Page 28 of Savage Warrior

“I’ll need money, for the ticket.”

“You will.”

“And a passport.”

“That, too.”

“I just need to stay hidden for a while, until I can get the money somehow.”

“Fair enough.”

He drums his fingers on the table. They are nice fingers. Long, neat, capable. I’m briefly transfixed by them, until he disturbs my unruly train of thought with his next words.

“So, here’s how I see it.”

I look up.

“I can drive you to an airport. I can book you onto a plane and pay for the ticket.”

“You would do that?” I can’t believe my luck. A lifeline!

“Of course. But that’s not our biggest problem. You still need a passport, and that will take time.”

“I cannot apply for a passport in Britain…”

“Who said anything about applying? I can probably obtain one for you, but to get one good enough to get past the border authorities here and in Belarus, it needs to be flawless. Those are costly and take a while to produce.”

“You mean a forgery.”

“Of course.”

“I have no money.”

His grin is lop-sided. “I sort of worked that out. Don’t worry about the cash, I can cover the cost. But I can’t speed it up.”

“How long..?

“A couple of weeks. Maybe more. Meanwhile, you can stay here.”

“I thought you wanted me gone.”

“Your need for protection is greater than mine for solitude.”

Solitude? I can help with that, surely.

“I’ll stay out of your way, I promise. I can do the cleaning and everything, earn my keep.”

His raises his hand, palm facing me. “There’s no need. And good luck with avoiding each other. Have you see this place?”

“I know, but… Anyway, I’ll pay you back, for the ticket and everything. I swear.”

“If you like. Let’s worry about that later. For now, , I want to be sure you’re okay. No broken ribs or anything. You’ve taken quite a battering.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re sore.”

“A little, but—”

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