Free Bad Grace: A Billionaire Romance Romantic Suspense (The Filth Monger Book 2) by Annabel Chant Page B

side.
    ‘He’s stabbed me,’ he said, through gritted teeth, as I reached him.

 
 
Eighteen
     
    Him
     
    I stood there, looking down at him in horror, before turning to see Rick walking off quickly along the Embankment. He hadn’t noticed me, or he’d be running. As it was, he was moving as fast as he could, without attracting attention to himself.
    I looked back down at Alex.
    ‘Don’t just stand there, Sir,’ he gasped. ‘I’m okay. Just get the fucker.’
    I hesitated, but Alex glared at me, his face bunched up with pain. ‘Go!’ he said.
    A group of passers-by were already coming over, looks of concern on their faces. I hesitated a second longer, then turned and ran along the Embankment, as fast as I could.
    Rick must’ve heard me coming, because he turned and looked over his shoulder. His eyes widened, and he broke into a sprint. I upped my speed to match him and, for a minute or so, the distance between us didn’t seem to diminish. After a few hundred yards, though, I could sense I was gaining on him, and I wondered what I’d do when I reached him. He had a knife, after all, and I had…nothing. Why the fuck hadn’t I brought some sort of firearm? But it was never meant to come to this. It was supposed to be an exercise in surveillance, nothing more.
    We were almost at the Golden Jubilee Bridge by now and, as he reached it, Rick turned and ran onto it. I followed him, rounding the corner at top speed, until I pulled up short.
    A few yards ahead of me, Rick was standing looking at me. From the angle I was at, the London Eye, behind him and on the other side of the river, seemed to encircle him, its illuminated white frame outlining his body almost perfectly, like some fucked-up DaVinci sketch.
    I walked towards him.
    ‘You stabbed Alex,’ I said. I could still hardly believe it. They’d been almost like father and son since Alex had taken him under his wing. ‘Is there nothing you won’t do for money?’
    ‘Not at the moment.’ Rick moved backwards away from me, as I advanced upon him. ‘I’ll do anything it takes, trust me.’
    ‘I offered to help,’ I said. ‘I offered again tonight. You’re out of control, Rick. Don’t come begging to me when it all goes to shit.’
    ‘I won’t,’ he said. ‘I’ve got other avenues to explore.’
    ‘I wish I understood what your problem was,’ I said and sighed – this was all so unnecessary.
    ‘I’ve told you my problems,’ he said, his voice rising sharply. ‘I haven’t got a choice.’
    ‘You’ve had plenty of choices, Rick,’ I said. ‘You’ve just made bad ones, that’s all. I can’t let you go, I suppose you know that. You’re a fucking liability.’
    ‘What are you going to do, then?’ he said, almost jeering. ‘Call the cops?’
    I pursed my lips in anger. He knew that wasn’t even a possibility, the fucker. ‘No, but I need that tape before you do something we all regret.’
    ‘I won’t regret it,’ he said, still edging away from me.
    ‘You will,’ I said. ‘The way you’re acting…it’s bordering on suicidal.’
    ‘Maybe I am,’ he said. He looked thoughtful suddenly.
    I drew back, wondering what he was planning to do. I still couldn’t tell what he had in his hand – was it the package? The knife? His phone? I wasn’t getting close enough to find out.
    ‘Maybe I am suicidal,’ he said again and, before I even realised what he was planning to do, he jumped over the rails of the bridge and into the river below.

 
 
Nineteen
     
    Hm
     
    I hesitated only for a moment. Alex was injured, Felicity was still in danger of being – quite literally – exposed, and if I let Rick go now, I might never get the tape back. I didn’t have a choice – I had to follow him.
    I didn’t even stop to take off my jacket. I clambered over the railings, took a deep breath, and dived into the murky waters below.
    The drop was astounding. I hadn’t realised it was so far down. It had to be a good twenty metres, if