I dropped my bag on the floor and hung up my coat. I checked my phone: a goodnight from Will, safely in Chicago, and an update from Kenny, confirming all was quiet at Gillian’s flat. I wondered how long I was going to need him for. How long it would take for me to believe that Frederick was really gone.

I needed a drink to unwind. A drink to shut my mind down so I could drift off to sleep. One glass of red wine and I could retreat to bed and hopefully a good night’s sleep.

I walked into the kitchen and stared at the item on the middle of the kitchen table.

A small figurine of Snow White.

It was missing its head.

Part Six

Part Six

Hug

hug, v.

1. Squeeze (someone) tightly in one’s arms, typically to express affection.

2. Congratulate or be pleased with oneself.

One Month Later

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Three

IT’S DONE, WAS all the message from Jake said. I let, a long deep breath out.

It was over.

‘Gigi, darling, time to pack our bags – we’re going home.’

The Committee had wanted Frederick alive. They wanted us to track him down and bring him in so he could undergo interrogation at the Box. They believed that for him to be the successful mastermind of a plot like Tenebris, there could be other things he might be hiding. Other information that could be helpful. He had had direct contact with many of the Employers listed on the Tenebris Network – he would know things that weren’t on the databases.

We had always respected orders. Always respected directives from the Committee.

But the minute I saw headless Snow White, I knew there was only one way I’d ever feel safe again.

Jake and I had both requested blowers and both packed a bag.

I’d picked up Gigi immediately and retreated to the wilds of a remote island off the Scottish coast, having Will join me the moment he landed, in what he thankfully took to be a spontaneous gesture of reconciliation. Jake had gone hunting. Tracking down every lead he could. Guided by me and Geraint with remote access. We’d scour the online intel and lead him to places. A sighting here. A clue there.

While we were away Hattie had sorted through the mess Tenebris had left behind. Going through their records, it seemed Wycombe, Somersby and Miss Jenna had been telling the truth. The Tenebris Network was Frederick’s brainchild. Gaining an understanding of how much enemies would pay for privileged security information had sent his entrepreneurial skills in motion. Wycombe and Somersby had bank-rolled Tenebris, hiring a few top-level IT experts and hackers to set up the website and the unhackable algorithms.