Page 855 of Coal Hearts

Me again. It’s Ily. I know you have no reason to believe me. Knowing you, you probably think it’s your brother trying to get you to come back. But it’s truly me. Want me to prove it? You said I was your wife the moment I agreed to be your girlfriend. I said I didn’t want a diamond ring. That a piece of string would do. If you come back with a piece of string and tie it on my finger right now, I’ll marry you. This very moment. Just...please come back.

The door to my bedroom opened.

Every droplet of fear from living on that terrible island exploded through me. A cold sweat misted my skin. My breath caught. My heart tore through my ribs.

A man appeared.

A man who padded toward my empty bed and—

“Ily?”

Bone-breaking relief swamped my terror. I puddled into the chair, pressing a hand to my heart and feeling utterly stupid.

You’re safe.

You’re fine.

It’s over.

“Over here,” I squeaked, wishing my voice was a little stronger.

Q headed toward me then sat heavily in the opposite chair. He eyed me in the dark, no doubt seeing the icy wash of fading fear. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but eventually, he leaned forward, jabbed his elbows into his knees, and rubbed his face with both hands.

My gaze shot to the open door.

I willed another Mercer to walk through.

I sighed and wrapped my arms around my legs, grateful for the long white nightgown the housekeeper had provided. “You didn’t find him?”

He groaned and dropped his hands.

Lines etched his eyes and bracketed his mouth. His suit was all rumpled. His nails black with dirt or...blood.

He caught me looking at his fingers and gave me a wry smile. “I’ve been cleaning up my brother’s mess. Turns out he’s getting rather good at extermination.”

“I see.” I dropped my gaze to the phone and message that said undelivered. “Is he...still alive?”

“As far as I know.” He reclined back with an exhale. “He’s been one step ahead of me the entire chase. The GPS hasn’t been that reliable and each time we arrived at an address, a corpse was waiting. By the sixth address, I’m guessing he either caught sight of us following him or he’s learned a thing or two because I found my phone waiting on the next trafficker’s doorstep.”

“Did he leave a note?”

“Nope.” He raked a hand through his short hair. “And he must have copied the list because he hasn’t stopped. I’ve tried pre-empting where he’ll go but haven’t had much luck. I came back to gather more men. I’ll triple the manpower and hopefully find him before he leaves England.”

“What if he already has?”

He gave me a sombre look but didn’t reply.

Hauling himself to his feet, he glanced at the phone in my hands. “Thanks for trying.” He pulled out an identical-looking phone and gave me a half smile. “But you can stop now. It’s back in my possession.”

Striding to the door, he paused and added, “Your parents want to leave tomorrow. I’ve arranged the plane to take you home at ten a.m. I believe your friend Rachel is meeting her uncle at Charles de Gaulle. She’s flying to Spain to have the baby there.”

I gripped the armrests. “I can’t leave. What if he comes back?”

“I’ll call you the minute he does.” Resting his hand on the doorknob, he studied me. “Also...if you’re struggling or can’t shake what happened, it’s natural. Don’t be afraid to see someone. You can even talk to my wife if you need to vent to someone who’s been there.” He smiled sadly. “She’s survived more than you know.”

Standing, I clasped my hands in front of myself. “Do you mind if I stayed? I don’t think I can leave without Henri.”

His nostrils flared. “I’m sorry, but no. You can’t stay here. You need to go home. Go back to your life. I’ll keep you informed. But for now...he’s gone, and you need to move on.”