Page 98 of The Last One to See Him

‘Hello, Jamie.’

Jamie tries to slam the door, but Rowan wedges his foot in the gap. ‘What the hell? Get the fuck out.’

‘I think we need to have a little chat, don’t we?’ Rowan forces his way in and shuts the door.

The blood drains from Jamie’s face. ‘I’ll call the police,’ he says, quickly realising that his phone is nowhere in sight; he probably left it on the bedside table.

‘And what exactly will you tell them?’ Rowan snorts. ‘That you’ve taken fifty thousand pounds from me?’ And you haven’t even delivered the service I paid for. That’s hardly fair, is it?’

Jamie shrinks against the wall. ‘I’ll get your money back,’ he says. ‘All of it. Just go.’

‘And how will you do that? I’m sure it’s already gone. And you’re already drowning in debt.’ Rowan steps towards him, glancing around. ‘Nice place. You’ll probably have to sell it.’

‘I can’t,’ Jamie says. ‘Renting this place out is my only income.’

‘Not my problem,’ Rowan says. He wanders into the living room as if it’s his own apartment. He scans the room, then goes back into the hallway, peering into the two bedrooms. ‘Want to tell me why Kate Mason isn’t here?’

‘I…She was here. I did what you asked and got her here. She was here for a few hours, but then she wanted to go home. What could I do? I couldn’t force her to stay.’

Rowan nods, his top lip curling. ‘You didn’t give her the drugs, did you? If you had, then she’d never have been able to walk out of here on her own.’

‘I…I couldn’t do it. It’s not right! Why the hell are you doing this?’

‘You’re asking me that now? You didn’t seem to care when we made the deal. You agreed to all of it.’

Jamie needs to get this man out of there – he’s dangerous, and has too much to lose. There’s a wildness in Rowan’s eyes that scares him. ‘I was wrong. And that was before I met Kate. She’s…she’s a decent person. Why are you doing this?’

‘Decent people don’t sleep with their therapists. Or blackmail them and threaten to get them struck off.’

Jamie’s eyes widen. ‘What?’

‘Oh, didn’t you know about Kate and me? Guess that didn’t come up in the couple of hours you spent with her. Not exactly small talk, is it? Oh, by the way – I slept with my therapist for almost a year.’

This revelation floors him; was he wrong about Kate Mason? Quickly he pulls himself together. None of this matters now – Kate will soon find out what Jamie has done and there’ll be no hope for them to start any kind of relationship. ‘It’s…none of my business,’ he says. Besides, Jamie has done far worse. ‘It’s up to Kate what she does.’

‘True. But is it okay if she’s killed someone?’ Rowan’s words echo around the hallway.

‘What are you talking about?’ This man will say anything, and Jamie just needs to figure out how to get him out of here.

‘Kate killed a man when she was fifteen. That’s why she started having therapy with me. I guess it all finally caught up with her. I’m guessing this didn’t come up in your conversation either.’

Jamie doesn’t want to believe this, but as much as he liked Kate, the truth is he knows nothing about her. ‘Even if that’s true – why would you want to drug her? What were you planning to do to her?’ He can’t keep the contempt from his voice.

Rowan screws up his face. ‘Not what you’re thinking. I’ve already been with her – I don’t need to force myself on her. She would have quite willingly come back to me any time.’

Jamie wants to pummel his fists into Rowan’s smug face. ‘Then why? Who’s this man you’re claiming she killed?’

‘It’s not a claim, it’s a fact. His name was Graham White.’

Jamie glances past Rowan to the hallway If he’s quick, maybe he could make a run for it. Through the front door. He knows this building well, there’s a chance he could get away. ‘So that’s what this is all about? Revenge for what you think Kate did when she was fifteen?’

Rowan throws his head back and stares at the ceiling. ‘I’m losing my patience here, Jamie. Graham White has got nothing to do with this.’

‘Then what?’ Jamie demands. ‘If you want to see your money again, then tell me!’

Rowan stares at him. ‘Don’t suppose it matters now if you know.’ He sighs. ‘I suppose it’s the least I can do.’

Jamie freezes, scanning the room for something he can use as a weapon. This man is unhinged, and with every passing second Jamie is realising he might not get out of here alive.

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