him once more.
Softly she bit at his jaw, ran her tongue over the stubble there, and felt the tremor of a quiet laugh.
"Oh, my sweet little brown bird…"
Their mouths met.
The urgent harshness of the security buzzer forced them apart.
Rob's voice came over the speaker. "Let, you ready?"
Breathless, a momentary confusion held them, then Letty pressed the answer button. "I'll be down in a moment." She rested her forehead at Adam's chest. "I have to go."
"I will take you." Proudly he grinned and stroked her hair. "I have mastered the driving of a car!"
But she smiled and shook her head. "Stay here, I won't be too long."
"Then I will come with you, stay near." Before she could do anything he had her car keys in his hand and was opening the door. "Now let me meet this foolish youth."
Relief couldn't truly explain the feeling that flooded her. Nothing was different, the foul troll still lurked somewhere, waiting cause more pain, but somehow she felt…better.
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As they stepped out of the main doors, she saw Rob lounging back against his sleek sports car. He glanced up, saw her and smiled. He saw Adam and, with the quirk of an eyebrow, the smile became a sneer.
"Looking good, babe, looking good." Rob's eyes flicked to Adam. "This must be your soldier…"
Adam bristled, but Letty was having none of it.
"This is Adam Bourne. Adam, this is Rob Locke."
The two men regarded each other stonily. Rob's practised good humour failed him. The other man was taller, broader. He looked like he could handle himself.
Just as Rob evaluated his rival, Adam swung Letty into his arms and was kissing her ruthlessly.
Letty pulled away. He was marking his territory and she didn't like it and hissed, "Enough, let me go."
"For now." Adam murmured.
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"Your driving hasn't changed, still too fast." Letty shifted uncomfortably in the bucket seat. She checked the mirror, Adam was a couple of cars behind them.
"This is a high performance machine. She needs to have her way with the road now and again." He accelerated to make his point.
"You are such a pratt." Not for the first time did she wonder what she had ever seen in him.
Has he a big cock?
"What?" Cold fear gripped her heart. They were not alone. "Rob, please slow down, these lanes are too narrow." She knew the poisonous fiend wanted them dead. But Rob was oblivious, the smug smile gone, the arrogant assurance changed to…
"See, the boy just wants to go faster, isn't that charming. Like a child on a swing," the Shade crudely mimicked a piping voice. "Faster, higher!"
Letty felt sick, but still choked out, "Rob, please…"
"Can't babe, can't…"
Suddenly Letty jerked forward, the seat belt snapped hard against her shoulder and belly, head jolting back, her neck cracking sickeningly, multicoloured lights burst in pin points behind her eyes. Blood flooded her mouth…then blackness.