Leo looked at Allissa and realised how lucky it was she’d found them when she did.
At the bottom of the hill, the path widened and Leo walked alongside the others.
“Thank you,” Minty said. “I suppose you’ll go and tell everyone what’s happened now.”
“No,” Allissa said, “we don’t do this to make headlines. We came here to find you. We needed to check that you were alive and safe. We’ll tell your family that. The rest is up to you.”
Minty turned to face the pair. His eyes glistened in the torchlight.
“I wanted to tell them; I just couldn’t risk it. Couldn’t even risk the phone call.” Minty’s stare became unfocused. “If they” — he indicated behind them with a thumb — “caught up with me, there was no telling what they’d do. I wouldn’t be here —”
“Whatever you were involved in,” Leo said, “it’s over now. You’re safe.”
The three walked in silence for a minute. The trees had become less dense and beyond them, the lights of suburbia glimmered. They were getting back to civilisation.
“What problem did those guys have with you?” Allissa asked.
Leo wondered the same. There were still unanswered questions about the nature of Minty’s dealing with the Russians.
Minty swung his torch left and right, as though checking they were alone. When he was satisfied, he began.
“When I arrived in Berlin with the idea for the sustainable fashion retailer, I was massively ahead of my time. That sort of thing is pretty common now, but not five years ago. Stupidly, I went for it anyway. I wish now that I’d waited. I sank all the money I could into the shop, setting up the website, sourcing the best ethical materials — all that. But after about a year, things were going really badly. I just wasn’t making the sales I needed. The bills were mounting up, the rent had increased, the clothes were costing more to produce than I thought. I was going to have to pack it in. I’d have lost it all… Then I got a visit from Olezka —”
“That man?” Leo signalled behind them.
Minty nodded. “He said he could help me. He seemed to know a lot about the business. He knew that my clothes were made and imported from Peru. He knew how often I got deliveries, and he knew I needed the help. He made me a deal. All I had to do was receive some other deliveries for the business. I just had to accept them and leave them in the shop for a few weeks. Then they would be collected. He said he would pay me a thousand euros per package. I didn’t even need to touch or open them. Just accept them and wait. I knew it was something bad, but I didn’t see how I could get blamed for it. I needed the money…”
Leo nodded and dropped behind Minty as they passed a fallen tree. Minty’s voice carried through the still night air.
“That went on for years. The number of boxes increased, as did the money. For a while, it was great. I used some of the money to invest in the business and enjoyed the lifestyle. But then it all changed. The men demanded more. They started meeting in the shop, smoking in there, doing deals, taking drugs. I couldn’t run a business that way. So, I told them I wanted out. I thought the business had grown a bit and that I would be alright on my own.”
Minty rubbed a hand across his face. Leo wondered whether he had ever told this story before.
“Olezka, the guy I...” — Minty pointed behind them — “... he was the leader. He said no. He said I owed them. They’d done all this and that for me, and I owed them…”
Minty sniffed then rubbed the back of his right hand with his left. His shoulders slumped.
“I was so scared. I was just so scared. I... I just needed out.”
The houses and streetlights were now clearly visible through the trees.
“Then Borya came to me with a proposal. For a few weeks, we would hide some of the deliveries. We had the perfect place. It was easy because most of the time the packages were left untouched for weeks, and more arrived every day. Sometimes more than once a day. They couldn’t have been keeping track. When we had enough, Borya said he knew someone who could fake a death report for me. Get me out for good. I’d then go into hiding, he’d sell all the stock we’d collected, and then we’d split the money. It was everything I needed. A fresh start. Someone must have found out, though.”
“You got the money.” Leo indicated the bag which swung from Minty’s hand. “What are you going to do now?”
Minty looked at Leo. “We’re getting out of here tonight. We’ve got it all planned. I’ve just been waiting for this.” Minty nodded at the bag. “This will get us started, give us long enough to get somewhere safe. Then we’ll see what happens.”
A wide, suburban street materialized from the darkness of the woodland. The large houses sat in darkness.
“Will you do something for me?” Minty asked, stopping and turning to face Leo and Allissa. “I mean, I know you’ve done so much already... if you weren’t there tonight —“
“Whatever it is, we’ll try,” Allissa said.
“Let me tell my family. I’ll call them as soon as we’re away from here and safe.”
Leo thought of the distraught young man who had met them in their distant Brighton flat two days ago. He knew they should pass on the information straight away. But, then again, what difference did a few hours make?
“We’ll wait twenty-four hours,” Allissa said, speaking before Leo had decided. “This time tomorrow we’ll call your brother.”
Minty exhaled.
“But,” Allissa said, “it would be better if we didn’t have to do that at all.”
“What do you —”
“It would be better If you told them yourself. You could call
