‘I wouldn’t say a lot, but fairly regularly. And I like to feel at home when I do. What about you? Do you travel much?’

His voice came closer. He was too polite to peer in through the open door, but it sounded as if he was in the living-room doorway. That meant he wasn’t investigating her possessions, which tended to confirm her theory that he had been the searcher. ‘I do move around quite a bit within Europe, but it’s mostly connected to the business.’

‘You deal with things on the front line yourself, then?’ she asked.

‘I like to know who I’m dealing with. But I leave most of the day-to-day stuff to my right-hand man, Darko Krasic. I hope you’ll meet him soon. He’s a crazy Serb, but he’s easy to underestimate. He looks like nothing more than a thug, but he’s actually a very smart operator.’

Not the one who’s following me, then, Carol thought. Her tail certainly couldn’t be described as thuggish. Willowy, more like. ‘I look forward to that,’ she said. ‘Just got my lippie to do and then I’m ready. Sorry to keep you waiting.’

‘Not at all. I’m glad I’ve had the chance to see where you’re living. Now I can picture you when we’re not together. Perhaps I can return the compliment? Maybe we could dine in my apartment tomorrow?’

Carol chuckled. ‘You can cook too?’

He laughed. ‘Not very well. But I can pick up a phone and order a delivery from the best restaurant in Berlin.’

Carol emerged from the bathroom. ‘There. All ready.’

He smiled, tilting his head appreciatively. ‘Well worth the wait.’

To her surprise, when they left the apartment, the car wasn’t waiting at the kerb. ‘My flagship store is only a fifteen-minute walk from here, and I thought that since the rain had stopped, we could walk. If you don’t mind? If it’s a problem, I can call the car.’

‘It’ll be a pleasure. I need the fresh air,’ she said.

He held out his elbow, crooked in offer, and she slipped her arm through his. Nicely done, she thought. She wasn’t the only one upping the stakes.