Hello My Angel - Sue Brown Page 0,55

be the one who would be able to deal with it.”

“He does deal with it,” Josh said quietly. “You’re just another in a long line of people he’s had to watch die – or pretend to.”

“She broke me when she killed Erica,” Billy confessed, tears spilling onto his cheeks. He didn’t wipe them away. “I really did mean to kill myself but for some stupid reason I washed up on the shore. I didn’t know where to go, but then I remembered this place. We’ve been here so many times I knew where the key was. I was sure I was the only one who knew about it. Moles had no clue about this place. There was only one person in the agency who knew about Olivia’s bungalow. I talked to him about it because he has relatives near here.”

“Who did you talk to about it?” Josh asked.

But Billy’s attention was distracted. The rails started to sing. A train was coming.

“Don’t you dare step in front of that train,” Josh warned. “Don’t make my boyfriend watch you die a second time.”

Billy looked at the track, looked at Josh, and then over Josh’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. Tell Ross I’m really sorry.”

And then he was gone.

Chapter 15

“Billy!”

Cal’s horrified cry was drowned by the blast of the horn, the thundering of the train as it charged by. It didn’t stop, the station was barely half a mile away. Better to unload the passengers there.

Josh stood motionless, shocked, unable to process. He didn’t want to look at what was left of Billy. Another victim of Ileana Ramirez. That woman was drowning in the blood of her victims.

Cal wrapped him in his arms, whispering over and over, “I’m so sorry, Angel. I’m so sorry.”

Billy had been sorry too.

Josh hung onto Cal for dear life, his fingers curling into Cal’s sweater. “Just take me home. Take me home, Charlie, I want to see my cat.”

Of course, it wasn’t as easy as that. There were the transport police to deal with again and endless statements full of lies. It was gone ten o’clock before they were free to leave.

Gil dropped them off at their house, promising someone would pick them up at seven in the morning,

“Make it nine,” Cal said. “Everyone in by ten. Come on, Angel, let’s get in the house.”

Josh stumbled wearily up the path and let Cal deal with the key. He blinked as Cal switched on the light in the hallway and a chocolate brown cloud meowed its dissatisfaction and stalked toward them.

“Good to see you too, Mr. Truffles,” Josh said with a very weary laugh.

“Let’s take a shower and go to bed,” Cal said, “unless you want something to eat.”

Josh shuddered, his stomach churning uneasily. After the day he’d had, food was the last thing on his mind now. He felt guilty, knowing he should have been supporting Cal. After all, Cal was the one who’d had to watch Billy die twice. He was more successful the second time and that was all Josh was going to say. To his relief the train driver had seen very little other than the four of them by the side of the track, which was something to be thankful for. The poor bastards who’d had to clear up the remains were not so lucky.

Cal stripped Josh of his clothes and pushed him into the shower, then he did the same for himself. Josh sighed with pleasure as Cal slid in behind him, immediately wrapping him in his arms again.

“Why do you think he did it?” Cal asked.

“He said it himself,” Josh said. “He was a dead man walking. Chyna Moles would never have let him get away with being alive. The minute we discovered him he was dead.”

Something Billy had said gnawed at the back of Josh’s mind. He couldn’t remember what it was, but he knew it was important. He made a mental note to try and remember it the next day. Josh was too tired now. The only thing he needed to do was cuddle his cat and fall asleep. He groaned as Cal massaged shampoo into his hair.

“Feeling good?” Cal purred.

“The very best,” he agreed.

“You know Mr. Truffles is going to insist on sleeping on my pillow all night by way of punishment, don’t you?” Cal said.

“Of course. It’s exactly what I expected. It’s your pillow not mine. I’ll be fine.”

Cal snapped off the shower with a growl. “Thanks for that, Angel.”

Josh smirked at him. “My pleasure, Charlie.”

“I’m going to spank you.”

Josh