An Interview with Emmy and Black – Part 2

Today, Emmy and Black are here to answer your questions, and maybe give a few hints of things to come in the Blackwood series…

EN: It’s been a while since I visited Riverley. I like what you’ve done with the place. The giant chess set in the hallway is certainly…interesting.

Emmy: *Rolls eyes* Bloody Bradley. He promised it would be gone by last weekend, but then he got invited to some gallery opening and fucked off to Paris.

EN: To buy art for himself or for you?

Emmy: Probably for us. He’s poor this month because he invested a bunch of cash in a new craft project that he’ll probably get bored with in a month or two.

Black: Hopefully he’ll take advantage of the free drinks and pass out before he purchases anything.

*Something about the way he said that…*

Emmy: On a scale of one to ten, how likely is that to happen?

Black: Nine point five.

Emmy: Did you pay off a waiter?

Black: It was cheaper than buying another painting.

*Good grief*

EN: Speaking of art, which is your favourite piece of art that you don’t already own?

Emmy: Easy question. For the Love of God by Damien Hirst. 

EN: Is that a painting?

Emmy: No, it’s a diamond and platinum skull. I prefer contemporary art, and it’s beautiful in a macabre sort of way.

Black: I’m sure I could find a spare skull someplace, and Bradley has plenty of crystals lying around.

Emmy: Ha-ha, very funny.

EN: Same question to you, Black.

Black: Victor Vasnetsov’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. If it ever came up for sale, maybe I’d put in a bid.

Emmy: It’s in a museum in Moscow. Ana says you can bribe anyone in Russia, so just offer some bureaucrat a yacht or something.

Black: Hmm…

EN: I don’t want to hear this. But speaking of the Horsemen, rumour says— What the…? Is that the freaking cat? What’s he carrying?

*EN pulls her feet up onto the couch, and Emmy leans forward to take a closer look. Then bursts out laughing*

EN: Is that underwear?

*Emmy removes a pair of boxer briefs from Kitty’s mouth*

Emmy: Yup.

Black: Don’t look at me. They’re not mine.

Emmy: Looks like Nick’s.

Black: I hate that you know that.

Emmy: Chill, everyone knows what Nick’s underwear looks like seeing as he’s incapable of using a laundry hamper.

EN: He hasn’t got any tidier? I thought Lara might have tamed him.

Emmy: Lara’s worked wonders, but miracles are in another league. At least Nick lives in his own house now, and you can see the floor. 

EN: So, Kitty has the run of the Riverley Estate? He just roams around?

Emmy: We hired a wildlife guy and built him a fancy enclosure with, you know, cat stuff, but he thinks he’s a dog. Every night, we’d put him back in his cat house, but he’d just pace around, so we gave up and got him an extra dog basket. Now he sleeps in the breakfast room with Lucy.

EN: Because he likes breakfast?

Emmy: Because it gets the first sunbeams in the morning.

EN: Does he act as a guard cat? 

Emmy: Put it this way, I wouldn’t want to be a burglar.

EN: If you and Black had a tiff, who would Kitty side with?

Emmy: Lucy would side with me, Barkley would side with Black, and Kitty would side with whoever had the biggest steak.

EN: Barkley’s the dog you rescued in Kentucky, right? 

Emmy: Yup. Also known as Black’s shadow.

EN: Some people say that dogs are a substitute for kids, so—

Emmy: For the love of fuck, why is everyone so obsessed with children? 

Black: Probably best to drop that subject.

EN: Understood. But Black’s side of the family has expanded since we last spoke, hasn’t it? How did you both feel when you tracked down his relatives? 

Emmy: A little guilty for reverse-kidnapping Rafael, but needs must. And things worked out okay in the end.

Black: I got closure. After I found out what John and Audrey Black hid from me, the question of who my true parents were began eating away at my mind. I’d never have been able to rest until I tracked them down.

EN: Was it a surprise that your mom was still alive?

Black: Yes, and also a relief to find that she hadn’t abandoned me as I’d feared.

EN: Do you harbour bitterness towards John and Audrey?

Black: I’d rather they’d told me the truth. But I didn’t have a bad childhood, and although their actions were selfish, I wanted for nothing in their care. And if they hadn’t set me on this path, I wouldn’t be here today. I’d never have met my soulmate, and Blackwood Security wouldn’t exist. So I have to thank them for that. It helps to temper any residual anger.

EN: You and Marisol have a good relationship now?

Black: We do. It feels natural to be a part of each other’s lives.

EN: What about Rafael and Cora? Do you view Rafael as a protégé?

Black: Rafael is very much his own man.

EN: Do you see him taking on a greater role at Blackwood in the future? 

Black: At some point, yes, but at the moment he prefers to remain in the shadows. Cora's doing a superb job at the Blackwood Foundation. She's chosen some worthwhile projects to get involved with, and we're glad to have her help.

EN: How about Sky? Black, what were your thoughts when Emmy brought her home?

Black: Oh, fuck, not another one.

Emmy: *Elbows Black in the side* I hope Sky will be a big part of Blackwood going forwards. Operationally, she has the courage and the capability, but she needs to learn more about the business side of things. Yawn. 

EN: Can you see yourself expanding the Special Projects team even further?

Emmy: *Winks* Maybe I just did.

EN: Really? I can’t imagine there are that many super-assassins kicking around.

Emmy: Eh, there’s still one or two in the wind. Or maybe Ten. I’m always looking out for good people, and budget isn’t really an issue.

EN: Ten? Do you mean…?

Emmy: We’ll all have to wait and see on that one. My lips are sealed.

Black: They’d better not be.

Emmy: I’ll unzip them later, relax. 

EN: Trust is important in your business, so I appreciate you spilling some of your secrets even if you hold others close to your chest. Tell me, apart from Black, who do you trust most on the Blackwood team?

Emmy: Ana. We haven’t known each other for the longest, but we have a connection I can’t explain. But I trust everyone on my core team. They wouldn’t be there if I didn’t.

EN: How about Tabby? Do you like being an aunt?

Emmy: *Shudders* Let's just say she doesn’t exactly encourage me to rethink my stance on motherhood. At least she’s unlikely to have a brother or sister—Ana bought her a paintball gun last week, and she shot Quinn in the nuts.

*Black’s turn to shudder*

EN: I’ll ask Black the same question.

Black: How do I like being an aunt?

EN: Who do you trust most on your team?

Black: Nate. When you’ve pissed on each other to keep warm during SEAL training, that tends to build up a certain rapport. But, like Emmy, I also trust the core team.

EN: How about James Harrison?

*Emmy sucks in a breath, and Black closes his eyes for a brief moment*

Black: Our friendship has had its ups and downs.

EN: But you are friends?

Black: Yes. 

EN: And is Harrison’s fondness for Emmy is one of the downs? I’ve heard—

Black: I trust him to do what’s right with regard to my wife. Let’s leave it at that. 

EN: Cryptic. Okay, looking to the future. What’s in store? I heard on the grapevine that Pale is back on the scene again.

Black: He got bored of surfing, plus his recreational marriage habit wasn’t healthy. He needed more structure in his life.

EN: And now he has it?

Emmy: Theoretically, he manages a posse of female operatives, but in reality, it’s the other way around.

EN: Female operatives? So you have competition now?

Emmy: A little healthy competition never hurt anyone, and those girls are a hoot. We’ve learned a few things from each other, and hopefully in the future, we’ll be able to work on some joint projects. They’ve got an open invitation to visit anytime. Spider might swing by next week, schedule permitting.

EN: Spider? That’s an interesting name.

Emmy: I haven’t worked out if it’s because she’s got a poisonous bite or she’s just good at climbing. Probably both.

Black: It’s because her surname is Webb.

Emmy: You never told me that.

Black: You didn’t ask.

Emmy: Pale told you?

Black: I was curious. 

Emmy: So how did Barbie get her—

*Kitty leaps up as running footsteps sound in the hallway*

Bradley: You didn’t tell me Spider might be coming. I promised I’d highlight her hair.

Emmy: Where the hell did you come from? 

Bradley: The airport.

Emmy: Wait, did you bug the damn room again?

Bradley: *Folds arms* Nobody ever tells me anything.

*Emmy and Black glance at each other* 

Emmy: How much of the conversation did you hear?

Bradley: I got back in time to hear about the paintball gun. Did someone take it away from Tabby? Because I’m not going near Ana’s place otherwise.

Emmy: Tabby definitely still has the gun.

Bradley: Are you lying?

Emmy: Why don’t you swing by there and find out? How was Paris? Did you buy any art?

Bradley: Bernard’s staff were very generous with the champagne, and when I woke up, everything was sold. But I did pick up macarons from Pierre Hermé. 

Emmy: Great, can I have one?

Bradley: I think the truck must have taken a wrong turn on the way from the airport, but I’m sure it’ll be here soon.

Emmy: The…truck? How many macarons did you buy? 

Bradley: All of them.

Black: Fuck.

Bradley: Emmy likes macarons, okay? And so does everyone else who isn’t on some weird health-freak diet. Can you help to unload the boxes? Elise, are you staying for macarons and champagne?

EN: Sure, why not? 

Emmy: No macarons until Bradley's moved that bloody chess set. If I stub my toe on the queen again, there'll be hell to pay.

Bradley: Well, you should look where you're going.

Emmy: Where's my gun?

Black: Here, take mine.

*Bradley runs out of the room. Whether he'll come back, nobody knows.*

***

Thanks so much to everyone who sent in questions! If you'd like to ask anything else, leave a comment below or send me an email via the contact page and I'll do an update in the future…