Page 124 of Midnight Enemy

“Thank you,” I tell her sincerely. I kiss her, briefly, a couple of times. Then, when she lifts her arms around my neck, I give her a longer kiss, wrapping my arms around her.

When we’re done, she lowers her arms and laughs as she rubs her nose. “Will I see you tomorrow?”

“Definitely. You can tell me how the rest of the meeting goes.”

“All right.” She moves backward, holding my hand until she has to let it drop. “See you soon.”

I wave goodbye. I walked over from the club, and I head back the same way, lit by the setting sun, feeling a lightness inside I don’t think I’ve ever felt before.

*

The next day is Saturday. I know Scarlett holds a couple of classes in the morning, so when I wake up, I send her a text saying I hope she’s slept well and tell her I’m going for a run, then don a tee, shorts, and trainers. We have a gym at the club, but today I feel like being out in the real world, so I head outside.

We’ve put in a circular path around the club that’s approximately a kilometer long for guests who like to walk, and I put my earbuds in, stick the Arctic Monkeys on, and head off. It’s early enough that I only meet one or two early risers, and we politely exchange nods before continuing on our way.

It’s a beautiful morning. The sun is rising in front of me, and the whole complex is flooded with lemon-colored light. The air is fresh, denoting that we’re moving into autumn now, but I know it’ll be warm enough by lunchtime to go out without a jacket.

I feel light of heart, lifted by the sensation of being without pain. My knee is still a little stiff, but after about fifteen minutes that wears off, and I revel in the feeling of my muscles warming and my body moving fluidly.

As I run, I reflect on the events of the past few weeks. I’ve been cynical and judgmental, blindly believing what my father told me about the commune. It led to me believing that everyone there must be foolish and gullible. I assumed that George must be the one who’d been stealing, despite Scarlett insisting he was an honorable man, andit turned out the guy was willing to go to prison to defend his friend and to protect Scarlett and her sister.

I won’t make that mistake again. I’m not going to be able to rid myself of my core beliefs overnight, but I’m going to make sure to listen to Scarlett and be as open-minded as I can, and to try to judge others based on my experience rather than what other people tell me.

I hope she was able to think about the possibility of us having a relationship last night. I think I convinced her, but I haven’t heard from her since, so I don’t know what’s going through her mind.

My phone buzzes in the running bag I wear strapped to the top of my left arm, and I take it out and look at the screen. It’s a text from Scarlett in reply to mine. It just says,Super busy this morning. Catch up this afternoon. Will you be at the club all day?

I text back,Yes but I can come over any time.

I wait for her to reply, but after a minute I realize she’s probably not going to, and I slot the phone back into the bag and continue running.

*

I spend the morning working. There’s always something urgent that needs doing, and it’s after one before my stomach rumbles, reminding me I should find some sustenance before I pass out. I call the front desk and ask if they can get the chef to send me something through, and five minutes later someone turns up with a plate of chicken salad sandwiches, a bowl of homemade kumara crisps, a piece of apple pie and custard, and a piping hot latte. Nice.

Kingi comes into my office, says, “Ooh, lunch,” stuffs half the crisps into one of the sandwiches, and has eaten half of it before I have the chance to protest.

“Help yourself,” I say sarcastically, which earns me a grin. I pick up my phone and check the screen, then put it back on the table.

“Anything from Scarlett?” Kingi asks.

“I texted her about half an hour ago, but I haven’t heard from her. She’s probably taking a class.” I’m sure she said she didn’t have any in the afternoon, though.

“Yeah, she’s probably just busy.” His eyes sparkle.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Kingi, I know that look. What’s going on?”

“I have no idea.” He gets up and steals another sandwich. “You staying here?”

“Yeah. If I haven’t heard from her by three p.m., I’ll head over to the commune and find out what’s going on.”

“All right. Let me know when you leave, okay?” He goes to have a spoonful of the apple pie, sees my glare, holds up a hand, and heads out.

It gets to two thirty, and I start packing up my stuff. I close my laptop and lock it in my desk, pocket my phone, and toss my coffee cup in the bin. I’m just about to walk out when I hear voices in the corridor. I know Kingi is here, but I’m pretty sure the rest of the offices are empty.

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