‘By “we”, do you mean just the two of us?’ she asked guardedly.

He put a hand on her arm. ‘Is that a yes?’

‘No, it is not!’ she said firmly, shrugging his hand off.

‘I’m sorry, Jane, I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just that I thought there was a bit of chemistry between the two of us.’

She leant towards him so they wouldn’t be overheard.

‘I never mix business with pleasure – and I certainly don’t go out with married men,’ she said with a tight smile, then picked up her coat and bag to leave.

‘What’s going on here then?’

The Colonel’s unmistakable voice boomed across the room. Jane looked up to see the Colonel, Stanley, Cam, Bax and Teflon walking towards them.

‘What are you doing here?’ Kingston scowled, realising he should have gone to another pub with Jane.

‘We’ve had a hard day and thought we’d enjoy a cosy drink like you and Treacle here.’ The Colonel smirked.

‘Actually, I was just leaving.’

Jane pushed past him and walked out of the pub.

‘Who’s rattled her cage?’ The Colonel laughed. ‘Looks like you won’t be pulling her drawers down any time soon. You might as well give me that twenty quid now.’

‘The bet’s off,’ Kingston snapped.

The Colonel snapped his fingers twice and held his hand out. Kingston took a twenty-pound note from his wallet with a scowl and handed it over.

‘I’ll have a pint of lager and whisky chaser.’

He downed the rest of his pint in one.

*

The office was empty when Katie returned from the pub. She threw her coat and handbag down on a desk, opened one of the steel cabinets by the wall and took out a large holdall. Inside was a range of equipment the team used to force entry into premises and to fit trackers and listening devices to cars and houses. She removed a twelve-inch jemmy, weighed it in her hand, then replaced it in the bag. She rummaged around until she found the assorted screwdriver case, then selected the two smallest ones. She crouched down by Jane’s desk so the side drawer lock was at eye level. She inserted one of the screwdrivers into the lock and jiggled it about a bit, then tried with the smaller one. After a few twists and turns the drawer popped open.

‘You can’t hide things from me, Little Miss Perfect,’ she said, reaching in to remove Jane’s pocket notebook and Rachel’s notes.

Chapter Eighteen

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Jane got in her car and took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. She’d been enjoying Kingston’s company and thought there was a mutual respect between the two of them, but now it seemed it was all an act to get her into bed.

How could I have been so stupid?