‘SBS, actually. Special Boat Services. I was the point man. First man in.’

‘Good God.’ She was silent a minute, taking that in. ‘And the scars? The ones on your back?’

‘My mate stepped on an IUD. It blew both his legs off. Killed him. I caught a bit of the blast. Got lucky.’

‘So . . . your mother and you? You were reconciled before she died?’

‘Nah. She was an old whore who more or less ignored me right up to the end,’ said Jack with a rueful grin. ‘But we made some sort of peace, I suppose. What did you do?’

‘What?’

‘For a living. For work.’

Belle let out a breath. ‘Nothing. I told you. Nothing at all. Dad had plenty of cash and I was not encouraged to do anything except paint my nails, get my hair done, ride horses.’

‘So you were – what? – a spoiled little princess?’

‘Yep, that was me. Just waiting for a millionaire to stroll by and snap me up.’ Belle’s smile was ironic. That indulged and cosseted but somehow unsatisfied girl had been another life, another world. Now she was different, inside and out.

‘What did you do with them?’ she asked. ‘With Ludo and Nipper?’

‘Don’t go there. You don’t want to know.’

‘And Trix?’ Belle was really sad about Trix. The dog had been her companion, her friend, through the worst of her pain and misery. She was going to miss her. And it was her fault that Trix had met her end. If Harlan’s goons hadn’t been in pursuit of her, Trix would be alive right now.

‘Same. Don’t ask.’ He stood up. ‘You want some food?’

‘I couldn’t eat it.’

‘So what now?’

‘I don’t know.’ She still felt sick after the shocks she’d had, and disorientated. It was as if Harlan had reached out and touched her, and that made her shudder. Her mind was in turmoil. ‘I’ve brought trouble to your door. I’m sorry.’

Jack shrugged. ‘Today we just keep watch. Be careful. Give ourselves some time to think it all through.’

So they kept watch, and they were careful. The shotgun didn’t go back in the cabinet. But no one came. After a thrown-together meal in the evening, Jack sat and watched TV for a while, and Belle went off to her lonely room – his mother’s room – and tried to sleep.

138

All Harlan could think was, where the hell were they? They were supposed to keep in touch with him, tell him what was going on. Instead here he was, kicking his heels and getting lower on patience every day. When he was in one of the Stone nightclubs, he grabbed Sammy, who was loitering on the door, hauled him into the back office and said to him, had he heard anything?

‘About what, Boss?’ asked Sammy over the crashing volume of the sound system.