‘I can’t do this.’
His breath came out in hot little mists into the cold air. Her libido went ‘wait, what?’ as he took her hand and pulled her back onto the street. She went on wobbly legs, her lips still feeling on fire from his delicious mouth. ‘We need to get a cab home. Now.’ He turned to her, and the look she saw in his eyes had her walking that bit faster. They walked to the nearest taxi rank, standing in a thankfully tiny queue silently, their thumbs rubbing each other’s hands. The cab pulled up, Luke sweeping open the door and giving the driver the Fir Tree Lodge address whilst sitting her close to him in the spacious back seat. There was a glass partition between them, and the driver was listening to folk music, humming away to himself. Rebecca’s phone rang in her bag, and she reached for it with her free hand. Looking at the screen, she saw Mina’s name flash up on the screen. She showed it to Luke. ‘Mina.’
Luke nodded, his hand still in hers, and turned to look out of the window. She felt his grip tighten, just a fraction, and she gave it a squeeze.
‘Hello Mina, I’m sorry about that. Did Lester get him out? Are you mad?’
‘Is Mina mad?’ Robbie’s cold tones came out of the phone like icy fingers, making her ear prickle. Her grip tightened around Luke’s hand, hard and fast. Luke turned to the phone and jabbed at the speakerphone button. ‘What about me, eh? What about that? You can’t even say anything, can you? It’s path—’
Luke’s jaw clenched, and he took the phone out of her hands.
‘Listen to me, you lycra-wearing little shit stick. Listen carefully, if you have any actual brain matter in that massive head of yours. You don’t know who I am, but I sure know who you are. I have a very special set of IT skills, the very best. If you don’t leave Rebecca alone, or if you harm her in any way, I will use my special set of skills to end your internet life as you know it. You think you get attention now, wait till I am finished with you. You’ll have no need to worry about everyone knowing just who and what you are, because I will show them. Amazing what a bit of Photoshop and an internet connection can do, Dobbie. I will end your little following, and then I will track you down, and smack seven bells of shit out of you. Do you understand?’
Rebecca didn’t give Robbie time to stop spluttering, taking the phone she ended the call. The night fell silent once more, the driver humming along to his tunes, muffled by the screen.
‘I’m not going to say sorry,’ Luke started, and she took the phone from him, turning it off and shoving it back into the bag by her side.
‘I don’t want you to.’
‘Good, cos I’m not.’
They both looked out of their windows, hands on their laps. The music changed to Elton, singing about a rocket. The driver stopped humming and started bobbing his head like a nodding dog. Everyone was an Elton fan. Her mother loved him. Did she know Robbie was here? Were they still in touch? Another reason she knew Robbie was playing the part of the wounded duck. If he really wanted to find her, he would have contacted her mother. And her mother would never have been such a pain in the behind all this time. She was 100 per cent team Robbie. He’d bailed on her in her time of need, and she knew it as well as Rebecca did. Typical mother, choosing to only see what she wanted to see.
‘I’m really not you, know.’ Luke broke the silence. ‘I will absolutely knock his block off if he rings you again.’
‘I don’t doubt it.’
‘Good, cos I will.’
‘I know, you said.’
‘I mean, what the hell did you see in him anyway?’ He puffed his fringe out of his eyes. ‘I mean! I know it’s not my business, but …’ He bit his lip. ‘Well, his hair for a start. His hair looks like he’s been dipped in oil, and his clothes! Well, his clothes were nice, but clothes don’t maketh the man, Rebecca. Colin Firth lied. A knobhead in Armani is still a knobhead in my book.’
‘Manners,’ she muttered.
‘What?’ He turned back from the window to look at her.
‘Manners maketh the man. That was the line. Never mock Colin Firth.’
‘Why was he a tailor then?’ he asked, genuinely confused.
‘He wasn’t a tailor, he was a highly trained … look, does it matter?’
‘Not really no, but I do want to watch that one again now.’
‘I have it in the lodge on DVD – oh Luke, what are we going on about?’
‘I don’t know, you started that one.’ He turned his head back to the window. A moment later, she saw him pull his phone out and Google ‘Colin Firth film quotes’.
Rebecca pushed her lips together to stop herself from laughing. Thank God she could press her face close to the window so he couldn’t see her face. She could see him though, he was still spouting on, first about how confusing Kingsman was, and then back to Robbie. Then he kept impersonating Robbie’s hairstyle by putting his own hair into ridiculous peaks and patterns. She could see his reflection bouncing back as they parked up by the café. The driver turned and smiled at them jovially.
‘Good night?’ he asked, as though he was utterly new.
‘Great, thanks,’ Luke said, back to being Mr Polite to everyone. It was so cute. Robbie treated people like they were all in his entourage, whether they were or
