Scorched Heart (The Firebrand Series Book 4) Helen Harper (short books to read txt) 📖

‘His name is Frederick Parris, a nasty piece of work. He’s been in and out of prison since he was a teenager. He’s currently serving a life sentence for a double murder.’

‘Has Parris given any reason why he attacked Samuel Beswick?’

‘He said, and I quote, “the cockroach was looking at me funny”.’

I clenched my teeth. ‘What previous contact was there between Beswick and Parris?’

I could almost hear his shrug. ‘Nothing on record. The guards tell me that Beswick usually avoided the likes of Parris.’

‘So what you’re saying is that Frederick Parris approached him? Not the other way around?’

‘It looks that way. But, as you know, Samuel Beswick is in prison for violent crimes of his own. I’m told that it was your parents’ murders that brought him here in the first place. He may well have provoked Parris.’

A strangled sound emerged involuntarily from my throat. Jenkins was obviously trying to underplay the attack on Beswick and imply that he’d had it coming to him, never mind that such a thing should never have happened in the first place. Archibald Jenkins had a PR role to play and he didn’t want me to cause problems.

I hesitated, considering the best way to proceed. ‘I should inform you,’ I said eventually, ‘that I’m pursuing a line of investigation that seems to exonerate Samuel Beswick from the murder of my parents. It’s looking increasingly likely that he’s an innocent man who should never have been jailed.’

A beat passed. ‘Goodness. That’s … uh … are you sure?’ Jenkins stammered.

‘Pretty much. I expect that it won’t be long before the miscarriage of justice against Mr Beswick is revealed to the world. It will be unfortunate if he doesn’t recover from this attack before then. You know what the tabloid press are like.’ I counted to five in my head, giving the assistant governor time to absorb the impact of my words. ‘I don’t suppose it would be possible to obtain a video of the attack? I assume it was caught on camera.’

‘We don’t usually…’ Jenkins sighed. ‘Very well.’

‘And all other information you have about Parris,’ I said briskly. ‘Visitors, phone calls, letters. Other interactions he’s had that you know of. That sort of thing.’

‘We can probably manage that,’ he said reluctantly.

I smiled grimly. It was the least he could do. ‘Excellent. I’ll expect to receive the records by email within the hour.’ I hung up. It wasn’t much of a win but it would do for now. Poor Samuel Beswick. Those were three words I’d never imagined thinking a week ago.

‘I’m so sorry,’ Lukas repeated.

‘Yeah.’ I glanced at him, feeling nauseous. ‘Me too.’

We headed back to the Bird and Bush. I splashed cold water on my face as the morning’s revelations spun round and round my mind. Lukas climbed onto the bed and I glanced at him while I patted my skin dry. His eyes were closed and he still had an unhealthy pallor. I shouldn’t ask the question, but I knew I’d have to.

‘I can feel you staring at me, D’Artagnan,’ Lukas said. ‘Why don’t you say what’s on your mind?’

‘You look really ill.’

‘That’s not what you were thinking. Spit it out.’

I shifted my weight from foot to foot.

Lukas opened one eye and looked at me. ‘You think I had something to do with what happened to Beswick.’ It wasn’t a question.

I could feel my cheeks reddening. I glanced down at my shoes and back up at him. ‘Did you? You have access to the prison, you’ve already proved that. You were too busy to answer my calls yesterday. You showed up here earlier than expected. You have the means to get to someone inside and,’ I swallowed, thinking about the expression on his face when he’d gazed up at the high walls of HMP Galloway, ‘a motive,’ I finished in a whisper.

Something indecipherable flashed in his eyes. ‘You’re right,’ he agreed.

The tightness in my chest grew.

‘I do have the means. And, yes, I probably do have the motive, too.’ His mouth flattened. ‘Don’t you get it yet, Emma? You’re mine now. Your burdens are mine. Your pain is mine.’

I remained very still. ‘I don’t belong to you, Lukas. I’m my own person. I’m not yours. I’m not a thing.’

He didn’t remove his eyes from mine. ‘You know what I meant when I said that. The words are crude but the sentiment is true.’ He touched a hand to the centre of his broad chest. ‘You’re in here. You’re a part of me, just as I hope I’m a part of you. I don’t travel to the English countryside for anyone, you know.’

He drew in a ragged breath. ‘It’s early days in our relationship, and we’re still finding our way around each other, but you know this feels right. I can see it in your eyes when you look at me. You feel what I feel.’ His voice deepened to a growl. ‘I know you don’t trust me yet, and I can understand why. Life hasn’t always dealt you the easiest of hands. However, I might be a vampire but I’m not a villain.’

‘I don’t think that you’re a—’ I protested.

Lukas held up his hands. ‘It’s okay, Emma. I get it. I don’t like it but I get it. And I admit that if I’d thought for one moment that ending Samuel Beswick is what you truly wanted then yes, I probably would have done it. I could have arranged it in a heartbeat. But if I had done it, he wouldn’t be in a hospital bed. He’d be in a coffin.’

I dug my fingernails into the palms of my hand.

‘I also know you, Emma,’ Lukas continued. ‘You’re in the police. It’s hardly a secret that you believe in the human legal system. If I did anything that caused harm to Samuel Beswick, you’d never speak to me again.’ He managed a smile. ‘And I couldn’t have that.’

He reached for my hand. ‘Sooner or later, you’ll