Page 33 of I Knew You Were Trouble

‘Dang— We’re not having himeliminated, Will. It’s not like we’re planning on hiring a hitman or anything.’

‘No,’ I concur, jumping into the conversation. ‘Nothing like that. Just some run-of-the-mill, make-his-life-miserable revenge, that’s all.’

Willem’s expression softens a fraction, and is that the hint of a smile I see?

‘That’sall?’

‘Yeah, like “accidentally” rolling his car into the Thames,’ Margot pipes in, making the air quotes.

‘That’sillegal,’ Willem says, pointing at her, ‘and exactly why I’m not getting involved.’

‘Well, not that then,’ says Adriana. ‘But, Will, if we don’t dosomething– if Kate and I simply end our engagements – what’s to stop Jon from moving onto the next victim?’

‘Orvictims,’ Margot chimes in.

Willem seems to consider this point, but from the way his arms are folded tightly across his chest (making his biceps bulge even more, damn him), he remains unconvinced.

‘What about something like tricking him into donating a large sum to charity?’ I ask, the idea randomly popping into my head. The room falls silent, and the four of us exchange glances, the weight of shared contemplation permeating the air.

‘How would that work?’ asks Adriana eventually.

‘I have no idea,’ I reply honestly. ‘I support several charities, but I’ve never discussed them with Jon. What about you?’

She coughs out a derisive laugh. ‘I asked Jon to contribute to a fundraiser at my school – for the performing arts program – and he refused.’

‘He flat out refused?’

She nods.

‘Did he give a reason?’

‘Oh, yes. He said the arts are a waste of time and children should focus on the three Rs – reading, writing and arithmetic.’

‘The three—What?’ I ask, appalled. ‘Has he travelled here from the nineteenth century in a time machine?’

‘He also said the Netherlands is a wealthy country and that government funding should cover the costs.’

I blink at her. ‘That’s horrible.’

‘Yes. One of the many signs I ignored.’

‘Red flags we call them in England,’ I say.

‘Yes, here too –rode vlaggen.’

‘Arseholes must be universal,’ Margot concludes, and Adriana and I nod our agreement. Margot turns to Willem. ‘You’ve been awfully quiet since Kate’s suggestion. What do you think?’

‘It’s clever. It could work. But I haven’t changed my mind; I’m still not comfortable helping you. There’s too much that can go wrong.’

‘Argh –Will!’ Adriana cries.

‘It’s okay, we might not need your help,’ I tell him, slightly smug.

Surelythis idea is enough to make Poppy change her mind.

9

POPPY

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