Page 74 of Caught in the Middle

He frowned. 'What letter?'

'The one he showed me, about killing his sister...' Lucy trailed off. She felt like an idiot as it all came back to her. The writing in the letter she was given when she received her Amex card, it was the exact same as the writing in the letter Oliver supposedly sent to Joey.

He'd forged it himself.

It made her feel sick that he could use his dead sister to manipulate her.

He truly was evil.

The clicking of the cars indicator signal snapped Lucy out of her thoughts. She glanced up the sign, and realised they were heading to a service station.

Her heart started racing. Was Oliver going to be waiting for her?

For some reason, she didn't dare ask.

As the car rolled into the car park of the services, Elijah pulled out his mobile and punched a number in.

'Hey mate,' he said into the phone, 'we're in the second bay on the left.'

He un-clicked his seat belt and gave Lucy a pitying smile.

'Well, thanks for blowing my cover and putting my life in danger,' he said, although she tell he was being tongue in cheek. 'You're going to have to hop out here, I've got a tracker on this car, so I need to go dump it.'

Lucy startled. 'Um, well what do I do?'

'Get out, look for the Silver Merc. Should be here any minute.'

Without another word, he leaned over her and popped open her door. She took this as a cue to get out, and she had barely shut the door when he drove off, erratically.

She stood there, stupidly for a few moments, unsure of what to do or what to expect.

She watched families spill of their cars, stretching their legs, hurrying to use the bathroom. She was staring so intently at a little girl whinging to her mother about how she felt sick, that she didn't notice the silver Mercedes pull up behind her.

'You look lost.'

She froze. She knew that voice. That lovely, Irish accent. She span around to see Oliver hanging out of his car window, looking low key in a hoodie and tracksuit bottoms.

His grin melted from his face the second Lucy turned around, and he quickly got out of his car.

'Lucy...' he murmured, stroking her cheek, just like Joey had done an hour ago, but this time she didn't want to recoil, no matter how much it stung, 'what did he do to you?'

Her eyes lowered, her bottom lip began to wobble.

All this composure she'd had, of pushing all her thoughts and feelings about him out of her brain for so long... it was as if the dam had just broke.

She collapsed into his arms, right there in the car park in front of bewildered families, and sobbed.

He held her with strong arms, burying his face into her hair.

'It's okay,' he whispered, 'you're safe. You're with me.'

Oliver rubbed the nape of her neck for a while, letting her sob. Eventually, he gently pushed her shoulders so he could study her. He smiled, sadly.

'We're going to have to get you in the car woman,' he said, 'you look like a goddamn hooker, did you know that?'

She snotted as she playfully punched him, and slid into his car. Although it weren't the same one she'd been on the run with him in, she felt like just being in his presence was like arriving home.

'You don't look too great yourself,' she sniffled, even though she was lying, 'where's the suit?'

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