Page 29 of Hooked On The One That Got Away
‘Shutup!’ she hissed at Xander. ‘Charlie’s not workingforthem, he’s workingagainstthem!He’sthe one who’s collected all the inside evidence! It’s because ofhiscourage and persistence that this investigation is happening atall! Charlie’s a secret whistleblower, you self-righteous shithead! You should bethankinghim!’
The stunned silence that followed her little speech was broken by Charlie himself.
‘Willow,’ he said. ‘How thefuckdid you know?’
Chapter Twenty-One
‘You mean it’strue?’
Xander had abandoned his fighting stance and was now glancing, bewildered, between Charlie and Willow. Who had eyes only for each other.
‘Of course it is,’ said Maeve, briskly. ‘It’s the only thing that makes sense. Charlie’sneverbeen a corporate animal. I should have realised.’
‘Willow?’ Charlie prompted. ‘How?’
‘Um, long story,’ Willow replied. ‘And, honestly, quite a bit of guesswork.’
‘And the reason you didn’t mention this before was …?’
‘I didn’t want to worry you. I thought you had enough to worry about already.’
A small smile tugged at the corner of Charlie’s mouth. ‘Unbelievable,’ he murmured. ‘And thank you,’ he added. ‘You were right. It’s been a hell of a week. I’m looking forward to the peace of hopefully temporary unemployment.’
‘You’ve resigned?’ This was Maeve. ‘They don’tknow, do they? They think you’re just bailing out in a cowardly fashion because it’s all gone pear-shaped, right?’
‘Theydon’tknow,’ Charlie said to her. ‘And I sincerely hope they’ll be too busy covering their arses to start asking tricky questions.’
He looked at each of them in turn. ‘So, I’dreallyappreciate it if you kept this to yourselves.’
‘Won’t breathe a word,’ promised Maeve. ‘Nor will Xander – will you?’
‘No,’ he muttered, gracelessly.
‘Xander?’ Maeve said, in a sing-song tone. ‘Do you have something else you’d like to say to Charlie?’
Willow had no idea how much time Xander had actually spent in Maeve’s company, but enough, it seemed, for him to know when to heed a warning.
‘Apologies,’ he muttered, again. Charlie responded with a curt nod.
Xander glanced over at the bar, no doubt drawn by the stare Geillis was using to burn a hole in his back, Willow observed. How much did Geillis know, she wondered again.Everythingwas the obvious answer.
‘Got to go,’ said Xander. ‘See you later?’
This was addressed to Maeve, and Willow detected aslightnote of pleading. This whole incident had done serious damage to Xander’s sang-froid.
‘I’ll text you,’ said Maeve.
Her smile offered no reassurance whatsoever, and Xander’s walk was noticeably lacking in swagger as he retreated.
‘He’ll learn,’ Maeve said. ‘Now!’ she clapped her hands. ‘Drinks are on me! My price, of course, is full disclosure. Leave nothing out, not a single thing!’
Charlie and Willow exchanged glances. Charlie’s was more than a little desperate.
‘Maeve,’ said Willow, firmly. ‘Charlie can’t break confidences. This is all super hush-hush. EvenIdon’t know the half of what’s going on.’
‘Well, tell me the half youdoknow,’ Maeve said. ‘I’m your best friend, and I’m not afraid to use that as emotional blackmail.’
Willow looked to Charlie for permission. He smiled and shrugged. ‘I’d quite like to hear your story myself.’
