Page 19 of Magnus
Sapphie couldn’t let Magnus win any of the big victories.
She needed to stay focused on the task at hand, which was to always remain one step ahead of the Carluccis.
But she couldn’t deny it felt good to stroll through the park and breathe easily for the first time since they had left London yesterday. Even more so to enjoy watching how carefree Angel was as she laughed and played on the grass with Angus.
Not that Sapphie was about to tell the man walking beside her any of that. Magnus was far too sure of himself already without her admitting he had been right to suggest they come to the park before lunch.
An outing that was suddenly interrupted by the ring tone of the cell phone Magnus immediately took out of the back pocket of his jeans.
“I need to take this.” Magnus apologized for the interruption before taking the call. His expression darkened as he listened intently to what was being said. “What about the security cameras? Amateurs! Any idea what was taken? Right.” He glanced at the listening Sapphie before continuing. “Call Derek and have him get the helicopter and a flight plan ready for our departure, three passengers and a dog, as soon as we arrive at the airport,” he instructed seconds later. “And increase the security at my apartment.” He ended the call abruptly before asking Sapphie. “Do you have your cell phone on you?”
“What?”
“Your cell phone,” he repeated, holding out his hand.
“It’s just a burner phone,” she explained as she took the red phone from inside her shoulder bag. “What are youdoing?” she gasped as Magnus dropped the cell phone onto the concrete pathway before stomping down on it with the heel of his boot.
He bent down to pick up the SIM card and snap it in two before putting the broken pieces in a nearby bin. “That was my brother Linus on the phone. The office of Buzzy Bees Nursery was broken into last night.”
She eyed him warily. “And?”
His nostrils flared. “Apparently, the cameras inside the building aren’t switched on at night, only the ones outside in the grounds.”
Sapphie winced. “That’s not good.”
“No, it isn’t,” he agreed. “The only thing the cameras outside managed to record was a blurred image of someone in a hoodie breaking in and entering by the front door. It set off the alarm, but the response time by the police and the security company—not ours, I hasten to add—was so bad that the intruder had time to break into the office too, take what they wanted, and then leave before the police arrived.”
“And what did they want?” The sinking feeling in Sapphie’s stomach told her she wasn’t going to like Magnus’s answer.
“Linus was able to hack into their system and see that whoever the intruder was, they had downloaded the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of all the parents of the children currently registered at the nursery,” he revealed grimly.
And Angel was still registered as one of the children attending the nursery because Sapphie hadn’t yet had chance to call Allison and tell her of their change of plans.
It explained why Magnus had felt the need to destroy her cell phone.
“There’s something else,” Magnus said softly. “The apartment you rented until yesterday was also broken into about an hour after the nursery. Someone spray-painted the walls with red graffiti. Your landlord called the police when he discovered the damage this morning after one of your neighbors contacted him. Linus checked their report afterward?—”
“Hacked into it again, you mean,” she guessed dully.
“It’s what he does,” Magnus confirmed without apology. “The police report said that the furniture that came along with the rental apartment had been spray-painted, along with the carpet and the graffiti on the walls.”
“Oh God, does that mean the London police are now looking for me too?”
He shook his head. “The same tenant who called the owner of the building said they had seen you and Angel leave, with your packed bags, before the apartment was broken into.”
She sighed. “That’s something, I suppose.”
“The police report also said the apartment was completely empty of personal items. I’m guessing that’s because you never accumulate more than you can pack in the couple of bags you took with you?”
She gave an awkward shrug. “I know it isn’t ideal, but it’s what I’ve had to do to keep one step ahead of anyone who might be looking for us.”
“I’m not judging you,” Magnus assured. “You did what you had to do. I would have done the same in your circumstances.”
Tears balanced on the edge of her lashes. “You would?”
“In a heartbeat.”
“Thank you,” she accepted shakily.
