Page 87 of Savage Protector

The words wash over me.I take in just a fraction of what he’s telling me, and he has to repeat himself several times before the awful reality sinks in.

“Someone torched my flat,” I repeat, as though saying it out loud will somehow make it real and comprehensible. “On purpose. They did it on purpose…”

“Yes,” Gregory agrees. “Yes, they did.”

“But…why? Why would someone do that? Who would do such a thing?”

“We didn’t know them, but they were both Asian, aged perhaps mid to late twenties.”

“There must be a mistake. No one would do that…”

“I’m sorry, Leila. There’s no mistake.” Gregory is not shifting. “It was arson, no doubt about it. And, as far as we could tell, they thought you were inside.”

The implications of his words clatter around in my head. “They were trying to kill me?” I breathe. “Me?”

Gregory nods.

“Who…? Who were they? Why would they…?” Further speech escapes me. I fall silent.

“Like I said, we didn’t know them, but I got the impression your boyfriend did.”

“My boyfriend?”

“Yes. The Asian guy who came with Tony and those two other blokes to survey the damage. I assumed…well, he seemed so fucking angry, I just thought…”

I nod. “Zayn? Zayn knows about this?” He knows my home was torched, and he said nothing. Bewilderment becomes anger. How could he keep this from me?

“He told me he’d spoken to them, warned them. That I’d have no more trouble from them…” I’m babbling now, desperately trying to make some sense of all this. “He told me I was safe…”

Gregory and Orlando remain silent, exchanging sympathetic looks. They offer me more tea, which I accept in a daze. Suddenly, I jump to my feet.

“I have to go.”

“Okay. Where are you going?” Gregory stands, too. “You’ve had a shock. I could call someone.”

I shake my head. “I have an exam. I need to go. I can’t be late…”

“You’re going nowhere, not just yet.” Orlando places himself in front of me.

I’m dimly aware that Gregory is on his phone, but I ignore him.

“They were my cousins. Stupid thugs, both of them, but if Zayn has warned them off… I’ll be safe now.”

Orlando shakes his head. “I don’t know your boyfriend, but I didn’t get the impression it was a warning he had in mind.”

I round on him. “What do you mean? What did he do, then?”

“We don’t know, but…it didn’t seem like they only meant to have a little chat.”

“You’re saying Zayn might have hurt them?” I accuse angrily.

“Well, perhaps. He was…fucking furious. And, let’s face it, they had it coming.”

“He can’t have done anything, not like that. He wouldn’t, not without telling me.”

Neither of them has an answer for that. I sink wearily back into my chair, an awful sense of dread gnawing at my insides. Could it be true…? Has Zayn actually hurt my cousins? Maybe they deserved…something, like Orlando said, but…”

I let my head fall into my hands. This can’t be happening, it really, really can’t be happening.

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