Page 88 of Between the Lies

The barista looked up at them. ‘What will you have?’

‘Two long blacks, one with a splash of milk. And that chocolate cake, please.’ Robert dug out his wallet.

Nina was too busy frowning at him to offer to pay her bit. Did he honestly think she didn’t know Jonas must have had something valuable hidden on the camera?

When they found a rickety table in the corner, Nina opened her mouth to fire off some more jabs when Robert offered her a fork. ‘Let’s celebrate.’

‘Celebrate being stuck?’ She let the fork clatter onto the plate. ‘Robert, we can’t restart this camera and keep Dickheadson away.’

Robert held up his hand to stop her. ‘Nina, think. The first time Shah followed you was after you escaped that building. You escaped with Jonas’s camera, didn’t you?’

Nina frowned. ‘Aye, I did. I… I think I picked it up from the crime scene and ran with it.’

Robert frowned. ‘So think… Shah chased you through the airport, almost cut off your head, had a thug come after us in an alley and had someone almost plough us down using a bike… for that camera.’

Her heart was now hammering in her chest. ‘Aye, you’re right. He kept asking me to give him something.’

The glint in Robert’s eyes brightened. ‘It had to be the camera he was after. And why would he want the camera if it didn’t hold some damning evidence against him or whoever else he was involved with?’

So Robert wasn’t just hot, he was smart. Very damned smart. Still, her initial problem remained. ‘How do we break into that camera?’

‘I think we’ll have to bring in the professionals like you said.’ Robert shook his head when she frowned. ‘Please. Nina, do you trust me?’

CHAPTERFORTY-TWO

Robert fought the grin blooming on his face. This mission was critical. Still, his heart jumped with joy.

When he’d asked her if she trusted him, a part of him had expected her to grab the camera and flee. Aye, they’d shared some tender moments, but he’d broken her trust once before. And Nina didn’t trust easy. Yet here she was, sitting in the car beside him, the camera by her feet.

When the ‘L’ word had nearly slipped through his lips last night, Joshua’s words had come back to him. Robert valued trust in a relationship. If she didn’t share that trust, should he try to make this work? Or would he be sabotaging himself again? So he’d shared the sentiment without blurting out the three words that could change their relationship. Besides, his gut had held him back. If he parroted the words he’d once said to Anne, their meaning would dissolve in the past and lose their importance.

Before he added a label to their relationship, he first needed to uncover all the hidden corners of his past.

Robert slowed the car to a stop and parked. He observed the maroon exterior of the pub then the few joggers running past them, heading towards Glasgow Green. ‘If we do find something explosive in there, I would have to bring Cheryl and Joshua in.’

Nina picked up the backpack. ‘Don’t count your chickens and all that.’

He stepped out of the car, then followed her into the pub. Billy had emptied the place, which Robert was grateful for, though the fact Billy was losing out on business as a result didn’t sit well with him.

The moment Robert stepped through, he spotted Billy behind the counter lining up glasses. The man looked up with a grin on his face. ‘You’re a sight for sore eyes. Where the fuck have you been?’

Then Billy caught sight of Nina. ‘You look…’

Nina shook her head. ‘I feel worse. Drink, please. Whisky, neat.’

‘Oi!’ Robert barked, striding over to the counter. ‘No alcohol for you.’

Nina glared at him. Robert didn’t care if she got angry at him and kicked him into the doghouse. Painkillers and alcohol did not party together.

Draping a hand over her shoulder, Robert met Billy’s eyes. The man’s grin curved across his face. ‘I’m happy for yous.’

Robert squeezed Nina’s shoulder. ‘No alcohol for me, either. I’d like to be sharp tonight. And, Billy… thank you for doing this.’

A snort sounded from the front door as Daisy sauntered in, a wide smirk on her face. The man following her didn’t possess even a sliver of her sunshine. Finn wore his usual office attire, complete with a tie and a typical accountant’s frown. Out of them all, he looked the most out of place. The shirt revealed the man’s affinity for a good workout, and as Robert had witnessed, the man loved his cardio.

Finn spotted Robert and scowled. ‘If this is some elaborate plan to get me?—’

Daisy’s hand on his arm shut him off. ‘Why don’t you get yourself a drink?’

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