 
### Invisible

Book One

Of

The Alpha Company Women Series

By

Beth Abbott

Copyright 2016 Beth Abbott

Published by Beth Abbott at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Notes

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favourite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

## Dedication

To my wonderful husband, for putting up with me this last year when these books have become my obsession.

To my three boys; words can't express how proud we are of you.

And to my BFF; you are the blonde to my brunette and the Ying to my Yang. You may be as mad as a box of frogs, but you'll always be my kind of crazy!

I love you all to bits.

And to the men and women of the armed forces of the UK, US and all our coalition allies, past and present, and to all those struggling to bring peace to an insane world, I send my heartfelt thanks to you and your families, for the sacrifices you make so that the rest of us can sleep peacefully.

May your God bless you and keep you safe.

## The Alpha Company Women Series

(Series 1)

Invisible

Anonymous

Concealed

Healing

Living

Impossible

The Stalwart Security Series

(Series 2)

Relentless

Shattered

Retribution

Deceived

Allegiance

Breathless

## Table of Contents

Invisible

Dedication

List of Titles

Chapter 1 Ellen

Chapter 2 Ellen

Chapter 3 Luke

Chapter 4 Ellen

Chapter 5 Ellen

Chapter 6 Luke

Chapter 7 Ellen

Chapter 8 Luke

Chapter 9 Luke

Chapter 10 Luke

Chapter 11 Ellen

Chapter 12 Ellen

Chapter 13 Ellen

Chapter 14 Ellen

Chapter 15 Luke

Chapter 16 Luke

Chapter 17 Ellen

Chapter 18 Luke

Chapter 19 Luke

Chapter 20 Ellen

Chapter 21 Ellen

Chapter 22 Ellen

Chapter 23 Luke

Chapter 24 Ellen

Chapter 25 Ellen

Chapter 26 Luke

Chapter 27 Ellen

Chapter 28 Luke

Chapter 29 Ellen

Chapter 30 Luke

Chapter 31 Ellen

Chapter 32 Ellen

Chapter 33 Luke

Chapter 34 Georgie

Chapter 35 Ellen

Chapter 36 Ellen

Chapter 37 Luke

Chapter 38 Ellen

Chapter 39 Luke

Chapter 40 Ellen

Chapter 41 Ellen

Chapter 42 Ellen

Chapter 43 Luke

Chapter 44 Luke

Chapter 45 Luke

Chapter 46 Luke

Chapter 47 Luke

Chapter 48 JT

Chapter 49 Luke

Chapter 50 Ellen

Chapter 51 Luke

Chapter 52 Ellen

Chapter 53 Ellen

Chapter 54 Ellen

Chapter 55 Epilogue – Three weeks later

Anonymous: Chapter 1 Danny

A message from the author

About the Author

Interview with the Author

## Chapter 1 - Ellen

Ellen had once heard someone asked which superpower they would pick, if they were allowed to choose just one.

Personally, she thought, she would have chosen to be able to fly.

No more public transport. No more airline baggage restrictions. Heaven!

They chose Invisibility.

How dumb could you be? Assholes!

Invisibility wasn't a superpower!

It was a finely-honed skill. And she should know. She was an expert at it!

People always made the mistake of assuming that to be invisible, it had to appear like nobody was there.

Ok, she would concede that as a concept, that was perfectly reasonable. However, as everybody knows, it's not actually achievable. At least, not for normal, sane people, who don't believe in Wizards, Fairy dust and unicorns.

However, invisibility as a state of mind, could be achieved quite easily.

Ok, she knew that most people would still be sceptical here.

But there was a great deal of truth in the expression 'hiding in plain sight'.

Now that was a far more accurate description of what true invisibility was all about.

It was about making yourself so abstract, so devoid of all remarkable features, that you simply melted into the background.

That was what she did.

She was Invisible...

For the last 3 years 5 months and 4 days, she'd done everything in her power not to be seen.

Her clothes, her hair, even the expression she wore on her face. They all helped her blend in with the wallpaper.

If people knew she was trying to stay invisible, there would undoubtedly be the usual questions. Why would anyone want to stay invisible? How do you stay invisible?

Well, Ok, the 'why' she found that difficult to even think about, let alone speak of, as it just added to her loneliness and sense of isolation.

But, the 'how'? Well, that was something she'd mastered.

Take her hair, for example. It was a non-descript mud colour – straight out of a bottle.

It had used to be a gorgeous honey blonde, with natural golden highlights, that shone bright in the sunshine. But as blondes aren't invisible, it had had to go.

So, her hair was a now a boring crappy brown colour – all thanks to a well-known hair product.

Although, what baffled Ellen, was why anyone would buy this colour hair dye out of choice. Because honestly? It looked nothing like the picture of the glamorous woman on the box!

'Warm Hazelnut' it was called. Yeah, right! Still, she didn't suppose anyone would buy it, if they gave it a more accurate description and called it 'Shit Brown'!

In fairness, though, that might also have had something to do with the fact that she hadn't used conditioner in, well, 3 years, 5 months, and 4 days!

Then, of course, there were her eyes.

They were actually a bright cornflower blue, and were probably her best feature. Well, people used to say they were. Which was why she now wore brown coloured contact lenses, and heavy framed glasses, any time she left the sanctuary of her flat. The glass was plain, but nobody would know that.

Her thick golden lashes were permanently coated in cheap mascara to hide the colour, which was a bitch, because it irritated the shit out of her eyes.

Fortunately, her eyebrows were already a shade darker than her normal blonde hair, and with the frame of the glasses, they were hardly visible anyway.

Then there was her face.

Well, she used to be pretty...

Ok. So, Ellen wasn't stupid.

In her younger days, she used to get more than her fair share of attention from guys, and more than a few nasty comments or looks from girls. But it had been so long since she'd bothered to look at her face properly in a mirror, that she could have sprouted hairs on her chin, and she still wouldn't have noticed.

There was no point. As long as there was no dirt on her face, she simply put her lenses in, put mascara on, and that was it. No need to look any further.

She supposed her face may have changed a bit over the years. After all, she was twenty-eight now, and she'd only been twenty-four the last time she paid any attention to herself. But she really didn't care enough to look.

Last but not least was her body.

Well, she was 5ft 6", so not short, but not tall enough to stand out too much.

She was still quite slim, which actually pissed her off, as it attracted unwanted attention, especially since she had a pretty decent sized chest.

But when she'd tried to put on weight when she first ran away, all she'd achieved was to increase her bra size, so Ellen had given that up as a bad idea, and settled on wearing the ugliest, most boring clothes she could find.

So, jogging bottoms and dark hoodies were now her 'go to' outfit.

She had to wear something a bit tidier for her job waitressing, but black trousers and a white blouse were hardly remarkable, and her boss, Gianni, let her wear a black cardigan over the blouse, as he was sweet enough to believe her when she moaned about being cold all the time. The cardigan was what helped her maintain the drab, boring image she chose to portray.

At first, she'd thought Gianni, or 'G' as he was known, was going to complain about it, because after all, the restaurant was his business, and he wanted his wait staff to look nice and presentable.

But when the protest never came, she suspected that he allowed her to get away with it because she always smelled so nice.

Ellen couldn't help how she looked, as it was vital that she blended in with the wallpaper, but she'd be damned if she didn't still take her hygiene seriously! She may not use the expensive shampoos and body washes that she'd used to, but she made sure she used the nicest smelling soaps and shampoos she could afford, because it also helped make up for the lack of expensive perfume she'd been used to wearing.

And G, God bless him, well, he was a man after all.

Ok, he was at least forty-five, a good fifty pounds into the 'obese' column of your average weight chart, and had a wife who basically carried his balls around in her fake Prada handbag!

But even he couldn't help but sniff her, every time she walked past.

Yeah, he actually sniffed her!

Ellen used to think it was weird, but not so much anymore. She just took it for what it was... male appreciation! And it had been so long since she'd had any appreciation at all, she gratefully accepted whatever she could get.

Besides, G was so not trying to hit on her. Fran would castrate him for even thinking about it! No, G was one of the good guys.

He adored his wife and mum, and treated every other woman with respect.

Ellen might work for him, but to G and Fran, she was family, and G was like an overprotective big brother.

Well, all except for the sniffing!

Ellen smiled to herself, picturing his pudgy face.

He was such a sweetheart, and without him and Fran, she didn't even know if she'd be alive now.

G thought that Ellen had been running from an abusive partner when they met her. Bless him, she thought it played to the Italian family man in him, that he thought he was protecting her. It was so sweet.

Not that she'd given him that much information when she'd started working for him.

Ellen hadn't been in town more than a few hours when she'd seen the sign in the chip shop window, and she'd applied for the job on the spot.

When G had asked what she was doing in town, she had blurted out that she was 'just getting away from stuff" and he had happily filled in the gaps. He hadn't asked any more questions, and had even said he would pay her cash in hand for a while to keep her going.

That was fine by Ellen.

Now she rarely needed to go outside in the day, and the money she earned, along with the tips they shared out, helped her to afford her small flat, quite close to the restaurant.

Ellen knew G would prefer her to be on the books, as he was basically an honest guy. He'd even hinted that he would pay her more if she was. But that would involve National Insurance numbers, tax records and bank accounts, which would require her to provide identification. That couldn't happen, so he kept paying her in cash.

Ellen was one of the senior staff now, as many of the girls were university students, and they tended to only last a year before moving on. Her wages had gone up a bit since she started, but still, that wasn't what was really important to her. She had more than enough money with her tips to cover her rent and bills, plus enough to make some small cosmetic improvements to make the flat homely, so she was more than happy with her lot.

Besides, she mused, she had what mattered most to her.

Invisibility!

Ellen checked her watch and found that she'd spent so long day-dreaming, she was going to have to run to work if she was going to get there on time. She'd promised she'd be there to accept a delivery, as G was taking Fran into Birmingham to do some Christmas shopping.

"Shit! Fuck! Bollocks!"

She giggled as she swore under her breath.

Wouldn't G and Fran be shocked if they heard her swearing.

Apparently invisible people needed to mind their language!

## Chapter 2 - Ellen

"God, it's bloody freezing out there!" Suzy hissed as she rushed in through the back door. "I swear, the milk in my boobs is frozen solid."

"Oh, God, Suzy, that's just gross!" Ellen couldn't help but laugh at her friend and co-worker.

The guys in the kitchen were groaning and making gagging noises like they were trying not to be sick.

"What?" Suzy laughed, grabbing her currently very large breasts. "You guys try carrying around a couple of liquid filled bowling balls, and then see how much you like sub-zero temperatures! I'm gonna have to defrost them before I feed Charlie tonight!"

Ellen rolled her eyes at Suzy, laughing at the way the guys blushed and skittered away to the other side of the kitchen. Suzy seriously had no filter on her mouth. If it went through her mind, you just knew it was gonna come out of those cherry red lips.

Ellen had absolutely no idea why they were friends.

While she tried to avoid smiling any time when they were 'front of house', smiling not helping with the whole 'invisible' thing she was working on, out back where Suzy was at her outrageous best, Ellen found she couldn't help herself.

When she'd arrived in town, her mission had been simply to survive. To stay invisible, to blend in, and to make no attachments. She had succeeded for about six months, until this tiny blonde bombshell was hired at the restaurant where she worked.

Suzy had come in for the interview, a university student, looking for part time work to supplement her grants.

Within half an hour she'd left, not only with the job, but also with G agreeing for her to work exactly the hours and days she wanted, even though they weren't anywhere close to what he was looking to fill!

But that was Suzy. She steamed in, bowled you over and was out the door, before you even realised that she'd been in, turned you over and wrung you out. But she always, but always, left you with a grin on your face, and thankful for her visit.

And almost three years later, Ellen was grateful to her for so many reasons.

Firstly, Suzy was so popular with the customers and so bubbly, that they all focused on her and barely noticed Ellen. That was good. Really good!

Secondly, the tips, which were shared equally among all the staff, were always better when Suzy was working. Never a bad thing!

And to top it off, Suzy's beautiful son Charlie was the only male Ellen had allowed to touch her since she'd become invisible.

He was just over six months old, and on the odd night when their shifts didn't match, Ellen would babysit for Suzy to give her mum the night off. When she held Charlie, or rocked him to sleep, she felt calm and peaceful. It was such a contrast to the way she normally lived, that it was wonderful.

Suzy was married to Matt, a gorgeous hunk of a man, who Ellen had met on a handful of occasions. He was in the army, according to Suzy, and was stationed overseas for long stretches, so Suzy relied on her mum an awful lot. Charlie had been a bit of a surprise, and the reason for a somewhat rushed wedding, but as they'd already gotten engaged, it had just been a question of bringing the date forward.

Babysitting for Charlie was Ellen's very small way of thanking Suzy, for being the friend she never wanted, but was so thankful to have.

Suzy knew a little bit of Ellen's story, well, the few parts it was safe for her to know, and did everything she could to watch out for her. They were a good team.

Charlie, the little cherub, looked to have inherited Suzy's colouring and smile, but his stubborn chin and love of attention seemed to be all Matt. The guy was a force of nature. Loud, large, and full of laughter, Matt was drool-worthy, but Ellen reckoned it was the absolute devotion and adoration he showed his wife, that had women sighing over him. He'd been known to get home from his overseas trips, burst into the restaurant and demand loudly 'Where's my woman?'!

The first time he'd done it, Ellen was serving a customer some soup, and the poor man nearly had it dumped in his lap! Her heart had very nearly stopped beating.

But hearing Suzy's squeal, and watching her run across the room into her husband's arms, had everyone 'oohing' and 'aahing', and even Fran had tears in her eyes, knowing Suzy hadn't seen her man for more than three months.

Now Ellen loved being there when he did it, as it gave her hope that maybe that sort of love could be for her one day, too.

Ellen didn't feel a sexual attraction towards Matt, and certainly didn't want him for herself. She just liked the idea of a Matt out there somewhere for her.

But what the hell point was there in that sort of thinking? It wasn't going to happen. She couldn't let it.

Invisible!

Right!

Ellen felt the tears build up behind her eyes, and forced them away. It was no good crying over what you couldn't change. She hadn't allowed herself to cry in, well, 3 years, 5 months, and 4 days. There was no point.

"Hey Ell? Where do you want me tonight?" Suzy yelled from the staff room as she yanked the big fleece she was wearing over her head.

"Can you cover the engagement party upstairs with the twins?" Ellen called back. "The function room is all set up, but there's a big group, so we'll have to get the bar upstairs opened. One of the twins will have to cover the bar as well."

"Yeah, no problem." Suzy yelled, pulling her boots off and slipping her flats on. "But you'd better put Mark on the bar if G wants the till to balance. Chris can't add up past ten unless he's wearing flip-flops."

"Screw you! I heard that!" Chris shouted from the linen closet at the back of the laundry.

"You were meant to, big boy!" Suzy's laughter had them all smiling.

Chris and Mark were nineteen-year-old twins, who were in their second year at university. Smart as hell, they were both headed for big things, but it was a well-known fact that Chris, currently studying politics and current affairs, was awful with numbers. Add a pretty girl or two into the mix, and his head (the big one) would definitely not be on what was going into the till.

Mark was a completely different kettle of fish. He was completely focused at whatever he did, had mad IT skills, and had made it clear that he had no time for girls. He had his life mapped out, and this was a stepping stone. He was going to be the next Steve Jobs!

Ellen had a soft spot for both, but she could relate to Mark better. Keeping your head down was what she did well, and although their reasons were different, she felt a connection to him.

Still, they were just boys. Almost a decade younger, they were like her kid brothers, and that was fine with Ellen. She wasn't looking to attract men into her world. It just wasn't safe.

As they all got to work, it wasn't long before the doors got unlocked, and soon there was a steady flow of customers making their way through the doors. The engagement party upstairs was in full swing, and downstairs Ellen was being kept busy with a few large family groups, as well as the usual complement of couples, out on a romantic date.

They tried to keep the two groups apart as the families were generally noisier. A wicker screen and some cleverly placed plants kept one group of tables fairly private, and they'd had quite a few proposals go down over the years.

Being the romantic that he was, G always gave a bottle of champagne to the newly engaged couples, so they could celebrate properly. Ok, so it wasn't Dom Perignon, but it was a sweet gesture anyway.

It was about nine-thirty and the night was actually going quite quickly, when the door opened and a man-mountain of a guy came in, wearing a big overcoat to keep out the cold.

G welcomed him, and took his coat, guiding him over to a quiet corner table.

Ignoring the seat that G offered, the guy moved to take a seat with his back to the wall, and lowered his big frame into the chair. Being a welcoming host as always, G smiled, ignoring the snub, and offered him a menu.

Watching the interaction from the back, Ellen saw them exchange a few words, before G walked away, leaving the man looking over his choices.

"Wow! Intense!" G whispered as he came up to her. "Can you see to him?" He nodded his head toward the corner.

"What's the deal?" She looked over to the giant.

"No clue, but he doesn't speak, he growls!" G muttered. "I think he's going for the dark and dangerous vibe."

"Ok, I've got it." Ellen nodded, inwardly groaning.

Just as the night was going so well!

Picking up her pen, she glanced across at the new-comer. He was big all right, and kind of rough looking. He could be military, she thought, although his dark hair wasn't regulation by any means. It fell just below the collar of his button down black shirt, but was still pretty tidy, as though it had once been a short cut that was only just growing out.

Checking other diners as she passed, and making small talk with a few of the regulars, Ellen made her way slowly towards his table. As soon as she saw him look up from the menu and glance around for service, she took the last few steps to his table.

"Good evening, sir. Are you ready to order?" She offered a twitch of her lips in place of a genuine smile. Ellen didn't make eye contact – she never did with strangers. She just waited for him to speak.

And waited, and waited...

Eventually, the silence was too much, and she glanced up at him.

He was staring straight at her, and she got the feeling he had been deliberately waiting for her to look up.

As she did, her breathing stopped.

For seconds, she was absolutely transfixed.

His left eye was what caught her attention. It was split down the middle, half blue and half black. It was quite stunning!

But what was more shocking, was the fact that whilst she didn't know this man from Adam, she'd seen this exact same eye before!

And when she had last seen the man it belonged to, he was staring straight at her.

And he was dead!

3 years, 5 months, and 4 days ago!

##  Chapter 3 - Luke

Luke almost smirked. She'd seen his eye, and almost stepped back.

God, how many times had he had this reaction, from women and men alike?

But he was too tired to react or even care, and he sure as hell didn't want to get into it with anyone tonight. He'd been travelling for too long and was utterly exhausted, so the last thing on his mind was conversation.

Huh, he almost grunted aloud. He was never one to welcome conversation at the best of times, but even more so today. He was here for a reason, wild goose chase as it might be.

He was here to find someone, and he didn't have much time.

"Soup, steak, well done, and a beer." He clipped out, bringing the waitress out of her trance.

"Sorry?" She mumbled, obviously still distracted by his eye.

He frowned, his brows pulling together.

"Soup, a well-done steak and a beer." He drawled slowly, as though he was talking to a half-wit.

"Oh!" The waitress jumped back, startled, as if only just realising she had been staring like an idiot.

"Of course." She started scribbling frantically. "Would you like a sauce for your steak? We have...."

"Plain, no sauce. No salad. Just chips" He interrupted rudely, barking the instruction at her.

He watched as her eyebrows raised slightly. She didn't appear cowed by his bossy manner, which in itself was unusual, but he could tell that she obviously considered him rude.

"Certainly, Sir." She said, taking the menu, and backing away.

He watched as she headed back towards the kitchen.

He was a pig, a bully, some may say, barking at a poor waitress like that, but he was tired and frustrated. This was just another restaurant in another town, and he'd been doing this for far too long.

Searching.

He sat back and poured himself a glass of water from the jug on the table.

He'd been back to this area quite a few times in the last few years.

Every time he'd been on leave from the army, and in the years since, he'd taken the time to come up here and search, but so far with no success.

Looking for a woman. Hah, that was a joke!

And what was his search based on? An intercepted telephone call, and a grainy picture from a CCTV camera in a London bus depot, taken almost three and a half years ago.

Easy, right?

That would be a 'Hell No!' If it was easy, he wouldn't have wasted all this time doing it.

3 years, 5 months, and 2 days to be precise.

Luke had been in Afghanistan, half way through his fourth tour, when the call had come through.

Luke closed his eyes, the taste of vomit rising unmistakably in his mouth. He remembered everything like it was yesterday.

Dragged from his bed after only an hour of sleep, he'd gone along to the tent where all the communications equipment was housed.

His Captain was sitting at the head of the table where he usually sat, but the rest of the room was almost empty. A few men in uniform sat at the opposite end of the room, their ever-present headsets firmly attached to their ears, but apart from the occasional mumbling into a mouthpiece, the tent was as quiet as Luke had ever known it. Unnaturally quiet.

"Luke?" The Captain waved him over. He'd known Jon Thornton for ten years, served with him for most of that time, except for the odd occasions when one of them had been seconded out for other missions. 'Captain Sensible' was his name amongst the men that served under him, a sign of respect for the level-headed way he dealt with everything, even under extreme duress.

Rank aside, the man was one of his closest friends.

"S'up Cap?" Luke grinned. "Missed my ass so much you just had to drag it out of bed? Hell, I was only gone for three days!"

Yeah, three long, dry, dusty as shit days. in the mountains of hell!

He held his arms out.... "Well, pucker up then..."

The lack of come-back was the first indication that something was wrong. He and JT gave each other shit. That was just what they did, at least when there were no subordinates around.

JT wiped a hand across his face, his eyes shut tight.

Luke waited. This was bad. Really fucked-up bad!

"What the fuck man? Are the team still out there?" Luke was trying to figure out what could have put that pained look on his friend's face. Had something gone down with his team?

They'd been split into two groups, and what with more and more IED's taking out the coalition convoys, anything could have happened....

"Nah, man. The team's good. Got back just after you bunked down." JT sighed.

"Then spit it the fuck out, man!" Luke hadn't stopped worrying. "You look like someone just ran over your dog."

The silence stretched out for a few more seconds, with Luke dreading what might come out of JT's mouth. Was it his mum? He'd spoken to her last week, and she'd been a bit under the weather, but he hadn't detected anything serious in her complaint. It was just the flu, wasn't it?

It felt like minutes had passed, before JT suddenly pulled in a breath and faced him.

"I just had a call from London. The police, in London, to be exact." JT paused, as if not sure how to carry on.

"Luke, it's your brother."

Luke blew out a breath.

"Casey? What the hell has he got himself into now?" Luke groaned.

Casey was Luke's twin brother, his other, more adventurous, half, and until nine months ago, he'd been his brother in arms as well.

Casey had been hit by shrapnel when a car had exploded during a routine patrol, and he'd suffered damage to one eye.

Unable to consider a desk job, he'd agreed to a medical discharge when it became clear that his eyesight was so badly damaged in his 'normal' eye, that he'd be ineffective on the front line.

He'd gotten himself a security job in London last time Luke had spoken to him, rehearsing for when they all got out and set up their own business. At least that was the plan!

So, who the hell knew what Casey could have been caught doing?

He'd teased him last time they'd spoken, that 'doing recon' was just another way of saying you were being a peeping Tom.

Shit! Had Casey been arrested for looking in some poor woman's window? Luke almost smirked at the idea.

"Luke, he's dead." JT said quietly, looking Luke straight in the eye. "I'm so sorry."

Luke wanted to laugh. He wanted to punch his friend in the face for pissing about. But the look on JT's face told him that he wasn't joking.

Luke felt the bile rise into his mouth at the same time his bones disappeared from his legs. Shit, he was going to faint. Or vomit. Or both! It was like a race to see which happened first.

What the fuck?

His mind was a mass of white-noise, like the hiss of a TV channel with no signal. If JT was talking to him, he didn't know it, couldn't hear it above the racket going on in his head.

NO, NO, NO! This couldn't be happening. Casey was his brother, his best friend, his mirror image. He was too God-damned mean to die for Christ's sake! There had to be a mistake. Had to! FUUCCKKK!

"Luke! Man, it's me!" JT said, his mouth close to Luke's ear, his hand firmly gripping Luke's bicep. "Come back to me, soldier!"

Luke jerked upright. He hadn't even realised that his body had started to collapse in on itself.

"How?" He managed to whisper. "How did it happen?"

"There's no easy way to tell you this." JT grasped his upper arm tighter, as if preparing to have to hold him back.

"He was murdered."

The vomiting won!

## Chapter 4 - Ellen

As she carried the steaming hot soup to the table she watched her customer very closely.

He was definitely military, she thought, given the way he'd barked those orders at her.

But something was strange about him.

She'd taken the beer to him first, along with the soup spoon and steak knife, ready for his starter and main course. He'd barely even breathed, let alone acknowledged her. He seemed to be in a trance, yet as she'd watched him from her spot at the server's station, she'd seen his face take on a look of anguish, almost as if someone was causing him physical pain as she looked on.

By the time she was ready to take his first course over, he'd seemed to have settled a bit, but she'd watched him take a paper out of his pocket and unfold it, and he was studying it intently now.

As she got closer, she could see he was looking at a road map. It looked like a street map of the town and surrounding area.

That was odd in itself, she thought, as most people used the map app on their phones these days, but as she got closer, she could see writing and notations all over the map, and it was well creased, like it had been refolded a hundred times.

"Sir?" She said quietly as she reached the table.

As he glanced up at her again, the look on his face was questioning, as if he couldn't figure out why she might be interrupting him.

"Could you move your map, please, so I can put the soup down?"

She wasn't sure if he'd comply or shout at her at first, but as if a switch was clicked, he suddenly came back to life, and gathered the map up, folding it carefully and laying it to one side.

"Yeah, sure. Sorry!" He mumbled, looking a little embarrassed.

"No problem." Ellen said quietly. "There's more bread in the basket, and if you'd like anything else, I'll be around, so just ask. Ok?"

He looked up at her again, as she readied to turn away, and she could have sworn he was going to ask her something, but then he shook his head.

"I'm good." He said, turning his attention to his food.

Ellen walked away slowly, more than a little confused. Ok, so this man was odd!

One minute he was barking at her, making him seem like a big, bad bully. Then he'd looked so hurt that she'd almost wanted to hug him. And now he'd turned into Bashful!

Jeez, the guy had actually blushed!

But, good God, he was sex on legs!

There was no mistaking the impressive number of bulging muscles, just about contained under his shirt, or his trousers for that matter!

She certainly hadn't come across too many men built like that in her life!

Admittedly, Ellen had zero experience with men, either in this life or the previous one, but even she could see that this guy was HOT!

He'd probably had more women than she'd had cooked breakfasts. Hell, he could probably take two at a time, and keep both of them happy!

Ellen blushed at the direction her thoughts were taking.

Men like that weren't now, nor would they ever be, in the picture for her, so why she was thinking about this particular guy like that was a mystery.

Since he'd walked in to the restaurant not twenty minutes ago, her mind had wandered to all sorts of places it never went. What was with that?

And what about his eye?

She thought back to the other man she'd seen with an eye like that.

That was a memory she preferred to repress because it frightened her. Because it led to where she was today.

Invisible!

She hadn't known him, had never seen him before that night.

Her father had gone to his employer's house to pick up some papers, and had taken her with him as they were supposed to be going to dinner to celebrate Ellen getting her Masters' degree.

Dad was so proud of her, and as there was just the two of them, they'd gone out intending to eat at their favourite restaurant, as they'd done for every milestone they reached. Her eighteenth birthday, his fiftieth, her twenty-first and even her graduation, were all celebrated, just the two of them, at Frazelli's. It was the restaurant he'd taken her mother to so he could propose to her, so it was special to them for so many reasons.

Neither of her parents had had any extended family, so when her grandparents had died, it had been just the three of them. Her mother's cancer when Ellen was just eight, had left it as a twosome, and Ellen and her dad had clung to each other for support ever since.

Her father had been in finance, and had made a very good living, so she'd gone to an elite girl's school until she was eighteen, and then on to Oxford, just as her father had done before her.

Rather than ride on his coat tails, so to speak, she had chosen to drop the hyphen from her name, and instead of enrolling as Emma Thomas-Lansing, she'd gone through university as plain Emma Thomas.

Ellen was his pride and joy, and she'd never thought their closeness strange. Dad was her best friend, and she'd never imagined meeting a man who would live up to him.

Even when their finances took a hit when the markets crashed, he'd never shown any sign of panic.

He'd simply explained that it wasn't the time to be in business alone, closed the firm, paid off his Secretary, Margaret, and taken a job with one of the thousands of millionaires that now called London home.

They'd downsized their home, which had upset Ellen a little bit, but dad had said it was time for a fresh start for them both, and the house they'd moved into was very nice and modern, in a good area, so she didn't complain. She'd been in her second year at Oxford then, so it seemed churlish to moan about it when she wasn't even living at home for most of the year.

So, when her dad said that he'd needed to go to his boss's house that night, she hadn't blinked an eye. After all, she didn't really know whether this was a regular occurrence or not, as she was hardly ever around.

When he'd let himself in, she hadn't questioned him.

"He's away this weekend." Dad had explained, smiling at her.

He'd left her downstairs, while he'd gone in search of whatever it was he was supposed to pick up.

Ellen had wandered into what seemed to be a sitting room, when she heard the front door opening.

"Shit!" She muttered to herself. She should have stayed in the hallway, then it wouldn't have looked like she was snooping.

She heard footsteps as several people passed the sitting room door, but thankfully, nobody entered. They seemed to be heading straight towards the kitchen, so Ellen hovered, just out of sight.

She wondered whether her father knew they had come in, but presumably he'd heard them as well, as she heard his footsteps coming down the stairs.

She waited for him to come to her, but just as his shadow appeared at the sitting room door, she heard one of the men call out to him.

"Well, if it isn't the laundry man!" She heard the gruff voice call out.

"Cleaned up the boss man's money for 'im, 'ave yer?"

Ellen puzzled at what that implied.

She heard her father chuckle, but it didn't sound like his normal laugh. It sounded strangled.

She watched his hand snake around the doorframe, as he reached for the light switch and clicked it off, leaving her in almost darkness.

"Something like that." Her father replied, moving away from her. "I was just collecting a few papers ready for the morning meeting. So, what are you guys doing here?"

Her father sounded nervous, and so unlike himself.

"Well, see it's like this...Old Georgie isn't a particularly trusting sort of bloke. And he got wind that someone was tipping off the law, about some of his, shall we say, 'extra-curricular activities'."

The man paused, for obvious effect.

"You wouldn't know anything about that would you Davey boy, huh?"

Ellen's heart stopped beating in her chest. Oh, my God! Georgie was obviously the man her father worked for, and he was involved in something illegal!

And they suspected her father of going to the police? Shit, this was bad!

She took a step toward the door, not sure whether she should go out there or not. Maybe seeing her would cause the men to back off? Hell, it was more likely it would end up with them both getting killed!

Oh God! She didn't know what to do!

She was still standing there deliberating when a hand suddenly snaked around her waist from behind, and another covered her mouth, preventing her from so much as squeaking.

"Be silent, and don't try to move!" A man's voice whispered urgently into her ear. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Oh God! Wasn't that the sort of thing someone would say to calm you down, just before they slit your throat?

Ellen didn't know which would be worse... struggling and getting killed, or being passive and getting killed. Still, as each alternative in her mind ended with her dead, it seemed a pretty moot point.

"I have to help your father, so you need to hide out of sight while I go out there." The man whispered. "Can you do that for me?"

Good! He was going to help dad. That was good.

Ellen nodded her head to let the man know she was on board with the plan.

His hand loosened, and she felt the cool air hit her back as he moved away.

"Who are you?" She whispered, turning to look at the man in the dim light from the doorway.

"I'm one of the good guys." He smirked.

"What, like you're undercover or something?" She whispered, still confused.

"Yeah, something like that." He squeezed her arm, and she supposed he was trying to comfort her. "Now go and hide until I tell you to come out."

Ellen couldn't see his face, couldn't read his expression, but she had no choice but to believe what he was saying.

She nodded again, and scurried behind the big sofa. From her position, she could see the living room door reflected in the glass of the patio doors, but anyone coming in would be unlikely to spot her.

She watched his silhouette disappear through the door, and could hear the raised voices from the kitchen. They were arguing about something.

Then she heard the unmistakable sound of gunshots. Oh God! Someone was firing a gun, maybe two people, and neither of them would be her father, as he'd never have dreamed of carrying a weapon!

She cowered in her hiding place, frozen stiff and unable to move. She wanted to go and check on her father, but fear had left her paralyzed to the spot.

"Hide until I tell you to come out." The man had told her. She had to wait until the undercover cop, or whatever he was, came for her.

Oh, God, what if he was dead too?

The door opened suddenly, and she heard a man stumble into the room. Just as her saviour came into view, she heard another sound from over by the door.

"You fucker!" She heard the second man roar, as she watched him in the reflection, charging through the door.

He flipped the light switch as he came, bright light flooding the room and almost blinding Ellen for a second.

More gunshots rang out and she watched her saviour fall to the floor in front of her. Just before he landed, his body twisted, and she saw him raise a gun and fire. But she heard two gunshots, milliseconds apart, and just as she recoiled from the sound, she heard the soft 'huff' come from her saviour, just as his body fell back and hit the carpet right in front of her.

His head was turned toward her and she could hear his rough breathing as he stared straight at her. Further away she registered the noise of a second body hitting the ground, but her eyes never left the man.

He was young. Well, older than her, but no more than late twenties. Handsome, she supposed, in a rugged sort of way.

But it was his eyes that shocked her speechless. The left one was blue, but the right eye was dual coloured. Half was the same blue, but it was split down the middle, and the other half was black. It was the strangest thing she'd ever seen.

She wanted to remark on it, but then the reality hit her. She was cowering behind a sofa, in the sitting room of a criminal, while this poor man who'd tried to protect her, lay gasping for breath, and her father was goodness knows where, maybe alive, maybe not.

Oh God! Her stomach rolled.

The house was silent, but she didn't know who else was there, and she was too frightened to move. She looked at the still form of the man in front of her.

"What can I do?" She whispered to him, desperate for someone to tell her what to do next.

He smiled at her, or at least that was what she thought he was doing, but as his lips moved, she saw the blood seep from between them, and with one last sigh, he fell quiet.

She'd clasped her hand over her mouth, desperate not to cry out loud and attract attention to herself.

Ellen sat quietly and watched as the light seemed to drain from those fascinating eyes, and coldness spread through her body as she realised that the man staring at her so intently was actually dead. A quiet sob left her mouth.

After only a minute or two more, she managed to make herself move, her worry for her father dragging her back from the depths of despair.

She ran out into the hallway, stepping over the bodies in the sitting room. She was heading for the kitchen when she heard another noise.

"Emma?"

"Oh God!" She gasped, as she recognised her father's voice.

"Dad?" she called out, following the direction from where she'd heard the voice.

"Baby?" She heard him rasp again.

As she rounded into the kitchen, she found the prone form of her father, blood seeping from his stomach and shoulder. Two other bodies lay further into the kitchen, neither of them moving, blood everywhere.

"Oh God, dad! What can I do? You're bleeding everywhere." Tears were streaming down her face as she fell to the floor next to her father.

"Police, baby. You have to call the police, and an ambulance." He grimaced. "Don't use your phone. Use the house phone but wipe it clean of prints afterwards."

She nodded. She knew what he was trying to say.

"Then you need to get out before they get here. Run!" He winced again as he grasped her hand tightly. "You can't go home! They'll go there looking for you. In the boot of my car there's a bag with some money, and a phone. Take it and get far away from here. Nobody can ever know you were here."

Ellen, shook her head. "No, I'm not leaving you!" She cried.

"You have to go, sweetheart. You won't be safe here." Her father sounded choked up. "It's the only way to protect you. When it's safe, I'll get in touch with you by calling that mobile. There are so many people caught up in this it could take a while, but you have to stay safe, you hear me? Only turn it on between midnight and one am on the first of each month, until I get hold of you. Ok?"

His voice was filled with so much urgency that Ellen didn't consider arguing.

"That other man?" She asked, still trying to put the pieces of the jigsaw together. "The one who was helping you? Who was he?"

"Casey? He's a good guy." Her father coughed and winced, and as he looked up at her again, she saw the understanding come into his eyes. She'd said 'was'. Who 'was' he, not who 'is' he.

"He's dead?" He murmured, but it was more of a statement than a question. "Casey was undercover, working with the police. He'd been working with the team for about four months, trying to get inside George's crew. I'd just managed to get him in."

Her father draped his hand over his eyes, as if trying to shut out the truth. "Oh God, it's my fault he's dead!"

"No, dad, no!" Ellen wrapped her arm around him, trying to comfort him as best she could.

It took no more than a minute before he shrugged her off.

"Police, Ellen. Call them now! And then you get out of here!"

She nodded, using the tea-towel to pick up the phone on the wall in the kitchen, alerting the police that she'd heard gunshots and there could be multiple casualties, before placing the handset on the counter.

"I love you dad." She smiled weakly at the man who had raised her.

"Love you so much, sweetheart! I'm so sorry for everything!" He smiled thinly. "Now grab my car keys and go!"

This time Ellen didn't hesitate.

By the time she'd retrieved the bag from the car and started to make her way down the road, she could hear police sirens in the distance. She was almost running, and she kept up a quick pace right up until the moment police cars and ambulances turned into the road she was walking down, at which point she slowed to a stop. She turned and watched them pass, as any curious bystander might, and when they were out of sight, she turned and ran, trying to put as much distance between her and the house as she could.

She had no idea where to go or what she could do, but she knew one thing for sure.... life would never be the same again.

That was the night Emma Thomas-Lansing died, and Ellen Thomas was born!

## Chapter 5 - Ellen

"Are you Ok, honey?" Ellen jumped as Fran's hand rubbed her upper arm. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

Ellen shook herself mentally, and straightened up, looking at Fran over her shoulder.

"I'm fine thanks." She smiled. "I was just lost in thought for a minute." She sincerely hoped that Fran wouldn't be offering a penny for them!

"Well, Mr Tall, Dark and Moody wants another beer, and I just cleared his soup dish, so if you could sort out his drink and his main course, maybe he'd stop scowling at everyone." Fran muttered, casting a quick glance over toward the back corner.

"Tall, Dark and Moody?" Ellen chuckled. "Yeah, that just about sums him up."

She moved towards the bar where Gary was already pouring a pint of bitter. He nodded towards the corner.

"Seems like you've got another charmer there." He grinned. "You do seem to get them."

"Yeah, tell me about it." Ellen scowled back at him. "Wanna trade places?" She asked, hopefully.

"Not for all the tea in China!" Gary glanced over. "The size of that asshole, if he didn't like his dinner, he'd probably beat the crap out of me, and then step me into the dirt as he left the building, Arnie-style!"

Ellen winced at the thought, but silently agreed with Gary's assessment. The guy looked big enough and nasty enough to take on anyone, and she doubted he would need much provocation to do so.

"Hmmph! Wish me luck!" Ellen picked up the beer and walked swiftly up to the table.

"Here's your beer, Sir. I'll just go and fetch your main course."

Without waiting for a response, she hurried to the kitchen, returning a minute later with his steak and chips.

"Here you go." She placed the plate in front of him, with a half-smile. Just as she turned to go, she felt his fingers surround her wrist.

"Wait." He growled.

She waited for him to make some complaint about the food.

"Do you know where Hanson Road is?" He asked, completely wrong-footing her.

Did she? Well of course she did. She'd lived there when she first arrived in town.

"Well, yes." She stammered. "I do know, but it's not actually there anymore."

He looked confused, not surprisingly.

"It used to face the river, down by the old bridge?" She explained, not sure if he'd know what she was talking about.

His blank face, told her he had no clue.

"Hanson Road was at the bottom of the hill, right next to the river, up until about three years ago. Just a small row of cottages, maybe seven or eight of them?" Ellen squinted, trying to remember exactly how many there had been. "Anyway, when we had all the flooding that winter, the bridge was partly washed away, and the land that the houses sat on was severely undercut, leaving them unstable and uninhabitable. When they repaired the bridge, it was decided that the houses weren't able to be rescued, so they bulldozed the remains. What's left is a kiddies' playground now."

He seemed to think about that for a few minutes.

"What happened to the people who lived there?" He asked, looking up at her.

"They all moved out, I guess." Ellen knew exactly what had happened to each of the residents, but she wasn't going to tell him that. He'd want to know how she knew so much.

It wasn't a big town, but even so, if she admitted to knowing where all of the residents of one small road had moved to, she might as well admit that she had lived there herself, and that was the last thing she was going to do.

No. Mr Tall, Dark and Moody could go and find that information out from someone else.

As she turned away, she heard a commotion at the stairs, and turned to see the engagement party had broken up, and the guests were starting to make their way out. She was swamped with finding hats and coats and retrieving lost gloves and the odd scarf.

Before she knew it, another hour had passed, and she hadn't given another thought to her grumpy customer.

As she looked towards his table, she saw that it was deserted, and all of the evidence of his meal had been cleared away.

"He left about ten minutes ago." Fran said from behind her. "Thank goodness!"

Ellen turned and smirked at her boss. "Oh?"

"Yeah." Fran grinned at her. "Would you believe it, the snarky sod asked me if I knew of any other restaurants in town where they sold 'good food'. Emphasis on the 'good!' I was tempted to tell him he could sod off to McDonalds next time!"

"You didn't though, did you?" Ellen gasped.

"Nah, I told him that he'd already been to the best restaurant in town, so anywhere else I recommended would only be a let-down to him." Fran guffawed.

"No!" She gawked at Fran, giggling. "What did he say to that?"

"Nothing." She smirked. "He just stood there opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish, until a huge chuckle burst out, and he grinned at me like an idiot. He just said 'Fair enough', put on his coat and left."

"Wow! Well I guess you really told him." Ellen laughed.

"I guess I did!" Fran laughed as well. "And you know the best bit? He gave me a fifty quid note, for a twenty-five-quid meal, and told me to keep the change. So, that's a nice chunk of money into the tip jar for you all tonight."

To say Ellen was gobsmacked was the understatement of the year! A good tip here was a fiver, maybe a tenner from one of their better off patrons. Twenty-five pounds was very unusual, and not at all unwelcome.

"I hope you told him to come back anytime." She grinned.

"Sure did." Fran grinned. "And you can serve him when he comes back." She waved at Ellen over her shoulder as she headed into the kitchen.

"Jeez, you're so kind." Ellen mumbled, as she walked out to clear the last of the tables. "Not!"

Although, when she thought about it, now she knew what a good tipper he was, maybe she'd make more of an effort to be friendly to Mr Tall, Dark and Moody next time!

## Chapter 6 - Luke

Luke woke the next morning with the hang-over from hell. After three pints of beer at the restaurant, and the frustrating news that the road he had been looking for didn't even exist anymore, he'd hit the mini bar in his hotel room.

Not one of his best ideas.

"Fuck my life!" He groaned as he rolled off the bed, barely getting his feet underneath him before he hit the floor.

A couple of aspirin, a half an hour and several cups of coffee later, and he'd started to resemble a human being.

A buzzing noise coming from his trousers, hanging over the back of the chair, alerted him to a call coming in. As he grabbed the trousers, the phone fell from the pocket, and he scrambled to pick it up before the caller rang off, the ringtone already telling him it was his former commander and now business partner on the other end.

"Yo, JT! Gimme some good news, man!" He growled, by way of a greeting.

"Well, good fucking morning to you too!" JT sounded way too chipper for this time of morning!

"No shit, man!" Luke growled out. "Tell me you've got something for me. I'm dying here!"

"Ok, Ok! Jeez, give a guy a break." JT chuckled. "Ok, so I've been talking to our guy at the Met again."

"Do I even want to know how we have a contact in the Metropolitan Police?" Luke interrupted.

JT stopped, surprised at Luke's interruption. "Oh, well, I guess technically he's Danny and Matt's guy really, seeing as he was in their regiment. But since we've done some 'liaising' with them over the last few months, they've agreed to share information with us about George Drayton, at least, when it's to their benefit to do so."

Even after eighteen months as business partners, having all got out of the military roughly around the same time, Luke was still amazed at what resources JT and Danny brought to the table. JT had mad IT skills that probably would have gotten him arrested many times, had he not been using them on behalf of a grateful nation. Danny's contacts in and out of the military amounted to the best 'little black book' Luke had ever seen. There was nothing they couldn't acquire once Danny set his mind to it.

Alpha Company Security and Technology Services Ltd was now a well-resourced company, and one that was already gaining a solid reputation in the industry.

Matt was still enlisted, but on the homeward trail, and would be free and clear in just a few weeks, ready to join the team. Luke couldn't wait.

"I'll bet they're gonna share." Luke snorted. "I can see how our helping them nail George's ass would qualify us for a mutually beneficial "understanding"."

"Fuck, yeah!" JT laughed. "Anyway, as I was saying before some rude asshole interrupted me...'Our guy' says, that with the case against Georgie Drayton going to court next month, they're stepping up the search for the money man, David Lansing. They're desperate for him to testify as he knows where all the money came from, and where it went."

Yeah, they weren't the only ones who wanted David Lansing. Georgie's men had been looking for him for as long as Luke had. Since the day the man had slipped out of the hospital where he was recovering from gunshot wounds.

As JT had said, Lansing had enough intel on Georgie and his crew to put the guy and most of his men away for life. Not only that, he was there the night Casey was murdered, so if he had nothing to do with the shooting, as Luke believed, then David Lansing was a witness to Casey's murder.

Luke desperately needed to know what his brother had been doing in that house, and why he had died.

The police had refused to acknowledge that Casey could have been anything other than one of Georgie's thugs. Even though there was some evidence to suggest that Casey had died in an exchange of fire with Lomax, one of Georgie's known 'Enforcers', the police had refused to accept that he could have been an outsider, believing him to have been part of the crew. Their theory was that he died in some internal bullshit that had gone down, some kind of territorial in-fighting that had gotten out of hand. It was all fucking bullshit!

"And?" Ok, so Luke wasn't willing to wait for the long version.

"Jesus! What died and crawled up your ass?" JT laughed. "Ok, Ok! Here's the abridged version. Our friend at the Met told me that they're closing in on Thomas, but they always seem to turn up a day late and a dollar short. But, and here's where I AM the fucking man, I finally tracked down Lansing's secretary. She'd been living in Portugal for a few years, but recently came back when her husband died. Anyway, I put on my uniform, and went and had a little chat with her. I made out I was some long-lost nephew, son of the brother who tragically died twenty years ago, yada, yada, yada. Had her eating out of my hand in no time."

"And....?" Luke's patience was just about at zero by now.

"And she remembered some summers when he'd taken his kid to the beach. They regularly stayed at a cottage, somewhere in West Wales. She couldn't give me an exact address, but I've narrowed it down to a very small area, and should be able to pin him down soon, even if I have to head down there myself to have a scout about."

Luke let out a sigh. This was really good news. They'd been trying to track down the elusive money man for so long, and this was a definite breakthrough.

"Did she say anything about the daughter?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, she confirmed that he'd gotten in touch to say the daughter had died. He told her not to come back for the funeral though, as it was just going to be a small family gathering." JT confirmed.

This was the second time Luke had heard this story, and yet when they'd tried to check it out, they hadn't come up with any official record of her death. Luke wasn't buying it.

Emma Lansing was out there somewhere. Luke just knew it.

He just had to find her before Georgie did.

"I'm still not buying the daughter being dead." Luke said, shaking his head for emphasis, even though nobody was in the room with him. "Somehow, the day Casey died, her old man managed to get in touch with her and got her out of town. He must have been aware of the dangers and made provision for her somewhere."

"I agree, but where?" JT asked, for probably the hundredth time in the last three years. "We know she didn't have a valid passport when she left, as her expired one was found at the house. His bank account hasn't been touched in that time, nor has her savings account. So, if she's still in the country, she has to be living under an assumed name, or else living off money that was set aside. She sure as shit hasn't left any sort of electronic trail in her own name."

"I'm still trying to track down the occupants of Hanson Road." Luke confirmed.

Hanson Road was where the last person to place a call to David Lansing's phone had been, at the time that the call was made. Subsequently, that same phone had only popped up maybe half a dozen times in the last three years, always within a ten-mile radius of Hanson Street, but never for long enough for them to get a fix on it. The only other time it had stayed on longer than a few seconds, the signal had been moving, so being over a hundred miles south in London at that moment, Luke hadn't been in a position to try and track it.

"I thought we ruled out all of the residents ages ago?" JT mused.

"The police did that for us." Luke agreed. "But when I looked at the report, they'd only checked the owners. Two of the properties were being rented out. I got shut down completely when I tried to get information from the letting agent, so I thought I'd try chatting to the locals, to see if any of them remembered a tenant that resembled our girl."

"Ok, cool." JT couldn't argue with Luke's plan. It made sense. "So how much longer are you going to be up there?"

"A day, maybe? Two tops?" Luke confirmed. "Why, something come up?"

"Shit! You totally forgot!" JT accused.

"Forgot what?" Yeah, whatever it was, Luke had no clue.

"The 1st Annual Company Dinner! Fuckwit!" JT laughed.

"Aww, shit, man! You know how I hate that crap. Do I gotta go?" Luke whined.

"Damn straight you gotta go." JT was using his Captain's voice now. "Matt is finally home from the sand-box, and he and his wife are coming down for a meet and greet, and we're all going out to dinner on Monday. A kind of 'Welcome to the firm' for Matt, and a chance to reassure his wife we aren't gonna get his ass shot off on some mercenary assignment."

"Shit! Does she realise that she'll be the only woman there? I don't want her throwing a hissy fit if we use a few colourful expletives. We're not exactly the 'best behaviour' type of guys." Luke pointed out.

"Look, Matt says she's cool, and she won't be expecting us to turn up like James Bond and charm the pants off her. Just be yourself, and Matt says she'll be fine with us." JT reassured him.

"Be myself?" Luke grumbled. "Fuck! Do I even know what that's supposed to mean?"

"Nope!" JT popped the 'p' as he spoke. "But you've got two days to figure that shit out!"

As JT ended the call, Luke flopped back on the bed. Give him a bolt hole in the desert and a three day 'watch and gather' mission any time. He'd take shit rations and a bottle to piss in any day, over a civilised dinner with a female.

This was so not his bloody style.

##  Chapter 7 - Ellen

"Hullo?" Ellen murmured into the phone. She could hear a lot of noise, but it sure wasn't in her ear.

She cracked an eye open and noticed she was holding the damn thing upside down. As she turned it the right way up, she could hear Suzy's voice on the other end.

"Ellen, Ellen!" She screeched. "Are you there? Yo bitch! Did you hang up? Ellleeennnn!"

"For God's sake, Suze, give it a rest. What time is it?" Ellen rolled over to look at the curtains. There was barely any daylight cracking through them. She held the phone away from her ear so she could check the time.

"Suzy, this had better be good! It's seven o'clock on a Sunday morning, and we didn't close the restaurant until gone one." Ellen groaned, pulling the quilt back up over her head.

"He's home!" Suzy squealed. "Matt's home! He came home last night and surprised me. I wasn't expecting him back until Wednesday. Oh, I'm so happy!"

Ellen couldn't help but smile at Suzy's excitement. She and Suzy had talked a lot about Matt in the last year, and how his deployments had often left Suzy feeling scared and vulnerable. Once she'd known that Charlie was on the way, she'd become a nut-job for a few months, convinced that something terrible would happen to Matt before the baby was born, and he'd never get to hold his child.

Thankfully, that had all been down to stupid damn hormones, and she had eventually calmed down without Ellen having resort to a straightjacket or Sectioning, but it had definitely been touch and go there for a while.

"That's great, Hun." Ellen mumbled. "So happy for you. So, is he good?"

"Good?" Suzy giggled." He's freaking amazing! You know, I haven't even been to sleep yet? Five times we, well you know, and you know twice, I actually had multiple..."

"Jesus, Mary and bloody Joseph, Suzy!" Ellen screamed, interrupting the monologue. "I do NOT want to know about your sodding sex life! Ever! Do you hear me?"

"Ellen Thomas!" Suzy was laughing so much she could barely speak. "Such blasphemy! And here was I, just sharing the love with my bestie..."

"Well, don't!" Ellen interrupted. "Don't share the love, talk about the love or show me the love, Ok? What you and Matt do behind closed doors is private. I really don't need or want details."

"Oh, honey." Suzy sighed. "You really need to get laid more! You do know that if you don't use it, the bloody thing will shrivel up and die, don't you?"

"Hmm-hmm? Is that so?" She deflected. "Well it's been six months since yours got any action, and from the sound of it, Matt had no complaints that any shrivelling had been going on, did he?"

"Ahh, yes.." Suzy purred. "But that's because when Matt's not around to help out, I've always got my Bobs to see me through."

"Bobs?" Ellen knew she didn't want to, but couldn't help but ask.

"Yup, my battery-operated boyfriends." Suzy giggled. "I've got a long blue one. A pink twisty one, and don't forget the clear coloured one with bunny ears! That's for..."

"I know what the bunny ears are for!" Ellen shouted, not sure whether to be appalled or amazed at what Suzy classed as 'suitable' information to share with her bestie.

"Aha!" Suzy announced triumphantly. "So, you have got your own Rabbit!" She giggled.

"No, I do not have a bloody Rabbit!" Ellen yelled, aware that the conversation was getting more out of control by the minute.

"OK, Suze, I'm guessing that you didn't just call to gloat about your resurrected sex life, or that you have your man back in your bed to snuggle with at night? And as happy as I am for you, and you know that I am, I could really do with another hour or five of sleep, so if there's another reason for your call then you'd better spill it, because I'm about to hang up." Ellen pushed the quilt off her over-heated face.

"Oh, yeah. Well, there is another reason actually." Suzy hedged. "You know my mum has gone to stay with her sister for a few days and won't be back until Tuesday?"

"Hmm." Ellen agreed, vaguely aware of something of the sort.

"Well, Matt has some meeting down in London he has to go to on Monday, followed by a dinner he's going to with the guys he'll be working with. He thinks all the paperwork will be signed during the day, so Monday will be all about celebrating the next chapter of our lives with his new workmates."

"Oh, cool." She said, "I didn't realise he was out of the military yet."

"Well, officially, he's got a few more weeks, but he's in a kind of transition phase, plus they owe him a shit-load of time off, so he's already got one foot out of the door." Suzy paused. "I know it will be tough for him to adapt for a little while. It's been ten years after all. But I think this new set-up will be good for him. He'll be with some of his former teammates, so I'm sure it will still have a military feel to it."

"That's really great Suze. It'll be good for you and Charlie to have him around more." Ellen smiled to herself. Charlie hardly knew his dad, so it would be good for them all.

"Well, that's the thing. Matt wants me to go down to London for this dinner with the guys. I've heard all their names for years but never actually met them. Matt thinks I need to meet them from the start, so I'll know who he's getting into bed with, so to speak." Suzy giggled, and Ellen had to smirk at the idea of Alpha Matt in bed with a bunch of guys. That was so never going to happen.

"So, could you please, please, please have Charlie for an overnighter for me?" Suzy begged. "I have plenty of milk pumped and all he has besides is a bit of boiled veg or mashed fruit and a rusk. Hell, you know the drill. So, could you? Pretty please, with whipped cream and a cherry on top? I'll be your bestest friend for ever and ever and ever!"

Ellen couldn't help but smile at her friend's whining voice.

"Jeez, Suze." She moaned. "Enough with the sad loser voice already. I'll do it. On one condition..."

"Anything!" Suzy butted in. "Anything at all."

"Ok." She sighed, trying to sound as serious as possible. "My condition is, that you never, ever, EVER, try and discuss your sex life with me again. And that includes any trysts with your Bob's too. Got it?"

"Bitch!" Suzy laughed. "Ok, deal."

"Ok, now sod the hell off, and let me sleep, woman!" Ellen griped.

"I hope, Miss Thomas," Suzy was doing her best impression of a school teacher, "that you don't use that kind of language in front of my son when you babysit for him."

"Hell no!" Ellen laughed. "No need. Since you're the cause of most of the profanity that comes out of my mouth, when you're not around I turn into Julie bloody Andrews when she was in Mary Poppins."

"Well, as long as it's Julie when she's Mary Poppins, that's Ok!" Suzy chuckled. "Cos there was that other film where she went topless, and if you were doing that shit in front of Charlie..."

"Bye Suze!" Ellen interrupted, cutting her off mid speech. She disconnected the call, throwing the phone down on the bedside table. As Ellen curled up under the duvet, hugging her pillow as she tried to get back to sleep, there was a huge grin on her face.

She got to have Charlie for an overnighter! Baby snuggles beat man snuggles hands down!

## Chapter 8 - Luke

Luke stared in the mirror, trying to straighten his tie.

"Shit!" He yanked the damn thing off to start again. Thank God, they didn't have to do the whole 'monkey suit' thing too often.

When he and the guys had talked about setting up their own business after they bugged out, JT had promised Luke he wouldn't have to handle the corporate schmoozing side of the business. Luke's speciality was field work, and as they were working in the security and protection arena, he got plenty of time out of the office.

He supposed later on, once they were fully established, they could hire more guys and he would get more involved in the tactical and planning side. But, at the moment, he was quite happy doing grunt work, and surveillance and recon was his speciality. Ok, he'd prefer to be doing it with an automatic weapon over his shoulder, but that wasn't going to happen on home soil. He had license to carry a side-arm, but rarely carried a gun these days.

He actually missed the weight of his rifle over one shoulder. It was comforting.

But then, as rough as parts of London were, you didn't have the need to be armed and plated in the same way you did in downtown Basra, or even out at Bastian, which had been his last overseas deployment.

After almost two years, he was still coming to grips with civilian life.

Before he'd gone into the military, he'd been a kid. Fresh from high school, not keen on trying further education, he and Casey couldn't wait for their adult lives to start. They hadn't even told their parents. They'd just headed straight to the army careers office and enlisted.

They'd taken to army life like ducks to water, and both had been fortunate to have been spotted by the young Lieutenant Thornton, and taken under his wing.

Of course, their physical size helped. A shade under six and a half feet, and already decently muscled from years playing sport in school, both Luke and Casey excelled at anything physical. It hadn't taken long for them to pack on another forty pounds of solid muscle, and as they'd developed into men, they'd become the ideal soldiers.

Despite their size, Luke and Casey excelled at stealth. Casey had become an expert marksman, which was how he'd been teamed up with Matt a lot, and had been seconded on many occasions into other teams, used as an added layer of protection when they were out on missions.

It was estimated Casey had had about eighteen kills under his belt when he'd been medically retired. Yet that wasn't the figure that counted.

The important number, was the one which indicated how many coalition men and women were still alive, as a result of the protection he had given them, and that figure was up in the hundreds.

Luke cleared his throat, and noticed that his fingers trembled as he tried for the fourth time to put his tie on straight.

Dammit, he had to stop thinking about Casey!

Being up in the East Midlands again this last weekend had left Casey front and centre in his mind.

It had been a frustrating few days in all. Once he'd found out that the houses he was looking for had been demolished, he'd gone to the neighbourhood and canvassed the few shops and pubs. He'd discovered that one of the houses had been divided into two flats. The downstairs had been occupied by an elderly couple, but apparently the upstairs had been let out to a young woman. She'd been described as a brunette in her twenties. Not a brilliant description, but he'd taken it. Someone else thought she'd worked in a restaurant on High Street, but wasn't sure which one, as there were four or five.

He'd eaten in one of them on Saturday night, and questioned the waitress, but she hadn't known much more than he already knew. He'd have to try and canvass the others when he went back up next weekend.

Unfortunately, when he'd tried last night, he'd discovered none of them opened on a Sunday. He'd forgotten that in these smaller towns, Sunday was still something of a dead loss.

"Aha!" Luke looked at his tie, as if suddenly, magically it had tied itself. Yup, that looked good.

As he reached for his jacket, Luke thought about the waitress from Saturday night. Could she have been any frumpier if she tried? He chuckled. And then stopped. That was it!

Goddamn it! She was **trying** to look frumpy.

Luke suddenly pictured the young woman as she'd been on Saturday.

When she wasn't actually making eye contact with the other servers, or in direct conversation with customers, her face was alert and observant, and she followed what was going on with avid interest. Yet when she approached his table, her head went down and she seemed to shrink into herself.

What was with that?

He had no doubt it was a deliberate action, but he couldn't see why. When she'd actually spoken to him she seemed intelligent enough, and yet the more he thought about it, he felt that she was putting on an act.

He tried to picture her eyes, but failed to recall anything beyond the thick rimmed glasses she wore.

She was slim, he recalled, with a nice tight ass. Yeah, it didn't escape him that he couldn't picture her eyes, but would have recognised her ass from twenty paces!

Well, he was a guy! And an ass guy at that! Luke smirked to himself.

He guessed she had a decent chest, as she'd seemed quite rounded up top, but with that fugly damn cardigan on, it was hard to tell.

He tried to picture her face again. Clear skin, he recalled, small nose, but again, all that sprang to mind were those damn glasses.

Man, he must be losing it.

Back in the day, he only had to look at a woman under thirty to get a damn boner. Yeah, he grinned at his reflection, that was because you spent most of the year on a base with up to a thousand other grunts, and the only females you came in contact with were either wearing burkas or cammo! Neither of which were particularly flattering to the female form.

He and Casey had never lacked for attention from women. Hell, they'd even been offered a threesome a time or two.

Yeah, that was a 'Hell No!', thank you very much!

He'd seen his brother's junk enough growing up, he didn't need to see it again while he was pounding his cock into some sweet piece of ass! That was so never going to happen!

Thankfully, Casey had been of the same mind.

Luckily, they'd never really gone after the same girls, so there had never really been any competition between them. Casey had liked red-heads, and reckoned it was that fire in their hair that made them wild in bed. Yeah, right!

Luke liked, well, women generally, he supposed. Tall, short, curvy, slim. He didn't really have a preference. He didn't go for the ball-busters, but he liked a woman with a bit of personality. Someone he could talk to.

Luke rolled his eyes at the direction his brain was taking. He hadn't had a relationship with a woman that lasted longer than a weekend since he left high school. 'Once and done' had been Casey's motto. And to be honest, Luke hadn't been much better.

Since he'd gotten out of the army, there'd been a few hook ups, but nothing more than one night stands.

Casey's death had changed him, and probably not for the better, he had to admit. He hardly smiled these days, and rarely bothered interacting with anyone he didn't have to.

Shit, he was probably going to have to talk to Matt's wife tonight!

Bollocks! This would be the first honest-to-God conversation he'd had with a woman in...... 3 years 5 months and a week!

Best behaviour? Yeah, right.

He picked up the car keys from the bowl on the breakfast bar and made his way to the elevator, taking one last look in the hall mirror.

He tried to smile, imagining what he was going to say to the little lady when they met.

God, he looked like an asshole! Maybe he'd just let JT and Danny do the schmoozing.

He sure hoped the night ended early!

## Chapter 9 - Luke

"Oh, my God!" Matt groaned. "Suze, you don't have to tell the whole world everything about the contents of Charlie's nappy."

"Oh, yeah, that's right!" Suzy laughed. "This from the guy, who, when his son let rip the most enormous fart during the Christening ceremony, turned to the priest, grinning his ass off, and announced, 'That's my boy!'."

Luke couldn't help but smirk. Suzy had spent the whole night telling them stories about Matt from before he was in the military, and frankly she'd had the guy blushing all night long.

JT had egged her on with stories from when they were on patrol in Helmand, which had her screaming with laughter.

She was an absolute sweetheart. So small compared to her husband, but with this amazing personality.

"So, tell me Suzy..." JT smirked at Luke before carrying on. "Do you have any sisters at home looking for some good guys?" He nodded towards Luke and Danny. "They're a bit rough around the edges, but I reckon they're halfway housetrained!"

"Suzy doesn't have any sisters, sorry guys." Matt laughed.

Suzy hadn't said anything, just sat with her chin propped up on her hands.

"Hmmm. Matt's right, no sisters, sorry." She smiled. "But I do have a friend who you might like."

Matt looked at his wife, enquiringly. "Who, babe? Ellen?" He laughed.

"Yes, Ellen!" Suzy bristled, slapping her husband on the arm. "She's amazing!"

Matt pulled a face, and twirled his finger as though to say his wife had gone loony tunes.

"She is." Suzy insisted. "Look, she's shy is all. She's been though some stuff, and is hesitant to get to know people, but she has the most amazing personality, and she's funny, and smart. She's fantastic with kids."

"Uh-oh!" Danny laughed. "When someone is selling the virtues of a woman by telling you all about their personality, that normally tells me that she's fugly as all hell."

"Nah, man!" Matt laughed. "Ellen isn't ugly or anything. She just doesn't try to make herself pretty. She'd probably look pretty good if she ditched the librarian look and got rid of her glasses. She's got a pretty good rack." He smirked.

Luke nearly choked on his beer, as Suzy pulled herself up to her full, maybe 5ft 2" height and glared at her husband.

"Matthew Donald Johnson! Did you, or did you not, just tell your friends that Ellen had a 'pretty good rack'? Please tell me that I heard you incorrectly, and that you didn't just admit to having checked out my best friend's chest?" Suzy looked her husband straight in the eye.

"Oh, my God." Danny muttered under his breath, but loud enough for the whole table to hear. "She pulled out the middle name! That's bad! Like your mum telling you off when she's caught you sneaking a cigarette behind your father's potting shed kind of bad!"

Matt was still grinning.

"Firstly, I did not 'check out' Ellen's rack." He insisted. "I'm a guy. We see these things without any conscious effort. And yes, I did rate it as 'pretty good'." He smirked. "Not to be confused with yours, which I would describe as a 'freaking awesome rack'!"

Suzy, studied her man for a few seconds, but the leering grin on his face showed that he was completely and utterly smitten with her, and as quickly as she'd puffed up, she deflated just as fast.

She turned to the other men at the table, and without a hint of a smile said seriously. "He's right you know." She looked down at her chest at the same time as she grabbed her boobs and bounced them. "I do have a freaking awesome rack!"

Danny spit out his drink as the rest of the table burst out laughing.

"I bloody love you Mrs Johnson." Matt hugged her to him.

"Good job, because I bloody love you too, Mr Johnson."

The four of them settled into a comfortable silence, as they poured over the dessert menu.

"So, Matt..." Danny began, as the waiter walked away with their order. "Donald, huh?"

JT and Luke burst out laughing. The asshole was never gonna live that down.

## Chapter 10 - Luke

"So, Luke..." Suzy began, sounding a little too innocent for his liking. "Matt tells me you were up in our neck of the woods this past weekend? Doing anything nice?"

"Just a bit of recon for a job." Luke replied smoothly. "Sometimes, there are things we have to check which can't be done on-line. There's no substitute for boots on the ground."

"Hmm-hmm. So, will you be coming back up soon?" Suzy asked, taking a spoonful of her Pavlova. "God this is to die for!" She moaned.

"Luke will be back up next weekend, as it happens." JT shot a smirk at his friend.

The glare Luke shot back should have shrivelled the guy's balls to dust, but JT just looked smug.

"Cool!" Suzy grinned at Luke. "So, you'll come over to ours for lunch next Sunday. I'll get Ellen to come as well."

Luke spluttered, and tried desperately to come up with a reason to decline without offending the little spitfire.

"Oh, suck it up man!" Suzy laughed. "She doesn't have warts."

Oh shit! Luke was sunk.

"Uh, Ok. Sure, that'd be great." Luke agreed, wondering what on earth he was letting himself in for.

"So, Danny, where do you live?" Suzy enquired.

"South!" Danny burst out unexpectedly, obviously afraid she was going to set him up on a blind date too. "Really far south."

They all burst out laughing.

Luke looked around this group of his friends. They were probably the closest thing to brothers he had now.

So, this was it. Four guys and a little lady. Wasn't there a film out there with a similar title? Luke smirked down at his plate.

Suzy certainly wasn't what he'd expected. Not that he'd expected anything in particular, but still. He hadn't known many adult women, and the ones he'd screwed hadn't been chosen for their conversation.

No, Suzy was a different type of female to the ones he was used to, and he actually felt comfortable with her, which was a first.

She was gorgeous, that was for sure, but he felt no stirring of lust towards her. She was Matt's woman, so what did that make her to Luke? A sister, of sorts?

Yeah, that kind of fit perfectly.

Still, he appreciated her fun personality, and watching her with Matt, he certainly could see the attraction of having someone like that at home waiting for him.

A wife? And kid, or kids?

He'd shut that idea down as soon as he'd enlisted. Too much heartbreak down that road.

But he wasn't an enlisted man any more. He was master of his own destiny, up to a point, and the jobs they undertook were mostly routine these days. Ok, there was the occasional contract which might put him in danger, and a few times he'd had to go out of the country on a job. But nothing like being in the military, or on the front line in the war against terror.

No, there really was nothing to stop him becoming a bit more domesticated.

But could he put up with being around someone twenty-four/seven? Could they put up with him?

Maybe?

Luke's attention was brought back to the table when Danny slapped him on the shoulder.

"You good, man?" Danny grinned.

"Yeah." Luke smiled, looking around the table. "Really good."

## Chapter 11 - Ellen

"So, how was your night out?" Ellen asked her friend, as Suzy cuddled her son while he napped.

"Oh, my God, it was fantastic." Suzy gushed. "The guys Matt will be working with are so nice. And so gorgeous!" Suzy giggled, looking around to make sure Matt couldn't hear her.

"And all single!" She hissed at Ellen, wiggling her eyebrows as she did so.

"Hmm-hmm." Ellen studiously ignored the hint. "So, was the meal nice?"

Suzy was obviously disappointed that Ellen was not going with the conversation she had planned.

"Yeah, it was really nice. The whole night was great." Suzy adjusted herself. "Except these damn boobs! I had to express some milk last night before I could go to bed comfortably, and this morning they're ready to explode, they're so full. Do you think it would be mean of me to wake Charlie up when he's just gone off? If he doesn't feed soon, I'll scream!"

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Ellen smiled. "He'll be due for a feed when he wakes anyway."

Suzy grinned down at her son as he slept.

"Still, I discovered something else he has in common with his father last night." Suzy looked up at Ellen innocently.

"Oh, what's that?" Ellen asked.

"Well, it seems that both my boys really like my Mommy boobs!" She giggled. "I mean really, really like them!"

"God, Suzy!" Ellen blushed. "Really?"

"No, seriously!" Suzy laughed. "Matt caught me in the bathroom expressing milk last night, and instead of walking out like I expected, he stayed to watch. Next thing I know, he's stood there with a ferocious look on his face, his trousers filled with wood. Before I had a chance to get my bra back on, he's swept me up, dumped me on the bed, and his trousers are around his knees. It was so bloody hot!"

"Suzy," Ellen groaned. "You promised me. No more sex talk!"

"Who's talking about sex?" Matt asked as he walked back in.

"Nobody." Ellen replied as the same time as Suzy responded "Me!"

"I was just telling Suzy that I thought you had a fixation with my breast milk." She smiled sweetly at her husband, trying not to laugh.

"Shit, no!" Matt laughed loudly, disturbing Charlie. "I can't say that it bothers me, but the juice is best left for my son. I just have a fixation with your tits. They're freaking awesome!"

As he said it, he leaned over the sofa and kissed his son on the forehead, stopping to nibble his wife's neck before standing back up.

"And that's my cue to leave." Ellen laughed, standing to pick up her coat. "I'm glad you two had a good time. My man and I had a blast."

She smiled, leaning down to give Charlie a kiss on his chubby cheek.

"But I'm gonna get out now, before you two get freaky again, and I see something that will leave me emotionally scarred for life."

"Good thinking!" Matt grinned, coming up and giving her a brotherly hug. "And thanks again for having Charlie for us."

"No problem." Ellen smiled.

"Oh, and next Sunday, we're having a family lunch. Meat, roast potatoes, veggies and everything. And you're invited. One o'clock sharp. Don't be late." Matt announced.

Ellen looked at him in shock.

"Is Suzy cooking?" She asked innocently.

"Yes!" Suzy answered huffily. "Why?"

Ellen shot a look at Matt, and put up her hand, pretending to cover her mouth. "I'll pick up the McDonalds on my way over."

Matt laughed loudly as Suzy poked her tongue out.

"Bitch!" She shouted as Ellen slipped out the door.

"Love you too!" Ellen called as she slammed the door shut behind her.

## Chapter 12 - Ellen

The weekend rolled around again too soon.

Although Friday and Saturday nights were when they made the best tips, they damn well earned them!

From the time the doors opened at six o'clock for the early bird special, the footfall was constant, and even the small waiting area by the door was standing room only for a while, as late-comers with no advance booking prepared to wait for a table, rather than chance their luck somewhere else.

Locally, Gianni's was well known for having great food at reasonable prices. With the great family atmosphere G and Fran had created, it was popular with people from miles around.

This Saturday had been no exception, especially as Fran had given Suzy the night off to spend with her man.

Yeah, Fran was a sucker for romance, and when Matt hugged her and practically begged her to let him have his Suzy free for the night, Fran practically melted into a puddle.

"Damn Sunday lunch better be edible." Ellen thought miserably, trying to stretch out her cramped toes without actually taking off the shoes that were pinching so badly.

"Ellen?" Mark called, rushing past. "Can you take the soup out to table six for me? I'm dying to take a leak."

Picking up the dish and the bread basket, she shouldered her way out of the kitchen, and made her way to table six.

Not looking up until she was almost on top of the diner, she almost tripped, as she noticed Mr Tall, Dark and Moody, sitting looking at her expectantly.

"Oh, it's you again!" She blurted out, in what could hardly be said to be a welcoming tone.

His lips quirked, and she realised how blunt she must have sounded.

"I mean, welcome back." She stammered. "It's nice to see you again."

"Is it really?" He asked, teasingly. "Or are you already wondering whether I'm going to leave a big tip again?"

Ellen blushed. She hadn't actually remembered his generosity from the previous week.

"Yes." She blurted, then backtracked, in case he thought she meant the tip. "I mean, no!" She blushed profusely.

He laughed, and then put his hand over his heart.

"You mean, yes you want another tip, and no, I'm not really welcome?" He sighed. "Madam, you wound me."

Ellen watched as his face fell in an attempt to feign sadness.

Asshole! That wasn't what she meant and he damn well knew it. Ok, two could play that game.

"Yep, that's exactly what I meant!" Ellen flicked her ponytail back over her shoulder, turned and flounced away from him, keeping her head up, and trying not to fall on her ass as she sidestepped the other wait staff and returned to the kitchen.

When the door swung closed and she was hidden from view, she finally let out her breath.

God, but that man was a menace.

He was too damned good looking for a start. And was that a personality disorder he had? Last week he'd been all gruff and demanding. Tonight, he'd actually been joking with her, and almost...what, flirty?

Ellen, seriously doubted that.

Men didn't flirt with her. It was one of the sure ways that she knew that her 'Invisibility strategy' was working successfully.

But he'd definitely had a twinkle in his eye tonight.

His eye! That was it. It was his funny eye that was throwing her off, making her see things that weren't really there.

"Ellen, are you Ok?" Fran called from the counter.

"Yes, fine." Ellen smiled, as she collected her next order. "Just catching my breath. It's busy out there."

"From your mouth to God's ears." Fran crossed herself, and waved her hands towards the heavens.

Ellen laughed. "I thought that was a Jewish expression, not a Catholic one."

"Whatever works, honey! Whatever works." Fran grinned back at her.

Ellen pushed back into the dining room, and was immediately busy again. Apart from collecting his soup dish, and returning with his steak, she didn't have any further interaction with Mr Moody.

There were a few larger groups that had come in pre-booked at the same time, and she was having to go like the clappers to keep everyone happy.

It had been almost an hour since she'd served him his steak, when she finally noticed that he was still sitting there. Chris must have served him, as the remains of a dessert were in front of him. He sat with the spoon in his hand, although she got the feeling he hadn't touched the dish for some time.

When he finally put the spoon down and pushed the plate away from him, she moved forward to clear it away.

"So, do you know anyone who lived in Hanson Road?" He said, as if last week's conversation had never ended.

"What?" Ellen startled. "No, I... well, I just knew what happened because it was common knowledge. All the locals knew what happened. Why do you ask?"

Ellen was nervous. Why was he still asking about her old address?

"I'm trying to track someone down." He confirmed. "An old army mate." He watched her carefully, looking for some response.

"Oh?" She said as casually as she could. "Didn't you find anyone who could help?"

"I was told a young woman lived in one of the houses." He confirmed, giving nothing away by his expression. "The lady in the general store remembered a woman in her twenties, who worked in one of the restaurants on High Street. Reckoned she might know something of him."

"And have you had any luck finding her?" She asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer. Was that why he'd come back?

"No, not yet. You wouldn't know who that was though, would you? Could she have worked here?" He looked up at her again.

"It doesn't sound familiar." Ellen pretended to be considering the question. "But with us being so close to the University, we get a lot of students working here for a year before moving on. Most of the other restaurants will say the same."

Well, it was mostly true, she thought, thanking God that he'd asked her that question, and not Fran or one of the others. They all knew she used to live in Hanson Road.

"I guess." He frowned as he reached for his jacket. "Still, I had to ask. Thanks for your help."

"No problem. I hope you find your friend." Ellen smiled sympathetically as she turned away.

He moved towards Fran, and they started chatting as he paid for his food.

As the door closed behind him, Fran held up twenty pounds and gave Ellen the thumbs up, before stuffing it down into the tip jar.

They could do with a few more customers like him, she thought, as she watched him walk past the window before slipping out of sight.

Just...not him.

## Chapter 13 - Ellen

Ellen looked in the mirror one last time.

Oh well. It wasn't going to get much better.

She'd ditched her usual Sunday uniform of hoodie and jogging bottoms, and actually put on a skirt. It was a longish skirt, black, with a black and silver belt, but it was still a skirt. She'd been wearing it that last night with her father at Georgie's house, and would have thrown it away, but it was probably the only decent piece of clothing she had to her name.

Paired with a plain white blouse, it was never gonna set the world alight, but knowing what she usually wore, Suzy would see that she'd made an effort, as instructed, and hopefully would be pleased with Ellen's efforts.

This was the first proper family meal Suzy would have cooked for her little family since Matt had come home, and Ellen was touched that she had been invited.

Checking herself out one last time, she swiped her hand over the back of her hair, swishing the ponytail as she went.

She was surprised at how soft and silky it felt, given that she avoided fancy hair products like the plague.

Satisfied that this was as good as she was going to look, she grabbed her coat and headed to the door. The walk to Suzy's flat would take fifteen minutes, and with no buses on a Sunday, she was undoubtedly going to be wet when she got there.

Hood up, and umbrella over her head, she pulled the door closed behind her. It was cold enough to snow, she thought, but as usual, all they got in this part of the country was rain.

She was almost at Suzy's, just about to turn the last corner, when she heard the rumble of a car engine approaching, and the sound of a heavy bass booming from the sound system. Just as she was about to turn and see who was making the offensive noise, the flash BMW swept past her, channelling through the huge puddle of water in the road, and soaking her from head to toe.

Ellen yelped as she tried to twist away from the water, but it was no good. Her coat and skirt were covered with the filthy, oily sludge.

She looked down at herself and groaned. Short of going home to change, she was going to have to put up with the smell and damp clothes all afternoon.

"Fucking wanker!" She called after the BMW. "I hope your balls shrivel and drop off!"

Not one given to swearing much in public, she was pleased that she had managed to throw a curse which actually sounded bad-ass!

The sound of air hissing through teeth alerted her to the elderly couple passing by at the moment of her outburst.

"I...He..." Ellen stammered, blushing scarlet with embarrassment.

Watching their backs move hurriedly away from her, she gave up trying to explain or apologise. Head down, brolly up, she beat a march to Suzy's flat.

"Oh God, could this day get any worse?" she mumbled.

## Chapter 14 - Ellen

As she stood under the front porch of Suzy's house, shaking off her umbrella, she looked across the road at the parked cars.

The BMW was parked there, bold as brass and twice as shiny!

"Wanker!" She thought angrily. "I ought to go slash his tires."

She turned back as she heard Suzy's door opening.

"Whoa!" Matt backed up, with his hands up. "Who pissed in your Cornflakes, lady?"

Realising that she must have been glaring at poor Matt, she turned and pointed to the offending BMW.

"The wanker that owns that piece of shit BMW, if you must know!" She snarled.

She pointed down at the dirty marks all over her skirt.

"Obviously, the tinted windows prevented the idiot driver from actually seeing us poor pedestrians. Or possibly the fact the he must be a complete bloody moron, meant he didn't give a shit that he left me soaking wet and filthy dirty, standing in the street."

Ellen put her bag down in the hallway, and shrugged out of her coat, as Suzy walked out of the kitchen.

"Hey, Hun." She smiled nervously. "Are you Ok?"

Ellen puffed out a breath. "Yeah".

Suzy and Matt gave each other a strange look, just as another figure appeared behind Suzy.

"Uh, Ellen, meet Luke." Matt pointed a finger back and forth between them. "Luke, meet Ellen."

Matt grinned, looking back at Ellen.

"Luke's the wanker with the BMW."

Ellen groaned inwardly.

Oh, holy shit! Just kill me now and put me out of my misery!

Not only was the man in front of her the owner of that piece of shit BMW parked outside, but he was also already known to her as Mr Tall, Dark and Moody!

Glancing up at Luke, Ellen noticed immediately that he looked utterly gorgeous.

Dressed in a nice white button down shirt and black jeans that fitted him way too snugly, he looked good enough to eat.

She didn't have to look down at herself to know that she looked like shit!

She'd looked barely Ok to begin with, but with the dirt, and, good God, the smell, she looked like a bag-lady on a bad day!

"Great!" Ellen murmured before she could stop herself.

"Come on, babe, let's get you something dry to change into." Suzy grabbed her arm, steering her towards her bedroom.

She heard her friend mutter "Asshole!" as they passed Luke, and it was as much as Ellen could do not to smirk at him.

"Go stir the gravy!" Suzy instructed Matt, just before slamming the door in the men's faces.

"Soooo..." Ellen dragged the word out. "Is there something you forgot to tell me?"

"Hmmm?" Suzy looked up from rummaging in a chest of drawers.

"Oh, don't give me that wide-eyed innocent look I know you too bloody well!"

Ellen pointed her finger at Suzy, and then back at the door.

"So, what is this, a blind date? So blind in fact, that you didn't even bother to tell me it was happening?"

"No!" Suzy insisted, blushing crimson. "Well, not exactly..."

"How is it not exactly a blind date? He's here, I'm here – both of us presumably single? We've never officially met. All of this is adding up to a blind date in my book!" Ellen wasn't so much angry as frustrated.

"Ok, well maybe it is a little like that, but Luke is one of Matt's new partners in the business, and he's just up here for the weekend, so we thought it would be nice if you two met, that's all. It's just a one off, I promise."

Ellen reached for the leggings Suzy was handing her.

"Really, this is the best you can find?" Ellen stared at the leggings as if they were going to bite her.

Suzy pointed at Ellen, and then down at her own much shorter and curvier body.

"You really think I'm gonna have a wide selection of clothes in my wardrobe that are gonna fit you?"

Ellen's shoulders fell.

"Nah, didn't think so." Suzy smiled.

"So how do you figure this is to be a one-time deal, when I've already met him twice before today?" Ellen asked.

"What? You have? How?" Suzy obviously knew nothing about the previous meetings.

Ellen filled her in on the past two encounters.

"Mr Tall, Dark and Moody? Oh, my God, that's priceless!" Suzy cackled loudly. "I may have to drop that into the conversation over lunch."

"Bitch! Don't you dare!" Ellen laughed, pulling the leggings up and smoothing the blouse down over the top. Not too bad...

"I promise not to say anything, if you promise to be nice to him." Suzy giggled.

"Are you kidding me?" Ellen backed down under Suzy's stare.

"Ok, fine! But he'd better grovel first!"

"Hell, yeah! You make him work for it." Suzy grinned, pulling the door open to go and re-join the men.

## Chapter 15 - Luke

"Man, Suzy's gonna have your balls!" Matt laughed. "What the hell? Tell me you didn't soak the poor woman on purpose!"

"Tosser!" Luke punched Matt in the bicep. "It's good to know you think so highly of me."

"So how did it happen then?" Matt quirked an eyebrow.

"Aww, it was the crappy sat-nav in my car. It kept telling me to 'make a right turn' when there weren't any right turns, and then when we got to the one-way system, it got completely cocked up. I swear I didn't even see her!"

"Yeah, the one-way thing is new." Matt snorted. "I've lived in this area most of my life, but that new one-way system almost caught me out when I got back last week. I drove around the block three damned times before I could find my way into my own street. Crazy, man!"

"Yeah, tell me about it." Luke sighed.

"So, you're going to apologise, right?" It wasn't really a question.

"Yeah, of course. You know I will." Luke looked at Matt out of the corner of his eye. "Though, I think I've just added to what was already a pretty piss-poor impression she has of me."

"How can she already have an opinion of you when you only just met?" Matt was understandably confused.

Luke explained about their prior meetings.

"So, the first time, I was in a real shitty mood. Hell, I'm not the cheeriest of assholes on my best day, but you know how dark it gets when I have to focus on anything to do with Casey's murder."

Matt nodded his understanding.

"Well, I guess you'll just have to suck it up for today, and make nice with the lady."

Luke nodded. "I will, I promise."

"Good, cos Ellen's a decent woman. And my beautiful wife adores her, as does my son. So, if you screw up? It won't be just your balls on that plate man, y'hear?"

"Message received and understood." Luke grinned as the bedroom door opened.

As Suzy and Ellen stepped into the hallway, Luke stepped out from the kitchen.

Suzy barely spared him a glance as she swept past him.

"Hello, again." Luke began sheepishly.

"Hello." Ellen replied, not attempting to let him off the hook yet.

"Look, I know this is a bit late, but I really am sorry about soaking you. My sat-nav was taking me around in circles, and I was having a hard enough time seeing the road with all the rain. I just didn't notice you or the puddle, and, well.... I'm just really sorry. I'll happily pay for your dry-cleaning or replacements if needed." Luke stopped to take a breath.

Ellen just stared at him for a minute, as if trying to decide whether to let him off the hook.

"Would it help if I agreed that I really am a wanker, and an asshole, and any other name you may have called me today?" Luke grinned at her.

Ellen chuckled before she could stop herself.

"It might!"

She paused, as if giving it serious consideration. She silently counted to ten.

"Ok, apology accepted. Seeing as you offered it so nicely."

"Thanks." He grinned down at her.

"But I reserve the right not to withdraw my curse until I'm convinced you've earned it." Ellen smiled sweetly at him.

"Curse?" Luke wasn't grinning any more.

"Yeah," Ellen grinned. "The one where I hoped your balls shrivelled up and dropped off."

As she slid past him on her way to the kitchen, Luke couldn't help but reach down as if to protect his ball-sac.

"Man, that's harsh!" He winced.

## Chapter 16 - Luke

Luke couldn't remember when he'd laughed as much, or if he ever had.

The Suzy and Ellen show was hilarious, with Suzy as the ball-busting fire-cracker, and Ellen as the straight man (or woman in this case).

Ellen's almost prudish nature was sweet, especially when set as a contrast to Suzy's open-mouth policy of putting it all out there.

At one point Ellen had even tried silencing Suzy by putting her hand over her mouth, just to stop Suzy describing Matt's favourite sex positions!

Matt, on the other hand was completely unfazed by his wife's over the top descriptions of their sex life, and played along with Suzy beautifully.

"God, I'm going to be scarred for life." Ellen huffed, flopping down into her chair, as Matt and Suzy cleared the table. "I'd ask Matt how he puts up with her, but the asshole is every bit as bad as she is."

Luke nodded sympathetically.

"I thought the guys I bunked with could talk shit about sex, but that lady has a mouth on her!" He grinned. "No wonder Matt looks so happy to be home."

"Please don't start talking about Suzy's mouth." Ellen hissed, leaning over to stop the other two hearing them. "She has stories about what she's done with that too!"

Luke nearly choked on his dessert.

"You know..." He looked straight into her eyes. "I can't figure you out. One minute you're ball-busting me, the next you're giving Lolita over there a wise-ass come-back. Yet the previous times we met, you've had your head down, scurrying past as if you don't want the world to see you. So, which one is the real Ellen? Hmm?"

Ellen jerked her head up to look at him. He guessed he was too near the mark.

"All of them. None of them. Take your pick?" Ellen twisted the tablecloth in her hands. "Aren't we all different people to different folk? Wearing different masks?"

Luke nodded. "I guess. But I'd like to meet the real you someday. Would that be Ok?"

Ellen looked stunned.

"Ok." She surprised him by agreeing.

And Luke realised that he really meant it. He wanted to get to know this woman. She was a puzzle.

Yes, he had no doubt she was a little bit broken. Hell, weren't they all? But she was smart, funny, and completely without artifice. At this moment, he thought she was quite lovely, and his fingers itched to pull off her glasses.

Stand down, soldier!

He had to keep himself in check, for fear she'd run a mile. She was as timid as a squirrel.

Still, it didn't frighten him one little bit to realise that if she ran from him, he'd probably give chase.

The conversation hummed on around them as he tried to study the woman sitting to his right. She was smart, much more so than he'd originally given her credit for, and she had opinions on a varied range of subjects, from music to politics.

She never forced them on anyone though. She just offered a differing point of view to the one being discussed, and waited as people found their own path to her way of thinking.

Yeah, she was clever all right.

So why was she waitressing? It didn't make much sense.

"So, tell me, Ellen." He began. "How is it you're waitressing in a small town in the Midlands, when your accent sure as hell isn't local, and you sound as though you've had a pretty decent education? What's the story behind that?"

Ellen blushed, and looked at her plate. "Not everyone has to have a story."

"Hmm, but most of us do!" Luke grinned.

"Well, there's nothing interesting about it." Ellen began. "Family home in Kent, mum died of cancer when I was young, so my dad raised me. I went to University, but I ended up alone just as I was almost finished with my education, so as I didn't have any other family, I packed up and moved north."

Ok, so she was giving them the impression that her father was dead, but for all intents and purposes, he may as well be. So, while technically it was a lie, there was light and shade in that argument.

As for her education, yes, she had her Bachelor's degree and her Masters in Modern Languages, but it had always been her ambition to get her Doctorate and after spending some years travelling and making use of her linguistic skills, she wanted to come back to her college and become a lecturer.

So technically, she wasn't lying, although saying that her education was incomplete was maybe stretching things.

She really didn't want to lie to her friends, and, yes, she included Luke in that category.

"Oh, Hun!" Suzy exclaimed. "All this time and you never told me you'd had to quit your education. And you've let me moan and groan about my degree course for the last two years, without ever mentioning that you'd given yours up. Shit, I feel like such a bitch!"

"You shouldn't!" Ellen squeezed her friend's hand tightly. "I haven't given up on the idea of finishing my education at some point, maybe in a few years when things are, well, different. But for now, I'm happy to listen to your moaning and groaning about your course. It brings back some good memories."

"What did you study?" Matt asked, his mouth full of dessert.

"Languages." Ellen replied, not sure how much she information she should give. She didn't want to lie to them, but she certainly wouldn't be telling them she went to Oxford!

"Which ones?" Luke asked. "Do you speak them fluently?"

"I speak maybe five fluently," Ellen admitted not looking up from her plate. "And another three or four to a level where I could get by and not tell someone I slept with their horse when I was trying to buy a loaf of bread."

She grinned up at them, only to find all three of them staring at her, slack-jawed as though she'd just admitted to being from Mars, and speaking fluent Martian.

"What?" She asked, blushing.

Luke coughed to clear his throat before speaking.

"You realise you just admitted to being able to speak nine languages? That's, like, a lot more than the average person, you know that, right?"

"Ten." Ellen muttered.

"Ten what?" Matt asked, his brows knitted together.

"I speak ten languages. I didn't include English." Ellen admitted.

"Holy shit!" For once Suzy was almost speechless. But not for long.

"And why the hell have you never mentioned this to me before? Do Fran and G know about this?" Suzy burst out.

"G knows I speak Italian." Ellen confirmed. "But I guess he just thought I had Italian in my family."

G knew, because having served an Italian family at the restaurant a few years ago, G had come upon Ellen having an animated conversation about an area of Italy that Ellen knew well from her holidays with her father.

Every school holiday had been spent travelling through Europe, which, Ellen suspected, was her father's way of avoiding having to spend holidays at home without her mother.

"So, I'll ask again..." Luke grinned. "Why are you wasting your talent as a waitress?"

Ellen looked Luke straight in the eye, not sure what she was hoping to see.

"Sometimes the only way forward is to take a step back, you know?" Ellen said quietly. "Things happen, and if you can't change them, you just have to accept them."

Ellen was thinking of her father again.

"So, you stop, take stock, and then take another path. Sometimes just for a while, sometimes for longer, and you keep trying until you find the path you want to be on for the rest of your life. Your true path."

She looked up at three pairs of eyes, staring back at her.

"Sorry, I don't know how else to explain it. Does that make any sense?" She whispered.

Luke put his hand over her much smaller one, and squeezed gently.

"More than you know." He agreed, as Matt and Suzy sat quietly, nodding their heads.

## Chapter 17 - Ellen

As Ellen sat on the floor with little Charlie on her lap, she could barely hold in the yawn.

"Well, my little man..." She blew a raspberry on his cheek, making him giggle. "You done tuckered me out."

Charlie blew his own version of a raspberry, covering her face with baby spit.

"Gee, thanks!" She laughed.

Suzy's mum had brought Charlie home at four o'clock, which had given them a few peaceful hours to eat and socialise.

From the moment Carol had walked in the door, Ellen had swooped in and gathered up the gorgeous bundle of trouble, and she had kept him happy and entertained for almost three hours.

"I don't know how you do it, but that child never seems as happy as when you're here." Suzy grumbled.

"That's just because he doesn't see me every day." Ellen smiled back. "I retain the novelty factor. Besides, he loves it when I CHOMP his legs!"

As she raised her voice excitedly and then began sucking on his legs like they were the best dinner, Charlie screamed with laughter and wriggled almost out of her lap.

Matt laughed at her antics, and asked, "If we pay you by the hour, could you come around every evening from five until seven, just to wear him out? It's only when he's played with you for hours that he actually goes to sleep on time and stays out for the count for at least ten hours."

"Nah, we're good." Ellen laughed, handing the wriggling monster off to his mother. "The downside is whenever I play with him for a few hours, I'm the one in bed for eight o'clock, and I'm out cold until morning. Kids are tiring!"

"Ya think?" Suzy grinned.

"Yup, and I think it's time for me to be heading home." Ellen groaned as she stood up and stretched.

"Let me give you a lift." Luke stood up and looked at Ellen, grinning sheepishly. "Come on, it's the very least I can do. I have to head out shortly anyway, as I'm driving back to London tonight."

"Damn straight it is!" Suzy agreed with him.

Ellen didn't want to accept, but she really didn't have a choice without being extremely rude.

"Ok, thanks." She smiled. "That would be great."

Ten minutes later, she was sitting in Luke's BMW as he helped buckle her in.

"You know, it's probably lucky for you that you were Matt's friend."

"Oh?" Luke looked at her with his brows raised.

"Hmm-hmm." She nodded. "If I'd had to sit inside Suzy's house all afternoon, seething about being wet and dirty, I think I'd have probably snuck back out and let your tires down."

"That's criminal damage!" Luke huffed, totally faking the whole taking offence act. "I can't believe that someone as sweet as you would be mixed up with anything criminal."

Ellen blushed, and turned her face away. God, if only he knew!

Luke put her postcode into the satnav before pulling off, but as they reached the third junction, the woman's voice instructed, "In one hundred meters, bear left."

"What? No!" Ellen sat up. "That'll take you the wrong way up the one-way system."

Luke grinned.

"See! I told you it was this good for shit satnav that was at fault. I was as much a victim as you were this morning." He batted his eyelashes at her innocently.

"Yeah, right!" She scoffed, but for the first time, she actually started to believe him.

Switching the satnav off, he asked her to give him directions, and Ellen guided him back across town to where she had her little flat close to the restaurant.

As he pulled up, she realised that she had actually had a great time.

Ok, she always enjoyed her time with Suzy and Matt, but with Luke there she hadn't felt like the third wheel. It had been fun.

"So, how long will it take you to get home tonight?" She asked.

"A couple of hours or so. I live this side of London, so it's not so bad." Luke smiled at her.

"Well, thank you for the lift." Ellen felt suddenly embarrassed. She didn't want to get out of the car, but she really had no excuse to stay.

Any more small-talk and this utterly gorgeous man would know she was just stalling.

She un-buckled her belt and turned to him, holding out her hand.

"It was good to meet you." She grinned. "Well, the second encounter today was good anyway."

"It was good." Luke smiled, reaching to take her hand.

Only he didn't take it to shake, as she had intended. He took it in his large hand and held it gently, as if afraid he'd crush it.

"I can't remember the last time I enjoyed such a simple pleasure as a good meal and great company." Luke looked into her eyes, and Ellen found herself mesmerised.

"I'm not certain what I'll be doing in the long-term, as too much is up in the air with the business. But, I'll probably be making a few more trips up here on weekends." He studied her reaction. "Would it be Ok if I saw you when I came up? Maybe go for a drink or something?"

He must have seen the shock on her face. Men like Luke didn't ask women like Ellen on dates. At least, not the way she looked now.

Invisible!

Five years ago, when she was a pretty blonde with gorgeous blue eyes, maybe she would have gotten a second glance from a man like him. But back then she was too caught up with her studies. She'd never had time for boys or men, always thinking there would be time for that later.

Well, by the look in his eyes, and for the life of her she couldn't fathom why, it looked like 'later' was turning into 'now'.

"Why?" She blurted the word out before she'd even considered what she wanted to say.

Luke chuckled.

"Why?" He sounded surprised. "Why would I ask you out? Why would I seek out your company? That 'why'?"

Ellen nodded, unable to speak.

Luke looked away from her for a few seconds, as if trying to compose a suitable response. Then he looked down at their joined hands.

"I spent ten years in the army. Working hard, playing hard. It never seemed right to get into a relationship back then, because it can take a toll on the women."

Ellen stayed silent, unsure where he was going with this.

"I got out a few years ago, but I think it took my mind a while to catch up." He smiled sadly. "But seeing Matt and Suzy, and Charlie, happy, laughing, loving. It makes me think that being with someone wouldn't be the cluster-fuck I thought it would be."

"Wow!" Ellen couldn't help but grin. "Is this your chat-up line? Because I have to tell you, it sucks rotten eggs!"

Luke chuckled deeply. "I guess it didn't come out quite as well as it sounded in my head."

"Not so much, no." Ellen laughed.

They sat silently for a minute or two.

"So, what you're saying is that you want me to be your rebound." Ellen smirked at him.

"My what?" Luke's lips twitched.

"Your first relationship since you broke up with the military. Your rebound." Ellen grinned.

"Yeah! When you put it like that I suppose that's exactly what it is." Luke laughed.

Ellen looked at him again. She was equal parts scared and excited.

"Look, I have to tell you that I've never done this... thing..." She waggled her finger between the two of them. "Ever!"

She struggled to meet his gaze, but she didn't want there to be any doubt in his mind as to what she was telling him.

"Ever." Luke repeated, not seeming to understand.

"Not ever." She repeated quietly.

As if a light had come on, Luke's eyes narrowed as he stared at her.

"You're saying that you've never..." He stopped as though he was afraid to finish the sentence. "You've never had a boyfriend?"

"Not even one!" Ellen blushed. "So, I don't think I'm going to be much of a 'rebound' for you."

He squeezed her hand slightly.

"I wouldn't say that." Luke murmured.

They sat in silence for another minute or two.

"Look, I don't know how many times I'll be back up here. Could be two or three. Could be more. But the truth is, I like you. I'm 'interested' in you." Luke shook his head. "God, I've never said that to a woman before. I'm cringing even saying it. But I'd really like to spend more time with you, and get to know you a bit more."

Ellen knew this sort of conversation wasn't something Luke was accustomed to, and she was amazed that he was bothering to have it with her.

"Can we just meet up a few times, while I'm up here, and see what happens?" Luke asked hopefully. "No pressure, no promises? Just company?"

Ellen blew out the breath she'd been holding.

"Yeah, I'd really like that." She blushed as she smiled at him.

"Great." Luke sounded relieved. "I'll arrive on Friday evening, probably around nine o'clock, so if you're working, I could stop by the restaurant for a meal?"

"That would be Ok. "Ellen confirmed. "I mean, I'm working Friday and Saturday, but I could take a late break and join you for a little while?"

"That would be great." Luke nodded. "I've got things to do on Saturday, but still, if you're free, we could go out on Sunday? Lunch and a drive around? See some sights?"

Ellen wanted to scream with excitement. She hadn't done anything remotely interesting for so long, and frankly, never accompanied by a gorgeous man. She could barely contain herself.

"That would be lovely." She grinned, trying to block the thought from her mind that his Saturday would be spent tracking down the former residents of Hanson Road.

Luke turned his body fully around to face her.

"I'd like to kiss you." He said quietly.

It wasn't remotely a question, Ellen thought, more of a five second warning. And she didn't even think of moving away.

He surprised her by pausing to lift her glasses up to sit them on top of her head.

She smiled, nervously.

Her eyes darted back and forth between his beautiful lips, and those fascinating eyes. The split one seemed to have darkened so it was almost totally black.

She watched as his face came towards hers, turning her head to the right angle just as his lips brushed hers.

She was so mesmerised by him, that she allowed her lips to shape to his, moving with him and against him.

It started so softly that she thought she was dreaming, but little by little he increased the pressure, until she found herself responding by wrapping her arms around him and holding onto the back of his head, her fingers threaded into his silky hair.

She might have no experience, but she knew when she was being kissed by an expert.

Ok, probably it would be best not to think about how he got this good, she thought, as the kiss took on another dimension.

Ellen knew something special was happening when her body suddenly started responding to the kiss.

She felt a pulling deep in her stomach, and her sex involuntarily clenched. Oh, my God!

His arms were around her now, but his hands were on her back, just above the arch of her backside.

She wanted them somewhere else. On her breasts, maybe? She wasn't sure. She just knew she wanted him to help her ease the ache she felt, well, everywhere.

Luke pulled away, gasping like he'd run a mile. His eyes were dilated, and she could see the regret in his face.

"We have to stop." He breathed.

"Why?" She whispered the first word that came into her mind.

Luke chuckled as he cupped her cheek.

"Because we're in a car, parked on a main road where anybody passing by can see us." Luke pointed out. "And because you're getting me so worked up I'm gonna have zipper burn on my cock if we go on much longer."

Ellen jumped back, startled by his words, and immediately looked down at his crotch. There was unmistakable evidence that he'd meant his words literally.

"Oh, my goodness!" She giggled. "I don't think I've ever done that to anybody before."

Luke smirked. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that."

They smiled at each other for a few seconds longer, while Luke ran his thumb over her lower lip.

"I could get very fond of this mouth." He whispered.

"I could let you." Ellen replied quietly, knowing their time together was coming to an end.

As she got out of the car, Luke watched her as she walked to her door, and quickly unlocked it. Only when she was inside with the door closed securely behind her did she hear the car engine rev and finally move off.

Ellen knew that getting any more involved with Luke was probably a bad thing. Whatever he was up here looking for had something to do with her past, she just knew it.

But right now, with the taste of him on her lips, his scent still lingering on her clothes, and with that lovely tingly feeling still echoing down below, she wasn't sure she could bring herself to care.

God, she thought, if one kiss could bring parts of her to life so wondrously when they had lain dormant for twenty-eight years, she could see why Suzy went on and on about actual sex.

Ellen stripped naked, and hopped in the shower, in some ways sad to wash his scent off her body.

Her first kiss!

She was so glad it had been Luke, and not some random boy she'd hooked up with in high school or university.

This was something she'd remember for the rest of her life.

She wondered what Fran would say when Luke came in next week just to see her. Maybe she'd get Fran to change his name.

How about Mr Tall, Dark, and Luscious? Ellen giggled. Yeah, that about summed him up.

## Chapter 18 - Luke

As Luke pulled away from Ellen's flat, he was surprised to find that he was grinning from ear to ear.

He still wasn't sure what shocked him more – that Ellen had all but confessed to being a virgin, or the fact that he secretly liked the idea.

Ok, whilst normally he would have preferred a woman with experience, he couldn't help remembering how hot that kiss had been.

He'd leaned in for a gentle peck, but when she didn't pull away, he'd let it get deeper and deeper, until he was the one in danger of losing his shit.

If he hadn't pulled away when he did, he'd probably have come in his boxers. Shit! How embarrassing would that have been?

He'd have looked like the inexperienced virgin he so was not.

No, he thought. That look of wide eyed wonder in Ellen's eyes when he pulled away couldn't have been faked.

His phone buzzing interrupted his pleasant thoughts.

Flipping the button on the steering wheel to connect the phone to the Bluetooth speakers, he tilted his head to the microphone above the centre mirror.

"Yep?" No point in wasting words on JT.

"Yo, man!" JT laughed. "You don't sound so chipper. The girl blew you off, did she?"

"No!" Luke spat out. "She did not blow me off, asshole!"

"Well, she sure as hell didn't blow you. Matt said you only left his place about twenty minutes ago!" JT laughed again. "She's not in the car with you now, is she?"

"No, thank you very much, she's not in the car with me now, or your ass would be getting a pounding as soon as I hit London." Luke growled.

"What's the matter?" JT pressed on. "Not up for a blow job on the back seat, was she?"

"Fuck me!" Luke sighed. "That whole 'Officer and a "GENTLEMAN' shit totally passed you by, didn't it?"

"Oh, I got it all right." JT laughed. "I just save it for when I give a shit!"

"Yeah, well cut the crap man. Ellen's a really nice woman. She's like Suzy's alter ego." Luke smiled to himself remembering Ellen's embarrassment at Suzy's uncontrollable mouth.

JT snorted. "That means she's boring as hell, y'know."

"Screw you, she's not boring. She's smart, funny, speaks God knows how many languages, apparently. She's really cool." Luke realised that was exactly how he'd remember her. She was cool.

"Does that mean when you screw her she can tell you to go faster in all different languages? Man, that's hot." JT chuckled.

"Asshole...!" Luke was ready to explode.

"Man, I'm just messing with your head." JT laughed loudly. "I just spoke to Matt and he said you seemed to have a soft spot for the little mouse, so I figured I'd give you some shit."

Luke's temper cooled as he listened to his best friend laugh at his expense.

"Luke, if she's as great as Matt says, and you wanna hook up with her, I'm happy for you. Anyway, one of us sad fuckers ought to be getting some regularly. It's unlikely to be me, and we all know Danny likes variety, so you may as well get some. Good luck to you."

Luke wasn't about to explain that there had been nothing sexual... yet. In fact, he wasn't going to give up any details at all. JT would only give him even more shit, and Luke sure as hell wasn't going to tell him that Ellen was a virgin. The ribbing would never end.

"Yeah, thanks, I think." Luke acknowledged what, for JT, had been kind words of encouragement.

For the next half an hour, they discussed business, and by the time JT ended the call, Luke's head was firmly back in the game. His week was going to be very busy, with a possible trip to Berlin on Tuesday.

This was how he normally liked it, but all he could think about was that he hoped he didn't get snowed in over there. He was going to be back by Friday, whatever happened.

By the time his head hit the pillow, he was exhausted.

But as he pulled the quilt up over his shoulders, the memory of that sweet little woman and the most amazing kiss came to mind, and he couldn't help but smile.

Dammit, he couldn't wait for Friday!

## Chapter 19 - Luke

As Luke headed north on the M1 towards the Midlands, he was tempted to floor the accelerator pedal!

His trip to Berlin had run over by a day, so instead of getting back on Thursday night, his flight had arrived at Heathrow at five o'clock on Friday afternoon, leaving him absolutely furious. Furious with the client! Furious with the airline clerk who'd refused to bump someone from their morning flight so he could get back sooner! He'd even offered to pay a cash compensation himself. But apparently, that was a no-no!

Thankfully, JT had met him at the airport, so he could hand off some case files and schematics, and his friend had driven like a bat out of hell to get Luke back to his flat.

Ignoring JT's teasing completely, Luke had grabbed the bare essentials, swapping the dirty clothes in his bag for some clean ones, and bolting out of the door as quickly as he could.

Discovering his idiot neighbour had come very close to blocking his car in, Luke had to take a breath before reversing out, and even so, came perilously close to taking the paint off the offside wing.

"Useless assholes." He breathed as he finally made it onto the road.

By the time he hit the M1 and left London behind it was gone eight o'clock, and with the heavy traffic of the Friday night exodus from London, there were precious few opportunities to put his foot down.

Only out of respect for his clean driving license did he refrain from going over the ton once the traffic started to thin out a bit.

It would be just his luck to get pinged by one of the traffic cameras dotted around.

When he finally pulled into the High Street and saw Gianni's restaurant, he felt the tension start to ease from his shoulders.

He'd cursed his stupidity the whole way up the motorway, for not getting Ellen's number last weekend. If he'd had it, he could at least have let her know he was running late.

He'd even considered phoning Matt to see if he had her number, but then thought better of it in case he woke Charlie. Luke doubted his friend would be happy if he did.

As he pushed through the door to the restaurant, he had to step aside to let some diners leave, and the delay gave him time to search the interior for Ellen.

It didn't take long to find her, standing at a table close to the back of the restaurant, talking to an elderly couple as she served them. She looked beautiful. There was something different about her tonight, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was.

As he stepped inside, he almost walked straight into Suzy, standing with her arms folded across her more than ample chest.

"You are in deep shit, asshole!" She growled, looking pointedly at her watch.

"Is she mad?" Luke winced, his eyes searching her out to see any evidence that she was pissed at him.

"Not with her, dickhead! With me!" Suzy growled, surprisingly ferocious for someone barely over five feet tall.

"What have I done to you?" Luke protested.

"That girl came into work at ten o'clock this morning, because we were catering a wedding party today." Suzy glanced at her friend, to make sure she was still out of ear-shot. "Then, because she didn't have time to get home and have a break, she stayed to set up for tonight."

Luke nodded, knowing that Suzy was taking the long-way to get to the point.

"We've been open again since five o'clock, and she hasn't so much as stopped for two minutes. And do you know why?" And here was the pause for dramatic effect....

"No, why?" Luke dutifully responded.

"Because some stupid asshole..." Suzy lowered her voice so none of the diners could hear her, "... told her that he'd be here for nine o'clock, and she's been saving all her breaks so she could take them when he arrived. And it's now almost eleven, and that girl's almost out on her feet, and probably half-starved!"

Luke had the decency to feel guilty as Suzy ranted.

"Shit, Suze, it wasn't intentional!" He pleaded. "I only got back to Heathrow late this afternoon, and this was the quickest I could get here. I didn't even have her number to get in touch with her."

"Yeah, well..." Suzy started to calm down. "She doesn't give her phone number out as a rule. I'm the only one who has it."

Luke was just about to ask whether Suzy would consider giving it to him, when Suzy's eyes moved to look just over his shoulder. Turning to look, he saw the object of his fascination moving towards him, and he couldn't help but smile.

"Hi, you." She grinned, none of the anger that Suzy had shown visible in her tone. "Did you have a good trip up?"

"Shit, hon, I'm so sorry I'm late. My Berlin trip ran over to today, and...well I got here as fast as I could. Honestly." Luke looked Ellen straight in the eye, and hell, yeah, she did look tired.

"It's Ok. I'm just glad you're here safe and sound. I was worried about you in that piece of shit car you drive." She smirked at him.

"Yeah, right!" he smiled, taking her hand. "So, can you take your break now?"

Ellen turned her head to find her boss standing just a few feet away.

"G, is it Ok if I take my break now?" She asked sweetly.

G glanced at her, and then at the giant of a man standing next to her. "Sure, Ellen, you've really earned it today. Why don't you grab some food and take it upstairs with your friend? All the tables are set up, and it'll be nice and quiet. Take an hour."

Ellen was obviously so happy with the offer, she gave G a big hug, and turned towards Luke.

"Hungry?" She grinned.

God, was he ever. He nodded, just as his stomach rumbled loudly, the smell of the food having finally reached his nostrils.

"Come on then." She giggled, taking him by the hand and leading him toward the kitchen.

Five minutes later, Luke was carrying a large tray loaded up with a number of different dishes which Roy, the chef, had insisted he try.

Ellen led him to some stairs at the back, where she moved the 'staff only' sign to one side so he could pass.

Once upstairs, Ellen cleared one of the tables, and they set the plates down so they could select food from the various dishes.

As she turned to hand Luke an empty plate, she found him staring at her.

She ran her free hand over her hair self-consciously.

"Do I have some dirt on my face?" she asked nervously.

"No." Luke smiled at her. "You look lovely."

Ellen looked dumb-struck.

"I was just thinking how much I'd missed you this week. Isn't that weird? We only just met."

"Totally weird." Ellen whispered, looking at the floor before finally raising her head.

"I missed you too. A lot!" She finally admitted.

When Luke took the plate from her and placed it on the table, she obviously knew what was coming, and didn't hesitate.

Within seconds, they were in each other's arms, holding tighter than they'd been able to in the confines of the car.

Luke's lips locked with hers, and for long minutes, nothing else existed, just each other and this fusion of lips and bodies, tongues gently gliding against each other.

As before, it was Luke who stepped back, but he didn't let go of her. He looked down into her eyes, and smiled.

Then he realized. Her eyes! He could see them. No glasses!

"Where are your glasses tonight?" He asked.

"Oh! Charlie grabbed them when I was playing with him this week. Before I had the chance to grab them back, he yanked them hard and snapped the arm straight off." Ellen blushed, not seeming mad with Charlie at all.

"So, are you wearing contacts?" Luke asked.

"Hmm-hmm." Ellen agreed. "I had some there, so it seemed to make sense."

"Well, I have to say, they suit you. You can see all of your face now, and it's a lovely face. It's a shame to hide it behind those big frames." He leered at her then. "Besides, it's much easier to kiss you without the glasses in the way."

"Well, now you come to mention it, I can see your point." She giggled. "It's not something I ever had to consider before."

"Then you must have been raised in a convent then, because I can't believe you were walking around anywhere near your average red blooded males, and nobody tried to kiss you." Luke insisted.

"Maybe I was giving them all the brush off, waiting for my Prince Charming?" She teased.

"Nah, that can't be it. You let me kiss you." He grinned. "And I'm more like a frog than a Prince!"

"Is that so?" She reached up at kissed him softly on the cheek, whispering in his ear. "Well, Kermit was always my favourite Muppet!"

"I don't know whether to be insulted or thrilled!" He chuckled deeply.

"Be thrilled as you come and eat with me." She held out her hand as she sat at the table. "I've only got another forty minutes, then I'm back at work for another few hours."

They ate and chatted like they'd known each other for ever.

Luke told her a little about his friends, sticking to the funny stories, rather than the war stories. Ellen shared some of the stories about the holidays she'd been on with her father, which had led directly to her developing a love for languages.

The hour was up all too quickly.

"Do you think your boss would mind if I stayed until you finish?" Luke asked as they made their way back downstairs.

"If you want dessert, we can find you a free table for a while, or you can sit by the bar if you just want a drink." She nodded towards where the barman was pouring drinks. "You should expect to be grilled by Fran, wherever you sit. She'll probably ask you what your intentions are."

Luke smiled. He didn't mind fending off someone who obviously cared for Ellen, even if she wasn't actually family.

"How about I start with dessert at a table, and then move to the bar later?" Luke suggested.

"Sounds good." Ellen confirmed, steering him to an empty table for two.

And for the next few hours he did indeed sit and eat dessert, before heading to the bar for a few drinks. He stuck to soft drinks knowing he might have to drive later, and was glad he'd kept a clear head, as between Fran, G, and the two brothers who kept interrupting him, every man and his dog seemed to have a vested interest in Ellen's wellbeing.

Luke didn't mind at all, as at least it proved that she was cared about, and that these people would always have her back.

Luke would always have her back too. If he knew nothing else in life, he was certain of that.

Ellen was what his mum would call a 'keeper'!

He would just have to find a way to convince Ellen that he should be the one to do the keeping!

## Chapter 20 - Ellen

The rest of the night passed by in a blur, with Ellen acutely aware of the gorgeous giant of a man propping up the bar.

At various points during the night pretty much everyone on staff must have stopped to exchange a few words with him. The poor man must have felt like they were all checking him out, making sure that he was safe for Ellen to get involved with.

Fran had made no secret of her delight that Luke was spending time with Ellen, and she'd given Ellen a discreet thumbs-up when she'd passed her in the hallway.

Ellen couldn't help but giggle at how ludicrous the whole situation was.

Here she was, doing her utmost to remain 'invisible', dressing down at every opportunity to make herself as dowdy as possible. And then there was Luke, gorgeous dark silky hair, beautiful face, stunning eyes, and, oh God, a body made for sin.

Did nobody see the elephant in the room?

Luke was so far out of her league it was ridiculous. And yet here were her friends and colleagues mooching around, checking Luke out to see if he was good enough for her!

Ellen almost wanted to scream at the ridiculousness of the situation.

As the last diners left the restaurant, and the final few tables were cleaned and set for the next day, Ellen was finally able to leave. Suzy had left an hour earlier, as she usually did, so after shouting her goodbyes to her workmates, Ellen and Luke stepped out into the cold night air, and for the first time that evening, they were properly alone.

Ellen shivered and pulled her old coat tighter around her.

"Come on." Luke pulled her against him and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Let's get you into the car and get you warm."

"There's no point in moving your car." Ellen smiled up at him. "I only live just down there."

She pointed down the side street.

"Come on then, I'll walk you home." Luke turned her in the direction she pointed.

Not questioning his intentions, she simply enjoyed the warmth of his body pressed against her.

Sadly, it only took a few minutes to reach her door.

"This is me." Ellen pointed at the bright red front door.

"Do you have the whole house or a flat?" He asked, looking up at the house.

"Just the downstairs flat." She confirmed. "But it's pretty spacious. Two bedrooms, separate living room and kitchen. Why don't you come in and have a look around?"

The question was asked without any underlying motive, other than she didn't want to say goodnight to him yet.

Luke raised his eyebrow and stared down at her.

"Do you make a habit of asking men you hardly know into your flat at gone one o'clock in the morning?" He asked.

She smirked at him.

"No I don't, as you well know. But, I'm working on the basis that if you step out of line, all I'll have to do is moan to Suzy, and Matt will kick your ass all the way down and back up the M1."

Luke laughed. "Yeah, you're probably right. He'd do anything for that wildcat!"

"True." Ellen smiled at Luke. "So, do you reckon you can behave yourself if I let you in?"

Luke studied her intently, as if realising the unintentional double meaning in her words, and took both of her small hands in his much larger ones.

"I make no promises of behaving myself, but I do guarantee, that if you let me in, I'll never give you a reason to regret it." He smiled.

Ellen shook her head and grinned at him. "Then I consider myself suitably fore-warned."

She unlocked the door and led the way into her flat.

Ellen was normally a very tidy person, but she'd taken extra care tidying up this week, hoping that at some point over the weekend, Luke would be coming back with her.

As she gave him the guided tour, she could see that Luke was surprised and a little shocked at how well maintained her flat was.

"Was it decorated like this when you moved in?" Luke enquired.

Ellen let out a particularly unladylike snort.

"Hell, no!" She laughed. "It was a complete shithole. I've had to decorate every room. The landlord was a complete ass when I first moved in. I desperately needed a new kitchen and bathroom, but he reckoned he couldn't afford to do it. In the end, I threatened to report him to the authorities. When he came over to check them out, I don't think he'd actually been inside the flat for a year or two as the letting agent handled all the rentals. When he saw how bad the kitchen and bathroom actually were, especially compared to the bits of the flat that I'd already decorated, he agreed to replace everything. In return, I agreed to finish decorating, and keep the place tidy. Win-win."

Luke returned his attention to her from looking around the flat.

"You've really created a lovely space here." He looked at her with admiration. "It's homely, but it still manages to have bags of personality. You should be really proud of it."

Ellen's smile couldn't have been any wider.

"Can I get you a drink? Hot or cold?" Ellen asked.

Luke pulled a face looking down at his watch. "I really should get going. It's really late and you must be shattered."

"Where are you staying?" Ellen asked.

Luke blushed. Ok, so in his eagerness to get to Ellen, he'd maybe forgotten all about booking a hotel room.

"You don't have anywhere to go do you?" She smirked.

"I forgot." He admitted. "But it's Ok. I'll drive into Birmingham. The big chains will always have rooms for a walk in."

"No, Luke, don't be silly." Ellen fussed. "You're not driving around looking for a place to stay at this time of night. You can stay here."

Luke grinned.

"You may have two bedrooms, sweetheart, but I'm pretty sure I only saw a bed in one of them. And that sofa...." He nodded towards her little two-seater. "...is seriously not an option!"

"You're right, the sofa is NOT an option." She laughed, turning around as if she expected inspiration to jump out at her.

"Look, there's just the one bed, but it is a king-size, so we should both be able to fit without having to get squashed." She blushed again. "Maybe we could just talk, and snuggle until we fall asleep?"

"Snuggle?" Luke grinned at her. "In what alternate universe would you describe me as a snuggler?"

"Well!" Ellen put her hands on her hips, and did her best to give him the stink-eye. "How about you consider your options here, buddy? Snuggling with me, or fitting your gangly ass onto that sofa?"

Yeah, that was no choice.

"Ok, snuggling it is." He held his hands up in surrender, as Ellen turned to lead them both into her bedroom.

"Did you just say I had a gangly ass?"

Ellen chuckled, but didn't respond. He could just stew over that one.

## Chapter 21 - Ellen

While Ellen had taken a shower, and readied herself for bed, Luke had raced back to his car to retrieve his bags. From the sound of the engine and the door slamming before he re-entered her flat, he must have driven his car back, rather than leave it parked by the restaurant.

"Still driving that piece of shit car?" She smirked at him. "You could probably trade it in for something decent, y'know."

Luke grinned. She was probably always going to hate his BMW.

"At least part-exchange it for one with a decent sat-nav, and non-splashing wheels." Ellen persisted.

"Hmm-hmm." Luke was going to humour her. "And what sort of car do you think I should get instead?"

Ellen cocked her head to one side and looked him up and down.

"A Mini Cooper maybe? Ooh, ooh, I know...!" She clapped her hands excitedly. "One of the new VW Beatles! In lilac." She hopped up and down like a kid at Christmas.

"A VW Beatle! In lilac!" Luke grimaced and shook his head sadly. "Is that what comes to mind when you look at me? Girly cars?"

Ellen burst out laughing.

"Luke, when I look at you, I think Sherman Tank." She snorted in a most unladylike way. "Or, at the very least, a Humvee!"

Luke's ear to ear grin told her that he liked her estimation of him very much.

"Much better!" He laughed, looking for somewhere to drop his weekend bag.

"Come on," Ellen smiled. "You may as well dump it where you'll be sleeping."

Ellen led the way into the bedroom. "I sleep on this side usually." She pointed to the right side of the bed.

"Fine by me." Luke replied. "After the places I've slept in the military, the last thing I would complain about is which side of the bed you're giving me."

He dropped his bag in the corner, and she noticed him turn around to check what she was wearing.

Ellen had changed into pretty cotton pyjamas. Cute, but not meant to be sexy.

He pulled out a pair of baggy shorts from his bag, and held them up for her inspection.

"Ok if I sleep in these?" He asked.

Ellen blushed. "Sure, fine." She nearly choked out the words.

"Great." He looked down. "T-shirt on, or off?"

Ellen blushed even more. "Uh, whichever you like I guess."

"Ellen, I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable." Luke reassured her. "I'm used to sleeping in the buff at home, and in full cammo, including gun and Kevlar vest when I'm on operations, so I really don't mind wearing whatever makes you happy."

Ellen wished she had the nerve to tell him she'd be happiest if he was stark bollock naked!

"Off would be fine." She whispered.

"Ok." Luke agreed. "Turn around then, and no peeking." He motioned for her to turn around.

Ellen's jaw dropped. "What?"

"Hey, I would have been a gentleman if it had been the other way around." He smirked at her. "Or do you want me to put on a bit of a show for you?"

He grabbed the belt on his jeans, and started to pull it through the loop, swaying his hips.

"What? No! Idiot." Ellen giggled, turning away and started getting into bed, making a show of keeping her back to him while she took off her slippers, and put her watch on the bedside table.

All the while, her subconscious was kicking her for not taking him up on his offer. God, watching him strip would have been H.O.T!

When she finally slid into bed it was to see him moving to close the door and turn off the overhead light. She barely had time to glimpse his beautiful body when the room was plunged into darkness, save from the glimmer of a streetlight through the gap at the top of the curtains.

Luke slid into bed beside her, and for a minute, they lay side by side in silence, the sound of them breathing the only sound she could hear. Even to Ellen's ears, the sound was unnatural.

When he couldn't seem to stand it any longer, Luke blew out a big breath.

"Ok, this won't work!" He announced, turning his big body towards her.

"I might have promised to be good, but I can't just lie here all night without even holding you. Come here."

Luke took hold of her body, making sure he didn't touch her anywhere inappropriate, and pulled her towards him, cuddling her in beside him, his arms wrapped firmly around her, and her head against his chest.

God, he was solid!

Ellen didn't know what to do with her hands, and whilst she was tempted to lift her left leg and drape it over his, she really didn't think it would be appropriate. She settled for placing her hand gently on his chest, where she could feel his heartbeat.

"This is nice." She admitted.

Tears stung her eyes as she realised that the last time she had snuggled in bed with anyone, it had been with her mother before her death. Whilst her dad had been wonderful, he had been more for nurturing her mind. He wasn't really one for giving hugs as that had been her mum's domain.

Damn, she thought. Nobody should go without feeling this for more than twenty years.

"Is something wrong?" Luke asked, fully aware that she had tensed up.

Ellen explained the thought that had made her sad, and Luke instinctively pulled her closer.

"I'm sorry there was nobody to hold you." He whispered softly. "But I've got you now."

Ellen felt her muscles relax at his words. That was surely the most wondrous thing anybody had ever said to her.

"Thank you." She whispered back, feeling incredibly at ease.

They talked for a little while longer, and found they had some likes and dislikes in common. But when Ellen's words were coming out as no more than mumbles, Luke chuckled.

"Sleep, honey." Luke murmured against her hair, before kissing the top of her head. "I'll still be here when you wake up."

And for the first time in 3 years 4 months and 19 days, she closed her eyes and slept, dreamlessly and without fear.

## Chapter 22 - Ellen

As Ellen gradually drifted awake, she was suddenly aware of how warm she was. Unnaturally so.

Her next thought was that she was paralyzed, as when she tried to lift her arm, it wouldn't move.

Panic rolled through her, as she tried to remember anything that would explain where she was, and why she was hot and paralyzed!

Just as she was about to lift her head, she felt a squeezing around her waist.

"So soft." She heard a man's voice mumble in her ear.

Luke! She thought, suddenly overwhelmed with relief. Then a split second later, she realised that she needed to get to the bathroom. Not only did she desperately need to pee, but she'd gone to sleep with her brown contact lenses in, and her eyes were now seriously irritated.

She lifted his arm gently, and slid herself out from underneath.

When he murmured in protest, she whispered, "I just need the bathroom."

That seemed to appease him, and he rolled slightly away from her to let her out.

Once the bathroom door was closed she turned the light on. Gazing at herself in the mirror, she gently teased out one contact lens, then the other one. Her blue eyes shone out at her, despite the slight redness around her eyelashes.

She was going to have to get up really early to get them back in again before Luke saw her.

Luke! Ellen smiled at her reflection.

She had a HOT man in her bed. Oh, holy crap!

Ellen wasn't sure whether she wanted to race back to bed or hide in the bathroom all night.

Deciding that the bathroom floor was way too cold to sleep on, the bed option seemed to be the hands down winner.

She quickly used the toilet and washed her hands, making sure she turned off the light before she opened the door.

She could just about make out the large lump under the duvet, and as she got closer to the bed, she heard the unmistakable rustle of the bedclothes being moved back.

"Come here, gorgeous." His sleepy voice rumbled. "Missing you."

Ellen's heart was beating out of her chest as she climbed into bed.

Luke quickly gathered her up and pulled her close. Ellen snuggled in to his warmth, and when she felt his lips on her forehead, couldn't resist tilting her head up so that they touched her mouth.

Luke may have been sleepy, but it only took him a second to respond, and his lips moved to capture hers fully as he pulled her even closer.

Ellen didn't even think of protesting, and she relaxed into Luke as his warmth seeped into her. The way his lips moved was rhythmic, almost hypnotic, and she felt herself floating under the light pressure.

As the heat built, the kiss became more passionate, and Ellen felt Luke's hand slip lower to caress her bottom.

The trembling inside her was unmistakable, and for the first time in her life she knew what it was like to feel lust for another human being.

Her hands found their way around his neck, and she laced her fingers through his hair pulling him closer still.

Luke responded to her encouragement by rolling towards her, and splaying a leg across hers. As she angled her body towards him, his leg pushed between hers and she felt the roughness of his thighs press against her sex, her cotton pyjamas providing no barrier.

His lips never stopped. They caressed and cherished hers, leaving her breathless and wanting. When he finally broke away, leaving her panting, he simply let them glide along her neck to the pulse point, kissing the spot between her neck and her shoulder. He sucked gently and she gasped, the heat between her legs bursting into an inferno of wanting.

His hand slipped up under her shirt, and when he found her breast, her mind exploded with a hundred different feelings and emotions.

As he squeezed and caressed, her breathing became more ragged and when he finally reached her nipple and squeezed, gently twisting it, she almost cried out at the pleasure of it.

Suddenly his lips found hers again and the passion was unrestrained, Luke's tongue slipping into her mouth sliding alongside hers, teasing, caressing.

This was what it was like to make love to a man, Ellen thought, as she arched herself further into his touch.

No, not just a man. Luke. Her gorgeous, sexy beautiful Luke!

And it was making love, she knew instinctively.

Even though he wasn't inside her.... yet... she knew that this was a joining of two bodies through the most intimate and personal connection there was!

As his hand left her breast, she desperately wanted to tell him to put it back, but when she felt it glide across her stomach and slip under the waistband of her pyjamas, she almost convulsed.

Her eyes opened wide, but in the darkness she couldn't make out Luke's face. If she had ever entertained a thought about stopping him, it flew straight out the window when his hand slipped into her panties.

Oh, shit! Oh God! Don't stop! That was about as cohesive as her thoughts managed to get in the few seconds between his hand entering her panties and him cupping her sex gently.

Luke paused, as if trying to sense any objection from Ellen.

Hell, no! She wasn't going to stop this.

As she moved to press her pussy further into his hand, she felt the unmistakeable hardness of his erection grinding against her upper thigh. She swore she could feel it throbbing against her.

Ellen felt almost euphoric at the thought that she had caused this much arousal in Luke. She'd done this to him. Wasn't that just the most amazing thing?

In her wildest dreams, she had never imagined anything like this, and the more, new sensations Luke made her feel, the further she wanted him to take this.

The thought should probably have shocked her, but it didn't.

After long seconds, reassuring himself that she was Ok with what he was doing, Luke finally moved his hand.

At first it was a gentle caress along her outer lips, up and down, teasing and gentle, but when Ellen began to squirm under him, he gently parted her labia and slid one finger just inside her.

Again, it was just a gentle movement back and forth, until Ellen gradually became aware that his finger was becoming wetter and wetter with her juices.

Before she had a chance to be embarrassed, Luke slid his finger in a little further, just as his thumb brushed across her clitoris.

The shock of the exquisite feeling that swept through her had her arching her back, straining to get closer to him.

Luke responded in an instant, kissing her with absolute abandonment. Ellen didn't know whether to cry out or laugh, or pant or beg, so she kept on kissing him, sucking on his tongue as it plunged in and out of her mouth.

As his finger slid in another inch, he suddenly started rubbing his thumb across her clit faster and with a little more pressure, and it only took a few more seconds before she felt the heat sweep through her body.

Suddenly, her pelvis lifted as the euphoria of her orgasm crashed down on her, causing her to pull her lips away so she could gasp for breath and cry out all at once. The pulsing in her sex, the tingling in her breasts, and the weightlessness everywhere else left her gasping.

Luke never stopped, refusing to let her twist out of his grasp. He kept strumming her clit and pushing his finger in and out, rubbing all the nerves that had her clenching and unclenching her inner muscles.

"God, Luke, I can't... I can't....!" She just couldn't find the words.

"That's it baby." Luke soothed, his fingers and thumb never stopping. "Come for me, show me how good it feels."

Ellen couldn't do much more than moan, the orgasm still washing over and over her, her mind and body almost exhausted from the euphoria.

Eventually, Ellen managed to shake her head, and she moaned 'no more', as she tried to close her legs.

As if he sensed that she was just about done for the night, Luke moved his hand away, and she heard the unmistakable sound of him licking his fingers.

"Mmm, God you taste so good." He murmured.

Ellen thanked God and all the angels that the lights were off at that moment, as her skin heated again as she blushed bright crimson.

Luke chuckled as he leaned over to kiss her again, and she was surprised to find that the taste on his lips wasn't at all unpleasant.

When he made no attempt to take things further she was somewhat surprised, and when he pulled back and gathered her to his side, she was dumbfounded. Surely he didn't intend to go back to sleep?

"Don't you want to...." She didn't know how to finish the sentence. Would he think that she was offering to have sex with him?

Well, wasn't she?

"Shhh!" Luke murmured. "Stop thinking so hard."

"This weekend is all about firsts." He explained, his fingers running up and down her arm, leaving goose-bumps everywhere he touched.

"Tonight, I got to touch you for the first time, explore you for the first time, and give you what I'm guessing is your very first proper orgasm?"

Ellen almost smirked. Was there such a thing as an 'improper orgasm'?

She nodded, again glad that the darkness hid her embarrassment.

"So tomorrow, maybe we'll get to try some other firsts." He chuckled. "Maybe they'll involve a bed, maybe they won't. But it's all part of the getting to know you phase. Do you understand?"

Ellen nodded slowly.

"And Ellen?" Luke kissed the top of her head.

"Hmmm?" Ellen responded, already half-way back to sleep.

"I'm loving getting to know all of you." Luke hugged her closer.

"Me too." Ellen murmured. "Loving you. I'm loving getting to know you, I mean."

Luke smiled.

"Go to sleep, sweetheart." He whispered. "Dream happy dreams."

Ellen barely heard him as she let sleep take her.

## Chapter 23 - Luke

When Luke finally opened his eyes, the room was just showing signs of daylight as the sun peaked through the crack in the curtains.

Moving slowly so as not to wake the woman sleeping peacefully in his arms, he turned his head to see her better.

Ellen was curled right into him, her head tilted towards his, as if awaiting his kiss. She looked so innocent, so fragile.

Without a trace of make-up, he noticed her skin was perfect and unblemished, and her eyelashes were golden, several shades lighter than her brown hair.

He thought back to the night before, and marvelled at how warm and welcoming she had been. Her body was perfect. A slim waist, firm ass, and God, those breasts! Luke smirked as he recalled gliding his hands over them and how she had responded. They were perfection.

She was perfection!

After she'd come undone so beautifully in his arms, he'd had no doubt that had he continued she would have allowed him to take her virginity.

And he'd wanted to! His cock had been so damned hard and ready for her it had been difficult to hold back.

But he'd known how important it was to take baby steps with her.

She was a twenty-eight-year-old virgin, for God's sake! He didn't think she'd ever been kissed before him. No way had she been ready for everything he wanted to do to her and with her.

He had a gut feeling that she was going to be something special in his life, and the last thing he wanted to do was to push her away before he'd had the chance to show her how good they could be together.

The way she had responded to him last night was unlike any other woman he'd ever been with.

Nothing she had done had been false, or contrived to turn him on.

All her responses had been genuine reflections of the pleasure he had been giving her, and didn't that make his cock swell even harder at the memory.

Realising that he needed to do something about his morning wood before she awoke to find him on the verge of ravaging her, he slid carefully from beneath her, pushing his pillows under her head and arms to keep her warm and comfortable.

He slipped into the bathroom, quickly switching the shower on before dropping his shorts and boxers to the floor. The shower was warm, and Luke gave up any thought of turning it cold. It had been months since he'd been with a woman.

If he had any chance of making love to her tonight and making it good for her, he needed to take the edge off, and remove some of the pressure from his balls.

Soaping up his hand, he leaned a shoulder back against the shower wall. He let the water cascade over his chest as he took the length of his cock in his large hand. Closing his fingers around his impressive girth, he started to slide his hand firmly up and down. Now was not the moment to be gentle.

Thoughts of Ellen writhing beneath him flashed through his mind, remembering how she'd felt as he'd stoked her passion and brought her to the peak of pleasure.

It didn't take long for the tingling to start in the base of his spine.

While his hands knew the feel of her skin, her breasts, and her succulent pussy, tonight he wanted to see her naked, to adore her body wholly and without any barriers.

His free hand slipped beneath his sac and he gently tugged his balls as he increased the pace of his strokes.

The memory of Ellen finally coming undone for him was all it took for him to spurt hot jets of white cum in his hands. Over and over he stroked as his orgasm went on and on, his other hand dropping his balls as he staggered forward, and only just catching himself on the wall as he almost face-planted against the shower controls.

When his cock finally stopped jerking, he sagged to the floor of the shower to catch his breath. God, it had been years since he'd come like that!

Thank God, he'd done that in the shower and gotten it out of his system.

At least that gave him a better chance of giving Ellen the slow seduction she deserved for her first time.

When he was finally able to stand, Luke washed himself off, making sure that no remnants of his orgasm remained.

He dried himself and wandered back into the bedroom, smiling when he found Ellen in exactly the same position, cuddled up to the pillow.

Pulling some fresh underwear and clean jeans out of his bag, Luke made his way through to the kitchen in search of some caffeine.

He had some things he needed to get done today, unfortunately, so he wouldn't be able to spend much time here this morning.

Just as he contemplated taking Ellen a cup of coffee in bed, Luke heard the unmistakable sound of the bathroom door closing.

A minute later he heard the shower switch on, and his cock twitched yet again at the thought of joining her in there.

Too soon, boy! He smirked down at his cock, readjusting himself as he quickly reached semi hard.

He busied himself making coffee as he heard the sounds coming from the bathroom. Thank God, she had a proper coffee-maker and not just that instant crap.

One of the good things about being based on a joint camp in Afghanistan with the Americans, was that they always had a good pot of coffee brewing. Something the Brits tended to be crap at.

He liked a drink you could stand your spoon up in.

He liked to think there weren't many ways the Yanks beat the Brits, but happily conceded that coffee was one of them.

Early in his first tour, JT, already an experienced vet of several tours, had explained that there were some things the Brits did best, and some things the Yanks had the head-start on.

What mattered was that you made sure you buddied up with someone on the opposite side so you could trade and exchange to get the best of both sides.

Luke had proved very efficient at that, and on every base he'd been on, he'd had good friends on the American side, and particularly with the SF guys...the Rangers, and sometimes the Navy Seals.

JT and the other guys in his team had been equally successful in making connections, and this was standing them in good stead now since most of them had moved into the private sector.

JT had close links with a guy in Philadelphia who had started his own Security business about five years before. A former US Marine, Tucker had been headhunted out of the Corps by the CIA, but quickly realised that he didn't like the way that the organisation was leading the fight against terrorism. He'd gotten out and started his own business and had quickly become hugely successful, catering to clients up and down the Eastern Seaboard.

That connection was now paying off as Tuck was pushing any European business their way. JT was doing his best to foster the business connection, and had returned the favour by recommending that one of their major clients look to Tucker to take on their US security contract, particularly as cyber-security was quite a speciality of Tuck's team.

There were new contracts coming their way all the time, and they were now even considering the necessity of expansion.

Just as he considered where their future might lay, he heard the bathroom door open again, and looked up to see Ellen walk from the bedroom.

"Smelled the coffee, huh?" He grinned as she walked into the kitchen.

Dressed in a plain t-shirt and jeans, she still managed to stir his cock.

Leaning against the kitchen counter in an attempt to keep his libido under control, he enjoyed the way she blushed as she finally raised her eyes to meet his.

"Hard to miss." She smiled, stopping just inside the door.

"Come here, gorgeous." Luke held out a hand. Ellen was obviously nervous, and embarrassed about the night before, and he didn't want her to be. What had happened was wonderful, and he wanted to make sure she knew it.

Ellen didn't hesitate. She walked into his arms and wrapped herself around him, her face buried into his chest.

"Hey." He murmured, pulling back slightly so he could tilt her face up to his.

When her lips were close enough he leaned down to kiss her softly, nibbling gently on her lower lip.

When he finally pulled back, he smiled at how easily she'd melted into him.

"Last night was absolutely amazing." He gazed into her eyes.

"It was?" She sounded so unsure. "I mean it was...for me, I mean. But you didn't.... That couldn't have been comfortable for you."

Luke laughed, shaking his head. "I have had more comfortable sleeps, that's for sure."

"I'm sorry." Ellen blushed again.

"Don't be." Luke lifted her face again. "I wouldn't change one second of what we did last night. It was perfect! We're taking this slowly, remember?"

Ellen nodded.

"Thank you." She whispered. "For.... everything!"

Luke smirked. "Would it come across as being supremely smug if I said that it was my pleasure?"

Ellen grinned at him. "Just a little."

"Sorry!" He murmured, but Luke sounded anything but repentant.

"Come on, let's get some coffee." He turned to the pot as she reached into the fridge for some milk.

"I have to get over to Matt's soon. Work stuff." Luke sipped his coffee.

Ellen looked away. The thought uppermost in her mind was that his 'work' was some way connected to her through Hanson Road.

"That's fine." She smiled at him, glancing over her shoulder. "You said last week you'd be busy during the day. I have some stuff I need to do today anyway. Washing, cleaning, shopping. Really exciting stuff."

Luke grinned back at her. "A woman's work, huh?"

"Oof!" He was surprised at the speed with which she brought her elbow back into his ribs.

"Watch it mister." Ellen wagged a finger at him. "Comments like that will find you on latrine duty for a month. And no perks!"

Luke scowled, and stuck his bottom lip out.

"But I really like your... perks!" He pouted.

Ellen couldn't help the laugh that burst from her. Luke grinned back.

"You are so bad." She laughed, wagging her finger at him.

"Yep, and you love it." Luke caught her finger and put it in his mouth, biting and sucking gently.

Well, she couldn't argue with that!

## Chapter 24 - Ellen

By ten o'clock, Ellen was sitting in Suzy's living room, playing with Charlie on the floor.

Luke and Matt were due to head out, so as she and Suzy were due to go grocery shopping together, it made sense for him to drop her off.

Suzy just kept grinning at her, and Ellen just knew that as soon as the men left, she would be facing an inquisition.

After a few minutes and more caffeine, Luke came back in from the kitchen, and crouched down at her side, where he tickled Charlie under the chin.

"We're heading out now, sweetheart." He told her. "We'll probably be gone until this evening, so I'll head to the restaurant as soon as I'm done, Ok?"

Ellen nodded. "That's fine. I'm due to start work at five-thirty, so if you want to go back to the flat to change or anything, you can take my spare key."

As Ellen reached for her bag to retrieve the key, Luke stopped her.

"Are you sure you're Ok with that? I mean we've hardly known each other for five minutes."

Ellen snorted. "Luke, I think you know me better than my gynaecologist at this point, so I reckon it's fair to think I can trust you with the key to my flat." She grinned up at him. "What are you gonna do? Go through my underwear drawer and steal my panties?"

"Tempting as that might be..." Luke smirked at her, lowering his voice so that Matt and Suzy couldn't hear him. "...the next time I see your underwear, I'm hoping it'll be as I'm peeling you out of them."

Ellen blushed, and nodded slowly.

"Duly noted." She responded, the corners of her lips twitching.

As Luke grinned and leaned in to place a hard kiss on her lips, she didn't know who was more shocked, her or Suzy.

"Later, babe." Luke murmured, rising to his feet. "Ready?" He asked Matt.

"Uh, right, yeah!" Matt's face was a picture, as Luke led them to the door.

When the two men closed the door behind them, Suzy didn't even gripe about the fact that Matt had walked out the door without so much as a backward glance to her or Charlie.

Suzy gathered her now drowsy son out of Ellen's arms, and lay him down in his playpen, gently laying a blanket over him and tucking it in around him.

She was too keen to get in Ellen's business to find out what was going on.

"Ok!" Ellen held her hand up in front of her friend's face. "I'll give you three questions, but I retain the right to refuse to answer anything inappropriate."

"Shit, you're so mean!" Suzy moaned. "OK, so my first question is.... Did Luke spend the night with you... in your bed?"

Ellen was amazed! Suzy hadn't gone straight in with the sex question.

"Yes, next question." She responded solemnly.

"Wow, you tart!" Suzy giggled rolling on the floor laughing.

"Ok!" Suzy sat up and tried to appear serious. "So, did you have sex with him?"

And there it was! Ellen rolled her eyes. She knew Suzy wouldn't hold back for long.

"No." Ellen answered truthfully.

"What?" Suzy was completely shocked. "You had that utterly edible hunk of flesh in your bed all night and you didn't have sex with him? Are you freaking crazy?"

Ellen smirked. "Is that your third question?"

"What? No!" Suzy squealed. "Ok, my third question is... did you do anything remotely sexual last night?"

Ellen could feel the blush start at her chest and spread north, until the whole of her face was crimson.

"Oh God, you did!" Suzy giggled, before holding her hand up for a high five. "What a trollop!"

Ellen giggled, raising her hand to meet her friends.

"That's your third and final question missus. So, don't ask for any more details." Ellen smirked. "Suffice it to say, we fooled around a bit, not leading to sex, and it was very nice."

"Clothes on or off?" Suzy persisted.

"On." Ellen laughed. "And that's definitely all you're getting."

"Yeah, but I'm betting that won't be all you'll be getting." Suzy giggled.

Before Ellen had a chance to respond, Suzy put her hands up in the air, admitting defeat. "Ok, Ok. No more questions, or jokes at your expense. But just take it from me, Luke's a really good guy. Matt looks up to him like a big brother, and we both know it takes a lot to get Matt's respect. You could do a whole lot worse."

"Yeah." Ellen snorted. "And he could do a whole lot better."

"What?" Suzy was shocked and not a little indignant. "No bloody way, sister! YOU ARE BLOODY AWESOME! Why would you even think that?"

Ellen waved her hand at her own face and body, as if that was adequate explanation.

"Look at me Suzy." She sighed. "And look at Luke. He's gorgeous! And I'm, well, I'm just not."

"Ok, lady!" Suzy choked out. "First thing? You are gorgeous! You have beautiful skin, and pretty eyes, if you'd ever leave those damn glasses off long enough for people to see them. You have a gorgeous body! Hell, even Matt thought you had a great rack." Suzy smirked.

"He actually said that and he still has his balls?" Ellen couldn't believe it.

"He was trying to describe you to Luke before we set you two up, and those were his exact words. He qualified it by saying that it wasn't as awesome as my rack!" Suzy confirmed, giving the girls a jiggle. "Which is the ONLY reason he still has two nuts in his sac."

Ellen couldn't help but laugh at Suzy's smug expression.

"No doubt. And I agree. Your bazookas are pretty freaking awesome right now." Ellen conceded.

"I know." Suzy laughed. "Still, I sometimes wish it wasn't partly down to my little man sucking the life out of them at all times of the day and night."

"No, you'd rather it was your big man sucking the life out of them all day and night." Ellen rolled on the floor giggling, while still managing to hold her hand up for a high five.

"Ok." Suzy snorted. "I'll give you that one!"

"Come on, sister." Ellen stood up, holding her hand out to help Suzy up. "I need to get some shopping done, and then get home to do some washing and cleaning before I head into work tonight. I can't sit on my backside around here all day shooting the breeze with your lazy ass."

Suzy allowed herself to be pulled up.

"So, do you want to call into Ann Summers to pick up some sexy lingerie and sex toys?" Suzy laughed. "Maybe some handcuffs, a blindfold and a few paddles?"

Ellen almost choked on her tongue.

"Methinks someone has been reading too much mommy-porn again!"

Suzy's smirk said it all.

Ellen shook her head.

Suzy was the most outrageous, badass, ball-busting female she had ever known.

And she loved her to bits.

## Chapter 25 - Ellen

It was past two o'clock by the time Ellen got back home with her shopping.

She may not have gone to Ann Summers, but she did stop in the clothing department of the supermarket, and found some pretty decent sexy lingerie.

Not exactly Victoria's Secret, but a whole lot better that the stuff she had in her panty drawer.

When she'd put the groceries away, she took her 'extra' items into the bedroom, and having removed the tags, tried them on quickly to check that they looked Ok.

Her mirror confirmed that the bras and panties were a great fit, and she took them off quickly and placed them in her drawer. She'd change into them after work, when she got out of the shower.

She'd bought a set especially for work. Not too sexy, but in the event that Luke got carried away before she had a chance to have a shower later, she thought he'd be pretty pleased with the result.

As she reached down to pull fresh work clothes out of the bottom drawer, she had to nudge Luke's bag out of the way to get the drawer open.

As the bag slid, it gaped open, and a folder of papers slid out, spreading itself across the carpet.

"Shit!" Ellen knew this was part of the work that Luke was doing, and she certainly didn't want to snoop into his business.

However, as she gathered the papers together, one photograph came loose.

As Ellen picked it up and looked at it, the rest of the papers slipped from her hands.

The photo was of a crime scene, and in the centre, lay the body of a dead man, blood pooled around him.

She'd never really seen it from this angle, and she'd barely registered his face before he was shot, but she knew instantly whose body this was.

It was the man with the split eye. The man who'd saved her life.

Any thought that it had been a coincidence that Luke had the same eye flew straight out of the window.

They must be related, cousins at least...

Ellen felt her stomach roll, and lurched into the bathroom. Yanking up the toilet seat, she lost the entire contents of her stomach in less than ten seconds!

"No, no, no, no." Ellen couldn't believe her luck. Of all the people in the world she could meet and...what, fall in love with?

Maybe? She thought.

She all but crawled back to the bed. She had to get to the bottom of this. Why was he here, and did he know about her?

The fact that he had been looking into the occupants of Hanson Road was evidence enough that he knew something.

But did he know who she was? Was he using her? Starting an affair with her to get information from her?

No. Ellen didn't know much for certain, but she knew that there was no way Luke would have responded to her sexually, if he'd suspected her of being involved in Casey's death.

Ellen started flipping through the papers, and soon found what she was looking for.

The man in the photograph, Casey - the man who had saved her life, was Luke's bother.

Oh, God! They were twins! Casey and Luke Roberts.

Her stomach heaved again, but luckily, there was nothing left to come up.

As she scanned through the papers, she realised that whilst she still didn't think he knew who she was, the reality was that Luke had been searching for her for years.

When she came to a photo of her father, she nearly fainted.

It was taken during one of their summer holidays together, and her father was sitting pointing at the pyramids over his shoulder. In another one, she sat next to him, her fingers in a pinch position, pretending to be pinching the sphynx in the distance.

She knew these photos well. She should... she had put them in the frames herself, and the date and location of each photo was written on the back in her own neat hand-writing.

"Dad and Emma at the Sphynx. June 2004"

"Dad and Emma at the Pyramids. June 2004"

She had been just sixteen, and her father had taken her to Egypt for her birthday treat, as it fell within the Easter holidays.

Ellen looked at the photo and saw the girl she'd been then. Happy, carefree, loved.

She'd had no idea what her future would become then.

And her dad? She didn't have much idea what had happened to him since the night Casey had died. She'd spoken to him for only a minute or two, no more than six times in the last few years. Just long enough to establish that they were both still alive and well.

Ellen had gone through all of the stages usually associated with mourning. Disbelief, despair, anger, then acceptance.

She'd tried to blame her father for everything, but then come to accept that he'd just been a naive pawn in a much bigger game.

Had he been greedy? Probably. But then almost every penny he had went on his daughter's happiness, so if she wanted to blame anyone, then maybe she'd better start looking in the mirror.

How many times had she done the 'pretty please' routine to get him to buy her something she really could have lived without?

She might not have been a completely spoiled brat, but knowing her father couldn't ever refuse her anything, she hadn't really needed to try that hard.

So, was she to blame for her father's decisions?

God, she hoped not!

Noticing that the clock by the bed said it was nearly time for her to report for work, she gathered the documents together and slid them carefully back into Luke's bag.

She needed to think about what she should do with her new-found information.

She had spent a lot of years being invisible, and wasn't sure whether she wanted to give that up. Her choices were so limited.

She could refuse to see Luke anymore and go back to her invisibility.

She could pack up and run, and hope he didn't track her down.

Or she could tell the truth, and risk that he would turn her in to the police, or worse, that he would turn her over to Georgie.

None of the choices appealed to her as whichever way she jumped, the only certainty, was that she would end up without Luke.

## Chapter 26 - Luke

Just as he'd done the previous night, Luke slipped into the restaurant just as Ellen was serving a customer at the back of the room.

The hostess at the door recognised him straight away. 'Fran' it said on her name tag.

"Can't keep away from her, huh?" She smiled at him genuinely.

"Looks that way." He grinned back.

"Will you be dining tonight, or just making cow-eyes at our girl over there?"

Luke laughed.

"I was hoping to catch her on her break first, and then grab something to eat."

"Oh?" Fran seemed genuinely surprised. "Ellen took an early break this evening. She mustn't have known you were coming in."

Luke tried not to show his surprise. Of course she had known he was coming in. They'd discussed it.

"Then I guess I'll have a table and a menu, if that's Ok?" He smiled politely.

"No problem." Fran led the way to a quiet table for two.

Luke sat in the seat which gave him the best view of the restaurant, and also the best view of Ellen.

When he finally caught her eye, she gave him a small smile and a quick wave, before scurrying off toward the kitchen.

Odd, Luke thought, looking around. They were busy, but not fantastically so. And yet she managed to stop by several tables and exchange a few words with customers, whilst studiously avoiding his table.

Had she suddenly been overcome by a fit of embarrassment over what they had done the night before?

Luke supposed it was a possibility, but that didn't really make sense. He thought they'd pretty much ironed that flat this morning, before they'd left her place.

When one of the other waitresses came to serve him, he was even more surprised. He was almost certain that Fran had seated him in Ellen's area.

When he saw Fran and the boss, 'G' Ellen had called him, whispering, and looking between him, Ellen, and the other waitress, he was pretty sure something was going on.

For the life of him he couldn't work out what.

When she finally came close enough to him for him to reach out and grab her arm, he didn't hesitate.

"Hey." He said softly. "Is everything Ok?"

Ellen looked nervous, and barely made any eye contact with him at all.

"Yeah, good. Just really busy, y'know?" She replied quietly.

"Are you sure that's it? It doesn't seem as busy tonight as last night." He knew his observation was also an accusation.

Last night she'd been super busy but still found plenty of time for him. Tonight was the exact opposite.

Ellen was wringing the cloth in her hand as if she didn't know what to do with her fingers.

"Ellen? Talk to me, please?" Luke wrapped his big hand around her agitated fingers.

Ellen's eyes finally met his.

"We do need to talk." She said abruptly. "But not here and not now. Later, when we get home."

Ellen stopped, and Luke realised what she'd said. It was her home, not Luke's.

He could have sworn he saw tears in her eyes.

"I have to get back to work." Ellen pulled her fingers from his, and stepped away from him before he had a chance to react.

What the hell? Luke's chest tightened. Wasn't the 'We have to talk' line usually a prelude to 'I'm dumping your ass!'?

He couldn't believe that was what Ellen wanted to talk to him about, but what else could it be?

Had he come on too strong or too fast?

Shit, a week ago, he promised her that he'd be patient, and put no pressure on her. Then five days later, he'd had her half naked, his hand inside her panties, damn near killing her with a phenomenal orgasm!

Whilst he'd been patting himself on the back for that, what if she'd been having second thoughts?

God, he hoped not!

He ate his meal in lonely silence.

Fran had come up to chat with him once, when he was finishing his food, but he had the feeling she only did so out of pity.

"Why don't you go have a drink at the bar?" Fran suggested, smiling kindly. "Ellen will be off at twelve tonight."

Glancing at his watch, Luke noticed that it was already half past eleven. God, who knew time could fly when your stomach was in knots, and you feared your world was going to come to an end at any minute.

"Thanks, I will." Luke smiled back.

As he relocated to the bar, and sat on one of the high stools, he couldn't help notice that the barman was scowling at him.

He ordered his drink politely, but when the guy slammed the glass down in front of him, it was as much as Luke could do not to get up in his face.

He looked at the asshole's nametag.

"Do we have a problem here.... Gary?" Luke enquired, raising an eyebrow as he spoke.

Gary glared at him in return.

"Yeah, we have a problem." Gary spat at him. "Ellen's a nice girl, and she doesn't need a dick like you fucking with her head, pretending to be interested in her."

Luke almost laughed out loud. Jealousy? That was what this was about?

"Ok, so I agree that Ellen is a nice girl, but that's about the only accurate part of your statement." Luke took a sip of his drink before speaking quietly. "To correct the other points you made, firstly, contrary to your opinion, I am not a dick! In my time, I've been called many things. A bastard, a killer, and a mean mother-fucking bad-ass to name but a few. Take your pick or choose your own, but at least come up with something a damn side less pansy-ass than 'dick'!

Secondly, I am not 'fucking with her head', as you so crudely put it, nor am I pretending to be interested in her." Luke looked over at Ellen.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I am extremely interested in her. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that I'm actually fascinated by her. And if I'm going to be doing any fucking at all with Ellen, it's damn sure not gonna be her head I'm fucking!" Luke looked back at Gary, and seemed to grow six inches as he leaned over the bar-man.

"So why don't you keep your attention on your job and off my girl, and shove your opinion up that self-righteous ass of yours!"

"Here-here!" Luke swung around to see who the voice belonged to.

Gianni stood there smiling at Luke like he was royalty sitting at his bar.

"Gary! Get back to work and clear some tables." G didn't even look Gary's way.

"I think you're going to be good for our little Ellen." G smiled. "Very good indeed."

Luke smiled, conscious of the 'conversation' he and Ellen were going to be having later. "I hope so."

G looked towards Ellen who was busy scurrying around, never looking in Luke's direction.

"She's wary." G commented. "Scottish, yes? Like a little foal?"

Luke grinned. "Skittish, you mean?"

"Whatever." G brushed Luke's comment away. "Just be careful with her heart, hmm? I think it's been broken once already. You make sure you look after it properly."

Luke nodded, taking Gianni's words seriously.

"I will, I promise." And he meant every word!

## Chapter 27 - Ellen

Despite the fact that they'd barely exchanged twenty words since he'd seated himself at the bar, Luke was still waiting for her at midnight.

They walked back to her flat in silence, but within a few paces, Luke had taken hold of her hand, and she couldn't bring herself to pull away.

She needed his warmth, even if it was only going to be for a few minutes longer.

She opened her flat door and led the way in, barely registering Luke closing and deadlocking it behind him

She flicked on a few lamps in the living room, and kicked her shoes off in the corner.

When she turned, Luke was standing in the doorway, looking unsure whether to come in or turn around and leave.

"I know I said we have to talk." She began. "But I guess the truth of it is, I need to talk, and you need to listen."

Luke's heart dropped. Did this mean she was going to dump him already? Really? This was a first. A bloody horrible one.

"Ok." He said calmly. "So, should we sit?"

Ellen nodded, but when he sat on the sofa, she sat at the opposite end facing him, almost as far from him as she could get.

Luke waited patiently for her to start.

"It's a bit of a long story, so please be patient with me?" Ellen pleaded.

"Of course, I will." Luke reassured her.

"And I know it's a lot to ask, but will you please try not to hate me?"

Luke could see the tears in her eyes.

"Honey, I could...." Luke began.

"Luke, please, just promise me you'll try! No matter what I tell you." Ellen's tears were now streaming down her cheeks.

"I promise." Luke replied solemnly. He couldn't fathom what she could possibly be about to tell him, but he could see how much pain she was in just thinking about it.

"Ok." She whispered. "I told you already that my mum died when I was young and that it was just me and my dad after that?"

Without waiting for a response, she continued.

"I was so lucky to have my dad. He was wonderful. He took me on holidays abroad, encouraged me in my love of languages. When I wanted something he always made sure I had it. Until today, I would have argued with anyone who said I'd been a spoilt princess. But now I'm not so sure. He just gave me everything with so little fuss, I can't remember ever needing to throw a hissy fit."

Ellen sniffed and reached for a tissue.

"My dad also encouraged me to follow my dreams and go to University, so I did. I went to Oxford." Ellen glanced up at Luke, waiting for his reaction.

Sure enough, he raised his eyebrows, but he remained silent.

"I told you that I'd never finished my education. Well that was stretching the truth. I already had my Bachelors and my Master's degree and was due to start studying for my PhD when I dropped out."

Luke's jaw was un-mistakenly slack by now, but still he remained silent.

"My dad's business went under due to the recession, and he took a job with a guy in London. I just thought he was doing the same job for someone else as he had done for himself all those years. I guess I was too busy doing my own thing to pay much attention. I didn't give it another thought."

Ellen frowned.

"I guess that's more damning evidence that I really was a spoilt brat!"

Luke looked like he was about to argue, then changed his mind.

"Anyway, he'd worked for this guy for maybe two or three years, all the while funding me in university completing my Masters. He was so proud of me when I got it. The Dean at my college had already indicated that he saw me joining the faculty, so of course it seemed to us both that my future was assured."

Ellen stopped to blow her nose.

"The night I got my Masters, we were due to go out for a celebratory dinner. Just after he picked me up from my flat, he received a phone call. He said that we needed to make a quick stop along the way." She sniffed.

"When we stopped at his employer's house, I assumed that the call had come from his boss, but in hindsight I'm not so sure. I think someone must have instructed him to go there, not that it makes much difference now."

Ellen paused, then got up. "I need some water. Can I get you something?"

Luke shook his head.

He wasn't entirely sure where Ellen was going with this story, but he had a tingling sensation in his spine, one he had become familiar with during his years in the military. The one that told him when shit was about to get ugly!

Ellen returned with a glass of water. She sipped slowly, then set the glass down on the table.

"So, where was I? Oh yes. When we arrived at the house, dad let us in with his own key. He didn't want to leave me waiting in the car, so he took me in and told me to wait downstairs. I wandered into the sitting room, while he collected whatever it was he was there to pick up.

While he was upstairs, some other men came into the house. They bypassed the room I was in, and went into the kitchen."

Ellen took another sip. She hadn't looked at Luke once since she'd returned.

"I heard dad come downstairs, but he didn't come for me. He put his hand around the doorframe and turned off the light in the room I was in. I didn't understand why, immediately. I mean, he was hardly trying to be energy efficient! Then he went into the kitchen. I heard a bit of a row going on. Something about someone having gone to the police and informing on George, dad's employer."

Luke's stomach turned over, as he finally knew where this story was going.

"But before I could move, a man put his hand over my mouth and told me to keep still. He told me he was a policeman, and that he was going to save my dad. He made me hide behind the sofa. I thought he was my saviour." Ellen took another shaky breath.

She fell silent for a moment, and even though he was desperate to hear the end of the story, he didn't interrupt her thoughts.

"While I hid behind the sofa, he made his way to the kitchen, and I heard guns being fired. Maybe seven or eight shots? Then the door flew open and I saw him coming back for me.

Before he could reach me, another man appeared in the doorway and there were more shots.

My saviour turned, just as the first gunshot sounded, and managed to get a shot away which killed the man by the door, but in the process, he'd been shot several times."

Ellen's tears were falling harder now.

"He landed on the floor right in front of me, his eyes staring at me. He almost seemed to be smiling at me, as though he knew he'd done his job. That I would be safe. It only took seconds for me to realise that he'd died right there in front of me."

Ellen sobbed quietly for a minute or two.

Luke was speechless, his heart ripped to pieces with her words.

"I went into the kitchen where I found my father. He'd been shot several times. He told me to phone the police and an ambulance, and then to take the money that he had hidden in his car and get away. He told me never to come back.

Dad admitted that he'd been the informer, just as they'd said, and that he'd worked with the police to get evidence against Georgie. He confirmed that the man I'd thought of as my saviour, was really an undercover policeman."

If Luke thought his heart had been shredded before, now he was completely gutted as well!

Ellen looked up at him, and in that moment, he thought he'd never seen anyone more devastated or heartbroken in his life.

"The man's name was Casey." She whispered.

"My real name is Emma Thomas-Lansing, and I think you've been looking for me. I'm responsible for your brother's death."

## Chapter 28 - Luke

"What?" Luke was stunned. "How can you possibly think that way? You weren't the reason he was there."

"Maybe not, but if I hadn't been there, he wouldn't have been trying to protect me when he was shot." Ellen was sobbing again now. "If my father hadn't gotten involved with that man, none of this would have happened."

"Oh, honey!" Luke slid up to her and pulled her close. "You can't think like that. Casey lived his whole life by the seat of his pants. It was a miracle he wasn't killed while he was still in the military. It's just been eating away at me these last few years thinking that he'd died while doing something illegal. The police never acknowledged he'd been one of them."

"What? Really?" Ellen was appalled.

"Really!" Luke sighed. "I suppose it could have compromised their operation if they'd admitted it, even to Casey's family."

Luke pulled her closer still and she melted into him.

"So, you don't hate me?" She whispered into his chest.

Luke tilted her face up to look at him.

"Honey, I could never hate you. In fact, you telling me the truth, has brought me the first measure of comfort since Casey's death nearly three and a half years ago. I know my parents will feel the same way. I'm just so sorry you had to carry the guilt and pain all those years."

"Invisible!" She murmured.

"What?" Luke looked puzzled.

"I had to be invisible." She explained.

Luke nodded, finally understanding.

"I remembered that first time I saw you, you gave me the impression that you were trying to hide in plain sight, not wanting to be noticed by anyone. You were doing a stand-up job." Luke smiled. "I just can't understand why I didn't recognise you from your photos. After all the thousands of times I stared at them, I should have recognised you. Some sodding security specialist I am!"

"Probably because you were looking for a blue-eyed blonde." Ellen half-smiled.

"Wait, what?" Luke shifted to look at her more closely. "Your eyes...."

"Are contact lenses." Ellen confirmed, smiling nervously. "And the hair colour comes out of a bottle. Shit brown, I think it's called!"

"Take them out!" Luke instructed. "If I can't see your hair colour, I want to see your eyes."

Ellen sat up and reached up and took out one lens, then the other.

She rubbed her eyes softly before blinking and then finally looked at Luke.

"Fuck me!" Luke hissed. "So beautiful."

Ellen blushed.

"I can't believe you've hidden those beautiful eyes for so long. Hidden your beauty for so long." He breathed.

Ellen stared at him for a moment, revelling in her new reality.

Luke knew her secrets. He knew everything about her past, and he didn't hate her.

He thought she was beautiful.

God, how she loved this man!

Before she could think twice, she threw herself into his arms, and her lips found his in a ferocious kiss of need, relief, and maybe a touch of old-fashioned lust.

Luke didn't hesitate in his response. He gathered her up in his arms, and stood with her, their lips never parting.

He strode to her bedroom, and without turning on the light, he lowered her feet to the carpet, never breaking the kiss, still sliding his tongue alongside hers.

When he pulled back, he cupped her face in his hands.

"No more talking." His words met with no argument from Ellen. "I want to make love to you tonight. I want to show you how I feel about you, and what you do to me."

Ellen couldn't help the full body shudder caused by his words.

"I want to hear you scream my name when you come, and I want to be balls deep inside you when I come."

"Yes." She whispered. "Please?"

Luke smiled at her. "Pleasing you is all I want to do, sweetheart."

His hands found the bottom of her cardigan and lifted until he pulled it clear of her head.

Slowly undoing each of the buttons on her blouse, when it was fully opened to him, he pushed it back from her shoulders letting it slip to the floor.

He wasted no time leaning forward sucking on her neck and shoulders.

Ellen's hands found his waist and she gripped his shirt for dear life, her knees threatening to give way beneath her.

"I don't...." She gasped. "I can't...."

Luke pulled back instantly and studied her carefully.

"Sweetheart, do you want me to stop? I know I'm rushing you..."

"NO!" Ellen quickly took his face in her hands and gazed into his striking eyes.

"I don't want you to stop." She whispered. "But I'm out of my depth here. I have no idea what to do, and I don't want to disappoint you."

Luke put a finger on her lips to silence her.

"I love that you're innocent." Luke smiled at her. "And before you start worrying that I'm some pervert who likes defiling virgins, can I honestly say that I've never made love to a virgin before. This is new territory for me too."

Ellen couldn't help but snort in a very unladylike manner.

"I hardly think our levels of inexperience are equal."

Luke grinned at her.

"Maybe not, but I can't tell you how much being here with you, being allowed to be your first, humbles me and excites me."

"Really?" Ellen looked into his eyes, trying to find some sign that he wasn't being totally honest with her.

He gently took her hand, turned it and place it on his groin. There was no hiding how aroused he was, his cock doing it's damnedest to break free from his jeans.

"Does that leave you in any doubt?" His eyes crinkled with silent laughter.

Ellen moved her fingers slightly in timid exploration.

"I guess not." She smiled back at him.

"Ok, so if you keep moving your hand like that, I'm gonna blow like Old Faithful!" Luke warned. "And at this moment, that would not be a good thing."

Ellen pulled her hand back carefully, as if any movement might trigger his release.

"So, how about I do what I think will please you, and you tell me when you like something, or when you don't?" Luke suggested.

"What do I do?" Ellen asked.

"Anything you like, honey." Luke laughed. "If you want to touch me somewhere, that's fine, if you want me to touch you somewhere, that's fine too. If you want me to go faster, harder, softer, deeper, gentler, you just tell me or show me in any way you can. Ok? There isn't a right or wrong way, but there is good and bad."

Ellen knitted her brows together, waiting for him to continue.

"Sex is usually bad when two people don't communicate. If you don't tell me what feels good, how am I gonna learn what your body needs? Likewise, if you don't tell me what you don't like, I might keep doing it and totally kill your buzz."

Ellen nodded, finally understanding what he was trying to tell her.

"Ok. So, we're in this together, equally?" She glanced up at him.

Luke nodded, solemnly.

"So, if we are so equal.... how come one of us is half-dressed and the other one still has all their clothes on?" Ellen pondered.

Luke ran his gaze down her body, causing her skin to flush with heat. Then he reached for his shirt, and undid the top few buttons, before pulling the whole thing up and over his head. His t-shirt swiftly followed.

Ellen took a minute to admire the stunning muscles across his chest and down to his abs. That wasn't a six pack, it was at least an eight, maybe a ten-pack.

He didn't stop.

He pulled his belt through the buckle, and popped the buttons on his jeans. She could already see the bulge of his erection straining against his underwear.

Slowly, he pushed his jeans down his hips, and they pooled on the floor by his feet. He bent down to pull them off, slipping his socks and trainers off at the same time.

When he stood back up, he stepped slightly away from her so she could get a better view. All he was wearing now was a pair of black trunks, which clung lovingly to the straining erection contained within.

His chest had a small amount of dark hair, which thickened slightly as it reached his abs and trailed down in a V to his groin, where it disappeared into the trunks.

His powerful thighs and calves were covered with more of the same dark coarse hair, and her fingers itched to scrape up his legs to his sex.

When Ellen's eyes finally returned to Luke's face, she was surprised to see him studying her carefully. It must be obvious to him that she very much liked what she saw, but there was no grin or smirk on his face. The only expression on his face was hunger.

Ellen found the waistband of her jeans and undid first the button, and then the zipper.

As Luke had done, she pushed them down her legs and kicked them off, her socks and shoes already having been removed as soon as she entered the flat.

She knew she should feel embarrassed, standing in her underwear in front of a man she'd only met a few weeks ago, but she didn't.

In an act of utter bravery, she watched Luke's eyes dilate when she reached behind her to unfasten her bra.

As she dropped the bra to the floor, and returned her hands to her hips, she continued to watch Luke take a deep breath as she pushed her panties down her legs and stepped out of them.

Mirroring her own final movement, she watched as he carefully pushed his own underwear over his erection and off his hips, until he stood naked and proud in front of her.

He was utterly breath-taking!

She watched him inhale a deep breath, and as he exhaled, she heard him whisper, "Perfect!" just as he stepped towards her.

They reached for each other at the same time, Luke's hands capturing her face, as hers encircled his neck and gripped him fiercely.

When their lips met, Ellen could swear someone stole the bones right out of her legs, and it was all she could do to stay upright.

She hadn't been prepared for the sensation of having Luke's bare flesh touching hers, and she felt electrical currents zinging all over her body.

It took only seconds for them to find the mattress, and before she knew it, she was lying on her back, with Luke lying next to her, almost but not quite on top of her.

As he continued to suckle on her lips and tongue, his fingers traced patterns across her shoulders and down the swell of her breasts. The feather-light touch brought on a tingling in her pussy, and Ellen recognised the sensation from the previous night.

As Luke moved his head down to lick and suckle her nipples, she allowed her hands to roam over his shoulders and back. Every inch of him was packed with muscle, and she gloried in the way he shivered against her when she used her nails to scrape a path down his chest.

He liked that, Ellen surmised, barely containing a grin.

As he bit gently on her nipple, Ellen's back nearly came up off the bed.

She groaned as the pain/pleasure started her pussy walls clenching and tightening.

His mouth never left her nipples, as his hand trailed down across her stomach to her mound.

She wondered, absently, if she should have waxed down there as seemed to be the fashion, but as he swirled his fingers in the neatly trimmed blonde hair on her mound, the sound that came from him almost resembled a growl of appreciation.

Separating her lower lips, he ran his finger around the outside of her pussy, teasing the entrance without ever penetrating her.

Ellen gasped and arched her sex towards him, desperate for more contact.

"Easy, baby. We're taking this really slowly. Ok?" Luke's words were meant to be calming, but what he was doing to her was having the opposite effect.

"More!" Ellen gasped, alarmed at how desperate she sounded to her own ears. "I need more!"

"Do you need this?" Luke murmured, pressing his finger, now slick and coated with her juices, inside by an inch.

Ellen nodded, unable to speak.

Luke eased it out and swirled it around her entrance before sliding it in again, this time by about two inches.

Ellen nodded again, and groaned.

"Yes!" She hissed.

Luke repeated the movement over and over, still sucking on her engorged nipples as he did so. Each movement was different from the last, sometimes the penetration was shallow, sometimes deeper, but he never allowed her to get used to his movements.

Unknowingly, Ellen's hand had reached around Luke's neck, and she was gripping his hair for dear life. He doubted she even realised she was doing it, and whilst she was squirming in his arms, her body was soaring higher towards what he knew would be a magnificent orgasm. There was no way he was going to ask her to stop! If he ended up with a bald patch, it would be worth it.

When she started panting, he knew it was time to increase the stimulation.

He needed her to come at least once before he penetrated her, just to help ease her discomfort, and one finger was not going to stretch her.

He pulled his middle finger out and swirled two fingers around her juices. The next time he pushed in, it was the second finger that had Ellen crying out.

"Luke..." She gasped. "Oh God, Luke, yes, please, yes!"

Luke was certain Ellen had no idea what words were leaving her mouth.

He pulled his mouth from her nipple, replacing it with his free hand, as he slid down the bed, settling himself between her legs.

His fingers were still pumping into her pussy, changing speed and depth constantly and occasionally pulling out altogether to swirl around her entrance before plunging back in.

Ellen was on fire. Her limbs were stretched taut, and she could barely breathe she was wound so tightly.

Every time it seemed like she was on the verge of something, just as she was about to plummet over the edge, Luke would change what he was doing and she would be pulled back.

His fingers pinched her nipple, and he felt the corresponding gush of liquid seep from her pussy.

In the next second, he removed his fingers from her pussy only to replace them with his tongue, lapping at her juices.

Her groan drove him on, and when his thumb rubbed over her clit, he felt her explode, her orgasm crashing over her, as her pussy muscles clenched repeatedly, trying to get purchase on his intruding tongue.

Luke never stopped, his tongue and fingers continuing the assault, never letting her catch her breath.

His hand had left her nipple now, and he used the weight of his forearm across her hips to stop her bucking him off the bed.

She was groaning his name over and over, and as he continued to lap up her juices, his cock throbbed like a son-of-a-bitch!

He felt the moment when she started to come out the other side, and gradually eased the movements of his tongue and the pressure of his thumb on her clit.

As he crawled up her body, she reached for him and pulled him into a scorching kiss.

When they came up for air, she was looking him straight in the eye.

"I need you inside me." She whispered. "Now!"

Unable to refuse when his cock was primed and ready to blow, Luke reached down and retrieved his jeans from the floor.

Pulling a strip of condoms out of the back pocket, he ripped one off and threw the rest onto the bedside table.

Ellen watched him, her mouth hung open at seeing how many condoms he'd brought with him.

"Confident, much?" She grinned at him, watching as he tore open the packet, and quickly rolled it down over his engorged cock.

Luke shook his head.

"Hopeful, more like." He grinned. "What can I say? I was a boy Scout."

Ellen giggled and gave him a two-finger salute. "Dib, dib, dib"

Grinning back, Luke replied, "Dob, dob, dob!"

Moments later all grinning and fooling around came to end as Luke leaned over her and took her lips in a kiss of utter carnality.

He devoured her, sucking on her tongue, pushing his own tongue into her mouth as though he was fucking it slowly.

Any feeling of calm or stupor following her last orgasm quickly dissipated and she was soon arching her body into his again.

Seconds turned into minutes as he stoked the flames, and when he felt his cock at her entrance, he almost groaned with relief.

Slowly, he fed the head of his cock inside her, and she gasped at the stretch. He didn't push in, just held her there, kissing the bejesus out of her as he rocked them both so gently.

When he felt her roll her hips towards him, he pushed in a little further, then pulled out a little, rocking back and forth until she grew accustomed to his presence. She was so freaking tight he was genuinely afraid of hurting her.

Again, Ellen's movement told him when she was ready for more, and he gently pushed further in, stopping when his cock reached the barrier within.

When Luke looked up into Ellen's face, her eyes were wide open, staring back at him. She didn't seem to be in any discomfort, but he knew the next thrust was going to be the one, and he didn't want to hurt her at all.

Moving his arm, his fingers found her nipple, and he started pinching and twisting it, applying just the right pressure to have her moaning again.

Just as he pinched the nipple a bit harder, she gasped out and he thrust into her, pushing past the barrier in one big surge.

Ellen cried out, and Luke soothed her, his kiss and his fingers showing her every ounce of the tenderness he felt for her.

He knew it had hurt for a second, and he gave her time to get used to him, but as she gasped a few breaths, Luke started moving again.

Unrestricted now by having to be careful of hurting her, he could slide fully out of her before surging back in. Her juices were now fully coating his cock, and it took only a few more thrusts before he was filling her completely.

Ellen was breathless and panting now, the sensation of being completely filled coupled with the feel of his weight pressing her into the mattress only heightening her pleasure.

Luke was sliding into her in long powerful thrusts now, changing the pace and depth occasionally, but keeping up a good rhythm.

It felt so good, and when he propped himself on his knees and lifted her hips off the bed, the change of angle left her crying out with each thrust as his cock scraped over what he assumed must be her G-spot.

Every muscle in Luke's neck was straining, the veins standing out with the effort he was putting into every thrust, loving the feeling of her clamping down around his cock.

Just when he thought it couldn't get any better, she dug her nails into his back, and he started pounding into her for all he was worth.

He grabbed her leg and lifted it higher, and suddenly he felt the tip of his cock hitting the top of her channel.

He pumped, once, twice, three times, and Ellen detonated, juices gushing from her as she cried Luke's name over and over, her nails scoring into the skin on his back.

Luke pumped three more times, and released into her, groaning her name as the internal muscles of her pussy milked his seed right out of him.

He could feel the muscles in his arms straining and shaking as he struggled to keep his weight off her.

As their orgasms finally faded, Luke gently pulled out of her and collapsed at her side. His arm pulled her firmly to him, and he kissed her shoulder.

When they finally found the breath to speak, Luke lifted his head up to look her in the eye.

"Are you Ok?" He whispered, watching carefully for her response. "Did I hurt you?"

Ellen turned her head to look him directly in the eye.

"You didn't hurt me, Luke." She reassured him. "That was... I'm not sure if I have big enough words to describe it."

Ellen shook her head slowly, while Luke waited for her to gather herself.

"It was truly... life-changing, Luke." Ellen couldn't hold back the tears in her eyes.

"Hey, it's Ok." Luke whispered, reaching up to wipe her tears away.

Ellen choked out a laugh. "These are happy tears, Luke! I'm happy! I never believed making love could be like that. Maybe because I never thought I'd find someone I wanted to make love to. It was easier to believe it was all a lie. Oh, my God, I so have to apologize to Suzy! She always said it was this good and I never believed her."

Luke shook his head in disbelief. He'd been so worried that he'd been too rough and had spoiled it for her, and here she was claiming it was the best thing...ever!

Damn, he was good. He smirked at her.

"I think we need to clean up, and get some sleep. Your apology to Suzy can probably wait."

Ellen grinned at Luke.

"So, when can we do that again?" She batted her eyelashes at him.

"Hmm, maybe we need to leave that until tomorrow. I'm thinking you're going to be a little sore right about now." Luke guessed.

"Hmmph, nonsense." Ellen huffed, as she swung her legs out over the side of the bed. When she winced in pain, Luke realised he had guessed about right, and he swung her up into his arms.

"A nice bath and bed for you, young lady, and if you're really good, we can fool around some more before I leave tomorrow."

## Chapter 29 - Ellen

Ellen gradually awakened to the gentle but unmistakable stroking of fingers across her collarbone and down her arm.

Opening her eyes slowly, she lifted her head to find Luke lying next to her on his side, his head propped up on one hand, with his other making lazy swirls across her skin.

"Hi." She whispered, smiling up at him.

"Hi, yourself." He whispered back. "How're you feeling?"

Ellen did a quick body check, gently clenching the internal muscles in her sex. There was definitely a feeling of having been well used, but no way in hell was she going to admit that to Luke.

"Pretty great actually." She smirked. "Maybe like how I imagine a good work out at the gym would leave you."

"Hmmm. Is that so?" Luke grinned.

"And how about you? How are you feeling?" She asked nervously.

Luke looked down the length of his body, and she noticed his cock straining to burst free from the trunks he'd donned after their bath last night.

"Well, apart from the fact that my cock is about ready to explode, and throbbing like a son-of-a-bitch?" He laughed. "Pretty damn amazing. I'd kiss you if it wasn't for that whole morning breath thing."

The look of panic on Ellen's face was ridiculous as she slapped her hand over her mouth.

"I'm so sorry!" She squeaked, and turned to scramble off the bed.

Luke's big paw grabbed her arm as his guffaw reached her ears, and he dragged her back towards him.

"I was kidding, woman! Get your ass back over here and kiss me."

Luke gave her no chance to protest. His lips crashed onto hers the moment he'd pulled her close enough, and after a few seconds under his complete control, she gave up any pretence of trying to get away.

This man was a kissing God!

When he finally let her up for air, he grinned back at her.

"See, no morning breath. I kissed it out of you." He laughed.

"You are cruel!" Ellen complained.

"Nah, I just like going caveman on your ass, and dragging you back to bed." Luke was grinning ridiculously. "It worked really well too."

Ellen slapped his chest ineffectually, and giggled as he gathered her up, rolling onto his back and taking her with him, settling her on top of him.

"So..." She ventured. "What exactly are we doing today? Or are we staying here in bed all day?

Luke paused.

"I phoned JT this morning." He said quietly.

"What, this morning?" She glanced over at the clock. It was still only six-thirty. "You've phoned your boss already this morning?"

Luke smiled.

"JT isn't my boss, honey. We're business partners. JT, me, Matt, and Danny are all Directors of our own company. AC Security and Technology Services Ltd. JT was our Captain in the army. Our leader. He's one organised son-of-a-bitch, who has more contacts than anybody you ever met. Since he was the first one to leave the military, naturally he was the one to set everything up. But it was a joint vote that made him CEO. Beyond titles, and roles within the operation, everything is equal, including the money." Luke explained.

"So, what exactly is it that you do? You said security, but what exactly is that? It sounds like you run a team of night-club bouncers to me." Ellen grinned.

"Not quite." Luke grinned. "Although I suppose we could fall back on that if the other shit doesn't pan out."

Ellen tweaked his nipple.

"Ow, bully!" He complained. "Ok, so we do some physical stuff, protection, surveillance, stuff like that. But we also do cyber security as well. JT is un-bloody-believable on the computer, and works on company security systems, either working to protect them or finding out who hacked them, if they've already been attacked. We've hired a couple of top mini-geeks to work with him in London, and that side of the business is really taking off. Add to that some work that's been pushed our way by some American contacts, and this last year has been particularly stellar."

"What does the AC stand for? It's obviously not your initials."

"No, it stands for Alpha Company." Luke explained. "That was the unit we were all in when we were first put together as a team."

"And the company is successful, and makes you a lot of money?" She asked.

"More than we could have ever dreamed." Luke was understandably proud of their work so far.

"Hmmm!" Ellen frowned. "So, if you wanted to...."

Luke waited patiently, wondering where she was going with this line of thought.

"You could actually trade that piece of shit car in for something decent." She pointed out.

Luke pounced on her, having her flat on her back in seconds, tickling every spare inch he could find.

"Aww, don't hate on my car." He grinned. "She's my baby!"

"I thought I was your baby." She pouted, batting her eyelashes up at him. "Or is that something you call all the females in your life."

Luke gazed down at her, the smile on his face replaced by something she could only describe as adoration.

"My car is an inanimate object." He explained slowly. "No matter what I call her. Aside from my sainted mother, and JT's secretary Claire, and, I guess Suzy now too, you are the only female in my life."

"Please tell me, am I'm the only one of those you've made love to?" Ellen grinned.

Luke shook his head sadly.

"That statement is just wrong on so many levels, you do know that?" He pointed out.

She grinned at him.

"You haven't answered the question."

Luke sighed, as though beaten down.

"Yes, you're the only one on the list I've had any sort of intimate sexual contact with. Does that clarify to your satisfaction?"

Ellen looked so smug.

"Yup!" She smirked. "Don't worry, I'm not the jealous type. At least... I don't think I am. I guess I've never been tested on that front before."

"Well, hopefully you won't be tested in future either." Luke looked at her pointedly. "The most number of hook-ups I've ever had with the same person has been two. And most times the second time has just been coincidence that I've run into the same person twice. It happened sometimes when you were based somewhere for a few weeks or months. I've never had any desire to go for a hat-trick."

"Really?" Ellen asked. "Why not?"

Luke shrugged.

"Military life is hard. Most of the men end up divorced or separated, and I never fancied the idea of receiving a 'Dear John' letter just as I was about to go on a dangerous mission. I've seen it happen a time or two, and we've been lucky if the guy actually made it back alive." He grimaced.

Obviously bad memories there.

"Since then, I've been too busy getting the business off the ground, and trying to find out what happened to my brother."

"Is that why you've been staying up here? Looking for me?" Ellen asked quietly.

Luke's eyes widened as he realised that she'd just nailed it.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that, although, as we both know, I didn't know it was you."

Luke's eyes stared at her shrewdly for a moment.

"Tell me you don't believe that last night was as a result of finding out who you really were." He demanded.

Ellen wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek softly.

"I know it wasn't." She reassured him. "Last night was simply a progression from the night before, and neither of us had any idea on Friday that there was a connection between us."

"So how did you figure it out?" Luke asked.

Shit, she hadn't told him about seeing the papers.

"I was trying to get into the bottom drawer of my dresser in the bedroom, and had to nudge your bag out to get it open. As I did, the folder inside slid out and the photos fell onto the carpet. I recognised the photo of your brother lying on the carpet." Ellen breathed in deeply, trying to ignore the way her stomach was pitching and rolling again.

"I had to rush into the bathroom to be sick."

Luke hugged her closer.

"When I was able, I came back out and looked through the file. I'm sorry. I didn't go snooping through your things on purpose, honestly. You just hadn't zipped the bag closed and it fell out."

Luke was silent for a little while.

"Are you mad at me?" Ellen whispered.

"What? No!" Luke reassured her. "I'm the bloody moron who left them in there in the first place."

"Yeah, but if you hadn't, neither of us would be any the wiser, and we probably wouldn't be laying like this right now."

Luke nodded, realising the truth in her statement.

"So, what now?" Ellen was back to the original question. "What did JT have to say?"

Luke blew out a breath, not knowing how she was going to handle things.

"JT, Matt and Danny have been trying to help me get answers about my brother's death, ever since it happened. We've got a lot of dirt on Georgie, and we thought we knew what had happened to Casey, but without anyone to corroborate that he was working under-cover, nobody would listen to us. We have contacts at the Met, but they can't get the Crown Prosecution Service to charge George on the evidence that we've gathered, especially as there haven't been any eye witnesses to speak of. He's been charged with a number of crimes, racketeering, money-laundering and so on. But that's just the tip of the ice-berg. There is so much more. A lot of them are crimes which your father would probably have evidence of."

Ellen nodded to let him know that she was following his explanation.

"So, JT and Danny are coming up here this morning, to talk to you." He explained. "I've given them the potted version of what you told me, but I'd like you to tell them everything again, and leave nothing out, Ok? It's important that they hear it from you."

Ellen's eyes widened.

"You sound like I'm gonna have to give witness testimony or something." She said, sounding nervous.

Luke nodded. "Well, both of them are experts in interrogation!"

Ellen wasn't totally convinced he was joking, until he grinned at her.

"Asshole!" She punched him in the arm.

"Before we ask Matt to come over, I wanted to check with you whether Suzy knows anything. I wasn't sure what you had told her."

Ellen bit her lip.

"I've never really told Suzy anything about what happened that night, even though I've wanted to a thousand times. I just didn't want her involved. It was my mess, and there wasn't anything she could do about it. She knows I was running from something, because I've been constantly looking over my shoulder, but that's about it."

Luke nodded his understanding.

"So, you've never told anyone?" He asked.

Again, Ellen shook her head.

"G and Fran think I got out of an abusive relationship. I never told them that, but that's the conclusion they reached by themselves, and I never put them straight. Apart from them, all the staff that were there when I started have left now, mostly university students, only there for a year at a time. The only one who's been around nearly as long as me is Gary, the bartender. He started the week after me, so for all he knew, I might have worked there for years. I've never discussed it with him."

Luke's lips twitched. "That would be the same guy who was behind the bar yesterday?"

"Yeah, that's him. Why?" Ellen asked suspiciously.

"He tried to warn me away from you last night." Luke snorted. "Needless to say, I wasn't about to listen to him. I guessed he was simply an admirer, maybe a bit jealous."

"Psshht!" Ellen hissed. "Stalker is more like! He used to try and walk me home all the time, and when I refused, he started sneaking out a few minutes early, and strolling slowly up my street, waiting for me to catch up with him. Then he'd try and get me to invite him up for coffee. One time, he claimed to be desperate to use the toilet."

Luke's face had darkened. "Did you ever let him in?"

Ellen's face was a picture of righteous indignation.

"Do I have the words 'Stupid Bitch' inked to my forehead?" She asked testily.

"No! I never let him in here." She shuddered. "Too creepy! Anyway, not long after that, Suzy started at the restaurant, and we became good friends quite quickly. She told him to back the hell off, and thankfully, he did."

"How long has it been since he pestered you?" Luke asked.

Ellen had to think about that.

"Maybe, two years?" She estimated.

Luke nodded, seemingly appeased.

"Well if he gives you any shit again, just let me know, Ok?" Luke said gruffly.

"Awww shucks!" Ellen clasped her hands to her cheek, and looked up at him adoringly. "My hewo!"

A split second later, Ellen was flat on her back, Luke all but squashing her into the mattress.

"Taking the piss out of my chivalrous nature, huh?" He growled, the corner of his lips twitching. "I should put you over my knee and spank you for that insolence."

"Ooh, kinky!" She giggled. "And how do you know I won't like that?"

"I'm fairly sure I could make you like it." Luke grinned, leaving Ellen blushing at the image of him giving her an erotic spanking. If the tingling in her pussy was anything to go by, she was pretty sure she would love it.

"However, as JT and Danny were heading straight up here, with an ETA of......" He glanced at his watch. "...anytime in the next half an hour, I'm pretty sure that starting something we don't have time to finish properly will leave both of us frustrated, and not in the greatest frame of mind for the rest of the day."

Sighing and putting on her sad puppy face, Ellen looked up at him adoringly. "Oh, well. If we really **don't** have time...."

Luke grinned at her.

"And you said I'm the 'bad' one!"

## Chapter 30 - Luke

Luke helped Ellen tidy up the flat, although in all honesty, it was pretty much spotless already.

Ellen just seemed to be moving things from here to there as something to do, to keep her mind off the upcoming visit.

Matt had text to say he and Suzy would be over a soon as they could get Charlie to his grandmother's house.

Just as she was about to switch some ornaments around for the fourth time, Luke decided he'd had enough.

Slipping his arms around her waist from behind, he leaned down to nuzzle her neck.

She rolled her head to one side to give him better access.

"No hickey's Mister!" She scolded. "I have to work this week, and Fran will be in my face if I've got chomp marks all down my neck."

Luke's laughter burst out.

"Hickeys? What are we, in high school or something?"

"Are you kidding me?" Ellen laughed. "With the number of times Suzy has come into work with make-up on her neck, or a scarf covering up the evidence? In August! Christ, you'd think Matt never got fed at home!"

Luke snorted again.

"Honey, I promise you, if ever I'm tempted to give you a hickey, I'll make damn sure to leave it where nobody but me will ever see it."

As he spoke, his fingers teased the front of her shirt away from her chest, giving him a perfect view of her boobs.

"Somewhere down......" As his hand started to slide down inside her shirt, there was a loud knock at her front door.

"Shit! That asshole always did have crappy timing." He kissed her soundly on the cheek, before pulling his hand out slowly.

"I'll get it." Luke turned towards the door, while Ellen quickly straightened her blouse and tried to get her heart to stop pounding out of her chest.

A minute later, Luke came back into the living room, followed closely by two huge guys.

The first one was dressed in a really fancy suit. Probably Armani, she thought, although she wouldn't have known the difference between an Armani and a Hugo Boss. But whatever the label said, suits like that didn't come in that size off any rack she'd ever seen, so this was most definitely made to measure.

The guy behind was dressed casually, in a pair of those canvass trousers with a million pockets, for the guy that can't leave home without a ton of stuff. Paired with a black t-shirt and aviator sun-glasses, he looked pretty hot-stuff.

Luke smirked at her, knowing full well she was taking inventory.

Holding his hand out to her, he pulled her forward to make the introductions.

"Ellen, this asshole is JT, my former Captain in the military, and now partner in not-crime." Luke smirked.

JT shook Ellen's hand. "It's Jon Thornton, Ma'am, but JT does just as well." He smiled warmly at her.

Luke snorted, obviously annoyed by his friend's having turned on the charm.

"Pleased to meet you." Ellen smiled.

"And that dickhead is Danny!" Luke continued. "I wouldn't shake his hand if I were you. We didn't give him much time to shower this morning, and you don't wanna know where that hand was last night."

"Luke!" Ellen scolded him, as Danny burst out laughing.

"It's fine." Danny reassured her. "As it happens, my hand was somewhere inappropriate last night... several inappropriate places actually." He grinned at her, holding it out for inspection... "But I promise it's been washed since then."

Ellen couldn't help but smile as she shook his hand. "I'm glad to hear it."

Introductions over, the guys found seats, and Ellen went to get some beverages sorted out.

"You seem cosy here." Danny commented, barely managing to keep the grin off his face.

"And your point is....?" Luke raised an eyebrow.

"No point here, nuh-uh." Danny lifted his hands innocently. "Just saying."

JT punched him in the arm. "Don't bloody start! Shit, it's like dealing with a bunch of pre-schoolers. Do I have to make you stand in different corners and face the wall?"

Ellen laughed as she came into the room with a tray, having heard JT's comment.

"Do you have to do that often?" She asked sweetly. "Scold the naughty children?"

JT rolled his eyes at her. "More than you would ever believe." He admitted shaking his head.

"Somehow, I don't find that as surprising as you might expect." She smirked at Luke, who grinned back at her.

"What the hell is that?" Danny pointed at Luke's head, twirling his finger at it for emphasis.

"What?" Luke demanded, looking between Danny and Ellen.

"I believe, if I'm not mistaken..." JT leaned closer to Luke so he could get a better look. "Yep, I'm pretty sure it's a smile."

Danny burst out laughing.

"Thanks man." He bumped fists with JT. "I just had to be sure what I was looking at."

"Assholes!" Luke grumbled, still unable to keep the grin completely off his face.

"And that's surprising, why?" Ellen asked her visitors.

"Cos that son-of-a-bitch doesn't do...." There was more twirling finger-pointing at Luke's head. "......that!"

Ellen grinned as she realised what they meant. Luke was happy. And smiling!

Remembering back to when he'd first stepped inside the restaurant, Ellen realised just how much had changed in a few weeks.

"The first time he came into the restaurant, he was so rude and sullen, my boss gave him a nick-name." She grinned.

"Oh?" JT smiled. "Do tell?"

Ellen bit the inside of her cheek and tried not to grin.

Luke was glaring at her, his eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, um, she called him Mr Tall, Dark and Moody."

Danny bellowed with laughter as JT choked on his coffee. Even Luke looked amused.

"I'll bet it fit him perfectly." JT commented.

"Well, it kind of did back then." Ellen mused. "But I reckon she'll have to rethink it once she sees those dimples."

Luke blushed furiously.

"I do not have dimples!" he insisted.

"Hmm-hmm." Ellen agreed, trying to choke back her giggle.

Realising he was beaten, Luke scowled at them all.

"Oh, what-the-hell-ever." he growled. "Shall we get down to business?"

That pretty much sobered them up instantly.

Ellen sighed.

"Where do you want me to start?"

## Chapter 31 - Ellen

Before she had a chance to speak, another knock sounded at her door.

"That's probably Matt and Suzy." Luke murmured before going to let them in.

Suzy rushed in and ran straight up to Ellen to give her a hug. As she pulled back, Suzy stared at her, and her mouth formed a perfect O.

"Where did you get those bloody eyes?" She squeaked.

Ellen smiled sorrowfully.

"They're the ones I was born with. The brown ones were just contacts." She explained.

Suzy looked at Matt, then Luke, then JT, and finally back to Ellen.

"I was just about to tell JT and Danny my story, so if you want to know about my eyes and everything else, you'd better take a seat."

Suzy couldn't speak. She just nodded and let Matt lead her to the sofa where he sat down, pulling Suzy onto his lap.

"Just start at the beginning love. Your graduation night..." Luke took her cold hand in his warm ones, and guided her to the armchair. He seated himself on the floor at her feet, never letting go of her hand.

Ellen started to retell her story, trying to remember as much detail as she could.

Where Luke had been quiet when she'd told him, JT, Danny and Matt all threw questions in, and she did her best to answer every one as best she could.

The longer it took to tell the whole story, the more exhausted she became. She hated telling the part about how she'd met Casey, and how he'd ultimately died right in front of her.

Luke had tensed the second she'd mentioned him, and although he hadn't moved away or loosened his grip on her hand, she knew the anguish she was causing him with every word.

By the time she'd finished telling what had happened on the night Casey had died, she was wrung out.

When she looked up, Suzy was staring back at her, her face pale as a sheet, her eyes wide.

"Suze, I know you must think I've lied to you all these years, and I suppose by not telling you the truth I have. But I couldn't take the chance that you would be at risk just by knowing my story or my name. I'm so sorry! I hope you can forgive me, but I'll understand if you can't. Or if you feel you should keep Charlie away because I'm not safe to be around."

Tears were pouring down Ellen's cheeks.

Suzy shook her head vigorously, as if by doing so she would shake her thoughts into some kind of order.

"Your name?" Suzy looked puzzled. "You said I don't know your name?"

"No." Ellen shook her head. "My real name is Emma. Emma Thomas-Lansing. But I won't be going back to that, I don't think. Unless George and his men are all dead, I don't think it will ever be safe for me to go back."

Suzy nodded. Obviously, she was still processing.

Danny coughed to get her attention back.

"So, what do you know about George's organisation?" He asked.

"Absolutely nothing!" Ellen reaffirmed. "Everything I know I've told you, and all of it was learned that day. Before that, I didn't even know who my dad worked for. We never discussed his job, and he never brought work home when I was home from university."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry I can't help you further, but I honestly know nothing."

They all sat quietly for a little while, each of them processing the facts in their own way.

"There is one person who can help us though." Matt said, turning to Ellen and Luke.

Ellen raised an eyebrow, still unclear where he was going with this.

"Your father knows where all the bodies are buried...If you'll excuse the expression." He pointed out.

Ellen stayed silent. She'd feared that one day she would be called upon to give up his location. She'd thought it more likely that the information would be tortured out of her, but having it coaxed out of her by people she cared about, well one person at least, almost made it worse.

"He's the key to taking George down, even if he no longer has all the physical evidence." JT pointed out. "We already have loads of documentary evidence. What we don't have is the evidence and your father's witness testimony together as a package. We'll need that if we want to get George sent down for life."

"Ellen, you know what JT's saying is true. With your father's testimony, the case against him would be exponentially stronger than with only what we've got already." Luke squeezed her hand.

"Don't you think I don't understand that already?" She looked Luke straight in the eye. "But you're asking me to give up my father! His life won't be worth shit once he comes out in the open. Mine either!"

She stood up and paced the room, before looking back at Luke, still sitting on the floor.

"I know I owe your brother everything, Luke! I know it! And if I could trade places with him, I swear to you I'd do it in a heartbeat!"

She spun back to JT.

"But what you're asking me to do, virtually signs my father's death warrant! George's men will come for him, and this time they'll find him. They have moles everywhere. Even inside the police. Nowhere will be beyond their reach. The only reason we've stayed alive this long is because we've stayed completely off the grid." Ellen's voice was climbing, becoming more hysterical.

"Off the grid, off the internet...there's been virtually no electronic record of our existence for the last three and a half years."

She was gasping for breath now, sobs catching in her chest.

"I even walked around on a broken foot for six bloody months, all because I couldn't risk going to the hospital for an x-ray! I ate boxes of painkillers like they were sweets!" She sobbed.

"I kept telling you it was more than a sprain." Suzy broke in quietly.

Ellen nodded her head, but couldn't speak.

The men looked at each other silently, each of them well aware of what they were asking Ellen to do.

Danny spoke quietly.

"Your father is in West Wales, Ellen. We already know that much. We know the name of the village and we have a description of the cottage he's been living in. How long do you think it will take us to track him down?"

JT nodded. "And if we found him, how long do you think until someone else does?"

He shook his head slowly.

"At least if you help us do this... persuade him to testify.... We can make sure the police do everything they can to protect him until the trial, and until we can get Georgie and his men convicted."

"And then?" Ellen sniffed. "Assuming he stays alive that long?"

"Then," JT said quietly, "we give him a new identity and enough money so he can move abroad and live a comfortable life."

"And what about me? They'll come after me as well." Ellen pointed out. "They'll use me to silence my dad."

"Over my dead fucking body!" Luke growled. "You'll stay with me, and I'll keep you safe until this is all over. Then you can decide what you want to do."

Matt, Danny and JT nodded in unison.

Ellen was exhausted. Her shoulders slumped and her head hung down. She didn't know what to do.

Suzy climbed off Matt's lap, and took Ellen's hand.

"Come on." She gave Ellen a watery smile. "Girl time."

Suzy led her into the bedroom, climbed up on the bed, and patted the space next to her.

Ellen sat down, but before she could get out another word, the damn burst.

As Ellen crumpled into Suzy's arms, her friend gathered her close and hugged her for all she was worth.

"That's it, honey." Suzy soothed. "Get it all out. All the pain and fear... just flush it all away."

Ellen sobbed for what seemed like hours, but was probably only about twenty minutes. She didn't see Luke appear in the doorway, or see Suzy smile at him to let him know that everything would be Ok.

By the time she was able to breathe properly, she was a tear-stained, snotty mess.

As she sat up and started to straighten her hair, she realised she must look hideous.

"Here." Suzy pushed some tissues into her hand. "Clean yourself up, and we'll get you a nice cup of tea."

Ellen could have laughed. Tea was Suzy's answer to everything. Well, tea and Vodka. Ellen guessed it had been a toss-up which Suzy would go for.

"Are you and I.... are we Ok?" Ellen asked her friend hopefully.

"Oh Hun, we're fine." Suzy hugged her again. "I understand your decisions, even though I wished I'd have known and been able to help you more. But.... Bygones." Suzy grinned.

"Yeah. Bygones." Ellen echoed.

## Chapter 32 - Ellen

Ellen knew that eventually she would have to face Luke and his friends. Just like she knew what her answer would have to be. She just wanted to put it off for as long as possible.

"You can't stay in this room forever." Suzy teased.

"Are you sure about that?" Ellen smirked. "Can't we just barricade the door, binge on chocolate and watch my Friends DVD's?"

"You have a chocolate stash in here and you didn't mention it?" Suzy gasped.

Before Ellen could respond, Matt appeared at the door. "Come back and join us?" He asked gently.

Knowing she couldn't hide out any longer, she slid off the bed, Suzy following behind her.

Luke was sitting in the armchair now, and when his eyes met hers, she could see the sadness there. He was going to ask her to give her father up. It lifted her spirits just a little to know that he didn't seem all that happy about doing it.

When he held his hand out to her, she walked straight to him, and when he tugged her into his lap, she didn't hesitate.

"It's Ok." She reassured him. "I know I have to do this. It's the only way forward. The longer Georgie and his thugs are on the street, the more people they can hurt. We have to stop them. I have to help you stop them."

Luke nodded and held her tighter, but said nothing.

"How do you normally contact your father?" JT asked.

"I don't." Ellen replied. "I never have contacted him. I wouldn't know how."

"Then how do you stay in touch with him?" Danny asked.

"I wouldn't so much call it staying in touch, more like checking in." Ellen looked down at her hands, her fingers twisting together. "My dad rings me twice a year, on my Mother's birthday and their wedding anniversary, which are roughly six months apart, February and August. Always between midnight and one am. The calls never last more than ninety seconds, as he's paranoid that they're being traced."

Suzy gasped out loud.

"For God's sake, Ellen! He's your only living relative, and he can only spare you ninety seconds every six months?" She was appalled.

"It's not like that." Ellen protested. "If we stay on the phone any longer, the call can be traced. He's trying to keep me safe."

"Well the call was traced anyway." Suzy was outraged. "How else do you think Luke and the others were able to track you here?"

Ellen looked at Luke and then JT for confirmation.

JT nodded. "We haven't traced all your calls, but the first few, we managed to get a lead on."

"That was my fault." Ellen whispered. "I'd cry so much dad didn't want to hang up. He let the time run over ninety seconds."

Luke hugged her so tightly she had a feeling she'd be bruised later. But she didn't care. It felt so good to have someone hold her and reassure her. It had been so long!

"If we take you to the village where he's staying, will you help us find him?" JT asked.

Ellen's head shot up.

"What...When would you want to go?" She asked him.

"No time like the present." Danny answered first.

"No! I can't leave now. I have a job!" Ellen protested.

"Honey, when you leave here to go and get your father, you won't be coming back." Luke said quietly.

"What? No! I can't leave right now. It's only a week until Christmas! The restaurant is booked solid until the twenty-third of December. No way am I going to leave G and Fran in the lurch." Ellen was breathing so hard now. "Besides, if I am leaving, I have all my stuff to pack up, and I have to give notice to my landlord or I'll lose my Bond. It's six hundred pounds, and I'll need that to get another place."

Luke silently willed the other guys to say nothing about the money.

To them, six hundred pounds was nothing. These days, that was a boy's night out with a meal and a few drinks at a club.

To Ellen, who had nothing and nobody to fall back on, that was a few weeks hard-earned wages.

"That actually might work." Luke looked at JT. "If we sweep in now, we've got nowhere to stash them, and nothing in place for the next stage. Whereas, if we wait until next weekend, things will have ground to a halt for Christmas, and we'll be able to set up a safe-house or two, before going down to retrieve Ellen's dad."

He looked back down at Ellen.

"How much notice will G need to find a replacement?" He asked.

"After we close on the 23rd, G and Fran are flying back to Italy for two weeks to visit with Fran's family. If I tell him tomorrow, that will more than cover the fourteen days' notice I'm supposed to give."

Luke nodded. "And your rent?"

"I'm supposed to give a month's notice. I pay a month in advance, so I'm good until the end of the month, but I'll probably have to pay two more weeks rent just to get my Bond back."

"We'll cover your rent, Ellen." JT said quietly.

Before she could open her mouth to protest, Luke put a finger over her lips. "It's the least we can do." He assured her.

"Where will we go when we get my dad?" Ellen asked.

"We'll probably take you to one of the bigger cities." JT explained. "Possibly Cardiff or Bristol? Maybe up north? Manchester or Newcastle even? It's easier to hide in a city than in a small community."

"Are you sure about that? Dad and I have done Ok so far with small communities."

"Maybe so." Danny agreed. "But your luck was running out."

Ellen couldn't argue with that.

She looked at Suzy, realising for the first time that she was going to have to leave Suzy and Charlie behind.

"Nuh-uh lady!" Suzy must have been reading her mind. "You're not getting rid of me. I may not be allowed to go with you..." She glanced at Matt, just as the words "Hell, NO!" left his lips.

"But as soon as it's safe, we'll make sure we're close enough to see and talk to each other all the time. Right?" She looked up at Matt, pleadingly.

"Right!" Matt leaned down to kiss his wife, before looking over at Luke and Ellen and nodding.

"Ok." Luke sighed. "So, if you guys head back to the city and start making arrangements for safe-houses and transport, Ellen can get her notices in to her boss and her landlord. I'll have her moved out of here on Saturday, the 24th, we can all spend Christmas day with our families, and then I suggest we head down to West Wales on the 26th December. Ok?"

JT nodded, along with Danny and Matt.

"Sounds like a good plan." JT agreed.

"What about my packing?" Ellen asked. "I'm pretty much working from ten in the morning until midnight every day until the 23rd."

"That's Ok." Luke soothed her. "I'll take care of it for you. I'll go and get some packing boxes tomorrow, you can tell me what you want packed each day, and then I'll rent a van to move all your stuff on Saturday. Easy."

"But, you were going back tonight." Ellen protested.

"And now I'm staying here." Luke gave her a stern look.

"Right?" Luke said to JT.

"It still sounds like a good plan to me." JT smiled.

Luke rummaged around in his pocket before fishing out his car keys, which he threw to Danny.

"Drive my car back, would you? I'll be driving the van back." He smirked at Ellen. "Besides, someone thinks it's a piece of shit anyway."

Ellen smiled for the first time in hours.

"Really?" Danny was naturally gob-smacked. It was a three-month-old BMW X5 for God's sake! Top of the line and worth about sixty grand!

"Maybe I'd just better hang on to it then." Danny grinned.

"Yeah." Luke agreed, never taking his eyes off Ellen. "Maybe you better had."

## Chapter 33 - Luke

After the guys and Suzy left, Ellen deflated like a slowly leaking balloon. Luke watched the adrenalin drain out of her.

Instead of talking, he picked her up, and took her back to bed. He didn't bother undressing either of them, just slipped their shoes off, and lay down, hugging Ellen close and pulling the comforter over the top of them.

"What if he's angry with me?" Ellen whispered into Luke's neck.

"What if he's made a new life for himself and doesn't want me to be a part of it anymore?"

"Is that what you think?" Luke leaned away from her so he could look down into her face. "That he doesn't want you anymore?"

Ellen shrugged her shoulders.

"I used to think this separation would be temporary. Give it a year or so, and then he'd tell me we could be together again." She sighed. "But he never did, even though I asked every time. And then about three phone calls ago, I could have sworn I heard a woman's voice in the background, and the sound of him shushing her. When I asked him who was there, he said it was just the TV. Before I had time to say anything else, the call was over. I cried all night."

Luke pulled her as close as he could, his hand lovingly caressing her back.

"Would it bother you if he found someone else?" Luke asked quietly.

"NO! God, no." Ellen was adamant. "Not if I thought he was replacing mum. He's been alone for twenty years."

Luke felt her tears land on his shoulder, and stayed silent.

"It's just that... I get the feeling that it's not mum he's replaced. It's me!"

Ellen turned her head into his neck and wept quietly.

Luke didn't know what to say. He could reassure her that her father would never do that, but what if it was true? What if they got down to West Wales next weekend and found him shacked up with some woman?

Ellen had been living a virtually solitary life for three and a half years. She had a few work colleagues, but only one real friend in Suzy, and even then, Ellen hadn't felt safe enough to share her secrets.

How would he have managed bottling up his emotions over Casey all that time?

He wouldn't, was the short answer.

He had blown up a time or two since the night he'd lost his dinner all over the comms room floor. JT would take him to the gun range so he could let off some steam. Or the boys would take him to the basketball courts so he could take them on in a bit of one-on-three basketball.

They'd all come off court with a shed load of bruises, and a black eye a time or two as well.

He couldn't imagine getting through the horror without being able to talk to anyone.

How could her father have done that to her? Fucking prick! Luke thought.

An idea struck him.

"Do you have anything nice to wear?" He asked her.

"What?" Ellen looked up at him and sniffed, obviously confused.

"I'm talking about clothes." Luke smirked. "I know you have a penchant for sweats and hoodies. But do you have anything decent? Enough nice clothes for say... two days?"

"Not really. I've only got what you've seen." Ellen responded.

"Ok." Luke had a plan. "So, tomorrow morning, we'll head out really early and be at the shops when they open at eight, and we'll get you some new clothes. We'll get you some new jeans, tops, trousers, and maybe a nice dress. Oh, and some decent shoes. You can't wear flats or trainers all the time."

Ellen shook her head.

"What on earth do I need new clothes for?" She asked.

"Because, my beautiful girl, you are done with being invisible!" Luke announced. "When we leave here next weekend, you can shed your 'invisibility cloak'. You'll be coming home with me, and then visiting with my parents for Christmas day. I want them to see how utterly beautiful you are."

"Luke, I can't....! Casey..." Ellen stopped, not willing to say the words.

"Casey, and more specifically, Casey's death, was nothing to do with you." Luke insisted. "And I never want to hear you say anything like it again. If anything, I think it was fate! Casey helped keep you alive so that we could meet."

Ellen looked into Luke's eyes, her own flooded with tears. "Do you really think so?" She whispered.

"Yeah, I really do." Luke smiled at her. "Casey had more women than you could shake a stick at, but he wasn't really a 'wham, bam, thank you, mam' kind of guy. Even if it was a one-night stand, he still romanced them. Wine, dinner, dancing, then...well you get the idea. If he'd thought it even remotely possible that I'd meet and fall in love with you, without a doubt he'd have given his life to keep you safe."

Ellen didn't breathe! Did he realise what he'd just said?

After a few minutes of silence, Luke breathed out heavily.

"I'm sorry!" He whispered.

"Why?" Ellen asked, looking up at him, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"I promised myself I wouldn't rush you or put pressure on you." He sighed, "Then what do I do? I molest you one night, ravage you the next, and when you're pouring your heart out to me about your father, I go and blurt out some heavy feeling stuff."

Luke shook his head in frustration.

"I'm a stupid asshole!"

Ellen turned in his arms and leaned on his chest looking up at him.

"Heavy feeling stuff?" She smirked.

Luke blushed, not knowing what to say.

"So, you love me?" She whispered.

Luke nodded solemnly.

"That's good." She smiled before laying her head back on his chest.

"Because I think it's fair to say I've fallen head over heels in love with you." She said quietly, not moving her face from his chest.

If Luke's arms hadn't tightened around her for just a split second, she wouldn't have been sure he had even heard her.

"Well, Ok, then." He replied, his voice sounding unmistakably choked with emotion.

They both drifted off to sleep shortly afterwards, and it was evening by the time they awoke.

Ellen made them something to eat, while Luke sent a few e-mails and called his mother to let her know they would be having an extra guest to Christmas dinner.

She wasn't sure how her father would have reacted under the same circumstances, but Luke's mother seemed delighted from what she could hear from Luke's side of the conversation.

Ellen wondered how pleased she would still be when she discovered her part in Casey's death.

She shook her head. There was no point in borrowing trouble!

Ellen got her clothes ready for the next day, both for shopping and for work, and even ironed some clothes from Luke's bag for him to wear. She insisted on putting some of his dirty clothes in the wash, so at least he'd have enough to wear during the week.

They had agreed that she would continue to wear her brown contact lenses this week. There was no point in anyone here finding out that she was anyone other than who they thought her to be.

She was going to tell G and Fran that after a whirlwind romance, she was going to live with Luke in London. It wasn't so unbelievable, seeing that they'd already seen first-hand how smitten he was with her. They might try and talk her out of it, but they'd give in eventually and wish her well.

By bedtime, she had listed all the things she wanted to take, those things that could go to the charity shop, and what could go out as rubbish.

Luke would get a start on things as soon as she went to work tomorrow.

By the time they undressed and crawled into bed, Ellen had finally accepted that her life was going to change irrevocably, once again.

Only this time, she wouldn't be entirely alone.

When Luke took her into his arms, he kissed her lovingly, his hand palming her face as he licked and nibbled her lips.

Eventually, his lips drifted down to her breasts, and he licked and tongued her nipples until they were taught bundles of nerves, eager for more stimulation.

Luke's hand smoothed across her flat stomach, and across her pussy, his palm stopping to lightly roam across her clit.

Ellen's sex clenched as he did so, but his fingers were already there, rubbing across her entrance, gathering up her juices.

Wasting little time, Luke spread her legs, and slid one finger inside her. Ellen's gasp was the only sound in the room.

Instead of thrusting his finger in and out, he swirled it around inside, almost searching for the bundle of nerves that would send her rocketing.

Her soft pants were the first sign that he had found her G-spot, and Luke continued to rub gently, making her achy and desperate for more stimulation.

Just when she thought she'd have to beg, he pulled his finger out altogether, quickly reaching for a condom.

Seconds later he was braced over the top of her, the tip of his cock just penetrating her vagina. Taking her hands in his he pulled them up over her head, where he pinned them to the pillow.

The feeling of him taking control of her body was so erotic, that her response was to surrender herself to him completely, spreading her legs wider to help ease his entry.

Luke took her lips again in a ferocious kiss, and as his tongue surged into her mouth, he thrust forward, his cock penetrating deep into her pussy.

Luke's lips, locked fast with hers, prevented her from taking the deep breath she needed, and for a few seconds, she felt light-headed, a dizzy euphoria overtaking her brain.

When he finally broke contact so they could breathe again, the rush of oxygen left Ellen feeling spaced out.

Was this what it felt like to be high on drugs, she wondered?

Luke surged into her again, his long cock hitting her cervix. God, he was filling her completely!

Each thrust was sending waves of excitement through her, and when he glided out, her pussy clamped down, hating being empty, desperate for him to fill her up again.

Luke's own passion was increasing by the minute, and Ellen could tell he was getting close himself. When he released one of her hands to reach down and pet her clit, she cried out, words that made no sense, but seemed to be understandable to Luke, as he increased both the tempo of his surges, and the pressure on her clit.

Two more thrusts and she exploded in ecstasy, her hips lifting and her free hand gripping his shoulder, leaving nail marks scoring his skin.

Luke desperately held off his orgasm, wanting to wring as much pleasure from Ellen as he could.

As she finally crested the wave, and started the slow descent to reality, she cupped his face in her hand and kissed him, as he continued to thrust into her slowly and deeply.

"I love you!" She whispered.

That was all it took. Luke's balls exploded and his seed detonated out of his cock, filling the condom completely.

He groaned into her shoulder, and kept thrusting, his orgasm washing over him again and again.

Ellen rocked her pelvis into him, helping elongate the orgasm like nothing he'd ever experienced.

When he finally slumped onto the mattress, he was utterly spent.

"My God, you've broken me!" Luke groaned.

Ellen couldn't help but smile. Less than a day since she'd lost her virginity to this man, and already she'd managed to ruin him.

"Well, I don't know!" She murmured into his ear. "A big strapping soldier like you? I never had you down for a 'once and done' man."

Luke lifted his head and turned to her, the look on his face priceless!

"I'll give you 'once and done'." He protested, rolling over onto his back. "Just give me five minutes to recover."

Ellen lifted her head and looked down at his flaccid cock, still sheathed in the used condom.

"Hmmm." She grinned. "Better make it ten."

Luke growled at her, but didn't move.

But if Ellen thought that he was done for the night, then she'd been in for a big surprise!

By the time morning came around, they'd made love four times altogether. Each time was different, but all of them ended with rocking climaxes and words of love between them.

Ellen couldn't think of when she'd ever been this happy.

Sleep had claimed them eventually, as she knew it had to. But her dreams for once, were happy and pleasant, and when she woke, she felt more contentment than she'd ever known.

## Chapter 34 - Georgie

As George Drayton examined the end of his cigar before setting it to the flame from his lighter, he tried to ignore the intermittent noise coming from the open space outside his office. He closed the door, trying to block out the dull noises coming from beyond.

"Doof, doof, doof."

"Doof, doof, doof."

It was getting monotonous.

He'd give it five more minutes, then go down and change things up a bit.

This wasn't his uptown office, the one just along from the Gherkin in the City of London. The one where he met all of his financial clients, and from where he did multi-million pound deals nearly every week.

No this was his other 'office', in a disused warehouse in South London.

It was from this office that all of his other business deals were done. 'Imports' was his secondary business. Mainly cannabis, occasionally cocaine, and even alcohol and tobacco if the prices were right and the loads were big enough. Not that the actual goods came through here. This was more of a base of operations.

George didn't dabble. He wasn't interested in what you could smuggle in the back of a van. Unless it was loaded with cash!

No, George had goods imported by the container, or by yacht, or private plane. Whatever was available to him.

He was well organised, well-funded, thanks to his legitimate business, and had a crew working for him who were well drilled, well paid and bloody loyal to a fault.

Whilst he loved his uptown business, loved making money and impressing his clients, it was his side business ventures that stirred his blood and made his cock hard.

Take today for example. He'd spent the morning in the City, signing off on a deal that would clear him a cool £5m for say, two month's work by one of his teams.

Easy money!

It had given him quite a buzz.

But this afternoon, his boys had gone out and rounded up a few dealers on his payroll who he suspected of dipping into the supply chain, and helping themselves to some of his profit.

They were at that very moment being worked over out in the delivery bay by a few of George's guys.

Now that got his dick hard!

Once they'd been worked over so that their own mothers wouldn't know them, he would go and have a little chat with them. He'd get them to confess to how much they'd stolen, how many other people were involved, and what they'd done with his 'product'.

For that information, he would promise to go easy on them.

Yeah, he'd put a fucking bullet in them! That was about as easy as George got these days.

And if they didn't give him the information, he'd pull out his old faithful, a four-inch scythe shaped blade with a carved wooden handle. Perfect for cutting a man's Achilles tendon to make sure he couldn't walk or run.

It also worked equally well when slitting a man's throat, the curve of the blade making it so easy you didn't even have to adjust your grip as you cut from ear to ear.

That was his 'signature move', if that term could be applied to how you killed a person.

He didn't mind either way really. The gun was a bit cleaner, well for him at least. There was less chance that he'd mess up his suit.

But when it came to delivering a message that would filter throughout his empire, the knife was definitely the way to go.

Still, he always gave them the choice, and never went off half-cocked before they'd had the opportunity to confess.

He'd found with both his business ventures that you got the best out of your people by being consistent in your approach to all things.

Never promise a reward and not follow through. If they've earned it, they get it!

Never threaten a punishment you don't deliver. Georgie never let someone off a punishment they were expecting, as it sent the wrong message to the next person who thought to cross you.

People knew where they stood with him, and they respected him for it.

George stood up to look out of the dirty glass window of his office, to judge how far along his boys were with the two guests they had down in the bay.

The men were strung up by their arms, which had been pulled up backwards rather than in front of them. This left their shoulders sticking out at odd angles, but meant that their faces were in a better position to be hit. It also caused a hell of a lot more pain to the joints!

George smirked as he opened the door to go join in the fun. God, but his men were good at this!

As his foot hit the bottom step, he looked towards the two blood-covered masses hanging from ropes in the bay.

"Well, gents?" He turned to Mickey and Dunne, his 'enforcers'.

"Have our friends been helpful today?" He asked, slowly walking around, enjoying the sight before him.

Mickey smirked. "You know boss, they really have."

Dunne laughed. "Yeah, they've told us how much product they stole from you, who they dealt to, and where the money is. Now how's that for being hospitable?"

George shook his head sadly. "Have we recovered the money?"

Mickey nodded over towards a bag on the table. There was probably around twenty grand inside it.

"It's all there." He confirmed.

"And did you make them the usual offer?"

"We did." Mickey nodded. "They both liked the 'going easy on them' option."

Dunne laughed harder.

"Oh well, I guess the clean-up will be quicker.

Just as George reached inside his jacket for the piece he had tucked into his belt under his jacket, his phone rang loudly.

A man's voice started singing the opening lines from one of his favourite Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals, Joseph and his Technicolour Dream-coat.

Mickey and Dunne sniggered.

Georgie could be a ruthless killer, and the meanest mother-fucker on the planet, but he'd assigned jingles from musicals to every damned person in his phone directory.

With his gun in his right hand, he juggled to hit the answer button on his phone with his left.

"Gary." He smiled. "You haven't checked in for a while. I was beginning to think you liked it 'Up North' more than you let on."

George's attempt at a Yorkshire accent was appalling, and had Mickey and Dunne cracking up.

"For God's sake, dad!" Gary exhaled. "I'm just outside Birmingham, not wandering about on the Yorkshire Moors."

"Ah well, you know me." George laughed. "Anything north of the M25 is, well, so provincial."

Gary blew out a breath. "So, do you want to know why I've rung?"

"To wish me happy birthday?" George asked sarcastically. "No, that was last week!"

"Yeah, whatever."

George could hear his son's embarrassment.

"No. I phoned to tell you that there's finally some movement at this end."

"What?"

And didn't that knock the wind out of old Georgie's sales!

"Yeah. The bitch has quit her job and is moving away."

"What?" Georgie roared. "Where the hell is she going?"

"Not sure yet, so calm the shit down before you have a stroke!" Gary shouted back.

"Look, she came in on Monday and quit her job. Said she's moving away to shack up with some bloke. But when she was asked where she was moving to, she was really vague on the details. I knew she'd never tell me. The bitch thinks I'm a stalker!" He snorted. "But she hasn't told the boss or his wife either. And they're pretty tight."

"Who's the bloke?" George asked.

"Not sure." Gary admitted. "He's a big-ass mother-fucker I know that much, with a London or southern accent. Looks like he's got a military background, and he's built like one of them Navy Seals. I've seen him driving around in some fancy-ass BMW, but after she made her announcement, I went to get the plates to see if I could track it, and the Beemer's gone. No sign of it, although the bloke is still around, probably shacked up with her in her flat. By the looks, he's packing everything up ready to move."

"Good work, son!" George said, running the gun in his right hand up and down his leg while he paced the floor.

"You're gonna have to follow her when they take off, you know that right?" George asked.

"I know." Gary acknowledged. "I already started packing up the shit I need to take with me."

George chuckled. "Don't tell me, your X-box One, and all your games!"

"Screw you!"

Yeah, George knew his son well.

"So, when are they likely to leave?"

"My guess is Saturday, as she's working up until late Friday night." Gary confirmed.

"Do you think there's any chance she's going to meet with her father?" George asked.

"Honestly? No." Gary replied. "Firstly, we don't even know he's still alive. Second, I can't get a number for her. No land-line in her flat, and if she's got a mobile phone, G and Fran don't have the number. I know that for a fact, because when the boss has needed her to come in early, he's literally had to run around to her flat to speak to her. So, if she's got no phone, how would she have ever kept in touch with her old man?"

George sighed. Gary had a good point. However, whilst there was an outside chance that David Lansing was still alive, then the girl was the only thing that would help George find him.

Because if Lansing, that cheating, lying piece of crap, was still breathing, he would have access to enough information to send George and his crew to prison for life, at least ten times over.

"Ok, son. This is what's going to happen... I'm sending Mickey, Dunne, and Leftie your way. They'll be there by tea-time tomorrow." George had resumed his pacing. "When the girl makes her move, you follow, but don't get made!"

Gary exhaled slowly.

"I'm not a bloody kid, you know. I do know how to follow someone without being seen. I've been doing it for three sodding years!"

"Yeah, I know. But this is the first time we've gotten wind that she's moving on. We can't lose her now or we'll never find her again. In the meantime, I'll get a team ready to move quickly, in case we hit the jackpot. I want Lansing and the girl together. On his own, he won't give up anything. With her as leverage, he'll sing like the proverbial canary. Then we can get rid of the pair of them."

"Shit!" Gary moaned. "And I so wanted to screw the smug superiority out of that bitch's ass!"

His father chuckled.

"I may still let you." He laughed.

As he ended the call, George turned to find the two blood-spattered bodies hanging in front of him, their moans barely audible.

Shit! He had much more important things to be doing now.

Without any hesitation, he raised his arm, pointing towards the nearest man.

Bang!

He turned....

Bang!

In less than two seconds, he'd put a bullet in the head of each man, and was already walking back towards the stairs, the men forgotten.

"Bollocks!" Mickey said to Dunne, looking at the two sagging and bloody bodies they'd spent an hour pulverising. "And we'd softened them up so nicely!"

Dunne nodded. "No appreciation for good workmanship these days."

They looked at each other and grinned.

"Come on!" Mickey said, as he started to lower the first man onto a sheet of heavy plastic. "No rest for the wicked either!"

## Chapter 35 - Ellen

Saturday morning was forecast to be bright and clear, and Ellen woke early, before sunrise, anxious to get started.

G and Fran had thrown an impromptu leaving party for her last night, having made sure all of the normal customers had left by ten o'clock.

By the time they'd left at half past eleven, Ellen had cried buckets, danced and laughed with her work-mates, and accepted a gift from her friends as well as an envelope with £1000 in it from G and Fran.

When she tried to refuse it, Fran had wrapped Ellen's fingers around the envelope and shook her head.

"It's for you, baby girl, so, although I'm sure you'll never need it, you have a way to get back to us, should you ever need a safe harbour."

Ellen had cried more tears then, not sure if they were happy tears or sad tears.

Luke had stayed by her side all night, only letting her go so she could be dragged up to 'crazy' dance with the twins.

The only weirdness from anyone was Gary, the stalker bartender.

He'd kept asking her where she was going, making out that he wanted to get to the bottom of her 'little secret'.

It wasn't a secret. She didn't actually know where she was going, as she hadn't asked Luke where he lived yet.

But even if she'd had the postcode and GPS co-ordinates, no bloody way would she be giving them to that creep!

Ellen shuddered as she remembered how he'd hugged her before Luke had finally dragged her away. It was like being hugged by a snake, only with less warmth.

Uggh! Ellen shuddered again.

"Stop shaking the bed." A deep voice rumbled from the middle of her shoulder-blades, as an arm wound around her waist.

"Why are you shivering?" Luke asked, lifting his head. "You're warm as toast!"

He snuggled closer, his impressive erection tucked into the crack of her ass.

"Mmm." Ellen wriggled closer still.

"I was just thinking about Gary, the barman, and how he hugged me goodbye. Uggh!" She couldn't help the tremor that ran through her. "He gives me the creeps."

"Yeah, well he's history now." Luke assured her. "You won't ever have to see his ugly mug again."

Ellen turned in his arms to face him. "Good. Cos the only ugly mug I want in my future is yours."

"Yeah?" He grinned at her.

"Damn straight!" She laughed.

"I probably should take offense at that, but I won't, cos the sentiment makes me so damn happy!" Luke kissed her gently.

"What time do we have to head out?" She asked, nibbling on his lower lips.

"Soon." Luke said, looking over at the clock. "I arranged to meet Danny at my flat at eleven, so he could return the van to the London office of the hire company, and I could get my car delivered to the flat."

"Oh, Ok." Ellen couldn't help be a little bit disappointed. Waking up to morning sex with Luke had become her new favourite thing.

"And if you're good..." Luke continued. "We may still have time to fit in a few hours Christmas shopping before the shops close for the holidays."

"Oh, my God!" Ellen sat up straight, pulling the duvet up to cover her breasts. "I haven't got you anything! Or your parents!"

She'd left her presents for Suzy, Matt and Charlie before they'd said goodbye on Friday. She had gifts from them for her and Luke in her luggage, ready to open on Christmas day.

Luke smirked.

"So, we need to get going, right?"

"Hell, yeah!" She cried. "Christmas shopping in London. It's been four years since I did that."

She hopped out of bed, and ran into the bathroom for the quickest shower she'd had all week.

They were all packed before eight o'clock, and after popping the key to her flat in an envelope with her address on the front, she posted it through the letterbox of the letting agent. They would do the inspection on Monday, but Ellen knew the place was spotless, so getting her Bond back wouldn't be a problem, even if she wouldn't get it until after the New Year.

Thankfully, she hadn't had too much stuff to take with her, so they'd only needed a small van. None of the furniture had been hers, so it was just kitchen, bathroom and bedroom stuff. Her ornaments and plants from the living room had taken a bit of organising in the van, but Luke had been so patient with her. He'd understood that her meagre possessions were important to her, and he'd shown them a lot of care.

He'd been especially careful with her photo albums, packing them in his duffel with his file on Casey's death.

She'd known the symbolism of putting the two together. They were the most important things in her life and Luke's life, and he was going to protect them, come what may.

Packed up and on the road, Ellen could feel her excitement rising.

"Tell me about your home. Where do you live?" She asked, finally summoning up some curiosity at where she was going to stay tonight.

"I have a flat near the West Kensington tube station." He grinned.

Ellen's eyes widened. "Flashy! And pricey!"

Luke shrugged.

"Our offices are near Earls Court, which is within easy walking distance. It's a good location. Plus, my mother loves the tennis, so she comes into town and stays with me for a month in the summer, so she can take in as much of the Queen's Club tournament and Wimbledon as she can get tickets for." He grinned. "I get her and dad VIP tickets for a few days at each event for her birthday. She loves it!"

Ellen smiled at him. She might not know much about tennis, but she guessed that VIP tickets cost him a pretty penny.

"So, you're good to your parents. You must be close." She said quietly.

Luke nodded.

"We were all close." He confirmed. "I didn't even have my own place until I left the military three years ago. Up until then, Casey and I shared a flat above the garage that my parents had converted for us. We were hardly ever there at the same time, so it was plenty big enough for us."

Ellen nodded. "Was that why you moved out? Because of Casey? Because he wasn't there?"

Luke reached for her hand and squeezed gently.

"No, not the way you're thinking." He smiled at her. "Like I said, we were rarely there together, so there weren't really any ghosts there, driving me away. In fact, we'll stay there tomorrow night."

"Yeah?" Ellen grinned.

"Sure." He laughed. "In fact, I bet my mum has been around there today, making sure we hadn't left any porn lingering anywhere."

"Really!" Ellen exclaimed.

Luke laughed louder still.

"God, we were eighteen-year-old horny runts when we moved in there. Hell yeah, there was porn around! Magazines, films... Anything we could get our mucky hands on! You have to remember that teenage girls were a scarce commodity in our village. It was your hand or porn! Or your hand _and_ porn! Either way worked."

Ellen blushed. She'd never seen a porn film, and she didn't think she wanted to. She glanced sideways at Luke, wondering if he'd ever compared her to one of the actresses....

"Nuh-uh, woman!" He smirked. "I know exactly where your mind just went, and no, I've never seen a porn star who turns me on the way you do. Are we clear?"

Ellen blushed even more. How the hell had he read her mind like that?

He tugged on her hand, insistent on a response.

"Are we clear?" He repeated.

"I guess." She murmured into her chest.

After a few more seconds of silence, she looked back at him.

"So, is it true?" She paused, waiting to get Luke's attention. Predictably he looked over at her.

She started again.

"Is it true that the men in porn films are hung like donkeys?" She finished innocently.

His indignant splutter had her in fits of giggles.

"Hung like donkeys?" Luke squeaked out, his voice almost an octave higher. "Really?"

"Hmm-hmm!" Ellen nodded her head, intent on winding him up further. "That's what I've heard."

"Yeah, well, you can un-hear it." Luke spluttered. "Don't think for one minute I'm letting you watch Casey's porn stash, just so you can see guys hung like donkeys."

"Now why would I want to do that?" Ellen asked in wide-eyed innocence. "When I've got my own horny burrito curled up in bed next to me?"

It took Luke a second to realise that she wasn't referring to the Mexican food 'burrito', but had in fact called him her 'little donkey', burro being the Spanish word for donkey.

He wasn't sure if he should feel insulted or complimented.

"Hmmm!" He grinned. "I'm not sure if I should spank that smirk off your face or just fuck it off!"

Ellen's grin told him she wasn't shocked by his crudeness.

"Well, I'll leave you to decide that by the time we've finished shopping!" She grinned back at him.

Luke decided that he would have to give that conundrum a lot of thought.

## Chapter 36 - Ellen

By the time they'd reached Luke's flat, it was almost eleven, and the traffic had been horrendous. Between shoppers looking for last minute gifts, and office workers trying to get away for the holidays, it had been a bloody nightmare.

Luke had sworn his way through the alphabet, before he finally turned into a small underground car park.

It was a small space, and although there were around eight fairly decent sized parking bays, all of them were full. Ellen couldn't see the BMW anywhere, so presumably Danny still had it.

Luke double parked the van next to a sleek new Jaguar XF. Now, that's a freaking car, Ellen thought! Classy!

Then, who was she to judge? She could barely afford bus fare most of the time!

As Luke jumped out and opened the back doors, she heard another man's voice hail him from the entry ramp.

Danny jogged across to greet them.

"Hey guys." He smiled at Ellen. "Is this everything?"

"Yep." Ellen grinned. "This is all of it."

"Well, Ok!" He grinned at Luke. "Let's get the lady moved in."

Ellen was about to protest that she wasn't really moving in, but then decided that there wasn't much point. She was moving in, albeit that it was probably only for a few days until they could get her father and relocate somewhere else until the trial.

Luke went to an elevator over in the corner. Instead of pushing a button, he inserted a key, and she watched the elevator doors open. He dropped a few boxes inside and came back for some more.

Afraid that the elevator would disappear with all her worldly goods, she hurried to carry more of her stuff over so she could stop the doors if they started to close.

"It's Ok, Ellen." Luke reassured her. "The elevator is on lockdown. It can't go anywhere without us."

She wasn't totally convinced, but hurried back to the van anyway, deciding that the faster they emptied the van, the less chance there was that the elevator would whisk away everything she owned.

When everything was unloaded, Danny closed the van doors and stepped back.

"You need any help upstairs?" He asked Luke.

"Nah, man. Thanks, but we're good." Luke slapped Danny on the back.

"Ok, then." Luke and Danny exchanged keys with a grin. "See you on Monday. Have a good Christmas!"

Danny turned and hugged Ellen, kissing her on the forehead.

"Have a good Christmas, honey." He murmured into her hair before taking off.

"Shall we?" Luke grinned at her, pointing towards the elevator.

God! She'd forgotten about all her stuff!

Hurrying towards the elevator, she looked back impatiently as Luke took all the time in the world getting there.

Grinning as he pulled the keys out of the control panel, he got inside and reinserted them in another slot.

Ellen looked around for the buttons to push for their floor. There weren't any.

Luke turned the key in the panel and the doors quietly closed. They moved up quickly, but with no floor indicator, she had no idea which floor they were on.

Within seconds the elevator had stopped, and the doors were opening. Ellen was amazed to find that she was actually looking at the inside of an apartment. A very, very nice apartment.

Luke turned the key again, and started sliding her boxes into the hallway. Once they were all out, he took the key from the inside and again put it in an outside key panel. Turning it to the right, the door slid shut again.

"You have your own elevator!" Ellen breathed.

"Yup!" Luke chuckled. He crossed a hallway, and opened a door.

"You can put your bags with clothes and stuff in my bedroom. There's plenty of wardrobe and drawer space. Anything you don't need immediately, we can put in here until you know what you want to do with it."

Ellen helped him move the boxes into the walk-in closet, and then she picked up one of the clothes bags while Luke picked up three, plus his duffel bag, and she followed him up some stairs and into a bedroom.

Obviously the master bedroom, it was enormous. A massive bed sat against the far side wall, with dark oak bedside tables and drawer sets dotted around. Two doors sat on another wall, both open, one revealing a luxury bathroom, the other a walk-in wardrobe.

Ellen was staggered. She could fit her whole flat into this space.

When she finally turned back to Luke, she could see him staring at her curiously, waiting to see how she would respond.

She could see that he was actually blushing.

Was he embarrassed at the differences in how they'd lived? Her poverty versus his obvious affluence?

"Rent or mortgage?" Please say rent, please say rent, she pleaded in her mind.

"What?" Luke tilted his head before realising what she meant.

"Come here." Luke took her hand and led her to the bed. She had to hoist herself up onto it, just to sit next to him.

"Well?" She asked, almost whispering.

Luke blew out a breath.

"Casey and I were left a trust fund by our grandparents when they died." He explained. "A pretty big one, as it happened."

Ellen looked around the room again.

"We bought this building jointly while we were in the military, as an investment. We renovated it, with the help of some pretty good contractors, and have rented out the lower floors for the last few years. This floor was the last to be done, and was almost complete when Casey was killed. Casey left everything to me, as I would have done with him had the positions been reversed. Rather than rent it out and look for somewhere myself, I decided I'd keep it. It has great views, is perfectly located for work, and has top notch security."

Ellen nodded.

"Oh, my God!" She screamed in her head. "He's a freaking gazillionaire!"

She didn't say anything, just looked around the room again. When she caught sight of the bathroom, she nodded towards it.

"May I?" She asked Luke.

"Sure." He smiled at her. "Make yourself at home. I'll just throw the stuff from my duffel into the washer, and we can head out. If we don't go out soon, we'll miss all the shops."

Ellen nodded, and went into the bathroom, softly clicking the door shut behind her.

When she was sure he wasn't going to follow her in, she slumped to the floor. This was too much!

If she'd ever believed herself to be a match for him, that thought was well and truly gone.

He was a physical God. A hero! And now he was rich as Croesus!

A sob broke free from her before she even realised that there were tears pouring down her face.

Was there a more mis-matched couple on the planet?

Ellen knew now that she wouldn't be unpacking the rest of her boxes. Whatever happened with her father, there was no way she would ever be living here.

Luke should be dating super-models. Actresses maybe! Women must be throwing themselves at him all the time. In London, he'd have his pick of the best of them.

No way on earth should he be saddled with a mousy little nobody like her. Even with the new clothes that she'd bought to come down to London, she still blended into the wallpaper. She'd gotten so accomplished at being invisible, she might as well be just that.

She didn't hear the quiet tap on the door, and she was still sobbing quietly into her hands when Luke entered.

"Hey." He said quietly, seeing her distress.

Luke sat on the floor next to her, gathering her tightly in his arms.

"It's all going to be Ok." He soothed her. "We'll find your dad on Monday, and get you both ready for your new lives. Everything will be fine."

Ellen hiccupped. Her new life... Without Luke!

He wasn't saying the words, but then he didn't need to. It was obvious.

Ellen shook herself. It was no good worrying about what would come after Luke. She had two more days to enjoy being with him, so she just had to thank God for every second she'd get to spend with him.

"I know." She tried to smile. "It all got a bit too much there for a minute. I'm fine now."

She hugged him back.

"Are you sure?" He looked down into her eyes, worriedly.

"I'm sure." She kissed his lips softly. "Now if I'm not mistaken, I was promised an afternoon shopping."

Luke smiled at her. "As my lady wishes!"

## Chapter 37 - Luke

Luke awoke on Christmas morning, and for the first time in more years than he could remember, he felt excitement.

He and Ellen had spent hours shopping yesterday, and while they only came back with a handful of bags, she'd seemed really happy to have found gifts for him, his mum and his dad.

She'd bought his father a nice bottle of Port, which Luke had assured her would be well appreciated. For his mother, she'd seen a photo-frame that you could put a memory card in and it would show all the photos on the card on an ever-changing loop.

They'd spent hours last night going through all the photos he'd had on his phone and laptop, picking ones Luke thought she might like.

Some of them were quite old, of Casey and Luke as teenagers on family outings. His dad had taken photos of everything they'd done when they were kids, and Luke had made sure he had copies of his favourites when he'd left home.

Ellen had teased him mercilessly about the snaps of the two boys learning to surf in Cornwall. They'd been about twelve, all long hair, skinny limbs, and the most God-awful lime green Speedo's.

Absolutely no way was he putting those ones in the loop!

When it came to gifts for each other, they'd headed inside one of the department stores, and split up. Ellen had set a £200 spending limit, and while Luke had no intention of sticking to it, he hadn't intended to go too over the top, no matter how much he wanted to. Ellen would be upset if he did, and he knew there was no way she'd take any of his money, so he had to respect that she was already spending a lot more than she could really afford on him.

He'd bought her a few little items, some perfume, a scarf he thought she'd like and some body lotions and shit that women tended to go for.

Her main present though, was tucked away in his sock drawer.

He'd found a beautiful matching necklace, bracelet and earring set, with fine gold chains and each set with a small sapphire with a small diamond on each side. The earrings had the sapphire with the diamonds looking like teardrops hanging down.

Ok, so he'd blown the budget on that one, spending £5000 on that alone. But he would have happily spent fifty times that amount and not blinked an eye.

It was just pretty enough that she would love it, and if he didn't let on that the stones were all real, she might think he'd stayed within the limit she'd set.

Cuddling closer to her, he slid his warm hands gently up and down her arms.

After only a few passes, he felt her muscles tense under his hands, as she slowly started to come awake.

Without waiting for her to come around anymore, he slid his arm around her and gently started caressing her breasts, teasing her nipple into a tight bud.

Ellen hummed her pleasure, and with his cock at full mast pushing into the crack of her ass, he couldn't wait any longer.

He pulled her onto her back and took her lips in an all-out assault, licking and sucking her lips one second, plunging his tongue deep into her mouth the next.

Ellen moaned in appreciation and kissed him back passionately, her hands slipping around his back where her nails scored his skin as her arousal escalated.

Luke's cock was throbbing like hell now, dying to be inside her. Who knew that having a woman leave nail marks on his back would have him almost prematurely shooting his load?

Shit, who was he kidding. Women had done that to him in the past on the odd occasion, and he'd never thought twice about it.

It was having Ellen do it that rocked his world!

Knowing that she was losing herself in their passion, clinging to him while they made love, that was what made all the difference. He doubted she even realised what she was doing. Maybe he'd show her the marks later and see her reaction?

When Ellen crooked her ankle up around his ass, he knew she was ready.

In the few days he'd spent at her flat, they'd developed a pattern for morning sex which he had quickly come to love.

The first time would be hard and fast, just to take the edge off, and then the next time would be a slow and thorough exploration of each other, learning each other's bodies better, figuring out what each other liked and what pleasure they could find in joining different ways.

He'd managed to get Ellen on top of him a few times, despite her initial embarrassment, and he'd loved watching her come as she ridden him, his hand gently rubbing her clit, helping push her over the edge.

On another occasion, he'd taken her from behind, one hand stretched around her caressing her breast, the other teasing her nub.

He'd kept her panting for ages, letting her skim the edge of orgasm, but not allowing her to crash over. When he knew he couldn't hold back his own orgasm for more than a few seconds, he'd finally given her clit the attention it needed to send her screaming over the edge, his cock pumping his seed into her as they collapsed into the mattress.

With the memories swirling inside his head, he wetted his cock in the juices dripping from her pussy before finally pushing slowly inside.

She was so incredibly tight, and the pleasure of it never failed to get to him.

As he raised his head to look down on her, he marvelled at how beautiful she was. Now that he could see those beautiful blue eyes, they shone with emotion as they gazed back up at him.

"So beautiful!" He murmured, his hips setting a rhythm of slow, leisurely thrusts.

"Mmm." She sighed happily. "More!"

The corner of his lips twitched. God, she was unbelievably perfect.

He picked up his pace and she wrapped her other leg around him, high on his hip, giving him the perfect angle to pump into her.

He increased his speed again, and soon he was rocketing into her like a steam-train, over and over, now so hard that he was virtually shifting her up the bed with every inward thrust.

She didn't need any additional clitoral stimulation when they were joined like this. His pelvis rocking against her mound was all she needed, and within a few minutes, she was panting, crying out his name, and clenching her already tight pussy muscles around him.

As if on cue, Luke felt his balls tighten, as his seed exploded out of him.

He buried his face in the crook of her neck, and groaned her name.

This was as close to heaven as he could imagine.

Luke felt the softness of Ellen's hands skimming over the muscles of his back as he came down from his orgasm.

He pulled out before flopping on the bed next to her, his big arm wrapped around her holding her close.

"Umm." Ellen started to speak.

Luke turned his head to look at her.

"Did you forget something?" She looked nervous.

Luke looked at her again, his brows knitted together.

"Did I forget to give you an orgasm?" He asked, grinning.

Ellen blushed, and slapped his shoulder.

"No, asshole!" She glared at him. "But I think you forgot to suit up."

"What?" It took Luke a second to realise what she meant. Shit! No condom!

"God, Ellen. I'm so sorry!" Luke shook his head. He'd never made this sort of mistake before. "I don't suppose there's any chance you're on the pill?"

Yeah, he knew the answer to that one already.

Ellen looked down at him scornfully.

"Not a chance! Because that would have actually required me to register with a doctor, and provide ID." She pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess." Luke turned onto his back, rubbing a hand over his eyes.

"Morning-after pill from a pharmacy?" He ventured hopefully.

"Yeah, right!" Ellen spluttered. "It's Christmas morning! Not too many pharmacies will be open today. Or tomorrow for that matter."

She flipped the cover back, and sat up on the edge of the bed.

"I'm going to take a shower." She informed him. "Maybe gravity will encourage your little swimmers to try a bit of backstroke instead of front crawl!"

Luke watched her head for the bathroom, her body swaying as she walked. The woman was absolute perfection.

As he stretched back against the pillows, he knew he should be worried.

They'd known each other for less than a month, and already he could have been stupid enough to get her pregnant?

Luke smirked. Actually, he didn't find the idea so stupid after all.

Ellen was his idea of what the perfect woman would be. Smart as hell, sassy in and out of bed, yet soft and vulnerable, making him want to curl up around her and protect her from everything that could harm her.

He could see them spending a lifetime together. He wanted that in fact – had done from the first night they'd spent together.

So, would a baby be so bad? Would it ruin everything?

Hell no! Luke grinned to himself. It would be freaking awesome!

Ok, so he had to tamp down those feelings. Ellen may not feel the same way, and he would have to respect that.

If she was pregnant and she decided she didn't want the baby, Luke didn't know what he'd do.

But that was a decision for another time.

Luke scooted out of bed, and grabbed a condom off the shelf. The thought of shower sex with his beautiful girl was far more important than all those thoughts of 'what if' and 'maybe'.

When he slid into the shower behind her, he slid his hand over her shoulder to show her that he'd come prepared this time.

Ellen spluttered a laugh.

"Yeah, isn't that like locking the stable door after the horse has bolted?" She grinned back at him.

"Neigh!" He whispered as he wrapped his arms around her.

Her giggles lasted only seconds before she was squirming in his arms.

Yeah, he was really, really good at shower sex!

## Chapter 38 - Ellen

By eleven o'clock they were dressed and heading towards the elevator.

They'd decided to wait until they got to Luke's parent's house to exchange gifts, as it would be a nice thing to share with his mum and dad after lunch.

Ellen shook her head at Luke's smirk when he placed the key in the elevator panel and the doors closed.

When they reached the basement level and stepped out, Ellen paused to look around at the cars, while Luke turned to put the key in to close the elevator door.

She couldn't see the BMW anywhere.

"Did Danny leave your car outside?" She asked over her shoulder.

"Nope." He smiled down as he walked past her.

"Well I can't see your piece of shit car anywhere." Ellen announced holding her arms out wide.

"Well, it's right there in plain sight!" He taunted, holding his keys out in front of him.

Ellen snatched them out of his hand before he had a chance to tease her further.

Finding the 'open door' button, she pushed, and waited for a tell-tale beep.

Sure enough, there was a high-pitched beep, and the flash of lights as she heard the unmistakable sound of car doors unlocking.

She turned her head quickly to see which car it was, and as the headlight flash faded, she saw the still illuminated running lights around the headlamps of the Jaguar XF she'd spotted the day before.

She looked back at Luke who was grinning at her.

"This is yours?" She gasped.

"Well, I couldn't have you referring to my 'piece of shit car' in front of my mother now, could I?" He asked innocently. "It's not the sort of thing a lady should say, is it?"

Ellen, shook her head, and gazed back at the Jaguar. It was black and sleek, more like a panther than a jaguar. It had a red Jaguar badge on the front grill and matching badges in the centre of the flashiest alloy wheels she'd ever seen. She peered in the window. Gorgeous leather upholstery, and buttons and more buttons and goodness knows what else.

It was the sort of car most people could only dream of owning!

"And you bought this, why?" She turned to Luke accusingly. "Because I didn't like the BMW? Really?"

Luke shrugged easily.

"You didn't like the Beemer, Danny did, and he was happy to give me a fair price for it......it seemed like an easy solution." Luke explained. He didn't need to explain that he'd lost twenty grand on a car he'd only owned for three months!

"And you managed to get this one, how? They don't exactly sell them ready to go in the showroom." Ellen protested.

"Actually, they did!" Luke laughed. "Danny went in to check them out for me, and they happened to have this one as their showroom model. It has all the bells and whistles, top of the line sound system, TV, and everything. Danny rang me and told me about it, and I told him to make them an offer they couldn't refuse."

"No way it has a TV!" Ellen gasped.

"Apparently so." Luke smirked. "Wanna drive it?" He pointed at the keys in Ellen's hand.

She stepped back as though he was going to burn her, the keys in her outstretched hand.

"No freaking way!" She exclaimed. "I'd scratch her just trying to get her out of that damn parking space."

Luke laughed and took the keys back, pressing the fob again to open the boot.

"You don't actually need to press the buttons to get in." Luke explained, dropping their bags into the boot. "It's all keyless. Keyless entry, keyless ignition. As long as you actually have the keys on your person, the car senses them and lets you in."

Ellen looked suitably impressed. She slid into the car and buckled in.

Luke spent a few minutes playing with the settings on a few things, and adjusting his seat and mirrors to his liking. Then without wasting any further time, he headed out.

The roads were quiet as they hit the main road, and it only took them a few minutes before they were heading up onto the M4 away from London.

"Where do your parents live?" Ellen asked, realising that he hadn't mentioned it.

"They used to live in London, but moved out to the country when dad split the company." He explained. "They didn't want us to grow up in the city, so my uncle stayed on at the head office in London, and dad transferred out to the Bath office. He's developed that place quite extensively, and it's now bigger than the London office. My parents live about five miles from there, just outside Bath."

"What does he do?" She asked.

"They run a publishing business. Books, magazines etc." Luke explained. "Luckily, they were pretty clued in to the emerging e-book trend, so they weren't hit so badly as some of their competitors when e-readers took off. They have their own side-line getting professional publications onto the internet and distributed. It's doing really well."

Ellen nodded. "And your mum?"

Luke grinned.

"My mother works two days a week at a charity store in Bath. Then she's a member of the Women's Institute, a hospital 'Friend', plus she visits the old folk who don't have people to visit them. And then she takes her old Labrador down to the Retirement home in the village so the old people can pet him. They love it apparently."

"Wow!" Ellen was genuinely impressed. "Does she do anything for fun?"

"Yeah," Luke chuckled. "All of the above. She loves it. She always said the greatest blessing of being married to my dad, was not having to go out to work for a living. She uses that freedom to help others and gets tremendous pleasure out of it."

Ellen nodded, but Luke could tell she was comparing herself to his mother and finding herself wanting.

"Ellen, she's going to love you!" Luke reassured her. "You have more in common than you think. She wasn't born into money. Her parents had their own business, a greengrocer store in a small town. They weren't rich, but they made a good living. She met my dad on a day trip to London, and it was love at first sight."

Ellen smiled, happy to know that for some people, love at first sight developed into the kind of love that lasted a lifetime.

Ellen stared out the window and watched the scenery roll by. She barely registered when they left the motorway, and even when the busy main roads gave way to quiet country lanes, she didn't murmur.

When Luke finally turned into a narrow lane, she turned to look at him, and he smiled, nodding ahead.

She looked out of the windscreen, and as the car turned a corner, a beautiful cottage came into view.

Well, 'cottage' was underselling it. The place was huge! It had at least four windows on each side of the front door, and plants climbing up the front on either side of the porch. Roses, Ellen guessed.

"How many bedrooms does it have?" Ellen asked quietly.

"Only six." He smirked.

Ellen didn't bother to respond. That would have required using up even more oxygen, and she'd been virtually holding her breath since the house came into view.

Luke pulled the car to a stop in front of the garage, slightly to the side of the house.

When he came around and opened the door for her to get out, Ellen glanced up to what was obviously the staircase up to the loft above the garage. The apartment up there was going to be at least twice the size of her old flat.

Luke slid her cold hand into his, and pulled her to his chest.

"Stop worrying! Please?" He begged, leaning down to brush his lips against hers.

Ellen closed her eyes, tasting his lips.

Time to pull on her big girl panties!

When he pulled back, she opened her eyes and smiled up at him.

"I'm good." She reassured him.

Before she could step away, they heard the front door open, and his mother's excited voice calling for his dad.

"Carl, come on, they're here!"

Luke grinned down at her, sliding his arm across her shoulder, and turning her towards the house.

"Luke!" His mum squealed, hurrying down the path, and straight into her son's arms.

"It's so good to see you!" She hugged him tightly.

Luke grinned back, giving her a crushing bear-hug until she started giggling.

Eventually, she let him go, and looked over at Ellen.

"You must be Ellen." She held both hands out. "You're even more beautiful than Luke said. And he said you were pretty gorgeous!"

She grinned back at her son, completely uncaring that she was making him blush.

Ellen smiled back, taking her hands.

"I'm very pleased to meet you Mrs Roberts, you have a lovely home."

"Hah!" She grinned at Ellen. "You can cut the Mrs Roberts crap right now. Mrs Roberts was Carl's mother, and the most interfering bitch you ever met!"

"I heard that!" Luke's father said as he came out of the front door, a big grin on his face.

Ellen looked from Luke to his father and then back to his mother.

Oh God, Luke was a cloned image of his father!

"I'm Carl." Luke's father said holding his hand out to shake hers.

"This infuriating, opinionated witch is my wife, Sally." He scowled at his wife. "And my sainted mother was a blessed angel!" He sniffed.

"Hmmph!" His wife responded, her hands on her hips. "She was a bloody shrew and we all knew it."

Luke and Carl burst out laughing. This was obviously an often-repeated conversation.

"Do you think we could move this inside before my nuts freeze?" Luke asked.

Ellen gasped, as Carl burst out laughing again.

"Luke!" Sally scolded him. "So uncouth."

"Yeah, well if you ever want grandkids, can we get a move on?" He smirked at his mother.

"Come on," Sally said, linking her arm with Ellen. "The boys can do the carrying. Let's get you in the warm."

Ellen grinned back at Luke in time to see him give his father a big hug.

"Same old, same old..." Luke moaned, loud enough for the women to hear, as the two men headed to the back of the car.

"I thought you had a BMW?" His father asked, puzzled.

"Yeah, I did." Luke chuckled. "Damned Satnav kept causing trouble!"

Ellen smiled back at him. Damn, he was gorgeous!

## Chapter 39 - Luke

By the time Luke had taken their overnight bags up to the loft, and brought the present bags inside, Ellen and Sally were sitting at the kitchen table, steaming mugs of tea in hand pouring over some old photos. The Aga was covered in simmering pots, and the smell was mouth-watering.

"Mother, I swear to God, if there are any photos of me naked in that pile, I will have a vasectomy tomorrow and never give you any grandchildren!" Luke warned.

"Oh, pooh!" Sally scoffed. "We got the naked ones out of the way first. Ellen wasn't overly impressed, but I assured her it had been a very cold day."

"Jesus!" Luke scowled at his father. "The first time I've ever brought a woman home, and if I'm not careful, she'll have Ellen calling a taxi within half an hour, trying to escape from the madhouse."

"Oh, don't get your jockstrap in a twist." Sally grinned at Ellen. "Luke was always the drama queen." She staged whispered, moving to the stove to stir something.

Luke rolled his eyes and took the seat his mother had vacated, helping himself to what was left in her mug.

"How long until lunch?" He asked over his shoulder. "I'm so hungry I could eat a scabby dog!"

"Nice visual son!" His father commented, pulling his boots off by the back door.

"I thought so too." Luke grinned at his dad.

Ellen chuckled, but her attention was still on the photograph album.

"I like this one." She pointed at one of a young boy with his arm in plaster, proudly sporting a little round sticker. She'd had one of those as a kid. They usually read something like 'I've been brave at the hospital!'

"How old were you when you broke your arm?" She asked.

Sally turned around and looked at her. "How do you know that was Luke and not Casey?" She asked. "They were almost identical until they grew their hair differently, but that wasn't until they were about seventeen."

Ellen laughed. "Apart from the fact that I'd know that sh- crap-eating grin anywhere, you mean?"

Sally pointed the spoon at her son. "She does have a point."

"Well, apart from that, it's his split eye." Ellen explained.

"What about it?" Luke look puzzled.

"Well, yours is the left one and Casey's was the right one! Duh!" Ellen smiled.

Luke and Carl were watching her, slack-jawed!

Sally just stared at Ellen curiously.

"Did you know Casey?" She asked quietly.

Shit and bollocks! Luke had no idea how she was going to get out of this one.

"I met him once." Ellen hesitated. "Through mutual friends."

Luke breathed a little easier.

"You just met him the once?" His father qualified.

"Yes, just once, I was with someone he knew and we chatted briefly."

Luke's parents exchanged a look. He knew where their thoughts had gone. Casey had a reputation for having sex with women he'd only met five minutes before. He'd even screwed a waitress in a linen closet between the main course and dessert!

"Dad, before your mind takes the wrong path, Ellen never slept with Casey." Luke declared.

"What? NO!" Ellen stammered. "It was nothing like that."

Sally looked more than a little relieved.

"Of course, it wasn't." She patted Ellen's hand. "But that was very observant of you dear. Even their teachers in school were rarely able to tell one from the other. So, who was the mutual friend dear? Anyone we know?"

Before Ellen had a chance to respond, Luke jumped in to rescue her.

"It was Matt Johnson." He interjected. "Turns out Matt is married to a real spitfire called Suzy.... you remember I told you he was a dad now too?"

"Oh, yes that's right. I recall something like that." Sally agreed.

"Well anyway, Suzy and Ellen are best friends and have been working together for the last few years." Luke smiled, satisfied with his story. "They set us up on a blind date, and here we are."

"Oh, how sweet!" Sally was obviously something of a romantic. "So, tell me Ellen, what did Luke do to make such an impression on your first date?"

Ellen nearly choked on her tea.

"Umm...." Ellen obviously couldn't decide whether to tell the truth or tell a bare-face lie.

"It's Ok, sweetheart! You can tell them about our first encounter at Suzy's." Luke dared her.

She grinned, gauntlet firmly picked up!

"If memory serves me right, I believe my first impression of you was that you were a wanker, an idiot and a moron." Ellen batted her eyelashes at him. "Did I get that right, darling?"

Sally was stifling a laugh behind her hand.

"Almost word-for-word!" Luke grinned. He loved Ellen in this mood.

"Although, I believe your first endearment was something along the lines that I was a 'Wanker, driving a piece of shit car'!"

"Oh yes!" She turned to Sally and Carl and smiled most apologetically. "I'm so sorry. Yes, those were actually my first words. I stand corrected."

Luke had the most ridiculously happy grin on his face as his parents burst out laughing.

"She's the one!" Sally pointed at Luke. "You understand? I like her. She's a keeper. So, don't piss her off!"

Ellen laughed.

They were all mad, the bloody lot of them! But she already seemed to love them all.

Luke prayed that would continue.

"Come on, everyone." Carl smiled. "Let's get this food dished up before it tastes like your mother's dishcloths."

"Cheeky sod!" Sally smacked his ass.

Luke looked at Ellen and rolled his eyes. Maybe he should have warned her about his parents. But then, no amount of warning could truly prepare someone for the Sally and Carl show. It was legendary!

## Chapter 40 - Ellen

The rest of Christmas day had been wonderful.

They'd eaten a fabulous lunch, and exchanged gifts afterwards in the sitting room, in front of a lovely open fire. Sally and Carl were on the big oversized sofa, and Ellen and Luke were sitting cross-legged on the rug in front of the fire. It was all picture-perfect.

Luke had already paid for his parents to go on a Caribbean cruise, and they were leaving on the 27th December, so he'd given them a Christmas card with a list of the additional excursions he'd paid for.

Sally and Carl were naturally thrilled!

Ellen had bought Luke some gold cuff-links with his initials engraved on them, as well as a shirt with the proper cuffs to wear them with. There'd also been a book she'd found about the history of his regiment. (She'd even had to text Suzy to check with Matt to make sure she had the correct regiment, so she was feeling quite pleased with herself for that one.) There were little gifts like a joke book, which he loved, some of his favourite aftershave, and some trick cards which he couldn't wait to open, and play with.

"He had a magic set when he was about five." Sally whispered. "It got lost when we moved house, and he never forgave us for not buying him another one."

"I was a deprived child." Luke announced.

"As if..." Ellen snorted, leaving Sally chuckling.

Sally had been thrilled with her present, even if watching the pictures of her boys slide across the screen had left her a little teary between bouts of laughter.

Carl had been so thrilled with his Port, he insisted on opening it so they could all have a drop to finish off the meal.

Ellen's present from Luke's parents had been a lovely watch. She'd never owned anything so nice, so she thanked them profusely.

When she opened Luke's presents, she was thrilled with the little things he had bought her. When she got to the jewellery he'd bought her, she opened the box and just sat looking at it, flabbergasted.

When she looked up, Luke was staring at her like a kid who'd been caught with his hand in the sweet jar.

"And which part of the word 'budget' didn't you understand?" She asked Luke quietly.

"Umm...." Luke hesitated. "Maybe the part that would have prevented me from buying you the gift I wanted to get?"

Ellen shook her head. She should have realised he wouldn't stick to the budget when he'd agreed to it so easily.

"Oh, Ellen, they're lovely!" Sally gushed. "Why don't you put them on?"

Ellen didn't want to seem churlish, so she smiled and allowed Luke to help her with the clasps.

"Carl, look how the blue almost matches Ellen's eyes." Sally smiled at Luke.

"Nice job son!" Carl congratulated him.

Ellen couldn't be mad, not when he was looking so pleased with himself.

"It's beautiful, thank you." She leaned over to kiss him.

When their lips parted, he whispered in her ear. "So, am I off the hook then?"

Ellen leaned in to whisper back..." Not a chance!"

Luke grinned. He liked it when Ellen promised retribution!

The rest of the day was relaxed and fun, and Ellen smiled more than Luke had seen her smile since he'd known her.

Sadly, Boxing day morning arrived too soon!

Luke and Ellen had spent a glorious night in the loft. They'd made love over and over, sometimes playfully, sometimes desperately, and when sleep finally came, they'd been wrapped in each other's arms, cocooned in the big bed with the duvet wrapped all around them.

When Luke heard a vehicle pull into the yard, he glanced out of the window, and then at his phone to check the time.

Shit, it was already eleven o'clock!

"Ellen, wake up honey." He shook her shoulder gently. "JT and Danny are here already."

Ellen was just opening her eyes and stretching, when there were footsteps on the outside stairs. A heavy thump on the outside door told them that their visitors had well and truly arrived.

Luke tried running for the door and pulling his jeans on at the same time, but after almost face-planting onto the carpet, he slowed his steps and decided on doing one thing at a time.

By the time Ellen joined them, Luke was standing in the small kitchen in only a pair of jeans, pulling coffee and mugs out of the cupboard.

"Hi Ellen." JT smiled at her. "Did you enjoy your Christmas?"

"I had a lovely day, thanks." She smiled. "You?"

"It was nice and quiet." He grinned. "A rare occurrence in this business."

"I guess." She agreed. "How about you, Danny? Good Christmas?"

"Hmmph!" Danny shrugged. "Family shit! It was Ok, I guess."

Ellen smiled. There wasn't much she could say to that.

Once they were all set up with mugs of coffee, Luke looked at JT.

"So, what's the plan?" He asked his former CO.

"Ok, so we've narrowed down the area where Ellen's father is staying to a few square miles, not far from the coast. Ever heard of a place called Pendine Sands?" JT looked up from the map he'd spread on the counter.

Ellen nodded.

"Isn't that where they used to do the land-speed records on the beach?" Danny asked. "The beach is like a gazillion miles long and pretty straight, so loads of attempts have been made there."

JT nodded. "Other than the fact that it's about seven miles long, not a gazillion, that's exactly right." He grinned at Danny who was busily polishing his fingernails on his jacket. "Give the asshole a lollipop!"

"Anyway, we've narrowed it down to a small area, but there are still quite a few properties. Ellen, do you think you could find the right cottage?"

"It's a long time since I've been down there, but if he's staying in the place we used to rent, then I guess I know which one it is." She confirmed.

She looked over the map. After a minute, she pointed to a minor road.

"I'm not sure as it's been a while, but I think it's along this road. The crossroads and turning for the beach look about right."

"Ok, well if we want to get there before dark, we can't hang around here all day. We'll start losing the light by around four o'clock. It's about a three-hour drive in good conditions, and we'll have to keep an eye out for black ice. It'll be particularly tricky after we leave the motorway around Swansea."

Luke nodded. "I told my parents we'd probably get away before lunch. We'll just stow the luggage and go in and say our goodbyes. Do you two want to go and say hi before we leave?

JT nodded. "Sure, that'd be great."

As the guys headed back down the stairs, Luke gathered Ellen into his arms.

"Are you ready for this?" He murmured into her hair.

"Not even close." She breathed into his neck.

Without speaking further, they turned and walked back into the bedroom, gathering the few belongings they had bothered to unpack.

Luke knew she hadn't been joking, but there was nothing else they could do. George had to be brought to justice and Casey's name had to be cleared, and David Lansing was the only person who could do both.

But would he forgive his daughter for being the one to ask it of him?

They'd get the answer to that little puzzle before nightfall.

## Chapter 41 - Ellen

The majority of the drive through South Wales was accomplished in silence, both Ellen and Luke lost in their own thoughts.

Ellen watched as they crossed the new Severn Bridge, paying the toll before speeding up to drive through the heart of Newport, where for once they sailed through the notorious traffic blackspot of the Brynglas Tunnels. She remembered countless trips with her father where they'd sat in traffic for hours on Bank Holiday weekends, trying to get through either the tunnels or the Severn Toll, playing the usual car games like 'I Spy', or 'Where d'you think the people in that car are going?', making up outrageous stories of where fellow travellers might be headed.

Ellen smirked as she realised that she considered sitting in traffic jams came under the category of 'good times'.

Passing north of Cardiff, the countryside finally opened out, so she watched the beautiful scenery for a while, realising that she had missed this so much over the last few years.

She hadn't gone outside of town once since she'd arrived until the day she left, and she now realised that she missed green grass and trees.

If they stayed longer than a day with her dad, she hoped they'd be able to take a long walk at least.

After they'd left the motorway, Luke kept up a reasonable speed, wary about the black ice that had been forecast across the region. He hoped that being by the coast would reduce the likelihood, but he wasn't taking any chances.

JT and Danny were right behind them, Luke reassured her, and Matt, who had joined them after the Magor Services, was right behind JT.

Thankfully, the roads had been really quiet, apart from a few sections of holiday roadworks, and they made good time.

About a mile or so from Pendine, Luke turned into a pub carpark, where everyone got out of the car to stretch their legs.

"How're you doing, kid?" Matt came up and gave her a big hug.

"I'm good, thanks." She smiled. "Did Suzy and Charlie have a good Christmas?"

She'd spoken to Suzy twice yesterday, so she already knew they had, but it was something to talk about, other than why they were here.

"Yeah, it was great thanks. Although why Suze insisted on wrapping every one of Charlie's presents 'just so', God only knows! The kid is only eight months old. He doesn't give a crap whether it's got a bow on the wrapping! He barely gives a shit what's inside the wrapping at this stage."

Ellen smiled. She was so happy that everything Suzy had planned for their first real family Christmas had gone smoothly.

"Ellen?" JT motioned her to the map on the front of the car. "Can you point to where you think your father is staying? We're here at the moment." JT pointed to a spot on the map.

Ellen looked closer. This was a more detailed road map than the one they'd been looking at previously.

"See that tiny cluster of buildings there?" She pointed. "I think that's where he is. If my memory serves me, there are five cottages, and he'll be in the one on the far right. I'll definitely know it when I see it."

Ok." Luke nodded. "Then let's get going. We only have about half an hour of good light left."

Ellen got back into the car, pulling her seatbelt across her shoulder.

"You Ok, love?" He asked her.

"Yes... no... I have no bloody clue!" She blew out a breath slowly. "What if he's mad that I brought you here?"

"It has to happen sometime." Luke pointed out. "You couldn't keep living in isolation. He shouldn't have expected that of you."

Ellen had to agree with him, but she very much doubted her father would see it that way.

Ten minutes later they turned down a narrow single track lane. As they neared the houses at the top, Ellen felt her hands grow clammy.

"That's the one." Ellen pointed to the cottage on the right, and Luke pulled in, making sure to leave enough room for the other vehicles.

JT, Danny and Matt stayed in their own cars, while Luke and Ellen got out.

"Ready?" Luke asked, holding Ellen's hand tightly.

"Hell, no!" She breathed, her feet nevertheless taking her towards the path to the cottage.

She knocked quietly. There were lights on, so someone would be home, right?

When the door opened, Ellen was shocked that it was not her father behind the door, but a dark-haired woman in her mid to late thirties.

"Can I help you?" She asked politely.

"Umm, yes, umm..." Ellen's words were stuck in her throat.

"Hello." Luke smiled at the woman. "We're looking for David?"

The woman's smile vanished, and she paled slightly. She looked to be about to brush them off, when Ellen heard a man's voice.

"Who is it darling?"

Ellen nearly passed out as the door swung further open, and her father stood there, wearing a ridiculous Rudolph sweater and a beaming smile.

Dad!

He looked different though. Apart from the stupid sweater, he had on snug jeans, and his hair was cut differently, in a younger style.

Almost as if he had thrown away the stuffy London suit and tie he used to wear, and was sporting a more casual look.

He definitely looked younger and fitter than the last time she'd seen him.

"Emma?" Dad said, obviously shocked by her sudden appearance.

"Dad." Ellen tried to smile, but failed miserably. He'd made no attempt to touch her, so she wasn't entirely sure he was happy to see her.

In her dreams, he'd always opened the door and swept her up in an excited bear hug. Yeah, this was so not that!

When the silence became uncomfortable, the woman looked at Ellen's father, and sighed.

"You'd better come in." She said to Ellen and Luke, opening the door wider. "You can't just stand on the doorstep."

Wow, Ellen thought!

Whatever happened to 'We'll keep a welcome in the hillsides'? Ok, so they weren't technically on a hillside, or in a vale for that matter. But this wasn't the warm Welsh welcome she'd always received on previous visits.

They were led into a cosy living room, where Ellen got the biggest shock of her life.

Sitting in the middle of the carpet, playing with a couple of dolls and a toy pony, was a little girl of about two or maybe two and a half.

She muttered something in Welsh which Ellen didn't understand.

"Say hello nicely." The woman instructed in English, obviously reminding the girl to speak English.

"Hullo." She smiled up at them. "I'm Katie, and this is Smudge! I dropped him in the mud and he got all dirty." She held out the toy pony to show them.

The little girl got up off the carpet and toddled over to Ellen's dad, climbing up into his lap, happily sharing 'Smudge' with him.

Ellen couldn't breathe.

This was worse than every nightmare scenario she'd ever come up with.

She'd always feared he'd found another woman who had replaced her in his heart. She'd never dreamed that he'd replaced her with another daughter!

"Why are you here Emma?" Her father asked quietly, obviously trying not to alarm Katie.

"What?" Ellen tried to clear her thoughts.

"Why have you come here?" Her father repeated. "We agreed to stay away from each other. It was safest."

Ellen cast a glance at the woman.

"Bethan knows everything," Dad announced. "I've told her all about my past."

"Does she know about me?" Ellen asked, the words choking her.

"Of course, she does!" Her father's voice was sharper now. "I never kept you a secret from her."

"No!" Ellen couldn't keep the bitterness from her voice. "You just kept them a secret from me."

Bethan rose, scooping up Katie from her father's lap.

"Come on Katie-bear!" She smiled at her daughter. "Let's go make some tea for everyone."

She gave Ellen a look before she left the room, as if warning her against upsetting her father. Yeah! As if...!

"You haven't answered my question Emma." Her father said. "Why have you come here now, upsetting the applecart and putting all our lives at risk?"

Ellen couldn't contain her anger now. How bloody dare he!

"First of all, DAD...!" She spat out. "It's Ellen now, not Emma! Remember? Emma's gone. She died!"

Luke squeezed her hand, and she realised that he'd never let go of it.

"And where you get off moaning about bloody apple carts is beyond me!" Ellen took a deep breath. "While you've been shacked up here playing happy families with your new woman and my replacement, I've been working my ass off, waitressing in a restaurant six days a week, living completely isolated and alone, worrying about every knock on the door of my shitty little flat!"

David at least had the decency to blush.

"Do you have any idea what it's been like for me, dad?" She cried. "Do you? Apart from the few people I work with, I've had no contact with anyone for three and a half years. Do you know what that's even like?"

David stood, and for a second, she thought he was going to tell her off for swearing. Or tell her to get out. Thank God he thought better of it, or she probably would have hit him with something!

Instead, he turned to Luke with a sneer.

"Well, you're obviously not alone now, are you?" He said pointedly.

"Don't you bloody dare!" Ellen breathed hard. "I've known Luke exactly one month. And do you know how we met?"

Ellen paused and looked at Luke.

"He came looking for me! Traced me from the phone calls you made to that mobile phone you gave me."

David's nervous gaze landed on Luke.

"He came looking for answers dad. Answers as to how and why his brother died!" Ellen felt tears at the back of her eyes. She didn't want to cry now.

"You remember Luke's brother, don't you dad?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "Casey? The undercover policeman? The hero who died saving your God-damned life?"

There was a gasp from the door, as Bethan stood there with a tea-tray in her hands.

"There are two other cars outside with men in them!" She said to Ellen's father.

"They're with us." Luke said, reassuring her. "Protection, if you like."

David looked between Ellen and Luke.

"What exactly is it you want?" He sighed.

"I want you to tell Luke and his friends everything you know about George Drayton and his illegal activities. I want you to turn over all your evidence, and I want you to testify, so that Luke's family can get justice for Casey's murder, and Georgie will get sent down for good, for all the bad things he's done." Ellen stopped for breath.

"And I want my life back! I don't want to be a brown eyed brunette who dresses like a bag lady anymore. That's not me! I don't want to be afraid of my own shadow. I want a mobile phone and a proper job where I can use my education. I want a boyfriend I can go out in public with during daylight!" She glanced back at Luke.

"And I want to be able to register with a doctor, so the next time I get sick, or break my foot, I can go to the hospital and get proper treatment, instead of living on painkillers for months, and packing it with ice every time I get home from a ten-hour shift at the restaurant!"

The tears had escaped now, and were pouring down Ellen's cheeks.

Her dad blew out a breath, but made no move to comfort her.

"Emma..." He began.

"It's Ellen now!" Ellen shouted. "It's fucking Ellen!"

She slumped back with a sob, feeling the warmth of Luke's body as he pulled her in for a hug.

"Mr Lansing, "Luke began. "I respect that you're Ellen's father, and that you sent her away for her own good. But you don't have the first clue what she's been through."

Luke stared at her father.

"From what I can see, when Ellen fled north, you retreated down here to an area you knew well, where you obviously already had friends. It's apparent that within months you and Bethan had gotten together, and whilst it can't have been easy staying off the grid, at least you had each other, and then, little Katie." Luke nodded towards the kitchen.

"As Ellen so succinctly put it, you've been playing happy families." Luke leaned down and kissed the top of Ellen's head.

"Ellen, on the other hand, fled north to a small town in the Midlands. She knew nobody, had no possessions, no clothes and nowhere to live... She basically had enough money for her first month's rent and the clothes on her back. She's had to work incredibly hard just to stay alive, if you can call it a life." Luke paused, trying not to let his emotions get the better of him.

"Apart from me, and I'm really just a Johnny-come-lately, your daughter has a total of three friends, two of them are her bosses, and the third friend, Suzy, is a fellow waitress. If it wasn't for Suzy, Ellen wouldn't have had any contact with another living being outside of her workplace for three and a half years."

Luke looked back at David Lansing.

"Do you have any idea how badly that can destroy a person's soul?"

He waited for some acknowledgement, but David just looked at his hands.

"Your daughter is the most beautiful woman I've ever met, sir! She's intelligent and funny, crazy and caring, with a heart the size of Wales! And she's withering away in hiding." Luke shook his head.

"It's time for you to man the hell up, grow some fucking balls, and set her free!"

Ellen glanced at her father, and the look of shock on his face was almost funny. She doubted anyone had ever spoken to him so bluntly in his life!

"Emm...Ellen, it's not that simple, you know that..." He stuttered.

"Yeah, it is that bloody simple!" Ellen sniffed. "You hand over the evidence to the police, tell them what you know, and testify. Three easy steps."

"Or are you afraid that you'll be implicated?" Luke asked. "I'm pretty sure they'll cut you a deal."

"I can't!" David shook his head. "There's not just you to think about you know."

Luke was fit to burst.

"It seems to me you haven't done much thinking about Ellen for what...at least the last three years? Two ninety second phone calls a year? Less than the price of a birthday card. When is that going to change, huh?" He demanded.

Ellen's heart swelled for the man who was fighting her corner now. It gave her so much strength to know she wasn't alone any more.

"He's right!" Bethan's small voice was unexpected.

"We've been fine here these last few years, being so remote. But only because I've been lucky enough to have a job to support us. What if I were to lose my job? We'd have to move to the town, and how would you remain anonymous then?"

She paused to look at Ellen.

"Katie will go to school in a few years, then high school, then beyond. How will we ever know if she's safe with those monsters still out there?"

Bethan sat down beside David on the sofa and took his hand.

"I never stopped you from contacting Ellen, but that was because you had this notion in your head that it was too dangerous to have more frequent contact. If I had been a better person, a better mother, I would have made you contact her more. Maybe pushed you to have proper contact occasionally." She shook her head.

"But I was wrong. I was trying to keep you to myself, keep you focused on Katie, on our daughter." She looked up at Ellen. "I realise now how selfish I've been. I'm so sorry!"

More tears poured down Ellen's face.

"I've made it too easy for you to deny what happened." Bethan continued talking to David. "To leave all those horrible things in the past. But the truth is they'll never stay in the past. Not as long as those men are out there. We'll never be safe. Ellen and Katie will never be safe. It's only a matter of time until they find us. I've always known that."

David stared at Bethan, and Ellen could see that he was realising that she was giving him little choice in the matter, but also that she was giving him permission at the same time.

He looked over at Ellen, then Luke.

"You know if they find us, they'll kill us all, right?" He said gruffly.

"Then we make damned sure they can't find you." Luke said with certainty.

David nodded, and sank back into the seat cushions.

"I guess I don't have much choice then." He sighed, grasping Bethan's hand.

"If it's all the same to you, I'll go and get my friends." Luke stood up. "Apart from the fact that they're freezing their asses off out there, we'll need them to plan our next actions."

"I'll go put the kettle on again." Bethan headed for the kitchen.

With the others out of the room, Ellen sat with her father in an uncomfortable silence.

"So, how have you been?" David began, uncomfortably.

Ellen looked at him, incredulously.

"Really, dad?" She gasped. "After three and a half years, that's the best you've got?"

David blushed again.

"I'm sorry, Emm.... Ellen..." He started again.

"Look, save the 'I'm sorry' bit, all right?" Ellen snapped. "You may need that line for Katie one of these days. I'm sure she'll appreciate it more than I do right now. God! I don't know what I expected when I came down here, but....it definitely wasn't this!" Ellen blew out a breath.

"It's been a bit of a shock, I'll admit. All around!" David sighed.

A shock? Ellen thought. He considered the appearance of his long-lost daughter after three and a half years, a shock? Whoop-de-do!

Couldn't he have said a 'nice surprise'?

The front door banged open again and Luke came back in carrying her bag, with JT, Matt, and Danny close behind him.

Matt made a beeline for her, obviously having being given the abridged version of the story so far by Luke.

He pulled her in for a full-on bear hug. It was the only way Matt knew how to hug, Ellen thought, her lips twitching.

"Are you good, sugar?" He whispered in her ear. "Cos you know Suzy left me strict instructions to beat the ass of anyone who even comes close to hurting you!"

"Even Luke?" Ellen giggled.

"Especially Luke!" Matt grinned at her and kissed her forehead before releasing her.

Her father stared on, perplexed.

"Matt is the husband of Ellen's best friend, Suzy." Luke explained. "He's here looking out for her too."

"We all are." JT interrupted.

Turning to Ellen's father, JT held out his hand. "Jon Thornton, former Captain, 1st Anglian and Kent Regiment, at your service."

"Danny Simons, former Staff Sergeant, what he said! "Danny waved hello.

"And Matt, makes four..." Luke added dryly.

"Shall we talk strategy?"

The men seated themselves around the dining table, and went through the evidence that David held against George that made him such a threat.

Ellen curled up on the sofa, not paying much attention to what was going on. Once or twice she thought Bethan had wanted to say something, but had changed her mind.

Eventually they sat in silence.

When Bethan brought Katie back into the room, she didn't seem in the slightest bit bothered about having four hulking men sitting at the table. She just carried on playing with her dolls and her pony.

Occasionally she'd hold out a doll to Ellen to show her something, but for the most part she played happily on the rug.

Ellen thought Katie looked very much as she'd seen pictures of herself at that age.

The only difference was that instead of Ellen's bright blue eyes, Katie's were almost golden, like melted caramel. Obviously, those she'd inherited from her mother.

By the time the men had finished talking and plotting for the evening, it was well on the way to midnight.

"Do you have anywhere to sleep tonight?" Bethan asked.

"We have rooms booked at a hotel in Swansea." JT replied.

"It's way too late for you to drive all the way back there!" Beth exclaimed. "We have a spare bedroom with a double bed. There is the sofa and chairs down here you can put together...."

JT smiled. "Ellen and Luke can take the room upstairs, and the three of us can bunk down here on the floor. We have our sleeping bags and packs in the cars."

"If you're sure that will be comfortable enough?" Beth asked, uncertainly.

"It'll be fine." Danny reassured her.

David looked as though he was going to protest at Ellen and Luke spending the night together, but then to Ellen's relief, he changed his mind.

Yeah, the whole 'I am your father and my word is law' argument was pretty much moot these days.

Ellen said goodnight to the room generally, and followed Bethan upstairs, Luke following behind her carrying her bag.

The room she gave them was small but comfortable, and Ellen thanked her before Bethan closed the door and headed toward her own bedroom.

Ellen turned to Luke, her face a mask of pain and hurt.

She didn't speak, just walked into his outstretched arms and clung to his shirt while her quiet sobs filled the room.

Without ever entirely letting go of her, Luke managed to remove most of their clothes before climbing into bed.

He wrapped her tight and let her draw strength from the comfort and warmth of his body.

When she finally drifted off to sleep, her heart was heavy with the knowledge that the father she'd thought she'd known was gone, and the man that was in his place would never be just 'her' dad ever again.

## Chapter 42 - Ellen

When Ellen woke, it took her a few seconds to remember where she was.

Luke was still wrapped around her as they lay spooned together, and his lips gently nuzzled her neck.

"Hey." She wriggled in closer to him. "What time is it?"

"Still early, not even light yet." Luke murmured.

As his hand moved up to play with her breasts, Ellen groaned. "Luke, we can't. My father...!"

"Is still asleep most likely. And as long as you don't scream too loud when you come, yes we can." Luke interrupted.

Ellen couldn't argue any longer.

The arm that was underneath her, led to a hand that was tormenting her breast. With his other hand, Luke was already cupping her mound, one of his fingers sliding just inside her pussy.

Ellen was already starting to pant when Luke lifted her leg up and back over his thigh.

This gave his cock the perfect angle to enter her, and after gliding the head around the moisture seeping from her pussy, he pushed into her slowly, leaving her breathless and trembling with desire.

"Oh God, Luke, don't stop!" She begged. "So perfect!"

"I'll never stop!" Luke groaned into her hair, the tightness of her pussy compressing his cock and feeling wonderful.

As he thrust slowly in and out, he murmured into her ear constantly.

"I can't believe how perfect you feel, so warm and wet for me baby... Can you feel how much I love you?"

Ellen could feel her pussy growing wetter, his words and his cock combining to send her higher and higher.

"Luke!" She begged. "Please?" She had no idea what she was begging for.

With that, Luke tilted her head back and took her lips in a ferocious kiss, alternating between sucking her lips, and thrusting his tongue into her mouth.

When he slid his hand back down to her sex and started rubbing her clit in time with his thrusts, her back arched, and she came gloriously around him, soaking his cock, and panting through her release, desperately trying not to cry out.

Luke thrust a few more times, and just as she felt his cock swell, he pulled out of her and flopping back onto his back, with a few jerks of his hand, he came on his own belly, his come almost reaching his chest with the first few spurts.

Ellen flopped onto her back, and looked over at him, still coming down from her orgasm.

"Forgot the condom again?" She smiled at him.

Luke grinned at her. "Well one of us did, and it wasn't me this time."

"You realise we don't have an en-suite bathroom here, right?" She giggled, looking down at the mess he'd made.

"Yeah." He groaned. "Could I ask you to pass me my t-shirt from yesterday?"

"I can do better than that!" Ellen smirked, slipping her feet out of bed. She reached into her bag, and when she sat back, she held a pack of baby-wipes in her hand.

She pulled a few out and passed them to Luke.

"Thanks," He grinned at her, cleaning up his mess.

When he was all nice and fresh, he put the soiled cloths on the bedside table and leaned in to pull Ellen close.

"Are you Ok with everything that went down yesterday?" He murmured into her hair.

"What, the part about finding my dad's replaced me with a brand-new family? Or the part about finding that he hasn't even given a second thought to how I've been doing for the last three and a half years?" Ellen sighed.

Luke tightened his hold.

"I honestly don't know how I feel." She sighed. "Angry? Hurt? Let down? Betrayed? Maybe all of the above?"

"All of those are legitimate feelings, baby." Luke kissed her hair. "When we walked in that room last night, and I saw him with Bethan and the kid..." He growled.

"I knew how much it hurt you and I wanted to punch his bloody lights out!"

Ellen hugged him tighter.

"I promised I'd never let anyone hurt you, sweetheart, and already I've failed miserably. And there's not a God-damned thing I can do about it!" Luke sounded so defeated.

"Hey!" She lifted her face to look at him. "That hurt was coming whether you'd been here or not. It's my dad's fault not yours. In fact, everything that's been shit over the last three and a half years has all been my dad's fault. The only things you can take credit for are the smiles you've given me in the last few weeks. Add to that the laughs, plus the hugs and the kisses, the phenomenal sex and the incredible orgasms!"

She grinned, as a blush stole up her cheeks.

"In short, Mr Roberts, you're responsible for every wonderful thing in my life!" She placed a kiss on his chest. "And I can never thank you enough for that."

Luke smiled down at the gorgeous woman lying across his chest.

"You know you're making my cock hard again, don't you?" He grinned.

"Oh, you!" Ellen giggled, slapping his chest.

Luke caught her hand and lifted her fingers to his lips. He kissed one before nibbling on the next. His eyes never left hers, and the love in his eyes left her breathless.

"I am so in love with you, Ellen Thomas." He whispered through the kissing and nibbling, before placing her hand over his heart.

"I've never felt anything like this emotion before. Everything you do, everything you say.... You just amaze me!" Luke smiled again. "You challenge me, you entertain me, and you show me more love than I ever thought I'd see. You know I'm never going to let you go, don't you?"

Ellen's eyes widened.

"You're mine now, and I promise, I'll make you smile every day for the rest of our lives." Luke smiled at her.

Ellen reached up to cup his cheeks in her hands.

"You're all I want." She smiled at him, as a tear slipped from the corner of her eye. "All I'll ever need."

She leaned in and they kissed, softly, intimately, forgetting everything else in that moment.

The tapping on the door had them pulling back.

Man, could they catch a break?

"Luke?" JT's voice came through the door. "We need you downstairs, asap!"

"Be right there!" Luke replied, grimacing at Ellen.

She shrugged. "Duty calls, I guess."

## Chapter 43 - Luke

When Luke and Ellen descended the stairs a few minutes later, they found Matt, Danny and David by the dining table, with JT on the phone by the window.

After a few more grunts, JT ended the call, and came over to where they were standing.

"That was the Hub." JT said to the men.

"Our base of operations for any surveillance, tech based or logistical ops we're working on. It's about a mile from our main offices." Luke explained to Ellen, seeing that JT had lost her already.

"Anyway," JT wasn't used to being interrupted. "We've had eyes on George for a while now, and everything's been quiet for the last few days, as you'd expect over Christmas. Anyway, it seems that Georgie boy got a phone-call early this morning that had him fit to burst. He's got a car load of his guys together, and they headed out about ninety minutes ago."

"Which direction did they go?" Luke asked.

"They went straight over to the M4 and were headed west. We lost them in roadworks around the Swindon West junction."

"Any chance they came off at the Bath junction?" Luke asked, his face full of concern.

"No, definitely not!" JT reassured him. "I've had a van there since Christmas morning with a camera and number plate recognition software on board. They definitely didn't leave the motorway there."

"Do you think they're headed this way?" David asked.

"At the moment, that can't be ruled out." JT nodded. "I have another van parked on the Welsh side of the Severn Bridge. If George heads into Wales, we'll know about it within the hour."

"So, do we wait?" Ellen asked, her hand sneaking into Luke's, desperate for his comfort.

"God, no!" Matt snorted. "We head out as soon as we can stow all our gear away. No point in sitting here waiting for the shit-show to turn up on our doorstep. We're getting the hell out of Dodge!"

"Where's Bethan?" Ellen turned around, realising there was no sign of the woman or her daughter.

"We talked it through last night." David said quietly. "She's taken Katie to stay with her mother. It's about twenty-five miles north of Carmarthen, and so remote you can't even get a mobile or a GPS signal up there, not for the last five miles at least. They're as safe up there as they can possibly be. Plus, her parent's house is large and comfortable. Katie loves the ponies they keep."

Ellen felt the bile rising in her throat, and tried to swallow it back down.

"Well, it's good to see you can manage to look after at least one of your kids." Matt snarked at him as Danny and Luke nodded.

David blushed crimson and turned away, wisely keeping his mouth shut.

Ellen could have hugged them for the support they were showing her.

"Everyone be ready to leave in five minutes." JT issued his order, and they all leapt into action.

Luke and Ellen jogged back up to the bedroom to get their stuff together, while the others packed up their gear and stowed away their sleeping bags.

When they returned downstairs, the guys were all packed up.

"We'll head back towards Swansea and the M4, but rather than follow the motorway where we'll get picked up on all the traffic cameras, we'll head up onto the A565 across the Heads of the Valleys road, and make a pit-stop near Hereford. I have a friend there who's agreed to put us up for a few days." JT confirmed.

Even Ellen knew that in military speak, Hereford meant SAS country, as that was where the regiment were based.

Danny pulled the front door open and he and Matt made their way to the cars, carrying the duffel bags and sleeping bags out.

Matt opened a box at the back of his Range Rover, and he and Danny strapped on side arms and Kevlar vests before donning their jackets again.

JT started doing the same as Luke came out of the house with his and Ellen's bags.

"I hope you've got one of those in a small size for the lady." Luke nodded towards the vest, smirking at JT. He glanced back at Ellen as she emerged from the house ahead of her father.

"I always come prepared for all eventualities." JT grinned at Luke, holding up a vest that was half the size of the one he was wearing.

"Matt?" Luke called to his friend. "Is it Ok if David rides with you? Two people to each car?"

Luke didn't want David in the car with Ellen. She was upset enough as it was.

Luckily Matt was of the same mind.

"Sure, no problem, man. He can stow...."

Matt didn't get any further as the first bullet hit the windscreen of JT's car, the glass exploding into millions of pieces around their heads.

Luke barely had time to register that the shot must have come from a rifle not a handgun, when more bullets started pinging around them.

The men instantly hit the deck, Luke swinging around to see that Ellen and David had also hit the floor. Thank God for that!

"Direction?" JT snapped, as he hid behind his vehicle.

"I think there are two shooters somewhere along the lane, about a hundred yards out, and a third one seems to be to the south west." Danny shouted. "He seems a lot closer."

"Matt, you get up on higher ground and see if you can take any of them out from a distance. Luke, you and Danny go after the assholes down the lane, and I'll go for the other guy. On three!" JT made a hand-signal of the three count, and seconds later they all burst into a sprint, each going in a different direction.

More gunfire erupted around them, mostly automatic from a high-powered rifle.

The occasional sound of a hand gun being fired at random intervals told them their third wannabe assassin was still in the game as well.

Luke prayed that Ellen and David could make it back into the house, or at least to a place of safety outside. He couldn't remember if the front door had already been shut or not. If shut, it would probably be too dangerous for one of them to try and stand to get it open again.

Luke took a big arc through the trees and bushes alongside the lane. He wanted to come at the shooter from behind. As he crept through the low undergrowth, he unstrapped the gun he'd holstered at his hip.

As soon as the gunman came into sight, he wasted no time. The minute the man stuck his head up and started shooting, Luke got off one shot to the head. Clean kill!

He looked up to see Matt on top of a garage roof. He gave him the signal to let him know that one would be assassin was now out of action.

Seconds later, he heard the sound of a high calibre rifle firing a single bullet. He thought he saw a flash from Matt's gun, but it was too far to be sure.

"Sodding wanker!" He heard Danny complain. "Like he hasn't got enough kills already, the asshole has to bag mine as well!"

Danny stepped out into the lane.

"I guess we're down to just the one cock-sucker left!"

Another shot rang out close to the house, followed by two more in quick succession.

Luke and Danny started running back to the house, their guns held out, scanning the vicinity for further threats.

JT stepped out from behind a storage shed.

"Threat neutralized." He reported, formally.

Danny nodded. "Yeah, two assholes neutralised in the lane too!" He grinned.

Luke looked around.

"Ellen, it's Ok, honey. You can come out now." He called.

Nothing.

"Ellen?" Luke shouted louder. "David?"

"Did they get back inside the house?" JT asked.

"No, the door was shut." Matt confirmed.

Luke was walking toward the house now.

"Ellen? David?" He shouted, hardly hearing the noise over the sound of his own heart hammering in his chest.

As he went through the gate, he thought he heard a sound from the side of the house, so he picked up speed to get around the corner as quickly as possible.

When he did, he slid to a stop, Matt and JT smacking into the back of him in surprise.

Sitting on the path, his back leaning against the wall was David, his eyes staring at them, the horror of the scene masked in his face. His right hand was at his neck, trying to stem the flow of blood through his fingers. More blood seeped through his right trouser leg and pooled on the floor beneath him.

Luke barely spared him a glance!

Because lying on the ground next to him with her head lolling in her father's lap was Ellen, a bullet hole clearly visible in her temple, and another wound, pouring with blood at her shoulder.

Luke staggered forward wanting to get to her, but dreading that he'd find her dead when he did.

He fell to his knees as he reached her, gently taking her hand in his as he stared at her motionless form.

JT had gone into 'Action Jackson' mode, and was checking for a pulse, as well as looking at David's wounded neck at the same time.

"I've got a pulse!" He declared. "Faint, but there. Matt, help David keep pressure on that neck. We don't want him bleeding out on us."

"Danny, we need ambulances and cops! See if they have a helicopter they can dispatch."

Danny waved his phone at his CO. "Already on it!"

At the sound of JT's declaration that Ellen was still alive, Luke scooted forward.

He scooped Ellen up and sat with her on his lap, his arms wrapped around her tightly.

"It's Ok, baby, I'm here now!" He whispered into her hair. "We're gonna get you to hospital and they're gonna take really good care of you." He sniffed.

"Do you hear me now? You're gonna be just fine." He squeezed her again.

"And when you're out of hospital you're gonna come and live with me, and I'm gonna get you fit and well, baby. Ok? And you know what else? I'm gonna marry you!" He declared, oblivious to the tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Yep, you hear that? You're gonna be Ellen Roberts before the year is out!" He kissed her face, not realising that the wetness there was actually from his own tears.

"And you wanna know what else?" He asked her, his voice getting louder. "We're gonna have six kids! Yep, none of this two-point-two kids and a bloody dog, nonsense. Nuh-uh! Well, you can have a dog if you like, honey. A big German Sheppard, or maybe a Doberman? I'll let you choose. But we're definitely having six kids! No arguments, Ok?"

JT, Matt, and Danny sat in silence watching their friend talk to Ellen's still form, never stopping the one-sided conversation as he told her about all the plans he had for the two of them.

None of them made any attempt to brush away the tears they shed, and nobody moved a muscle until they finally heard the sirens of the police cars and the ambulances.

## Chapter 44 - Luke

When the ambulances arrived on the scene, there was no hesitation by the paramedics.

One team moved straight to David, and the other started working immediately on Ellen.

It took JT and Matt together to pry Ellen from Luke's arms, the sound of his sobs, cutting through the other soldiers like a knife.

"Come on, man." JT wrapped his arms around Luke's shoulder. "They need to be able to fix her."

Luke took a half step back, but his eyes never left Ellen, as he watched every move the paramedics made.

Danny stayed back with the police, giving them the short and ugly version of what had gone down.

The cops were trying to act professionally, but you could tell it wasn't an everyday occurrence to have 'Gunfight at the Ok Corral' in the middle of their patch.

When the detectives arrived, the atmosphere changed, and there seemed to be someone in charge to speak to.

David was loaded into the ambulance first, as they were still working on stabilising Ellen. Matt was allowed to travel with him, although to his chagrin, the police disarmed him first.

When they loaded Ellen onto the second ambulance, Luke climbed in with her.

"I'll get this handled, and we'll see you at the hospital in a few." JT told Luke, who nodded in acknowledgement. "Stay strong, buddy!"

The door closed, and Luke was shut inside with Ellen and the paramedic, who whilst he kept one eye firmly on his patient, did his best to allow Luke some privacy.

Instead of staying in his seat, Luke knelt by Ellen's side, holding her hand to his lips.

"Hey, baby?" Luke whispered. "Everything is going to be just fine now. We've got you in the ambulance and you'll be in the hospital in no time at all. They'll have you all patched up soon, and then we can get back home to London."

He swallowed hard to clear his throat.

"You know my mum is going to want to take you shopping for that wedding dress! And Matt will have to bring Suzy down for the weekend, cos you know there's no way she's missing out on that gig."

"I'll have to check with your dad what religion you guys are." Luke mused. "You're gonna want a church wedding aren't you, and while we're Church of England, I'm happy wherever you like. As long as you're happy, I'm happy." He kissed her palm, ignoring the tubes running fluid into her arm.

"I'll ask JT to be my best man, but the other guys will stand up for me too. Bet you'll ask me to wear my uniform, huh?" He snorted. "Yeah, you know I look freaking hot in my Dress Blues!"

Luke heard the paramedic chuckle behind him, and turned to look at him.

"She's your fiancé?" The paramedic asked.

"Yeah." Luke smiled sadly. "She is. Only she's too stubborn to wake up so I can ask her properly."

The paramedic grinned at him.

"The way you were talking, I thought it was a done deal."

"Oh, it's a done deal all right!" Luke growled. "She's my whole world, and she knows it. And I'm her forever. She told me so just this morning."

The Paramedic nodded, leaning forward to adjust one of the monitors.

"Well, you're a lucky guy!" He said. "She's a beauty. And a fighter. Two of the best qualities in my book."

Luke looked down at his beautiful Ellen.

"Oh, she's a whole lot more than that!"

The ambulance pulled in after what had felt like an interminable amount of time.

Within seconds, the ambulance doors flew open. From the relative silence of the journey, the sudden furore around them was deafening.

Luke was pushed back as the medical team surrounded Ellen, and he followed behind as she was wheeled into the emergency room. He managed to make it in virtually un-noticed and stayed at the back of the room while they worked on her.

He flinched when they cut her shirt off her, wanting to protest at all the eyes looking at her nakedness. But he stayed silent, knowing any sound from him could gain the attention of one of the staff, which could ultimately get him evicted from the treatment room.

He watched the doctors work diligently and methodically, assessing the gunshot wounds, and cleaning up the dried blood.

"Theatre is ready." A senior nurse announced, sparking another round of activity. "Neuro are already there, and there'll be a general surgeon there within half an hour to remove the shoulder bullet."

The senior doctor started issuing instructions.

"Ok, pack her up for transport!" He barked. "Get the mobile monitors hooked up, make sure all the lines are clear and ready to go."

There was a flurry of activity around her, and then she was ready to go.

Luke stepped forward to follow.

"Who are you?" The doctor demanded, spotting Luke for the first time.

"He's the fiancé!" The paramedic stepped forward.

"Ok." The doctor sighed. "We're sending her up for surgery to remove the bullet in her head. The bullet in her shoulder isn't a major concern at the moment as although it's bled a lot, it's not touching anything vital. They'll remove it once she's stabilised."

"What about her head injury?" Luke asked.

The doctor shook his head.

"Unable to say at this time." He replied. "The bullet entered through her temple, and has ended up at the back on the same side." The doctor indicated the rough position of the bullet by pointing at his own skull, finishing up pointing to a spot about two inches behind his ear.

"Without knowing the calibre of bullet, it's not possible to tell you how significant the damage will be. All we can do is hope for the best."

Luke nodded.

"Thank you!" He managed to choke out.

"Are you coming?" The senior nurse called over to Luke.

"Good luck!" The doctor said, patting him on the shoulder as he passed.

## Chapter 45 - Luke

Luke stared at the door of the waiting room. He'd been sitting there for about four hours, and apart from the occasional visitor coming in to use the vending machine, nobody had been in to see him to give him any sort of update.

He was as strung out as a heroin addict, desperate for his next fix.

It was a good job he hadn't been allowed to take his weapon with him to the hospital. He was so jumpy he'd probably have sprayed a shit load of bullets at anyone coming through the door!

His heart leapt as the door opened and JT's head came around the corner. It popped back out, and Luke heard him say, 'He's in here!' to whoever was behind him.

With that, JT, Matt and Danny barrelled into the room

"Any news?" JT asked, taking the seat next to him.

Luke repeated what the doctor had told him, but confessed that he didn't have any more recent news.

Matt stood up. "I'll go see if I can get anyone to give us an update."

"Thanks man!" Luke was grateful. He didn't think he could go and ask for it himself. If they told him there was no news, or worse, bad news, he knew he'd lose it. He was so close to having a technicolour freak out it was ridiculous.

"Ellen's dad came out of surgery half an hour ago." JT informed him. "He lost a lot of blood, and they're going to keep him sedated to allow his neck to heal, but he came through the surgery well and he's expected to make a good recovery."

Luke nodded. He couldn't bring himself to care very much. The only reason to care about anything at all, was currently in an operating theatre somewhere down the corridor. If she didn't make it, David Lansing could go to hell!

"How did it go with the police?" Luke asked. He knew at some point he'd be called on to make a statement, but so far, they'd left him alone.

"Quite well." JT grinned. "I contacted our colleagues at the Met, and explained what had gone down. They've sent a whole squadron down by the look of it. They flew in the team that's been working the George Drayton case, plus a whole team of armed protection officers. They landed a couple of hours ago. The detectives went straight out to the house to identify the shooters. The protection unit are here at the hospital guarding this floor, and the ward where David Lansing is being treated. Both floors are on total lockdown, with limited access to non-hospital personnel."

"So, who were the shooters? Luke asked.

JT smiled widely. "You're gonna love this! Tweedle Dumb and Dumber from down the lane, were none other than Mickey Tanner and Jack Dunne. They're well known to be Drayton's henchmen. They've been with him for nearly thirty years, and are suspected in taking part in dozens of murders. That gives us a direct connection to Drayton, as they'd never make a move without his giving the orders."

"What about the other one?" Luke looked at JT. "The close shooter." The one probably responsible for shooting Ellen.

"Oh, that's even better!" JT laughed. "Matt identified him first, as Gary, the barman from the restaurant."

Luke's jaw dropped.

"What?" He gasped. "That asshole tried to warn me away from Ellen! We thought he was a jealous stalker."

"Uh, that wouldn't actually be far from the truth." JT confirmed. "But he wasn't stalking her to get into her pants. Or if he was that would have been a fringe benefit. Nuh-uh! Gary the barman is also better known as Gary Drayton, only son and heir of one George Drayton!"

"What?" Luke was stunned. "But Ellen said he started work in the restaurant just after she did, three and half years ago. That means he must have followed her up there immediately after Casey died."

"Yup!" JT nodded. "My guess is that they wanted to keep her under close surveillance until she reunited with her father."

"And we led them straight to him." Luke hung his head. "And once again, Ellen ends up in the thick of it."

"I guess so." JT's voice had lost any of its former excitement.

"On the bright side, I gave the Met guys the details of where David said he'd stored his evidence, and they were having it picked up a short while ago. They're talking about having Georgie and the rest of his crew picked up and charged with conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder, over Casey's death and the shooting of Ellen and David Lansing. Added to the charges he's already facing, that should give them enough to have him remanded without bail. Once David and Ellen are well enough to provide statements, they can add more charges as they go."

Luke nodded.

"So, did Georgie's car ever ping on this side of the bridge?" He asked.

JT hesitated, before blowing out a breath.

"Yeah, it did. They followed him as far as the Services to the west of Cardiff, but our guy was keeping track of the car not the men, and we lost them about three hours ago. They must have switched cars as the one we were tracking is still at the Services."

Luke's head shot up.

"You mean he could be here at the hospital?" He jumped out of his seat.

Danny shot up to catch Luke's arm.

"Hey man, it's all cool!" He reassured Luke. "The police have all the details of the cars we know about and who he was travelling with. There are twenty-four armed police in the hospital whose only job is to protect Ellen and David. The Met are here, and South Wales police are all over the place. The only people who aren't here are the press! Somehow, they've managed to enforce a complete media blackout on everything that happened today."

"Hmmm." Luke tried to decide if there was enough security to protect Ellen. He wished he could get his gun back...

With that thought, the door opened and Matt came back in with a female doctor in tow.

"The lovely Doctor.... Williams..." Matt said, reading her name tag, "has some news for you!"

Luke shot up and took two paces forward.

The doctor held her hands up, as if to stop him.

"Miss Thomas is still in surgery." She began. "But they've managed to remove the bullet, and they're working on clearing out any damaged tissue. There was a bit of an issue with her blood pressure early on, but that's been stable for the last few hours, so things are looking better. The bullet in her shoulder has been removed and that's all patched up now."

Luke nodded. That all sounded like good news, right?

"They should be able to close within the next hour, so the surgeon will come out and give you a more up to date report, and a more accurate prognosis."

The doctor reached out and touched Luke's arm, bringing him out of his trance.

"She's alive, Ok? After almost five hours of surgery, that's absolutely huge! There's no argument that her injuries were severe, but if she's still stable after this length of time? That tells me that she's fighting hard to get back to you."

Luke's eyes were filled with tears.

"Thank you!" He managed to choke out.

"Will you be all right?" She asked him, her concern obvious.

"We've got him." JT reassured her.

She nodded. "OK, I'll get a nurse to bring something for you to change into. If your girl sees you looking like that, you'll scare the crap out of her."

Luke looked down, surprised to see his shirt and jeans covered in dried blood. Ellen's blood!

"That would be great." Matt flashed a smile at her again, as he led her from the room.

Luke almost smirked. Damn the man had flirting down. It was a good job he only used it for a good cause or Suzy would have his balls in a vice!

It was after eight in the evening when the doctor finally came to tell Luke that Ellen had made it through surgery.

He sagged at the news, and it took Danny and JT to hold him up.

"She's just being moved into the ICU at the moment. Once she's settled you'll be able to go in with her. Only you for the moment though, as we need to keep visiting in the ICU to a minimum. She's in an induced coma for now, as we want to give her brain time to recover before we allow her to wake up. As long as the swelling starts to subside, we should be able to bring her out of it tomorrow. She was very lucky, you know. The bullet skimmed along the side of her brain. Had it penetrated any deeper, we could be looking at a totally different outcome."

Luke nodded and held out his hand. "I can't thank you enough."

"Good luck to you both." The doctor replied, shaking his hand before moving towards the door.

Luke breathed a sigh of relief. For the first time since he'd rounded the corner and seen Ellen lying on the floor, he had a glimmer of hope that she would come back to him.

His head swam, and he felt the dizziness come over him. JT guided him to a chair and pushed his head down between his knees.

"Easy does it." JT murmured.

Luke stayed like that for a minute, until he felt his equilibrium right itself. He sat up slowly.

"Thanks for everything." He said to his friends.

"Yeah, whatever..." Danny responded, pulling his phone out of his pocket and playing with the keyboard.

JT grinned at Luke. Yeah, they'd both seen the moisture in the tough guy's eyes!

Matt patted him on the shoulder.

"I've got to ring Suzy and try and explain this shit-show to her. Wish me luck." He blew out a long breath.

"Tell her it'll be a few days until Ellen's allowed to have visitors. Maybe that'll stop her getting on the first train!"

"Yeah, and maybe I'll just cancel her bloody credit cards before I ring!" Matt grinned. "Just thank your lucky stars she can't drive!"

As Matt left to ring Suzy, the nurse came in to collect him to take him to the ICU, and for the first time in hours, Luke felt calm.

"I'm off to see my girl." He told JT, who just grinned back at him.

## Chapter 46 - Luke

When the nurse led him inside the ICU, Luke braced himself for what he'd find. They'd gowned him up before allowing him in, and he'd spritzed his hands with a disinfectant spray, following the instructions he was given to the letter.

No way was he going near Ellen if he could spread any sort of infection that could harm her recovery.

When they approached her bed, the nurse pointed to all the tubes and monitors.

"Don't pay too much attention to all of those." She explained. "They're essential to us to monitor Ellen's condition, but they're not actually doing anything to her. She has oxygen being fed to her through that tube, helping her to breathe, but apart from some medication to keep her asleep and pain free, we're not doing too much at the moment. We may change that when we bring her out of the coma, but we'll be letting you know what we're doing, every step of the way."

Luke nodded, studying Ellen's still form in the bed. Her head was wrapped tight in what looked like a turban.

"I'm afraid they had to shave her head completely." The nurse grimaced. "Will that upset her?"

"I don't think it will, too much." Luke hoped he was right. "She was going to change her hair colour after Christmas anyway, so this will be a good way to start."

"Well, it will help if she's got people to support her through it all." The nurse smiled.

"She's got me." Luke picked up Ellen's hand gently. "And I don't give a shit whether she's got hair or not. Just as long as she wakes up!"

The nurse pointed to a big chair next to the bed. "You may as well make yourself comfortable." She smiled sympathetically. "You could be in for a long stay."

Luke nodded and pulled the chair closer to the bed.

It wasn't exactly at the ideal height to hold her hand, but by turning it so that his back was to the room, Luke found he could thread his hand through the bars and hold Ellen's hand firmly.

It had the added benefit that he could look into her face, as the top of the bed had been raised so she was facing forward.

For the first few hours, Luke repeatedly thought he'd felt her twitching or moving. After about the fifth time he had jumped up to check on her the staff nurse came back over to check her monitors.

"She's not going to wake up yet." She smiled at Luke. "The drugs will make sure of that."

"But she keeps moving!" Luke whispered.

"It's probably muscle spasms." She reassured him. "Nothing to worry about. Just like when you get a random muscle twitch."

Luke settled back down, relaxing a little more now he knew better what was going on.

As soon as he was alone again with Ellen, he started talking to her.

"So, right now, you have to have some sleep, honey." He crooned. "The doc said you needed it to let your brain heal up a bit, and so you have to chill for a little while to let it get better."

He stroked the soft skin on the back of her hand.

"And don't worry about everyone else." He went on. "Your dad is doing well. He had surgery to remove the bullets, but he's on the mend now. By the time you're fit and well, I'm sure he'll be beating the door down to come and visit you.

Oh, and Matt was going to ring Suzy a while ago. I bet she's freaked out by now! He doesn't want her to come down to the hospital yet, not while there are a few things unresolved, but you know the Spitfire. I've got a feeling we'll be seeing her sooner rather than later, so you'd better get yourself well pretty quick, because you need to be out of ICU by the time she arrives or she'll go bloody ape-shit!"

Luke stood up to stretch, and used the opportunity to straighten the bedcovers and tweak her pillow.

He leaned over to place a gentle kiss on her cheek, the only place not covered by a bandage or tube. He leaned down to whisper close to her ear.

"Come back to me my beautiful girl. I can't live this life without you, now I've known how much joy you can bring. I won't take one more breath if you leave me! I don't care how long it takes, you can sleep as long as you need to, to get well. I'll wait for you as long as you're still breathing." He gently kissed her fingertips.

"But please try not to take too long, sweetheart. We have a wedding to plan, and those six kids to get started on. I'm not getting any younger here!"

Behind him, Luke heard a sniffle followed by a small squeak of laughter.

He turned to find a different nurse adjusting one of the monitors.

"I'm so sorry." She blushed. "I didn't mean to listen in on your conversation. It was just so sweet, that I couldn't walk away."

"That's Ok." Luke smiled. "It was pretty one-sided anyway."

"No! It was great!" She reassured him. "Keep talking to her. There's a lot of evidence to support that patients can still hear you even when they're in a coma. I talk to my patients all the time."

Luke smiled, as she leaned over Ellen on the opposite side.

"Ellen honey? This is Nurse Karen." She grinned at Luke, her voice carrying a lovely sing-song Welsh accent. "Now you may not want to hear this, but you have a pretty stonking guy sitting by your bed, who says he's your fella. I just want to let you know that if you're not awake within forty-eight hours, there are eight of us in the nurse's station who will be drawing lots to see who should hit on him first."

Luke grinned at her. That would normally get Ellen spitting feathers!

"So, all you have to do, my lovely girl, is wake up and plant a really big wet one on his gorgeous mouth, and I promise you we'll all back off. I'll even let you kick my arse for drooling over him. Now you can't say fairer than that, can you?"

There was no reaction, and they hadn't expected one. But for now, he knew it was because of the medication and not Ellen. Once the medication was withdrawn, Nurse Karen would be a great ally in the 'Help Ellen Wake Up' campaign!

"Thank you!" Luke grinned. "It's good to know that someone else will be pushing her to wake up."

"No worries, lovely. Besides," she held her left hand up brandishing a shiny new wedding ring, "what she doesn't know can't hurt her!"

Luke shook his head. Women could be so conniving!

"I'm on until five tomorrow morning, with Olive, Cheryl and Rob. We'll be around doing observations all night. If you want anything, or even just need a cup of tea or a chat, one of us is always in the office, and there's always a brew available." She patted his shoulder. "I'll bring you a few pillows when I come back, and you should try to get some sleep if you can. The chairs aren't that comfortable, but they're better than the plastic ones in the waiting room."

"Thanks, I really appreciate it."

When Nurse Karen returned, she brought a couple of oversized pillows and a few magazines. They were months out of date, but would be something he could read to Ellen later.

He was exhausted. He didn't ever remember being so bone weary in his life.

Pulling his chair as close to Ellen's head as possible, he lowered the guard rail closest to him. This meant that he could prop up a pillow on the edge of her bed and lay his head down, while still being able to hold her small hand in both of his.

He hadn't intended to close his eyes, but when he felt someone nudge the bed, he knew that he must have been in a deep sleep.

He lifted his head to see where the jostling was coming from.

Nurse Karen was adjusting the other side of the bed, with a male nurse checking Ellen's monitors.

"Sorry." She smiled apologetically. "We just had to make her a bit more comfortable and swap her fluid bags over."

"What time is it?" Luke tried to stretch the kinks out in his neck.

"It's a little after four in the morning." Karen smiled. "You've had a good few hours."

"Shit, sorry!" Luke blushed. "I hope I didn't keep people awake with my snoring."

The male nurse turned around laughing. "In here? Not so much."

Luke turned to look around at the other three beds. All of them seemed to be occupied with people hooked up to the same sort of machines and monitors as Ellen.

When the nurses had moved away, Luke stacked the pillows back onto the chair, and moved to stand close to Ellen, stroking her face.

"Morning beautiful." He whispered. "I'm just going to see if I can find any of the guys to give them an update. I'll be back before you can miss me." He kissed her cheek and backed away.

Luke stopped at the nurse's station on the way out.

"I'm just going to pop out to check in with my friends, and then I'll be back. Will I have any problem getting back in?"

"No, love." One of the older nurses replied. "I can give you a security pass that will get you in and out of ICU day and night. You have to sign for it, and if you lose it or don't hand it back in when your girl leaves ICU, you'll be billed twenty-five quid. Ok?"

"Yeah, that's great." Luke filled in the form, and was handed a security pass hanging from a lanyard. He immediately put it around his neck.

As he left the ICU, he noticed two armed guards at the entrance, and immediately walked up to introduce himself.

"Hey, I'm Luke Roberts." He held out a hand. "The fiancé of the woman you're here to protect?"

"We know who you are, sir." One of them grinned. "You're the one who took out Mickey Tanner!"

"Is that what they're saying?" Luke smirked.

"Oh, yeah!" The other cop grinned back at him. "That's definitely what they're saying!"

"Must be true then." Luke shrugged.

"So, how's your girl doing? We heard she was hit a couple times."

Luke turned back to look towards ICU.

"She's in an induced coma at the moment. They had to dig a bullet out of her head and another out of her shoulder." Luke winced, then shook himself. "But she's a tough cookie. She'll be as good as new real soon."

"Well, we sure hope so." The first guy nodded again. "And don't you worry none. We'll be right here until you're ready to take her home."

"Thanks." Luke nodded. "That's good to know."

It took him about five minutes to find his way back to the waiting room where he'd spent so many hours the day before. Sure enough, when he opened the door, it was to find JT, Danny and Matt sprawled wherever they could, on chairs, table and the floor. Danny always could sleep anywhere.

JT lifted his head and smiled at Luke.

"Hey, how's Ellen doing?" He asked.

"Still in an induced coma." Luke confirmed, just as Danny and Matt sat upright.

"Hi guys." He waved over at them.

"All the signs are good though, and if the swelling has subsided by tomorrow.... actually, by later today, they'll withdraw the drugs that are keeping her asleep, and she'll come around when her body says she's ready."

"Huh?" Danny grunted. "So, she won't just wake up straight away?"

"Nuh-uh." Luke confirmed. "It's kind of like she comes out of the induced coma, but then may actually be tired, so she'll stay asleep. It could last a few hours, or all night. If it lasts longer than twenty-four hours, I reckon that means she's in a proper coma, if that's what you call it. Then it's anyone's guess when she'll come out of it."

The guys all took a moment to absorb this.

"Did you speak to Suzy?" He asked Matt.

"Shit! Did I!" Matt rubbed his ear. "I think she burst my eardrum!"

Luke laughed. "So, is she coming down?"

"I think I managed to convince her to wait for a few days. I don't want her anywhere near here while George is still on the run. I used Charlie as my trump card." Matt grinned. "I told her I didn't want him growing up without a mummy if anything happened to her!"

"Shit! And that worked?" Luke grinned.

"Yeah, this time it worked! But it'll only take her a day or two to get her bullshit detector working and realise I was full of crap!"

"Well, let's hope by then that George is behind bars, and Ellen is wide awake."

"From your lips to God's ears!" Matt muttered. "God, now I'm sounding like Fran!"

Luke laughed before getting back up.

"I'm heading back in."

"Can we get you anything?" JT asked.

"If you manage to get access to my car, could you grab mine and Ellen's bags? I'd like a change of clothes, and I'm sure there will be a few things in Ellen's bag that will help her feel better."

"That shouldn't be a problem." JT smiled. "As yours was the only vehicle without bullet holes, the police didn't impound it. It's parked downstairs in the underground car park."

"Fantastic." Luke grinned. "I'll come back here about ten o'clock after doctors' rounds to collect them. In the meantime, why don't you three assholes sod off and get some shut-eye? You look like shit!"

Danny flipped him the finger, while Matt and JT gave him the 'Wanker' hand signal.

"Later bitches...!" He called behind him, walking back out into the corridor.

He was ready for another shift in the ICU now.

## Chapter 47 - Luke

The doctor had come around the ward at a little after nine that morning, and declared himself more than satisfied with Ellen's progress.

Her sats had been fine all night, her pupils were apparently responsive and her blood pressure and pulse were all good. They were satisfied that there had been very little swelling following the operation, and he was altogether pleased with Ellen's improvement.

He'd ordered the staff to withdraw the drugs keeping Ellen in a coma, and Luke felt a massive weight lift from his shoulders.

Whilst they'd kept her drugged he couldn't even begin to coax her to wake up. In a few hours when the drugs were cleared out of her system, he had a plan of action which included teasing her to the point where she would have to wake up, if only to tell him to 'shut the hell up!'

As the clock ticked closer to ten o'clock, Luke stood up ready to go and get his gear from JT. He had just bent down to place a kiss on Ellen's cheek, when a loud boom sounded throughout the ward, and the floor shook.

He looked up to see the ICU staff all looking at each other frowning.

"That's not normal, is it?" He asked one of the day shift nurses.

She shook her head. "I haven't heard a noise like that before."

Luke made his way to the ICU entrance, where the two protection cops were still in place.

"Any idea what that sound was?" He asked them.

"It sounded like an explosion!" One of them said, while the other listened carefully to the radio chatter.

"Where?" Luke asked, trying to look out of the window.

"Not sure. Car park maybe?"

Luke's head swung up. His car!

"Get on the radio and find out if it involved a black Jaguar XF!"

The second officer was on the radio in a second, asking the operator what was happening.

A minute later, confirmation came over the radio that a black Jaguar had indeed been at the heart of the explosion.

They also reported that gun-shots had been heard coming from the carpark and the concourse, and there were currently seven men on the scene along with armed police, three of them apparently working with the police, and four of them firing against!

Jesus! Luke couldn't breathe. Those were his team-mates out there. He had to get to them!

"Don't even think about it!" One of the police officers was pointing into Luke's face. "If what's going on down there is what we think it is, that means Drayton is after either your girl, or her father. Which means, if you go down there all gung ho! trying to be a hero, that's one less person we'll have up here, trying to keep her safe!"

Luke looked at the door, and then looked back at the ICU.

Reluctantly he had to admit they were right.

SHIT! He was torn.

"If they get anywhere near this floor, I want one of you to give me a gun. I have over ten years of military experience, including eight years in special operations. I also have twelve kills on my record, so you don't wanna underestimate how helpful I might be if they get up here!"

"Ok!" The first officer agreed. "We'll keep monitoring the position, but if it looks like any of those assholes are headed our way, I'll give you my sidearm so you can protect your girl."

"Deal!" Luke nodded. "Now, one of you give me your radio so I can monitor what's going on from inside."

The second officer unplugged his radio from his Kevlar vest and handed it to Luke.

"Listen! Don't chatter!" He warned.

"No problem." Luke assured him before heading back in to sit by Ellen's bedside.

He was really starting to hate Wales!

## Chapter 48 - JT

Well, this couldn't get more fucked up if it tried! JT thought.

He was crouched behind an ambulance, in the underground carpark of a busy hospital, Danny on his right, two armed policemen on his left, and four well-armed assholes on the opposite side of the carpark, firing at them like they had an endless supply of bullets.

He'd have made a run for it to get better cover, but it would have ended up looking like that lobby scene from the Matrix, and he sure as hell wasn't Keanu Reeves with his wacked out super powers!

The air was getting quite thick and difficult to breathe, thanks to Luke's car, smouldering in the distance.

JT smirked. At least he had been able to get Luke and Ellen's bags out before they blew the bloody thing up! Even if they were now under several vehicles about twenty metres from where he sat.

At first, he'd thought it was a bomb, but then he'd realised it had been a shot from a high-powered rifle, which had actually penetrated the petrol tank.

If he hadn't just turned away, and not had the pillar between him and Luke's car, he'd have been barbecued in the explosion!

From where he sat, JT could see Matt about thirty feet away, arguing with one of the armed police, no doubt listing all of the reasons why the guy should give him a gun and let him take a shot!

"You in charge?" JT nodded to one of the officers alongside him.

"Allegedly!" The guy replied. "What do you need?

"See that guy over there?" He waited for the officer to nod. "He's one of the best marksmen to come out of the British military in the last fifteen years. I should know - I was his CO. Tell your guy to stop pissing about and give him a sodding gun, so he can do what he's trained to do!"

The note of authority in JT's voice was unmistakable, and the OIC didn't hesitate to give the command.

Grinning at the armed officer, Matt took the proffered weapon, and gave it the once over. JT knew it wouldn't be Matt's weapon of choice, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

Matt shouldered the weapon, and immediately started crawling away from the officer and the vehicle.

The OIC immediately put out a call over the radio. "All units in the vicinity of the lower car park. Please be aware that we have an armed individual wearing blue jeans, a black jacket, and a woollen hat with an Aston Villa badge. This man is a friendly, I repeat, this man is a friendly! Do not engage him, and for God's sake, Do Not Shoot Him!"

JT couldn't help but chuckle. He doubted that the OIC had issued that particular order very often.

Danny pointed the opposite way toward the exit ramp.

"Can you get some of your guys outside to cover the exit ramp?" He asked. The OIC didn't bother to answer, just issued the order that several men be posted at the top, out of sight.

"Give us some weapons!" JT hissed.

The OIC nodded towards two of his men, and they slid across their handguns, keeping a firm grip on their automatic rifles.

JT and Danny hopped up on to their feet still crouched behind the ambulance. "We'll be back in a minute!" He promised.

"Shit" The OIC sighed, grabbing his radio again. "All units in the lower carpark, please be advised that there are two further friendlies on the move, both in jeans, heading south from the ambulance bay at the ER entrance. Do not shoot them!" He instructed. "In fact, try not to shoot anyone who's not pointing a gun at you!"

JT and Danny passed by several armed officers who were obviously perplexed by the goings on. Danny grinned at them all as he passed.

JT shook his head. The asshole was having way too much fun!

They skirted to the far end of the carpark, until they were certain that they had gone past where the gunman was hiding on the other side.

JT stopped when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Taking it out, he saw there was an incoming call from Matt.

"Hey boss!" Matt's whispering voice came down the line as he connected the call. "Just wanted to let you know that I have eyes on three of the four gunmen, and you'll never guess who I have in my crosshairs right now?"

JT rolled his eyes. "Who've you got in your crosshairs, Matt?" He asked patiently, as if he had all the time in the world.

"Well I'm glad you asked that..." Matt paused, determined to wind JT up some more. "Because right now I'm looking down the barrel at one piece of shit that goes by the name of George Drayton, and he's pointing a gun right at the ambulance you're sitting behind!"

"No shit!" JT grinned. "Well you'll be glad to know that Danny and I have our own toy pistols, and we're no longer behind that ambulance. We're currently at the opposite end of the carpark from you working our way around in a clock-wise direction."

"Great." Matt sounded happy now. "Well, I've got two very nice armed officers sitting with me, so if I make sure they cover the other two assholes, and I keep my eyes trained on old Georgie boy, that leaves you two Johnny-come-lately's to find and eliminate the fourth shooter!"

"Sounds like a plan!" JT agreed. "But if they come out all guns blazing, just shoot whichever asshole is nearest to you!"

"That's affirmative!" Matt agreed before hanging up.

JT knew he would do his job and if necessary kill Drayton where he stood. Hell, unless the police marksmen were really good, he wouldn't put it past Matt to take out all three of them!

JT signalled to Danny and they continued their journey around the carpark, staying low so as not to be visible through any of the side windows. Every few feet, Danny would lay flat to the ground looking for any body parts visible underneath the vehicles.

They had just rounded the last pillar when Danny gave him the hand signal to stop and be silent.

JT crouched low as Danny pointed under the car.

JT took a peak, and sure enough, about eight cars across he could see the bottom of a pair of legs, some Nike sneakers, and what looked to be the butt of a rifle propped up on the floor next to the feet.

He pulled out his mobile and text Matt.

"Have eyes on fourth shooter. If you still have eyes on the other three, have police cause a distraction over by the ambulance bay, and be ready to take positive action in approximately ninety seconds!"

He hit send.

Yeah, Matt would know exactly what he meant by 'positive action'. That was the polite way of saying 'shoot the mother-fuckers!'

At almost exactly the allotted second according to JT's watch, the engine of the ambulance started up, and the back doors were slammed shut. Shit, JT hoped the driver was ducked down low!

As if this was the signal to Drayton and his men that someone was going to get away, the three men rushed forward from their position, firing indiscriminately toward the ambulance.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three shots rang out with roughly a half second between each shot. Two of the gunmen dropped on the spot. The third dropped, but JT could see him drag himself across the concrete towards a row of cars.

Drayton!

Itching to go after him, JT knew that he couldn't, not without taking out the fourth shooter first.

Looking under the car, he found the fourth shooter still in his hiding place. He took aim with his pistol. It wasn't as accurate at this distance as a rifle, but it would do in a pinch.

He squeezed off two rounds in quick succession, and heard the anguished cry as at least one of them connected with their intended target. The shooter rolled out from behind the car, firing indiscriminately, his judgement totally screwed by the amount of pain he was in. Four rapid shots came out from JT's right, and the shooter and his gun fell silent.

JT sat up slowly to see where the shots had come from, and saw Danny waving at him, a big grin on his face.

His phone buzzed again.

He connected the call but didn't speak. "I have Drayton's location covered in case he makes a move. He's directly west of you, maybe a dozen cars away. He's between a white Nissan Juke and a burgundy Vauxhall Zafira. Definitely injured."

"Got it!" JT whispered, returning his phone to his pocket.

Keeping low, he made his way slowly past each of the cars, as he closed in on George's position, row by row.

Four rows down, Danny joined him, standing about twenty feet away, at the other end of the row of parked cars. When they came across Drayton, they would be at opposite ends of the row of cars, with George in the middle. He couldn't point a gun in two directions at once!

They just had to make sure that they managed to avoid shooting each other in the process.

JT smirked. Like that had never happened before!

As JT approached the Nissan, he held his hand up to signal to Danny to halt. Holding three fingers up, he saw Danny nod, and he slowly pulled down one finger at a time, in a well-used manoeuvre.

Three, two, one...

JT and Danny both dived around the car at the same time, guns drawn, ready to fire.

"Well, fuck me!" Danny looked over at the slumped form of George Drayton, his weapon lying next to his lifeless hand. "Another notch on Matt's rifle butt!" He scowled.

JT stood up, his hands high in the air.

"All clear!" He shouted loud enough for all the armed officers to hear him. "All shooters are accounted for. Stand down!"

Slowly about a dozen armed officers made their way from behind whatever cover they'd managed to find.

"Get the fire service in to put the fire out in the Jag!" Someone shouted. "We don't want any more cars to go up."

The OIC came towards him.

"Nice work!" He grinned at the three team-mates.

He looked over at Matt. "You know, if you had a few shooting lessons, you could get pretty proficient with that thing." He nodded at the police rifle.

"Well, thank you very much!" Matt grinned at him, flipping him the middle finger.

"Well, if it's all the same to you," JT grinned. "I have a friend upstairs in need of a change of clothes ready for when his girl wakes up."

"We'll need...." The OIC began.

"Yeah, yeah!" Danny interrupted. "You need a statement from us. We'll be up in the waiting room outside the ICU when you're ready."

"Yeah, well before you go, we'll also need our weapons back!" The OIC grinned.

As they marched into the hospital, the armed officers melted out of their way like they were deities or something.

"That was awesome!" Danny grinned at his friends as they boarded the elevator. "It was like a freaking John Woo film or something!"

JT rolled his eyes at him.

"The most important thing is that we got Drayton!" Danny smirked.

"Actually, Matt got Drayton!" JT pointed out.

"Yeah, tomato-tomahto..." Danny grinned. "The point is that the asshole is toast! And so are his men! So, whenever Ellen and her dad get well enough, at least they can go home now."

JT sighed. That was probably true.

Drayton had no other family to take over either of the businesses. His ex-wife was long gone, and their only son Gary was also dead. Gone were his two main enforcers, as well as the three goons lying on the concrete in the parking garage.

JT highly doubted whether any of the low-life's in Drayton's current organisation would possess enough brain cells to try and enact a take-over of the business, so, yes, to all intents and purposes it was probably over. No doubt there would be some sort of turf war, but that wouldn't involve them.

As they got out of the elevator at the doors to the ICU, they were faced with two snarling police officers and the business end of their weapons.

Before JT had a chance to introduce themselves, the guards stepped back grinning and pointed towards the ICU.

"You'd better get in there fast." The older one smirked. "Your mate is pretty pissed at having missed the party, and wants to know everything that went down. He's pacing the floor like a caged animal!"

## Chapter 49 - Luke

When Luke saw JT, Matt and Danny walk into the ICU with the armed Protection officer, he could have collapsed with relief.

Having the police radio and hearing it all go down without anyone giving him a running commentary was really hard.

He'd never had a situation where the guys had gone on a mission and he'd been left behind. It had nearly killed him!

Danny couldn't wait to tell him all about it, although in Danny's version, he had done all the killing, including the fatal shot which ended George Drayton's sadistic bloody reign.

Matt didn't bother correcting Danny's version, letting him ramble on. But over Danny's shoulder he saw the man hold up three fingers and point at himself, and then one finger and point at Danny.

Danny was so full of shit!

"How's Ellen?" JT asked.

"I think she's looking better." He smiled. "Come and see!"

He looked over at the nurse, who nodded, but held up her hand showing five fingers. Yeah, got it... Five minutes.

The guys crowded around Ellen's bed.

The nurses had removed the breathing tubes and the cannula in the back of her right hand had come out while all the drama had been going on down in the garage.

"She's looking really good, man!" Matt reassured him.

Luke nodded, although from the look on Danny's face standing behind Matt, he wasn't so sure.

JT looked down at the bags in his hand.

"I managed to retrieve these from your car just before it blew up." he grinned.

"Yeah, thanks!" Luke said wryly. "I'd rather you'd left the clothes and saved the car, actually."

"Yeah, well I flipped a coin and the car lost!" JT grinned. "Sorry."

"Great!" Luke complained. "I thought the last car was a money pit after I sold her to the shit-head here after only three months. I'd only had the Jag three days!"

Danny held his hand up, grinning.

"Yeah, well don't come knocking on my door begging me to sell you back the BMW. Cos that shit ain't happening!"

Luke was grinning back at Danny when there was barely a whisper behind him.

"Don't want that piece of shit car anyway!" It rasped.

Luke's head spun around so fast he left himself dizzy.

"Ellen, sweetheart?" Luke grabbed her hand as gently as he could. "How're you doing, baby?"

The day nurse pushed through between Matt and Danny, and started taking Ellen's pulse. She pushed the alarm button twice.

"Ellen honey, I'm Nurse Williams. Do you know why you're in hospital?"

"Head hurts!" Ellen whispered.

Luke wasn't sure if she was responding to his question or the nurse's.

More doctors and nurses rushed in, and suddenly JT and the boys were shoved aside. JT made a hand signal to Luke to let him know they'd be waiting outside.

Luke nodded back, grinning from ear to ear.

Ellen was coming back to him!

Two hours and a hundred tests and questions later, they were finally left alone.

Ellen had drifted in and out of sleep, but the most important thing was that when she was awake, she was able to answer all of their questions without showing any signs of brain damage.

Luke had had enough of all the nurses and doctors getting in his way.

He just wanted to hold his girl and whisper sweet nothings in her ear.

He wanted to see her smile and hear her laugh.

Every time he seemed to be about to get a minute alone with her someone else interrupted them.

He frowned down at their joined hands.

"If the wind changes, your face will stay like that!" A small voice warned.

He looked up, and for the first time since she had woken up, Ellen was looking straight at him, her beautiful blue eyes no longer cloudy.

"I was just thinking I can't wait to get you home. Away from all these bloody people getting in our way all the time!"

Ellen gave him a weak smile. "I'd like that too."

"Great!" Luke grinned at her. "I'll go find a wheelchair and kidnap you. We can run back to London and hole up in my flat, where I'll have my very wicked way with you!"

"Sounds fabulous." Ellen agreed, yawning. "Maybe after I've had a little nap."

Luke chuckled. "Sure honey. I'll be waiting!"

"Hmm-hmm." She murmured.

"Oh, and Luke?" She said drowsily, already half asleep. "Do you know where I can find Nurse Karen?"

"I think she's on the night shift tonight." He said. "Why?"

"Need to kick her ass for hitting on my fella!" Ellen mumbled, her eyes not even opening now.

Luke grinned. "I'll make sure she knows."

## Chapter 50 - Ellen

It was another ten days before Ellen was released to go home.

The day after she awoke she was moved out of the ICU, into the High Dependency unit, and after forty-eight hours there, she was transferred to a private room.

Her father had been released several days before, and although he'd come to see her before going home, the closeness was gone. Ellen knew that their relationship had been irrevocably damaged by his abandonment of her.

She didn't know whether that would ever change, but at the moment, that wasn't something she was going to give too much thought to.

In the end, he'd left the hospital with Bethan and Katie, and no plans for them to meet up again.

That was fine with Ellen.

Luke had been there holding her hand, waiting for the waterworks to start, but there hadn't been any.

Now here she sat in his new car, another Jaguar, thank goodness, although it wasn't quite the same as the last one.

However, if ever there was a car to make a long journey in, this was it.

She'd reclined the seat before they'd left the hospital grounds, and had slept for the next two hundred miles.

When she felt the bump as Luke entered the underground carpark belonging to his flat, Ellen stretched, grinning up at him like an idiot. She hit the button to lift her seat upright.

"Please tell me that there's not a surprise welcome home party planned?" She begged.

Luke's face fell.

"Really?" She gasped. "I'm sorry...did I ruin the surprise.... It's fine...."

Luke grinned. "I'm just teasing you. No party, I promise!"

Ellen sagged back into the seat. "Oh, thank God!" She whispered.

"I love our friends, and I wouldn't trade them for the world, but four days solid of Suzy and Danny trying to outdo each other in the 'Who can be more outrageous' competition? That's more than you need in a lifetime!"

Luke grinned.

"Wait there." He instructed. Retrieving their baggage from the boot, he trotted over to his private elevator, inserted the key to open the door, and threw the bags in.

When he got back to the car, he opened her door wide and scooped her up into his arms before kicking the car door shut.

"I can walk, you know!" She pointed out.

"I know." He agreed affably.

Ellen shook her head.

"You can be quite ridiculous, you know!"

"I know." He smiled down at her.

She gave up.

When he entered the apartment, he carried her straight upstairs to the bedroom, despite her protestations that she wanted something to eat.

"Dinner is being served on a tray in about half an hour, which gives you just enough time to have a soak in the tub, climb into a pair of comfortable pyjamas, and hop into bed."

Luke walked into the bathroom, and she heard him switch the taps on to fill up the bath.

Actually, that sounded like quite a good plan.

While Luke helped her into the bath, and made sure to wash the places she couldn't reach, she was surprised at how well behaved he was.

He hadn't made a single attempt to grope her or touch her anywhere inappropriate.

"I'm not gonna break if we make out a little, y'know!" She smiled.

"I know." He grinned at her infuriatingly.

"Is that all you're going to say?" She pouted.

Luke sighed as he gathered her up and lifted her out of the bath. He stood her in front of him and wrapped her in an enormous bath sheet.

"Look..." He rubbed her arms and shoulders dry with a separate towel. "I've arranged for a doctor to come and see you. A private doctor. She'll give you a thorough check-up and make sure you're all recovered from the shooting. You can talk to her about anything. Confidentially! You may want to discuss contraception with her. It's up to you."

Ellen was gobsmacked. "You got me registered with a doctor?"

"A private one, yes. I go to see a male doctor at the same practise when I need one."

"Ok." Ellen agreed. It was stupid to be ridiculously happy about being able to register with a doctor.

But it reminded her that she no longer had to be invisible.

As she looked over Luke's shoulder at the mirror, her eyes widened at her reflection. She never failed to be shocked by her baldness.

Her hair had started growing out a little now though, and it was a lighter blonde than she remembered it too, which pleased her no end.

Suzy had thought she'd looked bad-ass, especially with her scar!

Luke had said he thought she looked beautiful, and if he had been lying to spare her feelings, she'd never have known it.

"I think I'd like to see about contraception." She said, looking up at Luke. "We could stop worrying about bloody condoms then."

Luke grinned. "I'm definitely in favour of that."

"Ok." She smiled, dropping the towel and lifting her arms to slip on the pyjama top that Luke was holding for her.

She lifted her legs obediently when he held her panties out for her, and repeated the process with the pyjama trousers.

"Come on, into bed." Luke instructed. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

"Wow!" Ellen giggled, climbing under the covers. "What's it going to be? Your speciality beans on toast?"

Luke smirked. "You'll see..."

With that, there was a soft tap on the door, and Luke spun around to open it.

Ellen gasped as she saw Sally and Carl walk into the bedroom each carrying a tray of food.

"Hey, sweetie!" Sally cried, handing the tray off on Luke. "We just heard about everything this morning when our cruise ship docked."

"How are you doing, honey?" Carl wiggled her foot under the covers.

"I'm pretty good, all things considered." Ellen smiled at them, giving Sally a big hug. She put her hand up to her head, twisting from side to side.

"Like my new 'do'?" She giggled.

Sally brushed her hand across Ellen's head.

"It's beautiful!" She announced. "What do you think Carl?"

Carl grinned at her.

"I think that Ellen could parade around in sackcloth and ashes and she'd still be the most beautiful woman for a hundred miles! Except for you, of course, my dove!" He winked at his wife.

Ellen grinned and blushed at the same time, while Luke made gagging noises.

"Enough with the bullshit." He announced. "My woman needs to eat!"

Sally pulled a round coffee table closer to the bed, and both men deposited the contents of the trays. There were four bowls of soup and plates of sandwiches, biscuits, fruit and glasses of milk.

"Sorry it's not a proper cooked meal." Sally smiled, handing Ellen a plate. "JT picked us up in Southampton this afternoon, brought us back here so he could explain what happened to you, and then left with a request that we make something for lunch for the four of us! Honey?" She wagged her finger at Luke. "If you want cordon bleu, you'd better stock your fridge/freezer better!"

Luke grinned, tucking into a sandwich.

"This is great!" He said with his mouth full.

"It really is great!" Ellen agreed. "Thank you so much. And don't be too mad with Luke for not telling you sooner. There was nothing you could have done, and it would have upset me to know that your holiday had been ruined."

"Nonsense!" Carl exclaimed. "You are part of our family now."

Sally nodded in agreement.

"So, what are your plans now?" She asked Ellen. "Now that you can go anywhere, where do you plan on living?"

Ellen looked up at Luke. Had she been wrong in expecting that she and Luke would be living together? Had he not said as much?

"Ellen will be staying here with me!" Luke announced, as though the arrangements had been discussed and agreed.

Immediately Ellen's hackles went up. Whoa there!

Whilst that might be exactly what she wanted, if Luke thought he could dictate things, he had another think coming!

"Oh?" Ellen said calmly. "And when did we make that decision? While I was in a coma?"

"What? No, of course not! That's preposterous." Luke spluttered.

Yeah? Right on the money, is more like! Ellen thought.

"Well, I sure as hell don't remember that conversation!" She smirked at him.

Luke tried again. "Well, you said.... When I said..." His frustration grew. "I told you all of this."

"You told me?" Ellen's voice raised an octave, as Luke's mother and father grinned at each other before looking back and forth between Ellen and Luke.

Sally pulled a face at Luke that said "Uh-oh! You're gonna get it now!"

"You've done a lot of that lately, haven't you?" Ellen accused Luke. "Telling!"

"What do you mean?" Luke blushed. "Couples always tell each other stuff? Isn't that how it's supposed to work?"

"Not that kind of telling, dumb-nuts! I mean, you're always telling me what I'm going to do, making decisions for me!"

"Am not!" Luke pouted. "Give me one thing I've made a decision about without asking you about first."

"One?" Ellen almost screeched. "I'll do better than that. I'll give you three!" She stated, holding out three fingers.

Sally and Carl couldn't have been more amused. This was great entertainment, watching this little wisp of a girl tie their hulking, former-military bad-ass son in knots!

"Firstly..." Ellen wiggled a finger around. "You told me that I was going to move in with you and live with you forever. True or false?"

Luke opened and closed his mouth several times before finally conceding. "True!"

"Secondly, did I or did I not hear you tell me that I would be marrying you by the end of the year?"

Luke gasped. "Yes, but you weren't conscious at the time!"

"No excuse!" Sally batted his argument away.

"Mother!" Luke whined, looking to Sally for back-up.

"Psht!" Sally made a zipping motion across her mouth, telling him to 'Zip it!'.

Carl just grinned at everyone.

"And lastly..." Ellen climbed up onto her knees, pausing for effect and wiggling her third finger in his face. "Did you or did you not inform me that we would be having six children, and that I'd better hurry up and come out of my coma so we could get cracking, because, and I quote, you're 'not getting any younger'!"

Sally gasped, her hand across her mouth.

"Luke Roberts!" She admonished him. "There should have been at least three questions in there, not three orders!"

Luke looked shell-shocked.

"Carl!" Sally said to her husband, her tone brooking no argument. "You'd better take Luke out and give him a good talking to! I thought we'd raised him better than this."

"Yes, dear!"

Before Luke knew what was happening, his father had dragged him from the room and was pulling him down the stairs.

Left behind, Sally and Ellen stared at each other for a long minute before collapsing on the bed laughing together.

"Oh, sweet Jesus! You are a wicked girl!" Sally giggled.

"Too much?" Ellen grinned.

"Hell, no! It's about time that boy learned to take orders from someone other than JT! You have him eating out of your hand. It's marvellous."

"I really do love him, and want to marry him and have his babies." Ellen frowned. "Well, maybe not six of them...!"

"I know, sweetheart!" Sally smiled, cupping her cheek. "But you deserve to be proposed to properly!"

"Yes, I rather think I do!" Ellen grinned.

## Chapter 51 - Luke

Luke and his dad were sitting in the kitchen, each sipping from a bottle of beer, when Sally appeared about ten minutes later.

"Ellen's having a nap." She grinned at him. "She's all tuckered out."

Luke nodded.

"Did I get everything wrong?" He asked, obviously perplexed.

Sally shook her head, and moved in for a big hug.

"No, Luke, you did everything right." She smiled up at him. "You've picked the perfect girl, brought her back to us, when we could have lost her, and now you're planning to love and cherish her for the rest of your life. That's almost perfect!"

Yeah, Luke noticed the 'almost' in that sentence.

"So, what's missing?" He asked.

"Oh, Luke!" Sally sighed. "You have to ask a woman to marry you, not tell her she's doing it. That girl up there adores you and would walk through fire for you. But it doesn't mean she doesn't deserve flowers and romantic dinners and a marriage proposal she'll remember and cherish for the rest of her life."

Luke nodded in understanding.

"Ellen doesn't want grand gestures, or some over the top 'to be seen on u-tube' stunt-proposal!" Sally continued.

"Stunt-proposal?" Luke grinned.

"You know the ones I mean... One minute they're at the Aquarium looking at the Stingrays – next thing she's looking at the sharks swimming around when her boyfriend pops up in front of her in a scuba diving suit holding a diamond ring and a sign that reads 'Will you marry me?' Then twenty of their closest friends pop-up behind her, filming it all for posterity!"

Luke grinned again. "Too tacky?" He asked.

"Not at all! For some people that's just right. Just not Ellen!"

"I always meant to propose." Luke said honestly. "There just hasn't been time to get her a nice ring."

Sally grinned up at him.

"Then I think I may have just the right thing." She reached to her right hand and slid off the Sapphire and diamond ring that she had worn for as long as Luke could remember, holding it out to him.

"Here, how about this? It belonged to your great-grandmother on your dad's side. Rosalie married Edgar in a little church in the Cotswolds in 1930. Edgar was very much like you. He was a twin, he had the dual colour eyes, and he was an army officer. I only knew them in their later years, but you never met two people more devoted to each other. He may have worn the trousers, but she ruled the home, raised the kids, and during the war, even grew the food that fed them! And he would have moved mountains to make her happy. They were married for nearly sixty years, and when she died, he only lasted two weeks without her."

Sally sniffed, tears in her eyes.

"It's the perfect colour to match Ellen's eyes." She smiled. "I think Edgar and Rosalie would be very happy if she were to wear this ring."

Luke stared at his mother in disbelief. "But you've always worn it."

"Exactly!" She laughed. "Now it's time for it to go to the next generation. Unless you think it's too old-fashioned?"

"Mum, it's beautiful, and I think Ellen will love it." Luke was choked up.

"OK, then!" Carl patted him on the back. "Just don't wait too long to ask her."

"I guess waking her up now would be a bad thing?" Luke asked him mum hopefully.

"Yes, it would!" she agreed. "She needs her rest. I wouldn't be surprised if she sleeps until morning."

Ok then, Luke thought. Tomorrow it is!

## 52 - Ellen

Ellen woke early, before the room was fully light, her bladder insistent that she pay a visit to the bathroom.

Luke's arm was wrapped around her and she could feel his breath on her neck. It felt so good and she grinned stupidly, before sliding out from under his arm and padding across to the bathroom.

In the hospital, once she'd had a private room, Luke would climb up beside her and hold her while she slept, but with all the clothing and bedclothes and people coming in and out, even at night, it never felt really intimate. They hadn't had any skin on skin contact in almost two weeks.

She quickly did her business, washed her hands and face, and brushed her teeth.

God, that felt so much better.

She crawled back into bed and snuggled back into Luke's arms.

She tried not to wake him, because he needed his rest, probably more than she did.

He'd refused to leave the hospital, using her en-suite bathroom to shower, and sending Matt to buy clothes for him to wear when he'd run out of clean stuff.

He'd snatched the odd few hours here and there, but only while she'd slept, and her sleep pattern after the coma had been erratic at best.

Ellen luxuriated in the warmth of his skin, and the solid heartbeat within his chest.

"Are you ever going to kiss me?" Luke's deep voice rumbled, thrilling her.

"Nah! Morning breath!" She grinned to herself. Luke never suffered with morning breath, but it felt good to tease him.

"Yeah?" He murmured.

Two seconds later, she was flipped onto her back, Luke's bulk leaning over hers, and his tongue alternating between licking every inch of her face and slipping between her lips!

"Ugh, Luke! Gross!" She squealed between kisses.

Luke flopped back to her side on the mattress, propping himself on one arm to look down at her. She wiped at the damp spots on her cheeks with her pyjama sleeve.

"So..." He grinned." If you don't like me 'telling' you stuff, how 'bout you tell me stuff?"

"Like what?" Ellen turned her body to face him.

"Tell me you love me!" Luke grinned.

"I love you!"

"Tell me that you're mine, now and forever!"

Ellen rolled her eyes.

"I'm yours, Luke, now and forever."

"Tell me that I'm yours, and that you'll kick the shit out of me if I ever look at another woman!"

Ellen giggled, then tried to put on her fierce face.

"You're mine!" She poked him in the chest. "And if you ever look at another woman, I'll not only beat the ever-loving shit out of you, I'll also cut off your balls, and feed them to the fish in your mother's pond!"

Luke winced.

"Ok, that was harsh, but fair!" He agreed.

"Tell me you agree to have at least... four children. And that you'll let me watch while you breastfeed them!"

"Luke!" Ellen giggled, smacking his arm.

"Go on!" Luke insisted.

"Oh, God!" She breathed through the giggles. "Alright! I agree to have four children, and, if you happen to be passing by while I'm breastfeeding, I promise not to cover up."

"Good enough!" Luke agreed.

"Now, tell me that you'll make me the happiest man alive, by allowing me to love you every day of forever, to worship the ground that you walk on, to support you every day, to carry you when you're tired and to make love to you every night!" Luke paused, but didn't stop.

"Tell me that you'll go out into the light and make a proper life for yourself. Tell me that you'll find something you want to do that will bring you joy, and that you'll let me help you achieve your dreams."

He ran his thumb over her cheek as he cupped her face.

"Tell me that you'll support my dreams, and that you'll love and support our children through whatever trials and tribulations they may go through."

Ellen stared at him, astonished to see that Luke's eyes were bright with unshed tears.

"But mostly, I want you to tell me that you'll agree to be my wife, to walk this path together with me, and promise me that you'll never, ever, leave me or scare me like you did this past few weeks."

Ellen's own cheeks were now wet with tears.

When she looked down, she could see that he held an engagement ring in his hand, a beautiful antique ring with a centre sapphire and four diamonds making a square setting. It was exquisite!

"This belonged to my great grandmother and then my mother. If you'd prefer a new ring, I'll be happy to buy you the biggest rock on the planet. But it would mean a lot to me, if you'd wear this one."

Ellen put her hand over her mouth to stop herself from sobbing. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself.

"Luke, nothing would make me happier than to marry you, and I would be honoured to wear this ring."

Luke gently slid the ring onto her finger, and then leaned down to kiss it.

Then he took Ellen's lips in the gentlest, most loving kiss imaginable, and they lay there for the longest time, just touching and kissing, basking in the intimacy of finally being alone.

She'd gone from hell to heaven in less than two weeks!

## Chapter 53 - Ellen

At around ten o'clock, there was a light knock on the bedroom door.

Ellen and Luke were still lying side by side, kissing, touching and whispering nonsense to each other. Ellen had been giggling like a teenager, and Luke had never been happier.

"Come in!" Luke called.

The door opened and Sally stuck her head through, her hand covering her eyes.

"Are you two decent?" She asked.

Ellen laughed.

"Perfectly decent, honestly."

Sally removed her hand and grinned at them.

She handed Luke his phone.

"Matt rang a little while ago. I only answered it because I could see it was him, and he kept ringing. He said to tell you that the team will be over for brunch in half an hour, and they'll be bringing the food with them."

"Ok, thanks. I'll just jump in the shower." Luke sat up and swung his legs out of bed, heading for the bathroom.

"There's coffee in the kitchen when you're ready." Sally smiled at Ellen. "Unless you'd like me to bring you some up?"

Ellen shook her head, sitting up.

"I need to prove to Luke that my legs work." She smirked. "He thinks he needs to carry me everywhere!"

"He's just like his dad." Sally pointed out. "He likes to pull the 'Me Tarzan, you Jayne!' crap sometimes too. Wait until you're pregnant! He'll be unbearable!"

Ellen blushed. She rather liked that thought.

Sally linked her arm with Ellen's.

"Come on. I'll hang onto you while you go down the stairs. I don't want you to get dizzy and fall!"

Ellen's tears stung behind her eyes.

It had been so long since she'd had a mother figure taking care of her, she'd forgotten what it felt like.

"Thanks." She managed to whisper.

Sally looked at her strangely, but didn't say anything else.

It was going to take some getting used to, having family around.

Sally insisted that she take a seat at the breakfast bar, while she brought Ellen a cup of coffee and a shortbread biscuit.

"I have no idea what 'brunch will consist of, but as there's a distinct possibility it could come from McDonalds, I don't think a biscuit will ruin your appetite."

Ellen grinned.

"After nearly two weeks of hospital food, a McDonalds doesn't sound half bad!" She confessed.

Sally laughed. "Point taken! I'd forgotten you've been living on hospital food."

"It wasn't too bad, but trying to avoid the stodge, you virtually end up living on ham salad and ice cream." Ellen grimaced. "Luckily there were some decent shops nearby, and Suzy would pick up a piece of cooked chicken and a pasta salad that could be eaten cold. If only the hospital would provide microwave ovens on the wards, it would save the NHS a shed load of money on in-patient food. I'd be more than happy to live on ready meals! Save the hospital food for those with nobody to bring stuff in for them."

"How did Luke manage then, if he didn't leave the hospital?" Sally asked.

"Hmmph!" Ellen snorted. "Every time Matt and Suzy would come in to visit, Luke would sneak downstairs with Matt to 'leave us girls to talk!' Yeah, that was code for 'Danny's downstairs in the car with a takeaway'!" She laughed.

"I think Luke thought if he came straight back and brushed his teeth, I wouldn't notice. But I can tell you with some certainty that on two nights he had Chinese food, twice he had curry, a couple of times it was KFC, I think that was Danny's contribution, and one night I think it was Kebabs or something similar. It was very spicy!"

"Men always think they can pull the wool over our eyes, but they never do." Sally grinned.

"Ah, I have to give him credit for trying." Ellen smiled. "He knew I wasn't allowed to eat it, so he wouldn't eat it in front of me."

Sally smiled. "He's a good guy."

"He is! You should be so proud of him." Ellen spoke from the heart. "Casey too!"

Sally looked up and smiled sadly.

"JT told me of your connection with Casey. I'm so sorry you were caught up in it all!"

"I have to blame my father, to a degree." Ellen said. "When he knew what he'd gotten mixed up with, he should have just gotten out."

Sally shook her head. "Sometimes, by the time you see the big picture, it's too late for that. At least he did the next best thing by trying to help the police."

"Yeah, and that got Casey killed!" Ellen pointed out.

"Sweetheart, you didn't know Casey. He wasn't like Luke. He could be reckless, especially with his own safety. He had a God complex! His father and I always feared he would get himself involved in something that he couldn't get out of." Sally hugged herself. "If he hadn't died saving you, it would have been for another worthy cause."

Ellen nodded, finally understanding.

"And Ellen? Make no mistake about it, Carl and I both feel that his sacrifice was absolutely worth it!"

Ellen felt the tears on her cheeks as Sally scooped her up in a hug.

"No smooching in the kitchen!" Luke's voice pulled Ellen out of her sad thoughts. His hands on her shoulders pulled her out of his mother's embrace and into his.

"Unless it's with me, of course, and then it's totally cool!" He kissed her softly. "Ok?"

He looked deeply into her eyes.

"Absolutely Ok!" She hugged him back.

A buzzer sounded in the hallway, and Luke backed off.

"Looks like the food arrived!" He grinned.

"Come on, we'll get some plates warmed." Sally bustled about the kitchen, while Ellen pulled mugs from the kitchen cupboards for coffees.

As the elevator doors swished open, the volume level in the flat increased by five hundred per-cent.

And that was just Suzy!

"Ellen!" She yelled. "Get your lazy ass out here to greet us!"

Ellen grinned at Sally's look of shock.

"So, that's Suzy?" Sally asked, grinning.

"Bog off!" Ellen shouted back. "I'm supposed to be taking it easy! You get your lazy ass into the kitchen!"

Sally chuckled.

Suzy's stomping could be heard first, then her mumbling. "Yeah, but you're not carrying heavy shit!"

When she finally rounded the corner, she had little Charlie asleep in her arms. "Jeez, you could train for a marathon just jogging around this apartment!"

Matt and Danny were hot on her heels.

"We come bearing food!" Danny grinned at her. He marched over to the kitchen counter, kissing Ellen's cheek as he passed. "Hey, gorgeous! Looking good!"

"Yo Mama!" He grinned at Sally, giving her a hug and a sloppy kiss on the cheek. "You are still one hot piece of ass!"

"Put her down, Danny! I keep telling you, she's taken!" Carl walked into the kitchen behind the boys. He also stopped to give Ellen's cheek a kiss on the way past.

"Hey, ya big lug!" Suzy yelled at Matt. "Get over here and take your son! I need to smooch my girl!"

Matt grinned, but immediately took Charlie in his arms, soothing him to keep him asleep.

"Come here, you!" Suzy grabbed Ellen and pulled her close. "It's so bloody good to see you out of hospital. I didn't want to tell you while you were still in there, but that hospital gown? Made your ass look enormous! I swear to God!"

Ellen burst out laughing, but Suzy didn't let go of her. Instead she whispered, for Ellen's ears only.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again, bitch! It would have broken my heart in pieces if I'd lost you!"

Ellen pulled back to see Suzy's eyes brimming with tears. Tears she obviously didn't want the guys to see.

"Talking about fat asses?" She grinned at Suzy. "When are you gonna be getting rid of all that baby weight you put on?"

Sally gasped, but Suzy just burst out laughing.

"God, I bloody love you, y'know!" Suzy planted a huge kiss on Ellen's cheek.

"Oh, hey!" Suzy said, as if seeing Sally for the first time. "I'm Suzy, Matt's wife, and Ellen's BFF." She held out her hand. "Sorry about the language. Too many years being around these assholes!"

Sally took Suzy's hand in both of hers.

"So, you're the infamous Suzy!" She grinned. "I'm very happy to meet you. From what I've heard, it's good that Matt has gotten himself a woman who can keep him in line. It's about bloody time these guys got shown who should be boss!"

JT and Luke came in the room then, and JT looked at the bags.

"You realise that if you don't unload the food and dish it out soon, Danny will have eaten everything?"

Everyone turned to Danny, who was stuffing an egg and bacon croissant in his mouth.

"You snooze, you lose!" He mumbled, his mouth still full of food.

They emptied all the food across the counter and filled plates to take to the living room.

"Is everything Ok?" Ellen asked Luke as he sat down on the sofa next to her.

"Actually, JT has something he wants to ask you about." Luke said quietly.

"Oh?" Ellen said, taking a bite of her croissant.

"Yeah," JT finished off the mouthful of food he was chewing. He wiped his mouth on a napkin.

"We have quite a few new jobs coming our way from our American friends. Some are UK based, but a lot are for work Europe-wide. We've even got some with Russian subsidiary companies."

Ellen nodded. "That's good, right?"

JT nodded. "It's great." He agreed. "Luke mentioned your area of expertise was languages?"

Ellen nodded. "I speak around nine or ten to a pretty good standard."

JT nodded.

"Our biggest problem when we're doing business with these people, is having to do everything through translators, who invariably work for the other side. Correspondence is usually fine, as we just put everything into a translation programme. But meetings are especially difficult, because sometimes you learn more from listening to the background noise than the main players."

Ellen nodded.

"So, we were wondering how you'd feel about working for the company, as a translator?"

Ellen's jaw dropped.

"Really?" She asked.

Luke took her hand. "I know you were keen to go and do your PhD, so if you still preferred to do that instead, that would be cool too. It's just an option."

"It sounds like a fantastic opportunity." Ellen grinned. "Would you want me to work part time or full time?"

"Somewhere in between would be good. Maybe three or four days a week? Less some weeks, and more other weeks, depending on what work we've got on." JT responded.

"Less to start with." Luke insisted. "Just until you're properly back on your feet."

Ellen didn't bother to argue with him that she was almost there. He was only looking out for her.

"I'd love to!" Ellen responded excitedly.

"That's settled then." JT nodded. "We'll go through the fine print with you when you're well enough to come down to the office to sign the paperwork. But in the meantime..." he stood up. "Welcome to the family!"

Ellen stood up and gave JT a hug. The other guys also stood to hug her, but when she hugged Matt, Suzy's voice startled her.

"Hold the bloody phone!" Suzy jumped up. "What the hell is this?"

She held up Ellen's hand with the engagement ring on it for everyone to see.

Luke jumped up.

"About time one of you shit-heads noticed!" He grinned like an idiot, pulling Ellen into his arms.

"May I introduce you all to my fiancée?"

Backslaps of congratulations and hugs followed.

"When did this happen?" JT asked.

"This morning!" Ellen grinned.

"Luke?" Sally scowled. "Didn't we have a conversation about making proposals special?"

"Oh, it was!" Ellen gushed. "Honestly, it was...."

"Private!" Luke finished for her after covering her mouth with his hand.

Ellen snorted behind his fingers, but nodded as if in agreement.

When he removed his hand, Ellen looked towards Sally and Suzy and mouthed, "It was perfect!"

Sally's grin was one of pure satisfaction.

## Chapter 54 - Ellen

By lunchtime, Ellen had just about run out of steam. Her energy levels were seriously depleted and the excitement of having everyone over and then finding out that she had a job, was all a bit too much.

As the elevator doors closed whisking her friends away, she sagged in Luke's arms, and he picked her up.

As he climbed the stairs, he nuzzled her neck.

"Nap time, gorgeous!"

Ellen was too tired to protest.

Instead of undressing her, he just lay her on the bed and pulled the comforter around her.

Ellen was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

It felt like only a minute later, when Luke was gently nudging her awake.

"Ellen, honey. The doctor is here to see you. Can you wake up?"

Ellen shrugged off sleep.

"What time is it?"

"It's five o'clock. She's downstairs waiting. Do you want me to carry you?"

"No!" Ellen snorted. "I've been walking since before I was one. I think I've got the hang of it!"

"Ha-ha!" Luke grinned, pulling her up off the bed and giving her a sweet kiss. "Come on then."

Luke led her down a hallway to what she assumed was his office, where he introduced her to the middle-aged physician before leaving them in peace.

"Please, call me Fiona." The doctor smiled. "May I call you Ellen?"

So, this was what it was like to be able to afford private healthcare! Ellen stifled a grin.

"I'm going to take your medical history, and give you a quick examination, and then we'll see if there's anything else you need." Fiona pulled out a tablet.

Ellen answered the questions to the best of her ability, and succumbed to the physical examination, even though being prodded by a doctor was pretty low on the list of things she wanted to repeat any time soon.

"And what do you do for contraception?" Fiona asked, causing Ellen to blush.

"We use condoms." She replied. "But I was going to ask you if I could start taking the pill."

She watched as Fiona noted that down.

"And have you had unprotected sex within the last three months?" Fiona asked making Ellen blush even more.

"There was one occasion when we forgot. But apart from that, no."

"Ok." Fiona reached inside her bag and produced a small lidded container. "Could you provide a urine sample in there before we go any further. We'll just do a quick test and then I can write you a prescription for the contraceptive pill."

Ellen took the cup and popped into the little half-bathroom next to the office. She was back with her sample before anyone could see her.

"Thanks." Fiona grinned, taking the cup. She dipped a stick in and swirled it around, before laying it down on a paper towel.

"So, do you know much about the types of pill available?" Fiona asked.

Ellen shook her head, so the doctor began to explain the various options.

As she finished explaining which one she would recommend for Ellen and why, she reached down and picked the stick up.

"Oh, my!" She murmured. "That renders the past conversation pretty pointless!"

"Sorry?" Ellen murmured. "Is something wrong?"

"Only you can tell me that!" Fiona smiled, turning the stick around to Ellen so she could read the writing.

Pregnant + 3-4 weeks

Ellen couldn't breathe! Her mouth had suddenly become dry, and her heart was beating out of her chest.

Fiona took her hand.

"Ok, honey." She said soothingly. "Breathe with me now. In.... and out! In....and out!"

When this was not having the desired effect, Fiona pushed Ellen's head down between her legs.

"Do you want me to get Luke? Do you want him to know yet?" Fiona asked.

"Yes, please." Ellen whispered.

"Ok, but let's lie you on the couch before I go and get him. I don't want to find you on the floor when I get back!"

When Ellen was settled on the sofa, Fiona went into the hallway.

"Luke?" She called. "Can you come in here?"

"Coming!" Ellen heard Luke's voice.

It took only a few seconds until Luke bounced into the room. He took one look at Ellen and stopped dead.

"Is everything Ok?" He asked frowning.

"Ellen wants to show you something!" Fiona smiled.

She did? Then Ellen felt the stick still clutched in her fist.

Luke walked over and sank to his knees on the carpet. He cupped her face in his hands, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"What is it honey? Are you Ok?" His concern was evident.

Ellen reached out and took his hand. She placed the stick in his palm and closed his fingers around it.

Luke was staring into her face as if he thought she was losing the plot.

When she released his hand, he looked down and opened his fingers. The display on the stick was right in front of his eyes, and for a second or two, he just looked at it.

As he looked up at Ellen, he smiled at her so wide, she swore the sun was pale by comparison.

"Really?" He whispered to Ellen. She nodded.

He looked up at the Doctor. "For real?"

She grinned and nodded. "For real. Congratulations to you both!"

Luke looked back at Ellen with tears in his eyes. "Are you happy about this?" He asked nervously.

Ellen nodded. "You?"

"Oh, baby! I'm so freaking happy my heart might just burst out of my chest!" Luke grinned some more.

"And my work here is done." Fiona laughed. "Ellen, you come by the surgery next week some time and we'll do a thorough work up. I'll have someone drop by tomorrow with some Folic Acid and other vitamins as well as a few bits of literature you might like to read. Apart from that and especially with what you've been through recently, just take it easy! Luke's got my number if you need me."

"Thank you!" Ellen whispered.

"Thanks, doc." Luke shook her hand. "I'll just show you out."

Ellen took the whole two minutes he was away to come to terms with the news.

She was going to be a mum!

Luke was going to be a dad!

Holy shit!

When Luke got back to his office, she was sitting up, feeling a little more composed.

"Hey you!" He smiled. "Are you sure you're all right with this?"

"Yeah!" Ellen sighed. "It's just... Wow! Y'know?"

"You can say that again!" Luke chuckled, shaking his head.

"Can we tell my mum and dad yet?" He asked. "Or would you prefer to wait?"

Ellen grinned. There was only one right answer for Luke, and she knew he'd struggle to keep it a secret, so what was the point?

"Tell!" She smiled up at him.

"God, I bloody love you!" He leaned in and planted a smacker of a kiss on her lips.

"I bloody love you too!" She grinned when he let her up for air.

Luke turned his head to the door.

"Mum! Dad! Get your asses in here!" He bellowed.

"Way to play it cool, Luke!" Ellen giggled.

Carl arrived first, quickly followed by his wife.

"Is everything Ok?" Sally asked worriedly, looking between Ellen and Luke.

"Yup!" Luke smirked. "We just had a nice surprise is all!"

"Yeah?" Carl asked. "The insurance money come through on your Jag?"

"Way better!" Luke grinned walking over to his mum. "I just want it put on record that I asked Ellen to marry me this morning."

Sally looked confused. "Okay, duly noted, but I don't understand why."

"Because we just got this." Luke smirked back to Ellen, before taking his mum's hand and dropping the stick in.

Carl looked over Sally's shoulder at the same time as she looked down. He looked straight up again at Luke, grinning.

"Oh, my God!" Sally squealed. "That's so wonderful!"

She promptly burst into tears.

Luke hugged her tight, while Ellen got up to join in. Carl's arms seemed to span them all.

"Now we just have to plan a wedding!" Luke announced. "Like next week!"

Ellen gasped. "We don't have to rush things, do we?"

"Duh-yes!" Luke said, as though she were simple. "In a few weeks, we'll be going for one of those scan things. I don't want to get my first glimpse of our child without having married his mama first!"

Ellen smiled. "Well it would be nice to be able to wear a wedding dress that didn't look like a maternity smock."

"That's settled then!" Luke announced. "No later than Valentine's day!"

Sally gasped, grabbing Ellen's hand.

"That's three weeks away! Come on honey. We'd better get planning!"

## Epilogue – Three weeks later

As Sally fussed with Ellen's make-up, Suzy finished with the tiny hooks on the back of her dress.

It was white and flowy, classy, with a vintage look to it.

"I wish I could have worn my Jimmy Choo's for the wedding!" Suzy lamented for the umpteenth time. "They make my legs look freaking awesome!"

Ellen laughed. "I told you I didn't care if you wanted to wear your Crocs! As long as you turned up, that was all I asked."

Sally stood back, admiring her creation. "You look beautiful!"

Suzy looked across at her. "You really do scrub up well!" She grinned.

"Thanks, I think!"

"Five minutes!" A disembodied voice announced outside the changing room.

Ellen's eyes widened, making Suzy laugh.

"Come on!" She snorted. "Time to get sand in our cracks."

Sally nearly choked on her wine.

"The cracks between your toes!" Suzy said huffily. "Jeez, you two are so common!"

Ellen snorted. "If I know you and Matt, you'll be doing the whole 'Maid of Honour has sex with the Best Man' thing, before the reception's even over! Then you'll definitely have sand in your crack!"

Suzy nodded in agreement. "Tell me about it! Matt loves beach sex! He reckons it helps him forget all those godforsaken missions when the boys were out in Iraq and Afghanistan. So, I stashed a couple of beach towels down by the pergola for later. Sand rash on your bits is no joke!"

Sally shook her head at Suzy. She'd quickly come to adore Matt's little spitfire, and the fact that she was an angel to Ellen, only made Sally love the girl more.

There was a rap on the doorframe, and JT stuck his head in. "All set?" He asked.

Ellen nodded. "Absolutely!"

When they'd sat down to discuss wedding planning, on the day they'd found out she was pregnant, Ellen had surprised everyone by announcing she wanted a beach wedding, instead of a marrying in church.

When he'd realised she'd been serious, Luke had set off on a crazy mission to find the best beach wedding location on the planet.

And here they were just three weeks later, on Valentine's Day no less, on the beautiful island of Barbados, their wedding just a few minutes away.

They'd flown in a few days earlier on a private plane, so they could have some time in the sun before the wedding. Ellen was especially glad of it, as she'd been ridiculously pale following her hospital stay.

Their friends and family had all flown in with them, although most would fly back home in two days, leaving the newlyweds to enjoy their two-week honeymoon with no interruptions.

The usual suspects were there. JT, Danny, Matt and Suzy, along with little Charlie. G and Fran had also flown out, and it had taken telling Ellen's story several times before they'd finally come to terms with everything she'd been through.

They'd been shocked to see her lovely hair shorn off, and initially Ellen had considered wearing a wig for the wedding, but eventually she'd decided against it.

Her hair had grown out by over half an inch, and was very blonde now, probably more so having been in the sun for a few days. There was just enough so that it obscured her scar, and with the one-shoulder wedding dress hiding the other scar from the bullet in her shoulder, she actually felt quite glamorous, and...well, normal.

She'd invited her Father, Bethan and little Katie to the wedding, but her father had declined. There was something else going on there, but frankly, Ellen didn't have the energy to care.

JT had stepped in and asked whether he could give her away, and Ellen had been thrilled. Carl and Sally were going to be holding onto Charlie during the ceremony, freeing up Suzy to act as bridesmaid and Matt to step in as Best Man.

Danny was acting usher, although he said he had "No clue how to 'ush'!"

Ellen suspected that he had used his few days in paradise to bag as many waitresses as possible, and Danny certainly hadn't denied it!

As JT extended his hand to her, she couldn't help but admire the cut of his Armani suit. She only knew it was Armani because that was what Luke had told her they'd all picked out.

Due to it being a beach wedding, they'd decided against wearing their Dress Blues.

Even though Luke and the guys would have looked gorgeous, it wasn't really the most practical outfit to wear when the temperature was up in the high eighties.

When she looked down at JT's feet she giggled! He was wearing flip-flops!

JT grinned. "When in Rome...."

Sally and Suzy took their places, and Ellen and JT followed them out and across the garden, arriving on the sand in no more than twenty steps. Ellen had opted to go barefoot, and the sand was lovely and warm under her feet.

Her friends and family all sat in a semi-circle under a flower covered pergola, and there, waiting in the middle, was the most gorgeous man on the planet.

As they walked slowly to the pergola, to the strains of a violin playing the Wedding March, Luke turned to face her.

His smile was breath-taking, and she could feel the love and emotion rolling off his body.

When he reached out and took her hand, to help her up the step, she never wanted to let him go.

She'd found her place in this world at last.

With the gazes of her friends locked on her, and Luke's parents looking on, she straightened her spine as she acknowledged something for the first time...

They were all looking at her! They saw her!

She was no longer invisible!

She turned to Luke, grinned and leaned in to place a soft kiss on his lips.

"Let's do this!" She whispered.

Luke grinned back at her and then they both turned towards the Minister.

"Dearly Beloved..."

The End

(For now...)

Carry on reading to get a sneak preview of Chapter One of " **Anonymous",** Book Two in the Alpha Company Women Series, coming to Smashwords late 2016.

## Chapter 1 - Danny

It had been such an awesome day!

Danny leaned back into the sun-lounger and stared out at the crystal blue sea in front of him, a glass of neat scotch balanced on his wash-board abs.

Luke, one of his oldest friends and brothers in arms, had married his beautiful fiancée Ellen, not twelve hours ago, on this very spot.

Danny glanced up at the pergola, still decorated with sweet smelling flowers. He had absolutely no idea what the flowers were, but the scent was pleasant and had added to the atmosphere.

Barbados in February was stunning!

The weather had been perfect, the bridegroom and groomsmen had been handsome in their Armani suits, and the bride and bridesmaids had been beautiful in their floaty chiffon gowns.

They had been surrounded by immediate family and friends, and the love pouring out of everyone had been beautiful.

And overwhelming, Danny thought, taking a sip of his Scotch.

Nobody wished Ellen and Luke happiness more than he did.

Luke had seen his share of tough times, not least when his twin brother had been murdered trying to save Ellen from notorious London criminal, George Drayton.

Ellen's dad had been working for Drayton, and because her dad knew where all the bodies were buried, so to speak, Drayton had been searching for them both to eliminate them ever since. Anything to stop them from going to the police with what they knew.

Ellen had also had a tough time, when she'd had to go into hiding for three and a half years, frightened of her own shadow, and looking over her shoulder constantly, waiting to see if George would learn of her whereabouts and send someone to kill her.

Miraculously, Luke had managed to track her down.

Then, just when they'd persuaded Ellen's father, to testify against him, Drayton's thugs, including Gary Drayton, George's son, had caught up with them, and a gunfight had followed. Ellen's dad had been shot and injured, and Ellen had taken a bullet to the head which had left her fighting for her life in the Intensive Care Unit.

Knowing that Drayton's goons were dead was little consolation.

While Luke had been keeping a bedside vigil beside Ellen in the Intensive Care Unit, Danny, JT and Matt, his former Alpha Company team mates, and now business partners, had sided with the police in another shoot-out with George, which had left the big-man himself, as well as some of his other flunkies, dead on the concrete floor of the hospital carpark.

Yeah, that had been one helluva busy Christmas!

Danny thanked God every day that Ellen had come out of her coma with no lasting effects, as he knew there was no way Luke would have survived without her.

Luke had never been in love before. Hell, he'd never been with the same woman more than twice, ever!

So, when Ellen had stumbled into his life, a tiny little thing by comparison, all spitting and hissing and full of righteous indignation, it was pretty much game over. Luke was completely and utterly smitten!

Danny adored Ellen, as one would a little sister.

She took wonderful care of Luke, let the big guy think he was in charge, pandered to his ego, and completely got her way over everything!

It was comical, and made more so because Luke had no idea that he wasn't calling the shots!

She was a clever girl that one!

Danny grinned, and took a sip of his Scotch.

They'd all called it a night about an hour ago, the newlyweds making their way to the honeymoon suite, some of the other couples heading for bed, and a few of the guys making their way to the bar.

Danny had just about had enough with being sociable, so had said his goodnights, heading out of the hotel.

He'd walked for about a quarter mile towards an area populated with more hotels, bars and nightclubs, before he'd stopped and looked around.

What the hell was he doing?

He'd had more than enough to drink tonight, being merrily buzzed, but a long way from drunk.

He had no desire to go clubbing or looking for sex, so what was he even doing here?

He'd turned and made his way back, ducking onto the beach rather than head for the hotel.

When he'd reached the pergola, the staff had obviously been out to set things up ready for the morning, as there were now rows of sun-loungers set out, all facing the sea, waiting for the sun-worshippers to come down and fill them in the morning.

He'd detoured to the beach bar to pick up a drink, before settling himself on one of the beds.

If the guys could see him now, they'd probably piss themselves laughing!

Danny was supposed to be the pussy-magnet of the team. The guy who could get laid twice or three times a night, with three different women!

He never went anywhere without coming home with some girl's number, be it tapped into his mobile phone or on a napkin in his pocket.

Wouldn't the guys find it hilarious that he hadn't actually got laid in almost six months!

If you'd asked him six months ago, if a man could go without sex for six months, he'd have said Hell, no! A guy's dick would fall off after a month!

Wouldn't it?

But then in one traumatic day, he'd had an epiphany. And he hadn't touched a woman since.

No, he hadn't found God! He hadn't found Jesus or been born again!

Instead, he'd seen the work of Satan himself, and it had changed him irrevocably.

Danny had been working with a few guys from the States, on a joint mission between their team and Tucker's, one of their business contacts in Philadelphia.

Tuckers team had been handling the security for a famous country singer, Carolina Jordan, who was just completing the US leg of her world tour. She was about to move over to Europe, where Alpha Company would be taking over handling her security, so Danny had been assigned the task of effecting a "warm handover", as JT had called it, at her hotel in London.

However, before the British leg of the tour could get started, word had come through that the singer's twenty-two-year-old daughter, who was studying in England, had been kidnapped on her way home from university classes.

Needless to say, the European leg of the tour had been postponed indefinitely due to a severe 'throat infection', and Tucker's team along with half of the AC team had been pulled in to assist the police in tracking the girl down.

Initially, the expectation had been that she would be ransomed to get money out of her mega-rich mother. Sadly, it had turned out that she hadn't been targeted because of her mother at all.

Instead, and far worse, it became steadily clearer that she might have been selected purely because she fit a certain profile. Blonde with green eyes!

A number of women fitting that description had gone missing over the last two years. Only one had been found, and she'd been repeatedly raped before her body was discovered, dumped in a shallow grave in some woodland.

Luckily, Carolina Jordan had at least had the sense to have her daughter micro-chipped as a teenager, so they were all hopeful they would be able to track her down through that.

For the first few days, they had received no signal, so the thought was that she was either somewhere that was blocking it, or that the tracker had been disabled somehow.

When they'd eventually managed to get a signal, they had tracked her to the basement of a partly demolished warehouse, and at Carolina Jordan's insistence, they were able to work with the police to put a team together to go in and rescue her.

Danny had been the first man into the basement, and had reached her before anybody else.

He'd honestly thought her already dead.

As he'd climbed through the fallen masonry that blocked the entrance, more rubble had fallen behind him, separating him from his team. The guys following had needed to dig their way in and make the route safe before anyone else could follow him in.

To this day, Danny thanked God for that small mercy!

He'd found her hanging by her tied hands, her feet barely able to touch the floor.

She was naked, and filthy, and even through the grime, he could see that she'd been beaten black and blue.

Her head hung down, her hair obscuring part of her face.

Her neck, ankles and wrists were all scarred and bruised from where they had obviously been tied or shackled.

Blood poured from cuts to her hands, elbows, and knees, where she had either been dragged or had crawled over rough ground, probably concrete.

There were knife slashes across her ribs and thighs, not deep thankfully, obviously designed to cause pain rather than death.

Danny struggled to find a square inch that wasn't covered with filth, bruises or cuts.

Her abdomen, breasts and legs seemed covered with something else too.

Cum! Danny realised, bile rising in his throat.

As he'd walked around to examine her for further injuries, he noted the blood stains on her inner thighs.

Danny wanted to kill someone! He could only see red in his mind. Rage and white hot fury boiled within him!

As he kicked at the base of a pillar, he heard a noise from the girl.

Oh, Fuck! She was still alive!

As he watched her flinch at the sound he'd made, his heart thumped in his chest.

He had to get her down, had to cover her up before anyone else saw her like this.

Danny gently touched the girl by the shoulders, not letting go when she flinched. She was freezing!

"Hey there, Sweet-pea." He crooned. "Everything is gonna be Ok, Hannah. I'm Danny, and I'm working with the police and your mother, and I'm here to take you home."

As he unfastened the ties around her wrists, she sagged into his arms. He didn't know if she'd understood what he'd said or not, but either way, she didn't have the strength to fight or resist him.

He lowered her to the ground, and while keeping her close, he shrugged his Kevlar vest off. He pulled his fleece off before refastening the vest.

He wrapped her up in the fleece, pulling her arms into the sleeves.

She was so tiny compared to his six feet four-inch frame, that his jacket covered her torso completely and came down to her mid thighs.

She'd flinched as he moved her around, but his first priority was to cover her and warm her up.

When she was completely wrapped up, he picked her up and sat back on the ground, his back to the pillar.

He pulled out his phone and with the one bar showing, phoned JT to confirm that he'd got her, and that she was still, if barely, alive.

All he could do now was wait for the rest of the rescue team to dig their way in, and allow the paramedics to take over her care.

As he leant back, she groaned softly. God, what she must have gone through!

He wondered whether she would have the ability to rebound from this?

Would she wake up in a hospital bed somewhere and wish he hadn't rescued her?

God, he hoped not!

He gently tilted her head back to make sure she could breathe properly.

Even beaten raw, he could see that she was quite beautiful, just like her mother. Sadly, that was probably why they'd taken her.

As he assessed her injuries, she surprised him by opening her eyelids.

He stared down into the deepest green eyes he'd ever seen.

"Danny?" She whispered, her bruised and swollen lips barely able to move.

"That's it, Hannah." He smiled reassuringly at her. "I'm here to take you home to your mother. She's been frantic with worry over you!"

She looked confused.

"Danny?" She whispered again so quietly he could barely hear her now.

"Yeah, Sweet-pea. It's Danny. You're going to be Ok." He said, even if he wasn't that sure what he was saying would hold true.

She tried to turn her head.

"They'll come back!" She whispered, obviously terrified.

"Hey, no, Hannah!" Danny smiled at her, offering her some reassurance. "I'm here now. I'll protect you."

She stared into his eyes.

"Are you my Guardian Angel?" She whispered, but before he could answer, her eyes fell shut.

Danny felt tears behind his eyes.

"No, beautiful girl." He murmured. "I'm not your Guardian Angel. Because, if I had been, I'd never have let those bastards do this to you!"

All he could do was pray that those sick fuckers could be traced through the DNA they'd sprayed all over her body!

Danny bolted upright, feeling the slosh of the liquid spilling from the glass as it tipped onto the sun-lounger.

He'd dreamt of her again!

Every damned time he closed his eyes, all he could see was her face, her body. The bruises, cuts and unmistakable evidence of unconscionable horrors!

He'd reluctantly handed her over to the medics when they'd finally arrived, and walked away with a heavy heart.

He'd given the police a written account of how he'd found her, even down to drawing them a God-damned picture.

But no way would he speak to anyone about it!

Evil like that should never be spoken about, lest it find a way to live again through repeating the words.

He'd known that JT had been worried about him for a while. He'd been so out of sorts, and JT never missed anything.

But when he'd realised the price for a peaceful life was to pretend to his friends that he'd gone back to his womanising ways, then pretend he did!

Nobody needed to know that he'd been living the life of a monk for the last six bloody months!

Nobody needed to know that every damned night for the last six months he'd woken up in a full body sweat, gasping for breath and whispering the same name!

Hannah!

****

Before you go..... Please read on for a message from the author and 'Beth's Challenge'!

## A message from the author.

Hi there,

I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to read Invisible, Book One of the Alpha Company Women Series. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favourite authorized retailer, or consider leaving a review.

If you would like to get in touch with me to let me know what you thought, find out when my next book is out, or even pass on some constructive criticism, I would love to hear from you.

Also, if you want to be added to my mailing list to know when I have new books being released or even offers (freebies!) on different sites, just e-mail 'List' to the address below.

At the moment only Book One in the Alpha Company Women Series is available on Smashwords, but I hope to have the other books in the series available over the next few months. If you can't wait and want to find out more, please feel free to contact me either via Facebook or e-mail me.

You can find me here;

My website is; bethabbottbooks.com

Friend me here; <http://www.facebook.com/bethabbott2016>

Or Favourite me at; <https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/BethAbbott>

You can also click on 'Subscribe to Author Alerts' on my Smashwords page to receive an e-mail alert when my next book will be released.

Or E-mail me here; mailto:bethabbott2016@yahoo.com

I promise to reply to any message you send me, but don't worry, I have no desire to add any spam to your in-boxes by sending unsolicited messages.

Alternatively, if you've ever read a book and have cursed over the number of grammar and spelling mistakes, and thought how easy it should have been to get it right using spell-checker, then I have a challenge for you.

I'm looking for people with the right skills to help me proof-read my next book.

Sadly, I can't offer to pay you anything, so you'd have to be offering simply for the chance to help get a book published that is completely error free and ready for market. Well, that and the opportunity to help a struggling indie author get her books noticed!

Maybe you're retired and have a lot of time on your hands?

Possibly you're unemployed and looking for another skill to add to your CV? (I will be more than happy to provide personal references for potential employers.)

Wherever you are based, whether it's in the UK, US or anywhere in the world, I would absolutely love to hear from you.

All you need is to have a laptop/pc, and, obviously, a very good grasp of the English language!

Sound interesting?

If you think this is for you, then please e-mail me your details (name and general location - city or state/county + country) at the address above, with a brief pen-picture of yourself, and let me know why you think you'd make a good proof-reader.

I'll get in touch with you as soon as my next manuscript is ready for checking, or alternatively, in the event that I have more offers than I need (I should be so lucky!) I'll add you to a waiting list, and contact you when the follow-up book is ready. (I produce two versions of each book - an Adult version which includes swearing and scenes of a sexual nature, and what I refer to as my 'PG-13 Clean Version', with very little bad language and no descriptive sex-scenes. If you have a preference between editing the Adult version or the Clean version, please let me know.)

I hope to hear from you soon!

Take care,

Beth

Read on to find out more about Beth Abbott

## About the Author

Beth Abbott is a married mum of three boys who lives in South Wales. She works full time, and spends every free minute tapping away on her poor abused laptop!

She's an avid reader of many genres, loves films, music and watching most sports.

She's a huge tennis fan, and more specifically is a massive Andy Murray supporter.

One of the smartest things Beth ever did was to pick 2015 as the year to follow the GB team in the Davis Cup, and she's very proud to say that she and her husband went to every day of every round, right up to and including the finals in Ghent, Belgium, where GB lifted the trophy. With two vuvuzelas and a huge Welsh-Scottish flag (along with the obligatory Union Jack of course!), if you were there and didn't see her, then you almost certainly heard her!

Beth started writing the Alpha Company Series of books after a break from writing of two decades, but felt compelled to start writing again as she had so many voices in her head.

Ignoring her husband's suggestion that she should try medication, she grabbed her laptop and started tapping away. Within hours she knew she wasn't just writing another short story.

The Alpha Company Women Series was born!

Luke and Ellen came first, swiftly followed by the rest of the Alpha Company characters.

Before she had even finished writing Invisible, Beth was already planning four books. But then before she finished the third book, Concealed, she knew that she couldn't leave CJ without telling her story, and without blinking, books five and six were in the works.

Even though she always knew her books would be about military veterans, Beth always imagined that she would base them in America, because that's where most of the books she reads are based. Imagine her surprise when her first book ended up being set not only in the UK, but just outside of Birmingham, in the Midlands, a place she has absolutely no connection with whatsoever!

Gradually though, the books have moved over to the US, and the start of Relentless, heralds the move from the Alpha Company Women Series to the Stalwart Security Series, which will be based almost entirely in the States, albeit with a few excursions to far-away places.

But for those of you who have fallen in love with the Alpha Company Family, fear not! You're not the only ones! They will be in and out of the Stalwart stories, as and when storylines allow it.

Read on for a Q&A Session with Beth Abbott.

## Interview with Beth Abbott.

Q1. Which is your favourite book of the Alpha Company Women Series?

A. It depends which one I read last! I've had to go back and re-edit them countless times and each time that particular one becomes my favourite all over again. If pushed, I'd say it was probably a tie between books 4, Healing and 6, Impossible.

Book 4 had so many threads going through it, it was really complicated to write. It was also my chance to tell Suzy and Matt's story, as well as Drew, Tony and Vicky's story, so that has a definite place in my heart. But I loved my new characters in Book 6 as well, and there are quite a few funny moments in it too, which I loved writing, so, yeah, those two.

Although now I come to think about it, Book 5.... Ok. Move on....!

Q2. Who is your favourite Alpha Company Male character?

A. Oh, that's easy! Danny! No, Drew! No JT....! Dammit! Do I have to pick just one? There are so many reasons to pick one over another!

To write about, it would have to be Danny, because any ridiculous situation that I can imagine, I can always assign to him, because he's just this mad-cap, larger than life, happy-go-lucky character that has a heart of absolute gold!

Who do I have a soft spot for? That's a close one, but I would have to give it to Drew. He's just one of life's good guys who goes out of his way to help everyone.

Who am I married to? Hah! That's easy...Thomas!

Q3. Who is your favourite Alpha Company Female character?

A. Hmm. Tough one!

I think it would have to be Hannah. She's been through so much, but she's come back from the brink and is an absolute fire-cracker! She's smart, sassy, brave and loving! All wrapped up neatly as a five feet nothing Queen of Badass!

Q4. Which of your female characters are you most like?

A. I don't think any of them is based on me, certainly not looks wise.

Maybe I can see bits of me in Ellen, Alice and Vicky, but then I like to think I'm loyal like Suzy, a Momma-bear like CJ, and as 'Impossible' as Sara. I've definitely had my Badass moments like Hannah!

Oh, and I absolutely have the same sense of humour as Brunette Barbie! (Book 6, Impossible - Motel room scene is an excellent example!)

Q5. What would you do if you won the lottery tomorrow?

A. Oh, that's the simplest one to answer yet! - I'd buy tickets for every major sporting event on the planet, and then, when we had a quiet week, I'd send my hubby off playing golf with his buddies, while my BFF and I went stalking Ryan Reynolds, Chris Hemsworth, Channing Tatum, Charlie Hunnam and possibly Henry Cavill! (In rotation!)

Not that I've ever given it much thought...!

Q6. What makes you laugh?

A. Danny! And Matt! And Brunette Barbie!

Q7. What makes you cry?

A. Apart from the obvious?

National Anthems!

No seriously! My kids actually come in the room to watch me listen to the National Anthem when I watch Wales play rugby on TV. They think it's hilarious!

But watching any sportsperson stand up for their National Anthem when they've achieved something always gets to me, as I imagine how proud I'd be if I was their mum!

Q8. What would you do if you no longer had to work and money was no object?

A. Apart from the things listed under Q5? Well, that's also easy...

I'd write!

But not edit and publish!

That's the bit I hate most. It's so time-consuming, and it's almost impossible to get everything perfect without an army of helpers, which honestly, I haven't got.

I'd write my stories full-time and pay someone else do all the donkey-work!

Q9. Aside from your own books, who are your favourite authors?

A. You mean I have to boost their sales as well?

Oh, if I must! Hang on while I grab my e-reader....

Ok, well in the non-romance genre, I absolutely love Peter James' Roy Grace series. Best detective series ever! Who knew there were so many crimes going on in Brighton?

As for romance books, I like all sorts, from the downright filthy to the sweet and clean, the side-splittingly funny to the heart-breakingly tragic! That's probably why there's a bit of everything in my own books.

So, in alphabetical order, straight from my e-reader to yours...I'd recommend;

Melody Anne (Most)

Lexi Buchanan

Nicola Claire

Kaylea Cross (Everything)

Sylvia Day (Crossfire)

Nicole Edwards (Absolutely everything!)

MJ Fields (Absolutely everything!)

Jennifer Foor (Everything)

J Kenner (Stark/Most Wanted)

Lora Leigh

Gennita Low

J M Madden (Everthing)

Kallypso Masters (Rescue Me)

Stephenie Meyer (Twilight Series - yes really!)

Eve Rabi (Brace yourself first! - Absolutely everything!)

JC Reed

Cherise Sinclair (Masters of the Shadowlands)

Karen Rose

J S Scott

J M Walker/AKA Jo-Anna Walker (Torn/Shattered)

Dahlia West (Stark Ink/Burnout)

Please check before buying any books by the above authors, that the content is suitable for your needs. Some of them can be quite...steamy! Definitely not for the faint-hearted or the easily offended!

But all brilliant!

Q10. You stated that you like music. What are you listening to at the moment?

A. Now I'm glad you asked me that!

Normally my tastes vary wildly, from Queen to the Who, Michael Buble to Ed Sheeran, Adelle to Meghan Trainor.

But we were in Orlando for Easter this year, and my husband had the radio tuned to the country music channels. So, every time we went anywhere, all we kept hearing was the Jason Aldean track Burnin' it Down. I'm ashamed to admit that I'd never heard of him, because in the UK, we just don't get to hear many American Country singers on the radio (especially male singers for some reason!).

So anyway, by day two, my youngest and I were singing along with it, and by day three, I went out and bought every album he's ever made, and they're now on my phone on a loop, and I play them all the time via Bluetooth speakers I have dotted around the place. When I'm driving, when I'm writing - even when I sleep I have them playing for a bit of background music!

I'm even listening to them as I write this.

Seriously? It's driving my husband nuts!

I'm not sure why I like his songs so much, other than that they have great lyrics and he has an awesome voice!

I guess with his real surname being Williams, it must be the Welsh connection! Duh! Obviously!

(I actually mention a couple of Jason Aldean tracks in Book 5, Living - my favourite tracks, obviously, but the fact that I have a country singer in my books at all is entirely coincidental, as CJ was already a fully-fledged character way before I ever came upon Mr Aldean!)

