Page 15 of Between the Lies

Of course she knew who he was. Hell, he’d told her about Anne and the grief he felt. Fuck! While he’d been falling all over himself to be with her, she’d just been working away. Hence the damned beer. She was working him.

Robert looked around to search for a purse, a bag, anything to see if she’d planted a listening device. But there was no purse. She’d taken it with her. Was she in the loo sharing the details of their conversation with a colleague in a race to get the story out as soon as possible – get the exclusive on the grieving husband?

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Hell, he wasn’t sitting here and waiting for her to return. He was going to confront her!

Robert jumped off the chair, swayed just a bit then stalked towards the toilets. He excused himself as he wove through the groups of people sitting at the high tables and others queued up at the bar.

If he fumbled just a bit, no one cast him a second glance.

He skirted around the bar and headed towards the toilets. Then he stopped. There were two ways to enter and exit the loos. If he went one way and the woman emerged from the other side, he’d miss her.

Either way, she’d have to leave via one of these two doors. So Robert stepped back and halted right in between the two exits.

Another man was loitering by the doors too. His hair was a shaggy mess, and he kept running a hand through it. Robert caught sight of a few tattoos beneath his leather jacket. Some of them were filled with colour; others?—

The man lifted his hands again, and again his jacket rode up. But instead of the ink on the man’s torso, a glint caught Robert’s eye. It was just a second, but his cop instincts kicked to life.

He recognised what he’d seen there. It wasn’t a belt buckle; it was a knife, strapped into the man’s belt.

Oh hell!

CHAPTERSEVEN

She was being followed. And she’d just sauntered straight into the ladies without paying any attention to the man lingering outside the doors.

He hadn’t done much to hide himself either. His eyes had been trained on her, his hands juggling something in his pockets.

When she’d splashed some water on her face and snapped out of her alcohol haze, she’d recalled his face. Shah.

How many times would she let him trap her in a fucking loo? And how many times would she need to plan her escape?

Her mind pointed out the few benefits this time – she wasn’t in an airport. That meant the security wasn’t as tight. So perhaps she could slip out between two people, given how busy the loo was. Or maybe she could raise the alarm and escape before anyone got there.

But she knew none of these tactics would work. She’d got the better of him last time, but this time, Nina was sure he’d come prepared. And the fact that security was lax meant he would have an arsenal of tactics and weapons to use on her.

Urgh! She also needed to figure out why he was after her. And how the hell he’d found her!

Nina studied the stalls, all of which were occupied. A woman waited to wash her hands. Someone was applying lipstick and puffing up her hair.

Even if Shah was standing by the doors, there was still a chance she could escape him. If she waited in here, she’d just be a sitting duck.

Nina wiped her hands, affixed her purse on her shoulder and ascended the stairs to the ground floor. The dark brown corridors were narrow. If he tried using this route to come down to the ladies, she was toast.

But no one came down the stairs, and Nina made her way towards the door that led back into the pub. A voice stopped her cold.

‘Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to step aside.’

It was him, the man she’d been drinking with.

Shah grunted out, ‘Why?’

Nina tiptoed closer to the door and peered out.

Just beside the bar and the doorway to the loos stood two men – Shah and the sexy man. Fear crawled up her chest. Were they in cahoots with each other? Had she walked into their trap?

The sexy man pointed to the exit. ‘I’m asking you to step away before I call my colleagues.’

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