Worlds Apart (18 page)

Roo waved goodbye when Taylor dropped her off in Guiseley but he zoomed away and didn’t wave back. She walked up the road toward the large supermarket and asked the first person she encountered for directions to Dorsey’s, where Patrick Farrant, Jason’s father, worked. The fourth person she asked directed her off the main street into a warren of terraced housing, in the middle of which was a small industrial estate.

Ideas for cover stories had rippled through Roo’s head—she was Patrick’s long-lost sister, she was unrelated but researching the Farrant name, Patrick had won a prize in some obscure African lottery—but decided it was easier to go with the truth. The receptionist was a woman Roo’s age.

“Good morning,” Roo said, producing one of Taylor’s business cards that had mysteriously appeared in her purse.
Oops.
“I work for a private investigation company and I’m looking for someone who’s gone missing.”

Well, almost the truth. Something rather than someone. Though while she was looking for the dog, she could look for Jason’s father.

She started the next sentence hoping the receptionist would jump in. “Patrick Farrant…”

The pause grew longer and longer and just as Roo was about to give up, the receptionist spoke. “I think you better speak to our managing director.” She picked up a phone. “Mr. Anstell? There’s a private detective in reception asking about Mr. Farrant.”

Roo’s heart pounded. The secret to successfully winging it was to not say too much. Which was why blabbermouth Roo was generally crap at it.

The receptionist put the phone down. “He’s coming to speak to you.”

“Thank you.” Roo glanced at the pictures on the wall. Dorsey’s looked to be some sort of arty design company.

“What’s the business?” she asked.

“Blast finishing, spray wash and ultrasonic cleaning equipment.”

“Oh.” So much for her observational skills.

A door opened and a harassed-looking forty-year-old emerged with his hand outstretched. “Sam Anstell.”

“Roo Smith.” She shook his hand.

“Come this way.”

Roo followed him to his office and perched on the chair he gestured toward.

“Like to tell me why you’re looking for Patrick Farrant?” He sat behind his desk and stared at her intently.

“It’s a family matter,” Roo said. “I need to speak to him.”

The MD’s fists clenched on his desk. “So do I.”

Ah.
“When did you last see him?”

“A week ago.”

“You don’t sound very happy about it.” Roo crossed her fingers.

“No, I’m not. I’m thinking about calling the police. The fact that you’re here makes me sure I should. Is it his wife you’re working for?”

“I can’t be specific, but it is a close family member.”

He frowned. “When I called, she didn’t seem too bothered Patrick had disappeared. I wondered—”

“If she has something to do with his disappearance?” Roo blurted.

The MD’s eyes opened wider. “What?”

Damn.
“That she knows where he is, I mean.”

“But then why would she hire you?” He stared at Roo.

“I didn’t say
she’d
hired me. I said a family member. What did Patrick do?”

He hesitated and then said, “Possibly swindled us out of thousands.”

Bloody hell.
Roo had meant—what was his role in the company, but she grabbed the answer and ran. “How many thousands?”

“Not sure yet and I might be wrong, but maybe a hundred.” He huffed. “He’s been my finance director for seven years. I trusted him.”

Roo winced. She reached into her purse for the business card, wrote her name on the back and put it on the MD’s desk. “If you hear anything about him, please call and ask to speak to me.” She started to leave and then turned back. “Did you ever play golf with him?”

He gave Roo a puzzled look. “Yeah, a couple of times. He’s very good.”

“Did he ever mention his dog?”

Now the look was one of complete bewilderment. “No, why?”

“The dog’s gone missing too. I’m trying to work out if the two are connected. I think you should contact the police, Mr. Anstell.”

He straightened. “Do you know something you’re not telling me?”

Roo swallowed hard. “Suggest that they check the freezer in the garage.”

She left before he could ask another question and hurried out of the building as fast as her high heels would allow.

By the time Roo had dragged herself to all four estate agents in town, she had a list of precisely zero rooms to rent. Not only were they all more than she’d wanted to pay, none were available. The woman in the last estate agents told her to check the window of the post office and Roo spotted a badly written advert offering a room in a house with three others. She called the number straight away and found herself saying she’d take it when she hadn’t even seen it. It would be horrible. Any room of that price would be horrible, but Roo had little choice unless she moved her tent to another part of the woods and hoped neither the guys nor the vampires noticed.

She caught the train back to Ilkley and blew Taylor’s twenty pounds on a cheap pair of comfortable sandals, and instead of going back to Sutton Hall, walked up to Steadman Road.

Ilkley Grammar School’s day ended at three. Unless Jason went to a private school, he’d be home soon and walking back along Steadman Road. Roo thought it was worth waiting for half an hour to see if he turned up.

As she was on the point of giving up, she spotted Jason and another boy coming toward her. Jason’s face lit up when he saw Roo and her heart sank.

“Not found him,” she said quickly and watched his shoulders slump. “Can I talk to you?”

He nodded. “See you, Mark.”

The other boy continued up the road and Jason leaned back against a garden wall.

“Your dad come home yet?” Roo asked.

“No.”

“You don’t think he might have taken Arthur?”

Jason shook his head. “Arthur’s my dog. Dad said he was too much trouble anyway.”

“Where do you think your dad is? Has your mum said?”

The boy scuffed at the path with his shoe. “Dunno. She’s glad he’s gone. They argued. I suppose they’re going to get divorced.” He spat out the last word.

“Has your dad called? You’ve not spoken to him?”

He lifted his head and looked at her through a thick fringe of hair. “I’m more worried about my dog than my dad.”

Oh dear.
“I’m just trying to work out if there’s a reason why Arthur might have disappeared.”

“Mum thinks a stranger’s snatched him. If that’s so, you won’t be able to find him, will you?”

“I’ve called a lot of places and asked them to keep a look out. Don’t give up hope.”

Jason gave her a sad smile.

“I won’t stop looking,” Roo told him. “Are there any special tricks Arthur does so I’ll know it’s him?”

“One really cool thing. If I pretend to shoot him and say
bang bang
he lies on his back with his legs in the air.”

Niall dropped the pea pods into the basket as he worked his way along the row. They’d be lucky to make it into the pot. The last batch he’d picked, Taylor had eaten them straight from the pod while he sat at the kitchen table watching Niall cook. Niall sort of hoped he’d do the same tonight.

When he saw bare feet on the path ahead, Niall knew who it was before he looked up. He straightened and said nothing, but his heart pounded as adrenaline surged.

“Hello, Niall.”

Oisin tipped his head to one side and smiled. Niall bent again and continued to pick peas.

“Come home,” Oisin whispered.

“No.”

“Taylor doesn’t want you.”

Niall crushed the pod he was holding.

“You’re running out of time,” Oisin said. “Come home before it’s too late.”

When Niall continued to ignore him, he sensed Oisin’s anger rising.

“The woman doesn’t count. Her love is worthless.”

Roo loves me? Really?
Niall was careful to show no reaction.

“You grow weaker by the day. Taylor doesn’t deserve you. He’s self-centered and shallow. Come home.”

A spike of pain pierced Niall’s heart. “No, and leave Roo alone.”

“We were just playing. She’s a distraction you can’t afford.”

Niall stood and faced his brother. “Leave her alone and leave me alone.

Oisin gave a snort of disgust. “You can’t win. Taylor will never love you.”

“Can’t? Why?”

Niall watched Oisin’s gaze shift left. “Because he’s too self-centered.”

Oisin only had one arm, his right. So his glance left didn’t mean what he’d said was a lie, but Niall thought it was. Taylor
was
self-centered at times, though that wasn’t the reason he couldn’t love Niall. Had they done something, interfered in some way, made this impossible?

“Please, Niall. Come back with me now.”

Niall shook his head. “This is my choice. I live or die by it.”

“Then you’ll die.”

“So be it.”

Niall watched Oisin walk away and kept staring long after his brother had disappeared. Why had he come? After all these months, why now? To warn him he couldn’t succeed because this was not something under Niall’s control? Or because of Roo?
The woman doesn’t count. Her love is worthless.
What if the opposite were true?

Was that why his mother had sent Oisin and the others? To frighten Roo off?

Niall headed out of the garden. If Roo did love him, could that save him? And in order for that to happen, did he have to return her love? Yet they’d tried to drive her off before they’d even kissed.

That kiss.

Well, not the first but after.
Sublime.

Niall had been warned before he left. If he showed true affection first, kissed first, demonstrated his love, he’d pay heavily in the short and long term. Immediate pain and days off his life. But kissed who first?

He headed for the orangery and closed himself inside. The heady scent of plant life calmed his pounding heart. Niall lay on the couch and stared up at the vine-covered glass ceiling. He’d long decided this was where he’d come to die. But he found himself
thinking
for the first time in ages. And not about death. About irony and about love. And maybe finding a way to live.

Niall needed Taylor to love him and Oisin had told him Roo did. The truth or a lie instigated by his mother? How could Roo love him? She hardly knew him—didn’t know him. There was
something
between them, some spark. Love wasn’t exploding fireworks or erupting volcanoes or towering tidal waves. That was lust. Love was something that crept up on someone, wrapped around them and seeped into every part of them until it was all they could think about, being with that person, looking at them, listening to them while the words
I love you
bubbled inside their head.

Niall loved Taylor. He’d loved him from the moment they met as boys, but it was a different sort of love then. A love that comes from playing together, laughing together,
being
together. That feeling had shimmered through Niall like a warm wind, whispering in his ear and trailing down his spine. Each morning he’d woken and thought of Taylor, of seeing him when he came home from school, hearing about what he’d learned, what he’d done with his friends. Niall didn’t think about him
all
day, just sometimes, but when he did, his lips had curved in a smile that was only for him, despite his brothers demanding to know what he found funny.

He closed his eyes and sighed. Real love had snuck up on him before he’d ever thought of Taylor in any sexual way. Taylor had the life he wanted. He was everything Niall wanted to be, represented everything he valued. Then, one day, Niall had an erection when he’d been play-fighting with Taylor and life changed for both of them. The next day, not a coincidence, Taylor’s sister disappeared and Niall lost Taylor. Sixteen years passed while Niall watched and waited for this chance to win him back, but what Niall thought possible a few months ago, seemed less possible now unless Roo’s love gave him more time.

The kiss was the key.

If kissing anyone caused the same violent reaction, then Niall would have his answer.

He needed to find someone to kiss.

Chapter Twelve

Taylor drove toward Ilkley in a bad mood. After dropping Roo in Guiseley, he’d spent the afternoon negotiating with an anal-retentive company lawyer who wanted a complicated job done on a shoestring. After they’d finally agreed on a price, Taylor refused the suddenly genial guy’s offer of a drink and went back to his car to find he’d got a bloody ticket.

Much as Taylor wanted to get out of Leeds, he also wanted to stay right where he was and not have
that
conversation with Niall. Taylor kept asking himself what he was afraid of. Niall had told him twice he asked nothing of him, and he had to be talking about commitment, right? Taylor had been so close last night to doing to Niall what Niall had done to him. He gulped.
Go on, think it. If I can’t even think it, how can I say it?