‘No, Sebastian and I will go alone,’ she says. ‘Ash, can you take...’ She stops, realising that Kiki and Ash will be alone together at the flat.
‘Let’s all go together,’ I intervene. ‘I’ll play chaperone.’
Leo shoots me a dirty look, as if to say, ‘Back off, buddy. She’s mine.’
But I crack my knuckles, and he shrugs.
‘Hey, man, no need to play the heavy,’ he says earnestly to me as Eddie helps the others into the waiting stretch limo. ‘I’m not like Tommy. It’s hard to meet decent women these days, ya know.’
‘I know the feeling,’ I say bleakly, watching Jade’s pert bottom disappear into the limo.
‘What do you do?’ asks Leo, looking me up and down.
‘I’m a part-time courier,’ I say. ‘And a full-time ... model.’
Leo looks impressed. ‘International?’
‘No, local. But I may be heading down under in the near future.’
Leo slaps me on the shoulder. ‘Australia, that’s great! Good for you.’
Hmm ... not quite what I meant, but I’m definitely toast once Lucifer finds out about my meddling. He’ll be sending his upper-echelon devils to the Echo Ministry after-party since drug taking will be rife. He’ll be looking for opportunities to tempt weak humans to take overdoses in the toilets. And to spy on Jade and me.
The limo speeds along the wet North London streets. Pedestrians peer through the windows whenever we stop at the lights, trying to catch a glimpse of someone famous, but the glass is blacked out. I’m not sure if they’d know who Leo and Eddie are anyway. Tommy Rains is the famous frontman.
‘We’ve got about a twenty-minute drive before we get to the mansion,’ says Leo, settling back with his arm stretching out behind Kiki’s shoulders. ‘Would you like a drink, my lovely?’ He reaches into the mini fridge beside him and pulls out a bottle of chilled champagne and a posh green box of Fortnum & Mason chocolates. Kiki oohs, her eyes like saucers.
I smirk to myself; he’s really trying to woo her. It’s kind of sweet. But I hope he keeps his word and doesn’t try anything, like getting her drunk and sleeping with her. Jade’s got enough to worry about at the moment, and so do I.
‘We need to find Rach and leave asap,’ I mutter to Jade out of the side of my mouth as Leo pours sparkling froth into a flute glass for Kiki. The rest of us decline, not that he’s offered us any.
Jade tilts her head. ‘Oh?’
‘I have a feeling it’s going to be mental, and my boss ... It’s not safe.’
‘Got it,’ she whispers. ‘Thanks for helping me, by the way. There’s a lot of moving parts to thisBack to the Futurething.’
I stroke her hand, feeling disconsolate. ‘Tell me about it.’
‘Are you OK?’ she asks.
I nod. ‘Yeah, just a little workplace anxiety.’
29
JADE
Theairsmellsfreshand clean as I take Sebastian’s hand and step from the limo onto a red carpet. A stout middle-aged doorman is holding open the car door for us. His blue uniform has shiny gold buttons, and he’s wearing a peaked cap.
I gape at the mansion in front of me, which is a massive three-storey brick house with stately white columns. Red-carpeted steps lead up to a tall glass-fronted door. Wow,thisis where Tommy Rains lives? I knew my dad used to be rich, but this is impressive. It’s a far cry from my parents’ shabby semi-detached in Brixton. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
Kiki arrives on the carpet beside me and tugs at her denim cut-offs. ‘Do you think they have any spare evening gowns?’ she whispers, and I huff a laugh.
She’s right, though. I’m mightily glad I dressed up, even if my corset top looks a bit slutty.
I have no idea where we are, but from the rural feel of the place, we must be somewhere in the countryside. I’m glad of my leather jacket anyway as it’s chilly.
‘Where the heck are we?’ I mutter, looking around at the carefully raked driveway and the topiary bushes.