‘Thank you.’ Defne sighs.
Oxana glances at her watch. ‘The launch leaves for theMedusain ten minutes. We’d better go and get Buse.’
‘She’s not going to be happy.’
‘She’ll thank us one day. That DJ’s probably got every sexually transmitted disease known to science.’
‘Ew.’
‘Exactly.’
‘You know…’ Defne hesitates. ‘You’re not a bit what I expected.’
‘Good. Let’s go get Buse.’
This Noah thing. Obviously, I have no idea what’s happened, but I don’t have a particularly good feeling about it. What did Tahir want with him? I’ll ask Feris in an indirect sort of way, but I can’t take matters further than that. I can’t compromise my mission for Defne’s sake. Or for Noah’s. The last thing I want to do is anger Tahir Yilmaz. Shit. I don’t need this.
Buse, naturally, is really pissed off to be dragged away from the club and from her DJ. She looks at me as if to say how fucking dare you, but she leaves with me and Defnenevertheless, because she knows that my authority comes from Tahir. And while she probably hasn’t got the first idea of who he really is, or what he really does, she instinctively knows that this is a man you obey without question. How much does Inci know? I wonder. I’m still processing our hair-brushing session.
26
Philippa and Eve linger over their breakfast. The shadow of the previous day’s events hangs over them, and it’s clear to Eve that although Tom is safe in the hospital, Philippa is deeply worried about what the future holds.
‘I hope the police arrest that bastard Fin,’ she says. She slides a saucer of cat food towards Pye, who regards it with disdain before stalking away, tail held high.
‘Can’t be too hard to find him,’ Eve says. ‘With the motorcycle and everything.’
‘You’d be surprised,’ Philippa says. ‘If people want to disappear down here, they can. I mean, look at you.’ She forces a smile.
‘I haven’t disappeared. I’ve just moved.’
‘You’ve disappeared from your… lady friend.’
‘Mylady friend?’ Eve smiles. ‘No one’s ever called her that before.’
‘What do you call her?’
‘My… partner?’
‘That sounds, I don’t know, like you’re running a hairdresser or a driving school together.’
‘OK. My girlfriend. Except she’s not a girl, she’s in her late twenties.’
‘D’you think you’ll go back to her?’
‘I don’t know that she’d have me back. Or what kind of future we’d have if she did, or… God. I really don’t know, Philippa. We’re sort of terrible for each other. But what about you?’
‘Ah. Changing the subject, are we?’
‘I mean it, what about you?’
‘Can’t I just grow old with my cat and my broomstick, like a respectable witch?’
‘Philippa, you’re young. And, I don’t know, gorgeous and sexy and…’ She sinks back into her chair and blinks. ‘Sorry, that didn’t come out right.’
Philippa grins. ‘I’ll take gorgeous and sexy.’
Eve squeezes her eyes shut. ‘I meant, that’s how people see you.’