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“Why?” Alex asked. “Why did you help me?”
“Because that’s what I get paid to do.”
The man’s words barely registered. Alex’s mind flashed back to the day this man showed up at her flat. “I know you. You’re the one who gave me the Smith and Wesson when I got to Cambridge.”
“Name’s Leo.”
Alex paused as she worked to figure things out. “Why were you at my apartment?”
“I told you. I get paid to keep an eye on you.”
Alex raised her eyebrows. “You get paid? By whom?”
“Garrett Lancaster. He and I go back a ways. He asked me to look after you. For the past year or so, that’s what I’ve done. I make sure you don’t get into too much trouble, then I report back to him.”
“You spy on me?”
“I was hired to keep you safe.”
“To keep me safe? How, exactly, have you done that?”
“I haven’t,” Leo said. “Up until last night you hadn’t been in any danger. I just kept tabs on you. Other than skipping out on university, there hasn’t been much to report. But then you took your little trip to Zürich and allowed those two halfwits to follow you back to Cambridge. Last night was the first time I’ve had to lift a finger.”
“You followed me to Switzerland? And you told Garrett about it?”
“It’s what he pays me to do, mate.”
“I can’t believe he has you following me around.”
“It’s a damn good thing he does. I noticed the halfwits trailing you when you left the hotel in Zürich. I knew something was wrong when they traced you all the way back to London, and then to Cambridge. When I saw them arrive at your flat, I waited a few minutes. Just as I was about to knock on your door to see what was happening, I heard gunshots. I got you out of there before the coppers showed up.”
“How? Tell me what happened. Last night is one big blank spot in my mind.”
Alex tried to recall how the night had gone down but could picture only Laverne on the bedroom floor and Drew standing in the doorway with his hands raised. She remembered pulling the trigger and the deafening blast. Her mind shut down after that.
“I used to be police and I still have contacts inside,” Leo said. “People I now owe several favors, I might add. I managed to make things go away for now, but that won’t last forever.”
“What’s that mean?”
“It means this isn’t America, where gunfire is a normal part of Friday nights. You should have been arrested, but I fixed things. Not permanently, but I put a bandage on things to get you out of there. I made a few calls last night to keep the heat off. For a while, at least. You’ll stay here with me until we’re sure things have calmed down. No one will bother you here. But you’re not my issue at the moment. The other two are.”
“Other two?”
“Bonnie and Clyde. The halfwits who tried to shake you down. While you were sleeping I had a nice long chat with them. They told me everything. Now I’ve gotta figure out what to do with them.”
“They’re here?”
The beefy man smiled. “I keep forgetting that you’ve been out for twelve hours. You missed all the fun. Come on, mate. I’ll show you my handiwork.”
CHAPTER 15
Saturday, October 3, 2015 London, England 10:15 a.m.
ALEX FOLLOWED LEO OUT OF THE BEDROOM AND DOWN THE HALLWAY. Her mouth was dry and she desperately needed a drink of water.
“Where are we?” Alex asked, feeling oddly at ease with the strange man named Leo.
“My place. South London.”
