A Darker Shade of Grey Read online

Jace killed the ignition of his dirt bike out the front of Elwood’s. Worry for Angus ticked him off; the inconsiderate wank whose mobile went to voicemail every time he’d hit redial. There’d be fifteen increasingly cranky messages queued on picking up. Jace was even less impressed to discover the store’s closed sign, which made no sense on a Monday.

  He strode the terrace and thumped the door, hoping Noel’s bell tinkled in unison to the trembling frame. Jace was over six feet and well muscled from his time labouring. Silence greeted the effort. Noel’s viewpoint on his next act wasn’t difficult to gauge, but Jace refused to leave without answers. He proceeded to the open end of the veranda and vaulted over the rail, landing in a slim space hemmed in by thick shrubbery. Murmured voices pulled him up short. Jace squinted and gingerly pushed through foliage. The angle of his viewpoint seemed strangely elevated. A melody jumped to awareness. Played on a cello and eerily familiar.

  Abruptly, they were there; right in front of him, impossibly highlighted in a green filter of early afternoon. Jace scrubbed his forehead and blinked against disequilibrium. He placed a bandaged hand on the side of the house to steady rubbery legs. Sienna sighed and arched her neck. Blake pleaded softly at her earlobe, nimble fingers undoing the buttons of her top.

  “No. We can’t.” She clasped his hand, clearly fighting desire.

  He groaned unhappily. “The old shrew won’t notice I’m missing. She naps after lunch. Doesn’t rise until three p.m.” Three p.m. It seemed significant, but Jace couldn’t for the life of him work out why.

  “I don’t care about her. Grandad knows who you are, Blake. If he catches me, it’s back to Juvey. I can’t disappoint him like that. He’s been so good to Laini and me.”

  “Okay, my love.” He leaned back and brushed a stray black strand from her cheek. “You are so exquisite.” He took a small box from his pocket.

  She frowned. “Is the money really worth it, Blake? Leave her and we can be together without all this sneaking.”

  “We can be together when she karks it.” Was it three p.m. when the fog rolled in?

  Sienna barked a bitter laugh. “Lady Grey will outlive us all. If you love me so much, why not just divorce her?”

  He paused, flipping the lid and extracting a choker with an unusual diamond and black opal pendant. “How many rich artists do you know? We’re talented, Sen. We deserve an audience and you deserve nice things.” Yes. At three p.m. yesterday afternoon, the fog rolled in.

  “There’s something about her, Blake. Rumour has it she poisoned the Major for his fortune. Don’t get on her bad side, please.” She rose on tippy toes to stroke his face, stress crumpling her pretty features. He secured the necklace, hands lingering on her bare skin.

  She shivered at his touch, and then lifted the diamond. “It’s gorgeous.”

  “See! Nice things.” Blake’s face was smug in profile, but it didn’t last long. Sienna reached around to remove the gift.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I can’t do this anymore.”

  “The Major was a fat old bastard! A heart attack waiting to happen,” he said desperately.

  “I think we underestimate her at our peril.”

  “That’s a bit dramatic,” he scoffed.

  “I want a man for my own, Blake. Not someone who pretends to barely know me if we meet on the street! I’m done. If we were to get caught, the dishonesty would crush Noel. And we will get caught, eventually.”

  “Okay, okay!” He gripped her palm and kissed the flesh there, lips murmuring up her wrist as he spoke. “I’ll get rid of her. I promise. Then it’s just you and me, Sienna. Please, keep the necklace.”

  “Until otherwise, I can’t see you anymore.” A car stuttered through the garden. “They’re home. You have to go!”

  He wrapped her in a tight embrace for a slow, passionate kiss, before slipping into the trees. Sienna stood breathless, fingertips tracing the memory of his mouth, a tear trickling her cheek. Then she too, vanished.

  It was too late. The affair had been noted. Jace recognised in the present, he’d glimpsed history from Laini’s aspect, gaining the ill-deserved reward of a little spy. Sienna wasn’t the only one sneaking around.

  ***

  Chapter Eight