‘Who is it?’ she asks.
Blake peers at it. ‘The French fuck.’
‘Don’t call him that,’ Daisy chastises. ‘What does he say?’
‘Petite Fleur. Joyeux anniversaire.Happy Birthday. My gift to you. And then there’s a link to the BBC news website.’
‘Can I see?’ she asks, sitting upright.
He hands her the phone and a second later, an English news report comes out over the speakers.
‘These were the scenes earlier today when authorities, acting on information received by the Metropolitan Police, gained entry into The Heath Clinic, a psychiatric facility in Warwickshire, and arrested Doctor Theodore Stoke as well as several members of staff on charges of Misconduct, Fraud, and Gross Negligence. Other arrests in connection with the facility and misuse of funds include a top Cabinet Minister and Lord Hillingsbury, whose family owned the lands surrounding the clinic as well as the house itself until recently.’
Daisy turns the phone, and we see footage of a man in a white coat being walked to waiting police cars with his hands cuffed behindhis back.
‘Things took a darker turn when, acting on the information received, police discovered human remains beneath bins beside the manor, which appear to have been there for at least a decade, preliminary findings revealed. A reporter, who was planning an exposé of the facility, disappeared some weeks ago. Her body was later found in the Thames. Met Police are treating the death as suspicious. The facility has been closed by the Quality Care Commission and Crown Prosecution Service, with patients being moved to other facilities in the county. More on this harrowing story as details become known.’
Daisy is silent, her mouth open as if she can’t believe that this is actually happening.
‘You did it,’ I say.
She gives me a look.
‘Sauvage and his contacts did it,’ she says. ‘Not me.’
‘No, Daisy,’ Mav says, taking her hand. ‘No one would have known that Natalie Mason’s death wasn’t suicide if you hadn’t asked Sauvage to look into her. The Heath would still be open for business if it wasn’t for you. You got that place closed down, just like you said you would, and it sounds like Stoke and the Blanks won't be the only ones who pay for what happened there.’
She smiles at me. ‘I guess I did,’ she says, and then she begins to laugh. ‘Stoke is in jail! I’ll bet Crewes and Sue are, too!’
She clambers off my lap and flops back on the bed, her glee filling the room.
‘Best birthday ever!’
For the rest of the morning and into the afternoon, Daisy is riding her high. We spend our time in the bunker, watching movies and being together, forgetting about the outside world.
When the evening arrives, we get ready for the reopening. The night’s theme is ‘Costume Party’. Mav, Blake, and I don our tailored suits, courtesy of Sauvage, and our matching domino masks.
Our girl is in a sable dress with her new jewelry on , her mask black like ours, but with feathers and black sequins all over it. When I see her all dressed up, it takes everything in me not to push her back into bed and not bother going to the party tonight at all.
But that’s not an option. The club is pretty much all we have left, and we need it to be a success. After Daisy finds her misplaced keycard in her coat pocket, the only way she can come and go from the bunker as she pleases, we leave the cellar and I make a mental note to put the damn thing on a lanyard for her so she doesn’t keep losing it.
Upstairs, the main floor of the club is a flurry of activity. There are black and red balloons everywhere, and Sandy is making sure the bar is fully stocked and ready. Dom is speaking to the security guys, and the DJ is testing out the equipment.
‘What do you think?’ I ask Daisy.
‘It looks great!’ she gushes. ‘Even better than before.’
I look around, my eyes taking in the scene. ‘It does, doesn’t it?’
‘Eat your heart out, stalker,’ Blake sneers from beside me.
Iwatch as Daisy twirls with Mav on the dance floor. He’s the logical choice out of the three of us to keep her safe when there’s so many people herebecause he’s almost a head taller than everyone else , and people naturally give him space, so Daisy isn’t crowded.
The reopening of Wrath is a huge success. There’s a line out the door and down the street. We’re almost sold out of Envy despite Sauvage sending half of what Daisy had stored in his safe in the hotel, and Sandy has had to restock the bar twice.
I check my watch. It’s just past midnight. I meander around the club, making sure the staff have everything they need, ignoring the girls who literally throw themselves at me. I decide to take a minute, going to the cellar door and slipping downstairs. Behind me, the door opens again, and Blake appears. He closes it behind him.
‘Everything okay?’
