‘It’s a plan,’ said Drew, laying his hand on her arm. ‘I won’t say try not to worry, but if Hannah’s left Jordan, it can only be a good thing.’

‘I know … but until I know she’s safe, I won’t rest for a moment.’

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Gabe stretched his arms above his head and groaned as various parts of his body clicked and protested. He’d finally taken off his Stargazey apron in the unit staffroom as the afternoon drew to a close.

He was knackered. How many pies had he made? He’d lost count. He knew what hard work was, having spent many hours in top kitchens and the fish and chip shop, but man, mass producing artisan pies to a tight deadline had been a lot harder than he’d expected. Hundreds of the buggers were now prepped, filled, cooked and chilling in the fridges. Personally, he never wanted to see another pie as long as he lived, let alone eat one.

Stefan had thought Sam and Gabe were having him on when they turned up at the unit. Later in the day, she’d called to check that all was going well … to which he and Stefan said it was, of course. So what if it was a little white lie? So what if his first batch had been rejected by Stefan as ‘looking like cow pats’? Who could have guessed that Stefan would turn into Gordon Ramsay’s evil twin once he was put in charge of a kitchen? Gabe did get the hang of it eventually, but Stefan was merciless, speeding up as soon as Gabe had mastered the process.

Stefan left for the day with a pat on the back for Gabe, leaving him alone in the unit to wait for Sam.

‘Hello!’ she called from the staffroom. ‘Everything OK?’

‘Fine,’ said Gabe, pasting on a smile as she walked through the door. ‘How were your meetings?’

‘Don’t ask. Council officials, emergency services, harbour authorities, more council people …’ She ticked them off on her fingers. ‘Thank God I didn’t have to work here as well.’ She frowned at him. ‘You look knackered … and there’s flour in your hair … or you’re going grey.’

‘Both probably, Stefan is a tyrant.’

Sam laughed. ‘He’s a sweetie, really. He probably felt in awe of you and over-compensated.’

‘That’s one way of putting it.’ Gabe smiled. ‘On the upside, we finished all the pies.’

‘Thanks. That’s a load off my mind.’

‘I’ll send my invoice, shall I?’

‘You volunteered, remember?’ She stepped forward and peered at him. ‘There’s flour on your nose too.’