In order to get my life back on track, I had to deal with the whole being a missing person business. I’d spun them a story about me being held against my will for ten years, missing out the fact I knew exactly how and why Stuart had taken me. They didn’t need to know I’d forgotten everything all that time. There was no one around who could tell them otherwise. Anyone who could was either dead or had left the country. We’d made it possible for the chef, Gio, to disappear and start a new life in exchange for keeping his mouth shut.
The police had little choice but to take what I’d told them at face value. There was nothing to prove my story otherwise. We’d made sure of that when we’d burnt down the estate.
When I got up to the penthouse, I went straight upstairs and took a shower, washing away the hours I’d spent in an interview room. Drying and dressing, I made my way up to the roof where I knew the boys were. They’d finished work for the day an hour ago, and they weren’t anywhere else in the penthouse.
I found them in Drake’s glass structure, talking and drinking. They all fell silent as I entered. Drake put his hand out to me. I went and curled up in his lap. He was in his favourite armchair. He petted my hair and let me bury my face in his neck.
“How was it?” he asked a minute later.
“Shit.”
He rubbed my back and kissed the top of my head.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. They just asked me so many questions. It was exhausting going over everything, but it’s okay. At least I’m no longer considered missing. Means I can go on with my life, you know. I don’t have to worry about being on their records or anything else.”
I sighed, rubbing my face against his skin.
“It got tense when they started asking me where I would go, what with Mum being dead, but then this lady officer came in and told them she would take it from here. She drove me home without any questions being asked. Like she’d been told to get me out of there when they’d finished questioning me.”
I turned my face up to his so I could meet his eyes.
“It’s a relief it’s over even if it was a lot to deal with.”
“You did so well, my good girl.”
My heart fluttered at his praise. He knew when I needed it and gave it freely. I would always be Drake’s brat, but right now, I wasn’t in the mood to push his buttons. All I wanted was to breathe him in. To let him comfort me and help me feel more at ease.
“You don’t have to worry anymore, Scarlett. We’ll take care of the rest.”
I smiled and rested my head on his shoulder again. There wasn’t anything to worry about. The thing about having dirt on the police commissioner was you could get him to do what you wanted. That included making sure I never had to deal with any repercussions regarding my disappearance after this. Not to mention he would make sure the investigation into the fire would be wrapped up quickly.
Stuart’s estate straddled the border between Kent and Greater London, meaning jurisdiction could technically fall under the Met’s purview. Drake had a conversation with the commissioner the day after the fire, essentially telling him to make sure the investigation was handled by his force, otherwise, we’d release the evidence we had against him. Safe to say, it had made the news because of who Stuart was. Good thing none of us had been linked to it. And they certainly weren’t going to find out about me, either. Drake had been very clear about my name being kept out of the public eye. He didn’t want me being all over the news and getting harassed. I guess I had the commissioner to thank for getting me out of that interview room and home safe.
“We have something for you,” he said after a few minutes had gone by.
“Another surprise?”
“You could say that.”
They’d already sprung the commitment ceremony on me. What was one more thing?
I sat up and gave him a look.
“I’m beginning to not like surprises.”
He stroked my cheek.
“You’ll like this one, little wisp.”
He encouraged me off his lap so I could say hello to the others. Then they were dragging me back downstairs into the penthouse. I fiddled with my ring on the way down. Prescott had informed me it contained a tiny tracker embedded in the metal. They didn’t want to be in a position where they couldn’t find me again after everything with Mason. I could hardly blame them for that. It made me feel safe and secure, so I hadn’t given them any shit for it.
When we got into the living area, Francis took my hand and pulled me closer to where the war room was. It was then I noticed there was no longer a bookshelf in front of it. A white door stood there now. Drake opened it and gestured for me to enter. I gave him a curious look before dropping Francis’ hand and stepping inside.