Page 44 of The Mission

When Rurik woke them the next morning, Conrad found himself wrapped around Arlo and gulped at the sight of Rurik trying not to look at them.

“Feel up to going along with my plan?” Rurik asked.

“Give me ten minutes.”

Conrad left Arlo sleeping and went into the bathroom. He ached, particularly his stomach, but his head was fine. He looked pale though, which made the marks on his face and neck stand out.

“Need a coffee?” Rurik asked when Conrad emerged into the main room.

“No thanks.”

“Then let’s do this.”

They headed downstairs. Conrad changed into his boots and put on his jacket. There was blood on it and he sighed.

“How do you feel about seeing him again?” Rurik asked.

“Better than I thought I would.”

“If he’s not eating breakfast, I’ll call him down,” Rurik told him.

Conrad grew more nervous as they approached the chalet, but he did see the sense in doing this. Why should he let Mark tell lies when he wasn’t there to defend himself?

When they reached the Alpenland, Rurik left him in the lounge by the fire while he went to have a word with the manager, then came back to get him.

“Ready?”

Not really but…Conrad nodded.

“Take your jacket off. Let them see your neck.”

Rurik took his jacket off too. “Sit as near to the door as you can. Most people are here. I think a couple of clients with families flew home last night but…”

Mark wasn’t in the dining room, but almost everyone else was. Rurik greeted the clients, then collected coffee and croissants for himself and Conrad. Conrad sat opposite David, who was staring at him in shock.

“Did you have an accident yesterday?” David gestured at Conrad’s cheek.

“No, he didn’t,” Rurik said as he dropped down beside Conrad.

David’s gaze fell to Conrad’s neck. “Oh God.” He leaned forward. “Did Mark do that?” he whispered.

Conrad nodded.

“Oh shit. I had no idea he was… He just asked me to swap rooms. He said you two were… I didn’t… I’m sorry.”

“Was he drunk when he asked you?” Conrad stared at David.

“No. We’d had a drink but he wasn’t drunk. We changed over before we went out.”

“Was that why the police were here in the early hours?” one of Mark’s friends asked.

“Yes,” Rurik said.

A buzz of conversation went around the table. Conrad spotted another of Mark’s pals with his phone out, texting.Telling Mark to get down here?

“What happened with Ernesto?” Conrad asked.

“Mark got fed up of waiting for him on the slopes,” Lee, a guy from work, chimed in. “He’s only been skiing twice before. Plus, Ernesto attracted a lot of attention in the clubs and bars, and Mark got a bit loud. I think Ernesto was due to leave today anyway but he decided to go early.”

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