When I went back to check on him, he was even paler than before ‒ if that were possible. ‘Let me guess,’ I said drily, ‘the terms are too steep?’ I wasn’t particularly surprised. Boon was a bloody charlatan.

Taylor shook his head slowly. ‘He won’t do it,’ he croaked.

I blinked. I hadn’t been expecting that. ‘What do you mean?’

‘He won’t give me the loan. He said he knows who’s bought it and he doesn’t want to piss them off. I got the impression they’d already been in touch with him. He refused point blank to tell me who it was.’

‘That doesn’t make any sense.’ I sank down into my chair. Except it did. This wasn’t about money at all; this was about someone wanting to destroy Taylor. No wonder they knew my name. ‘Who is it? Who really took the loan?’

He looked me in the eye. ‘I don’t know. I was telling the truth, Tegs. I really don’t know.’

‘You must have pissed off someone.’

‘Not that I can think of. The last time I really did that was before you came along. I’ve been keeping my nose clean.’

Other than arranging for a series of high-profile thefts, I thought. Apparently reading my mind, Taylor sighed. ‘You know what I mean. I’ve not upset anyone in the underworld.’

‘Could it be someone we’ve stolen from in the past? Someone wanting serious revenge?’

A spark flared in his eyes. ‘I might not be much of a gambler, Tegs, but I am good at my job. No one knows who we are.’

I had no idea what we were going to do. ‘Okay,’ I said. I’d have to make this up as I went along. ‘This is what we’re going to do. Um…’

There was a sudden thump at the front door that made us both jump. I looked at Taylor. ‘Stay there,’ I told him, every muscle in my body tensing up.

It was nothing more than the morning paper. I cursed myself for being as jumpy as a kitten and picked it up. ‘It’s alright,’ I called out to Taylor, picking it up from the doormat. ‘It’s just the newspaper.’ I tossed it down onto the kitchen table with the rest of the detritus.

‘I’m sorry,’ Taylor said miserably. ‘I’ve screwed everything up. Here you are trying to pack, trying to make a new life yourself and…’

‘Stop.’ I mustered my sternest look. ‘Yes, you’ve messed up. But we’ll deal with it.’

His head drooped. ‘How?’

I straightened my shoulders. Sneaky was my middle name. But when sneaky didn’t work… ‘I’ll find this courier and talk some sense into him. If we can get the name of the guy who bought the loan, we can find out what he really wants. Because I’m betting it ain’t money.’