Thief of Hearts
Page 64

“I doubt your brain had much say in the matter,” said Alfie.
I shot him the stink eye.
“What? Too early for jokes?”
“Way too early.”
Focusing my attention up ahead I realised we were on the same street that housed Lee’s restaurant. Was Stu meeting the Duke here? It didn’t make sense. A moment later he emerged from his car, walked out onto the road, and hailed a taxi.
I followed the cab and soon we were driving towards central London. We passed through the West End, then, to my surprise Stu got out at Trafalgar Square. This was where I’d brought the class on their day trip to the art gallery. It was a busy hour and there were lots of people around. I parked outside an old pub across the street as Stu passed through the crowds, his eyes constantly scanning the area.
“Well, at least he had the wits to organise to meet him in a public place,” said Alfie. “It’s not like the Duke can pull anything dodgy here. There are too many people.”
“You’d be surprised,” I said, still on edge.
A red double decker-bus went by, momentarily blocking our view. I panicked when it passed and I couldn’t see Stu anywhere, but then exhaled when I spotted him lowering himself to sit on a step. He checked his phone, looked from left to right, and then he just . . . waited.
Several minutes passed and there was still no sign of the Duke.
“Looks like our man is late.”
“Either that or Stu’s been stood up,” said Alfie.
What did this mean? “I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”
But I was wrong. Twenty minutes later Stu stood, his jaw tight and his posture portraying his unhappiness. Whatever was going on here, something wasn’t right. He strode past groups of tourists looking at maps and taking photographs, his tall form striking a formidable figure. Alfie and I were quiet as we watched him, and then, almost like he sensed our attention Stu looked up and spotted my car.
“Oh shit,” Alfie swore. “We’ve been made.”
“Crap, crap, crap.” I twisted my keys, prepared to make a swift exit and then deny everything later down the line.
Who? Me? At Trafalgar Square? Couldn’t have been. I was home correcting papers in my pyjamas all evening. Lots of people have this car. It could’ve been anyone.
Unfortunately, my hands were shaking and it took me longer than normal to start the engine. Before I knew it Stu was standing in front of us, his gaze furious. I swallowed past the hard lump lodged in my throat. A second later he climbed into the backseat, slamming the door shut behind him with a loud thud.
I glanced at him nervously through the overhead mirror.
“Drive,” he ordered.
I drove.
The tension was so thick that both Alfie and I were too afraid to breathe a word. Stu was intimidating when he was angry. He ran a hand down his face, his features etched with stress as I drove in the direction of my flat. We’d suffered at least fifteen minutes of tense silence when Stu finally spoke.
“What the hell were you thinking following me? I told you I didn’t need you there.”
I white-knuckled the steering wheel, trying to come up with an excuse and falling short.
“Would you believe us if we said we just so happened to be in the area?” Alfie asked in an effort to diffuse the tension. Stu glared at him, and he zipped his mouth shut.
“I was worried about you,” I managed finally.
“And I told you there was nothing to worry about. For fuck’s sake, Andrea, the Duke didn’t show. Do you know what this means?”
I glanced at him through the mirror, swallowing tightly as I shook my head.
“It means he spotted you. It means he knows I told you more than I was ever supposed to. I’ve been trying to keep you both safe, and you’ve fucked everything up.”
“Hey, don’t talk to her like that!” Alfie butted in, his features drawn in a frown.
Stu’s dark eyes cut to my cousin. “I’m pissed off and I’ll express it how I like.”
My cheeks heated. “Look, it’s done now so there’s nothing we can do to change it. I messed up and I’m sorry . . .”
Stu leaned forward, his shoulders rigid. “You don’t understand. He’s not just going to let this fly. He doesn’t like loose ends and that means he’s going to try and do something to tie them up.”
“You mean, to tie us up?” Alfie questioned nervously.
Stu exhaled and dropped back into the seat. “I can’t protect you from him.”
I looked at him through my mirror again and our eyes locked. It was then that I saw how powerless he felt. He’d been in control but I’d gone and ruined all that. Now everything was up in the air. I really was stupid, always thinking with something other than my head. This time it had been with my soft foolish heart.
“We need to come up with a plan. A story to explain everything away and gain his trust again. Do you have a way of contacting him?” I asked and Stu looked at me like I was being naïve.
“I’ve got a number,” Stu replied, “but look, I think you just need to stay out of this from now on. I’ll figure something out.”
I opened my mouth to say something but came up short. I was at a loss for words yet again. When I turned onto our street and stopped the car outside the flat, I turned off the engine and we all just sat in silence for a minute. Our brains were working overtime to come up with a solution. It was only as I was lost in thought that I noticed the suspiciously out-of-place gentleman standing at the end of the street.
He was big and muscular, but he wore a suit. He looked like he should be working security for the government or something. When I glanced through my side mirror I saw a similarly dressed man at the other end of the street. This didn’t bode well.
“Stu,” I whispered, afraid that even halfway down the street they might hear me.
He didn’t answer so I whispered louder. “Stu!”
His tired gaze flicked to mine. “What is it, Andrea?”
I cocked my head ever so slightly to indicate both gentlemen. Alfie made a move to turn in his seat but I grabbed him and urged him not to look. Stu let out a whispered string of expletives.
“All right, this is what you’re going to do,” he ordered, his mouth barely moving as he spoke. “Start the car back up real slow and get us out of here as quick as you can.”