Scorched Heart (The Firebrand Series Book 4), Helen Harper [free ereaders .txt] 📗

wasn’t smooth. I couldn’t see any signs of an exit but there was an odd hum coming from somewhere behind me.

‘You’re looking for a way out. That’s sweet. But you’re not going to escape, Little Em, and nobody will find you. Pops and I spent some time planning this, and almost everything has worked out the way we thought it would.’

Pops. I shook my head slightly and focused back on Rothsay. ‘He was your grandfather?’ I questioned. ‘Lazarus was your grandfather?’

‘Oh yes. We were very close, but I won’t hold the fact that you killed him against you. It was what we wanted to happen. He was dying already – you merely hastened his death.’ He smiled again. ‘You’ve been a puppet on our string from the very start.’

He placed the bottle of water by his feet. ‘I thought that maybe we’d been too clever and I’d have to do more to point you in the right direction. We needed you to make the connection between Pops and Samuel Beswick, you see. We needed you to think that Pops was responsible for everything so you’d believe you’d solved all the crimes, let your guard down and I could swoop in.’

Rothsay pulled a face. ‘That plan would have worked if it weren’t for that damned vampire hanging around all the time. He was supposed to die last night on Miranda James’s driveway. It’s annoying that he survived.’ He shrugged. ‘But I can adapt. I always do.’

His tone was chilling. I’d thought that Rothsay didn’t have it in him to act. I hadn’t realised that his every conversation had been worthy of an Oscar.

‘I can see you still have questions,’ he murmured. ‘That’s only natural. Don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of time down here together. I won’t hold anything back.’ And then PC Rothsay threw back his head and laughed. ‘I won’t hold anything back at all,’ he repeated.

A split second later, his body bulged. Like a genie from a bottle, a dark shape emerged from his spine. It seemed to grow with his every breath, taking shape and form until it wasn’t only Rothsay who faced me, it was the malevolent furred figure of the bugbear too. It was at least as tall as the man and twice as wide.

I felt myself shrink against the chair. Alright. I was fucking scared.

Rothsay reached across and stroked the bugbear’s head. It quivered under his touch. ‘This little fellow tasted you before, back when you were pint-sized. He only likes them young, so he won’t appreciate your blood now. It wasn’t easy to get him to kill Lacey and that stupid woman in the park. You needn’t worry, though. Barney will be rewarded for his efforts. I’ve found two-year-old twins living in Appledore that I know he’s going to love.’

I gaped at him in dumbstruck horror.

‘Oh, Little Em.’ Rothsay sighed happily. ‘I have plenty of plans for you. If only Pops was here to see it. He’d be so proud.’

‘Your Pops murdered my parents,’ I spat.

He nodded earnestly. ‘And Barney here murdered you. You were his first, you know. Pops told me it was rather disappointing. Barney grabbed you from behind and you were dead before you even knew what was happening. Pops refined his methods and trained Barney to be better.’ Rothsay leaned across to me. ‘You see,’ he said softly, ‘it’s much more pleasurable when we can see the fear in a subject’s eyes. And there’s nothing quite like the sensation of watching when the light goes out for good.’ He shivered. ‘It’s really quite delicious.’

‘How many people?’ I asked, wishing my voice wasn’t shaking. ‘How many people have you, your grandfather and this … thing murdered?’

Rothsay’s brow furrowed, as if he were trying to think of the answer. ‘I have to be honest,’ he said finally, ‘I’m not sure. Lots. Although obviously I didn’t become involved until more recently, there must have been a murder at least once or twice a year for twenty-five years. You do the maths. I’m sure you’re capable of that much.

‘Naturally, Pops became much more careful after you and your family. It was a shock when you came back to life all those years ago. He knew he’d had a lucky escape and he had to be smarter to avoid detection. He became incredibly skilful at concealing what he and Barney did together.’

He pursed his lips. ‘Not that anyone else has done what you did. But I like to think that Pops didn’t become truly expert until I joined the police and learned more about evidence collection and law enforcement.’

Rothsay smiled affectionately at the bugbear. ‘I have to give the old man credit, though. He introduced me to Barney when I was a child myself. I always knew you were Pops’ legacy to me.’ He scratched the bugbear under the chin and it sighed with contentment. I could only shudder.

I looked from the beast to Rothsay. ‘How does this work?’ I asked. ‘Has it taken control of you? Did it control your grandfather?’

Rothsay snorted. ‘It’s a dumb beast. That stupid crow that follows Miranda James around is smarter than my furry friend here. Pops controlled it. Pops told it what to do. And now that Pops is dead, I’m the one in charge. As long as I provide it with a safe place to hide and enough young blood to survive on, my will is its command. It will give me strength and power beyond what any other living being is capable of.’ He smiled to himself. ‘You wait and see, Little Em. Pops was good but I’m going to be magnificent.’

He was delusional. ‘My boyfriend is Lord Lukas Horvath,’ I croaked. ‘He has the entire supernatural community at his behest.’

Rothsay smirked and stroked the bugbear again. ‘Not the entire supernatural community.’

I shook my head. ‘Lukas won’t simply shrug and head back to London. He’ll come looking for me – and he will find me.’

‘No, he won’t.’ Rothsay’s confidence was unshakable. ‘I’ve had a long time