How to Kill Men and Get Away With It(81)

‘But you’ve got other ambassadors? And people who donate, right?’

‘Yeah, but James has put the big bucks in. Probably because of my dad. But that’s not the issue here. The issue here is getting justice. I really should’ve listened harder to those rumours. I’m sorry. I feel like I’ve let women down.’

‘A lot of this was from a long time ago,’ I try to reassure him, but he’s right. He has let women down. Silence is compliance and all that. ‘But yeah. You probably should’ve.’

‘But then none of the women and children we’ve helped build lives away from Syria and places would be where they are.’ He sits down and punches a cushion. I notice how firm and muscular his upper arms are. Which is really not where my mind should be right now. ‘It’s such a fucking sick tactic.’

‘What is?’

‘Fucking perverts like Pemberton getting themselves so embroiled in charity work that no one could ever believe they could be as sick as they are. It’s a classic move.’

Charlie’s face is lined with worry. He can’t keep still either. He keeps standing and pacing. Sitting and tapping. Then standing and pacing. I’m getting dizzy just from watching him. I want to sit him down and use my thumbs to smooth the worry from his face. I don’t want him ending up with Gordon Ramsay wrinkles either.

I push him gently down onto the armchair – Feather & Black, ecru – kissing his lips, earlobes, nose and lips again as I do. ‘You’re too stressed, Mr Chambers,’ I say, falling to my knees before him. I can see a tiny internal battle going through his mind, but the part I knew would win does, and he sighs deeply as I unzip his trousers and take him in my mouth. At first, his hands are gentle as they cradle my head, but he’s soon clawing and pulling me, forcing himself as far down my throat as he can. I’m gagging and my eyes are watering, but my own hand has crept between my thighs and before I know it, I’m coming as Charlie comes deep down my throat.

‘Did we just get off after reading some horrible sexual assault confessions?’ he asks me about a minute and a half later, upset.

‘No,’ I tell him, firmly. ‘We distracted ourselves.’

‘It’s just so much to take in,’ he says eventually.

‘I mean, it’s certainly a more-than-average girth.’

He smiles, and pulls me onto his lap. ‘I love you, Kitty Collins,’ he whispers into my hair. I nod in agreement. He’s not the only one feeling torn though. I promised that my vigilante days were over. There’s no way I can risk another Ruben Reynolds. It’s early days with Charlie, I know, but I’m already learning that he’s not Adam and it’s not written in the stars that he’s going to hurt me. But if there’s any chance of Pemberton getting away with this – and he’ll be able to afford the best lawyers on the planet, pay people off, etc. – if there is any chance of him doing this to even one other woman, then I have to do my part. And I’m one of a handful of people who know where he is.

He’s a sitting duck.

It couldn’t be easier.

I can feel my heart starting to thump harder in my chest as I think about how good I’d feel stabbing that man, sending him into a ring of hell saved for monsters like him. I imagine his blood spurting out of his neck, splashing up the white walls of the apartment he’s hiding in. I imagine the relief that the heart of every woman and girl he’s ever touched would feel knowing that their dragon has been slain and won’t be coming after them in their nightmares anymore. It’s just one more, a sort of last hurrah before I hang the boning knife up for good.

It’s a no-brainer.

‘I’m going to have to make some calls,’ Charlie tells me. ‘Is it okay if I use your office? It’s mostly damage control from my side.’

‘Yeah, of course. I’ll bring some food in for you in a bit.’

He kisses my cheek and sort of nuzzles into my neck. ‘You’re amazing. I love you.’

‘I love you back,’ I say, watching as he heads into the room I never use as an office. It’s late afternoon now and I know that I need to get things moving if I want to target James tonight.

Which I do.

I’m already half-high from the adrenaline rush. I grab my phone and scroll through until I find James Pemberton’s number. I tap out a text, holding my breath as I press send.

‘I’m coming over tonight. 7.30pm. Kx’

No backing out now.

The reply comes, of course it does, quickly. He might be on bail but it clearly means nothing to someone like James who sees himself as above the law. I book an Uber to the flat for later that evening, under a false name and start getting ready.

Charlie pops his head in while I’m in my robe, about to shower. ‘Going out?’

‘Yeah.’

Fuck. I hate lying to him.

‘We’re meeting at Tor’s to go through everything and probably drink a lot of vodka. Poor Hen has got a lot to get her head around. You don’t mind? I can always bail …’

He shakes his head. ‘No, your friends need you. I’m going to be crunching numbers and updating websites and other boring stuff for the rest of the night anyway. It’s more of a shit show than I realised.’ His brow crumples again and my heart tries to jump out of my chest to soothe him. ‘I’m going to order a takeout though. Fuck. I might even go all out and have a burger.’