‘That’s Blake Chadwick,’ I offer. More to fill the silence than anything else. ‘One of the bosses.’

‘Yes – I saw him at the hospital,’ he says, and gives me a quizzical look.

I often think that Greg notices nothing unless it involves fish. Now I’m not so sure.

Chapter 86

Chapter 86

Lauren threw a few things into a bag. She couldn’t really concentrate, so she’d probably packed all the wrong things. But, hey, they had shops in the Cotswolds, didn’t they?

All she wanted to do was get away, flee this place. Be as far away from Jude as she could possibly manage. She realised that a small corner of the rolling English countryside might not count as ‘far away’, but it was certainly a great start and about all she could handle at the moment. The fact that Zak was coming along with her was adding to her feelings of comfort and joy. She’d spent too many days being alone.

And her friend was wonderful company, relaxing to be with and funny in his own silly way. That was just what she needed now.

Zak had gone home to get his own stuff together and then he was coming back to collect her. She’d switched on her phone again and had already ignored more than two dozen calls from Jude.

She’d phoned Annie and told her that she was escaping London and Jude’s clutches for a few days until the heat died down, and her sister sounded relieved to hear that she was still alive, let alone anything else.

An hour later, there was a knock on the door and, for a moment, Lauren held her breath. Then Zak shouted, ‘It’s only me!’

Her body relaxed again as she opened the door. ‘I’m ready,’ she said. ‘I just need to get my bag.’

‘Let me,’ Zak said, and he swept through to her bedroom and hoisted up her bag. ‘This weighs a ton! How long do you think we’re going for, woman?’

‘Travelling light has never been my style.’

‘I can’t imagine what you’ve got in here. You are planning on coming back?’

‘I don’t know,’ Lauren said. ‘I might not.’ And she wasn’t sure if she was joking.

Zak dropped her bag on the floor and came and hugged her. ‘You’ll be fine,’ he said. ‘Absolutely fine.’

She nodded. ‘Let’s get out of here.’

Outside and the bright light hurt her eyes. Lauren put on her sunglasses. It looked like it was going to be a lovely weekend. A beam of lightness pushed into her bruised heart.

Zak threw her bag in the back and slipped into the driver’s seat.

‘I’m a rubbish navigator,’ Lauren warned him.

‘This old car knows her own way there. Sit back, relax, enjoy the in-flight movie. We’ll be there before you know it.’