Lexie’s nose wrinkled. ‘Gambling?’

‘Just the horses?’ I asked. I would have crossed my fingers if I’d thought it would help.

Taylor wouldn’t meet my eyes. It was even worse than I thought, then. ‘Well, I went to the casino once or twice.’

I took a deep breath. ‘How much?’

‘A hundred grand. Give or take.’

I mulled it over, slightly taken aback. It was peanuts as far as Taylor’s usual indiscretions were concerned. ‘Less than the cost of a state-of-the-art bank vault door,’ I commented. ‘It’s bad but it’s not horrific. You’ve been in worse states.’

‘Are you saying,’ Brochan growled, ‘that we’re not going to get paid because you’ve been betting on Princess Pony to win the bloody Grand National?’

‘Actually, I lost most of it on Appaloosa at Ascot.’ Taylor pursed his lips. ‘But it was very good odds and I had an amazing tip.’

Speck threw up his hands. ‘Unbelievable. Absolutely frigging unbelievable. Did you travel down to England too? Because the cost of avoiding the Veil and the Lowlands…’

‘There’s a fabulous new invention, Speck. It’s called the internet. I can place bets without leaving the comfort of my own home.’

Speck flipped up his middle finger and turned away in disgust.

I was still focused on Taylor, not taking my eyes away from him. Something about this didn’t fit. ‘So pay those three then pay the loan back. Arrange for instalments or whatever with your usual broker. I can wait until you’re back on your feet.’

He took in a deep breath. ‘Under normal circumstances, of course that’s what I would do.’

Lexie stared at him. ‘Normal circumstances? How often does this happen? We’ve worked for you for more than five years.’ She turned to me. ‘Why didn’t you tell us this was a problem?’

Because until now it hadn’t been any of her damned business. I didn’t take my eyes off my old mentor as I framed my answer. ‘Because it never really has been before,’ I said, keeping my tone level and calm. ‘There have been a few times when things got a bit hairy but we always sorted it before we reached total disaster. What’s different this time? What’s happened, Taylor?’

He shifted his weight, a shadow crossing his face. ‘Someone else has bought the loan.’

I cocked my head. ‘People can do that?’

‘Yeah,’ he muttered.

‘Why would someone bother?’

His mouth flattened into a grim line. ‘To make a quick buck.’

I drew in a breath. ‘So talk to whoever bought it. Do a deal with them.’

‘I tried,’ he said helplessly. ‘They won’t talk to me. They’re demanding immediate repayment.’

Begging the question of why. I tightened my jaw. ‘Stall them.’