He takes off his jacket and throws it over the back of a chair.
‘Norman’s finally retired, by the way.’
‘He has?’
He nods. ‘Betty’s not too happy about it. He’s under her feet all the time now. Jodie’s started her beauty course. I’m happy to report there have been no more drug sprees. And lately, she’s even taken to wearing things that aren’t pink.’
At the thought of the pink princess, my face relaxes and my lips curve upwards.
‘Bingo.’ Satisfied he’s nearly there, he moves back toward me, slowly. ‘I knew you’d come round.’
‘Big head.’
‘I love you, Maya. I never stopped loving you. I never stopped thinking about you. The last few weeks … they’ve been torture for both of us.’
My breathing becomes shallow again. I’m melting under his gaze, on the verge of getting up and throwing myself at him. But before I do, there’s one final matter that needs a little explanation.
‘So, about what happened at the nightclub?’
He rubs his forehead, closing his eyes for a second.
‘It was the last thing I wanted, but it had to be done … and it had to be convincing.’
He edges past the coffee table and sits next to me, his hand brushing against my thigh. My body tingles. We’re getting close to the end game. He’s homing in for the kill.
‘Things had been quiet for a while,’ he explains. ‘Foultons were busy protecting you and me, searching for Boyd. Bill’s contacts got involved, but we couldn’t find him. I got out of hospital, went back to work, did what I needed to do. And then things went a little pear-shaped.’
I look up. His eyes have darkened now.
‘The day before I saw you at the nightclub. I got a call from Boyd. He said he knew what we were up to, and I had to put it right.’
‘How did he know?’
‘He wouldn’t say, but …’
‘Me,’ I interrupt, flushing with embarrassment. ‘Turning up at Fosters.’
‘No, I don’t think so.’ He lays a hand on my leg. ‘And I don’t blame you for it. I know about Claudine’s involvement.’
‘You do?’
‘You were followed, every single minute of every day. I had reports.’
My thoughts stumble over themselves. So, if it wasn’t my mad stalking episode, then it must have been the ridiculous phone call to Lily.
‘Did you hack my mobile?’
‘It was tracked, not hacked. Who you call and what you say is your business. I trusted you to make the right decisions.’
And he must already know I made a wrong decision. If he didn’t listen in on my phone call, then Lily must have told him about it herself. I’m about to admit to a huge bout of stupidity when he floors me with something else.
‘It was the letter. I’m sure of it.’
‘What letter?’
‘The one from Layla. She did write to me.’
‘Oh shit.’
He squeezes my thigh, gently.
‘She apologised for what happened, said she hoped I was okay, and told me about Sophie, who’s moved back to Limmingham, by the way. And then she said she knew the truth, that the split was a sham.’
I let my head fall into my hands.
‘I didn’t want to tell her. Honestly, I didn’t. But she went to pieces. I’m sorry, Dan. I made her promise not to say anything. I made her promise to wait.’
‘It’s okay. I understand.’
I look up again to find him smiling.
‘She’s my sister. Maybe we both inherited the impatient gene.’
‘But still …’ I opened the bag and let the cat right out of it. How could he possibly understand?
‘Sophie’s ill. Layla’s had a hard time of it. I can see why you told her.’
‘Did you write back?’
‘No,’ he answers quickly. ‘I’ll make contact when I’m ready.’
And this isn’t the time to quiz him on that particular matter. Instead, I move on with something else.
‘But how would Boyd know about the letter?’
‘It arrived at the penthouse. I was down in Surrey. Normally, the concierge keeps my post secure, but he was on holiday. The stand-in didn’t quite understand procedures. The letter was downstairs in the lobby, in a pile on the desk. It had been there for a few days before I picked it up.’
‘Had it been opened?’
‘Maybe. It’s hard to tell, but it’s the only thing I can think of.’
I let out a quiet sigh of relief. He definitely doesn’t know about the phone call. I could tell him now, but I’d rather not. I’m already feeling like a prize idiot and I can’t really see what difference a confession would make. Whether it’s down to Layla’s letter or Boyd tapping my phone, the damage has already been done. And whatever Dan says, it’s been done by me. All we can do now is deal with the fallout.
‘I had to do something,’ he says. ‘And I had to do it quickly. That’s why I rigged up the meeting at the club. That’s why I made a show of it. I just hope it did the trick.’
‘I’d be amazed if it didn’t.’
‘I never wanted to hurt you, Maya, but I couldn’t let you know the truth. There was no safe way to do it. I can play the heartless bastard. I’ve had years of practice. But if you’d known what was really going on, would you have been able to play your part so well?’
‘I could have had a damn good try.’
He laughs, his eyes dancing.
‘Your acting isn’t up to much.’
‘Well, I’m an artist, not an actress, not like Little Miss No Tits.’
‘I love it when you’re jealous.’ He bites back a grin. ‘I’m assuming you’re referring to my so-called girlfriend.’
I can’t help it. My lips pull back into a sneer. I must look like a rabid dog.
‘That woman was
