Page 49 of Anything but Easy
Barclay’s lips on mine cut me off. One of his hands wrapped around the back on my head, the other cupped my jaw and he kissed me. Hard and demanding. When he pulled back, my eyelids fluttered for a moment as I tried to get my bearings.
“Total Sex Badger,” I breathed, and his face, still only inches from mine, split into a wide, white, glamorous smile.
My God, if this man ever actually smiled on telly the whole country would lose their minds.
I started leaning into him again when a loud knock from his window made me start in my seat. We both looked around to see Sam’s body blocking the glass. Barclay pulled back and turned to open the door, slipping out and slamming it before I could hear what Sam was about to say. I quickly shoved open my side and stepped out. When I slammed my door both their faces swung to me. For some reason, Barclay looked angry, but when he caught my eye his expression softened. I rounded the car to him and he pulled me into his side.
“I wasn’t watching the building today. We don’t have anyone on it when she’s not there,” Sam continued, flicking me a wary glance. “But when I saw you were on the move, I thought I’d do a sweep. Door was busted open. Place is a right state. Not sure what’s missing but it’s not pretty.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked Sam, before turning to Barclay and twisting my neck to look up at him. “Was your place broken into?”
He gave me a squeeze and shook his head slowly. “Kira, I have twenty-four-hour security, an alarm system, and a hoard of paparazzi camped out in my front garden. The chances of somebody breaking into my place are zero. I’m sorry, but it’syourflat that’s been burgled.”
“Barcos, have you forgotten that my place in its natural state is not exactly neat as a pin. It’s probably not–”
“Your television is smashed on the floor after, I assume a failed extraction attempt,” Sam told me. “I doubt even you could have achieved the level of destruction up there. And it’s not that you forgot to lock the door again – something I’ve been told can be a problem,” he glanced at Barclay and then back at me. “The door has beenkicked in; it’s nearly come off its hinges.”
“Oh bugger, not again,” I muttered, rolling my eyes. “Bloody kids.” I felt Barclay’s arm stiffen around me but didn’t take any notice. “But Sam, why were you talking about watching my building? You don’t . . . I mean . . .”
Sam looked at Barclay and raised his eyebrows.
“Oh my God,” I breathed. “Are you having me watched? Me? That’s . . . that’s . . .” The very idea of Barclay thinking, I, Kira Murphy, needed security was so funny that I forgot all about the break-in and gave a small snort before letting out a longer giggle. “You’re such a . . .weirdo,” I managed to get out around my laughter.
“I fail to see what’s so fucking funny when your home has been violated, demonstrating your obvious bloody need for the very security you find so hilarious.”
“Oh, for badger’s sake, SB,” I said, giving his arm a light punch and grinning up at his frowning face. “It’s not a big deal. I don’t have anything to steal anyway. Chill out, big man.”
Barclay’s jaw locked and a muscle ticked in his cheek as he pulled me along to the entrance of my building. He didn’t drop my hand when we got to the stairs and pulled me up the two flights to my flat. When I glanced back at Sam, he didn’t look much happier. We arrived at my flat door, which was half open with the lock hanging off where it had been kicked in. Bloody Barclay insisting I needed to lock the place. Iknewthis would happen if I didn’t leave the door open. Barclay pushed it open fully and pulled me inside with Sam following. The three of us surveyed the damage. A couple of my plates were smashed in the kitchen – probably out of frustration that there wasn’t anything worth stealing in the small space. My drawers had been emptied onto the beanbags, the chair overturned and some of my clothes were strewn out from the bedroom. The telly was smashed face down in the centre of it all.
“Sorry, Kira,” Sam said, giving my shoulder an awkward pat. I shrugged.
“It’s fine,” I said, smiling to show I wasn’t upset. “My telly was from the nineties and I don’t have a laptop. All the rest of my stuff is pretty cack so, like last time, it’s really just the clean-up that’s a pain in the arse.” Barclay’s hand jerked in mine and he swung me around to face him. Looking up at his face I flinched. I’d seen him annoyed before, frustrated maybe, but I’d never seen him lookthisangry.
“Last time?” he asked in a low voice.
“Yeah, uh . . . you know the last time my place got done over.”
“Exactly how many times has your flat beendone over?” he asked, a dangerous expression on his face and his voice vibrating with quiet anger.
“Hmm, a couple?” I lied.
“Kira,” he said in a warning tone. I bit my lip, which only seemed to wind him up more.
“Okay, okay,” I said, holding up my hands palms up between us and pushing them down in what I hoped was a placating motion. “Itmayhave been about four or five.”
“And you reportedallof these to the police?”
“Er, yeah.” I bit my lip again, and my eyes slid away from his to look to the side.
“Kira.” He took both my shoulders in his hands and turned me to face him. “Did you report all the break ins?”
“Look, I told the fuzz about the first couple but then it . . . well, it just didn’t seem worth the hassle.”
“Not worth the hassle?” His tone was incredulous and his face awash with disbelief. I was starting to get annoyed now.
“Yeah,hassle,” I told him, shrugging his hands off my shoulders and stepping back, which made that muscle in his jaw tick again. “I have to wait around for them, leave all the clean up until they’ve been, get interviewed forages. After the first two times it just didn’t seem worth it. You try coming home from a night shift and finding your place a complete state. The last thing you want to do is call the pigs in before you crash out.”
“And you didn’t think of maybe beefing up the locks or putting in an alarm?”
