She didn’t respond, and then she started to gag and ran for the bathroom, clutching the duvet but not managing to cover herself with it.
Lucas took in the flash of exposed flesh, the glimpse of pubic hair, the details searing into his memory before she was gone. He listened in shock as she threw up into the toilet. It didn’t last long but it was another five minutes before she came out. The duvet was more securely wrapped now, only her head and feet exposed.
She sat on the edge of the bed and Lucas said, ‘I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have said anything. I had the feeling maybe you knew.’
Ella shook her head before saying, ‘I always thought Dad’s businesses were . . .’ She stopped herself. ‘I always thought there were things we were never told. But even so, why would someone want to kill me?’
‘I don’t know; maybe to get at him.’ He thought of reassuring her about Hatto’s business activities too, how it was mainly finance now, and legitimate on the whole. He couldn’t be certain, though; his own assurances were based on incomplete information, and on just one source: Hatto himself. ‘This is something you’ll have to speak to your dad about.’
‘We should call him now.’
‘I tried. There was no answer.’
‘So we keep trying until we wake them up.’
‘What good would that do? We’ll try again in the morning.’
‘And what if they’re in danger too?’ He wanted to tell her what he was really thinking, what his gut had told him the second time Hatto had failed to pick up the phone, but he knew this time to keep his mouth shut. If he was right, then he was only putting off the inevitable. But hopefully, by the time the devastation hit he’d have already passed her into the comforting hands of an embassy or consulate.
‘Your dad hired me to watch you. You really think he needs advice on security?’ He smiled, an attempt to show her there was nothing to worry about. ‘Now I need you to stay calm. I don’t know if we’re out of the woods yet and Chris is losing it. I need you to be cool, even if you don’t feel it.’
She nodded and said, ‘You think he’s okay?’
She was talking about Chris, and there it was all over her face, how much she was in love with him. The truth was, Lucas didn’t really care whether Chris was okay or not, only that he didn’t blow their cover. He was pretty certain, too, that someone who did this kind of thing professionally wouldn’t have let him walk out that door.
‘It’s a safe city; he needed some air. Maybe it’ll help him pull himself together.’
‘You know, he isn’t usually like this; he’s a really great person.’
‘I know.’ He didn’t bother reminding her that he’d been watching them for almost a week and had a good idea what both of them were like, in their own world if not in this rewritten one. ‘And anyway, what does it matter what I think of either of you?’
She nodded a little. It didn’t matter what he thought; he was nobody, a man cut off from life, even cut off from the life that had been his own, brought in again only by this favor he’d not been obliged to grant. And he wished he hadn’t granted it but he’d still see it through, get her to safety, even back to Hatto if he was still alive.
‘You should try to sleep,’ he said. She looked hopefully at the door before shuffling back up the bed and releasing her grip on the duvet. A few seconds later she turned on her side, away from him. He had the feeling she was still awake, waiting for Chris, but after a short while he opened his book again, immersing himself in its distant armor-clad battles.
He was sitting there with the finished book on his lap when he heard the door at the end of the corridor open and close, and then clumsy footsteps. Ella lifted her head up off the pillow before Chris reached the door. The knock came and the stumbling, self-correcting words, ‘It’s Chri . . . It’s Craig here.’ Lucas opened the door and let him in.
As Lucas locked the door, he heard Ella say, ‘How are you feeling?’
‘Okay. What about you?’
‘I was worried about you.’
‘Sorry.’ He turned to face Lucas and said, ‘I had a few beers.’
It was something he didn’t need to tell either of them but Lucas said, ‘It’s okay. Get some sleep.’
‘I need a piss first.’ He walked heavily into the bathroom and Lucas exchanged a smile with Ella.
At least with the few beers Chris might sleep now, and if he slept, he’d be more likely to deal with whatever came tomorrow. Ella was different; even with what had happened earlier, he was confident enough she’d cope with whatever came her way. She had that look about her, of someone who didn’t know the beginnings of how tough she could be.