‘Don’t try me.’
I clean him up with a baby wipe, being as brisk as I can be, before wiping my hands down four times. I have to avoid the puddle with every step while grappling his legs back into the car before slamming the door closed. I move the car to a different spot to try to distance myself from the entire wee-scented episode.
Determined to sleep, I lower my seat-back before reaching over Roman and doing the same. The closeness to his face makes me cringe, and I’m wholly regretting embarking on this absolutely insane endeavour by the time the seat inches into place.
Pretending I am in full control, even though internally I’m spiralling at an increasing rate, I pull out some cable ties.
‘What are you doing with those?’ Roman asks, narrowing his eyes.
‘Making sure you don’t scarper the minute the drugs wear off. Or kill me or something.’
‘You’re worried aboutmekillingyou?’
‘You’re pretty angry.’
‘Of course I’m bloody angry. But I’m not going to kill you.’ His voice hits a note of incredulity.
‘I’m not going to just take your word for it.’ I shrug, fastening a tie around his wrist and zipping it to the door pull. There’s nowhere to attach his other hand to the centre console, so I loop the other tie around the first on his other wrist and attach them together.
‘This feels unnecessary,’ he says.
‘It’s happening. Get some sleep.’
And despite him being the one tied up, he’s sleeping soundly long before I can drop off.
12
ROMAN
‘Oh fuck,’ Maggie says, her voice a ragged whisper. ‘Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck!’
I try to move, only for the bite of the cable ties to remind me I can’t.
With gargantuan effort, I pry my eyes open, taking in the dark interior of the messy little car.
‘What’s wrong?’ Well, apart from the fact I’m tied to a car.
‘Police,’ she hisses through her teeth before climbing over the central column and parking herself solidly on my lap.
A white flash of a car’s main beams dances across the ceiling, and I glance towards its origin to see a familiar blue and yellow pattern on the vehicle that’s pulling up across from us.
Letting out a satisfied laugh, relief washes through me in a warm blaze. Karma’s finally coming down on the maniacal pocket rocket currently straddling me.
‘You’re fucked,’ I say.
Maggie grips me firmly by the hair and leans close, whispering in my ear.
‘We are here to fuck. This is a dirty little fantasy of yours. Do you hear?’
‘Why would I agree to that? He can have you in a cell in thirty minutes.’ I want to shove her off me, to gloat in her oncoming downfall.
‘Because I’m not who you think I am, Roman. I have secrets too. My family kill people for a living. And not underground like rats, but they are paid by the uppermost in society to do it. I’d be out of that cell before your blood dries on my seats.’
My ass constricts at the threat, but she is just spouting bullshit. Right?
‘Fuck off. You’re a shit liar, Maggie. You’re done for.’
Maggie glances backwards and fans her dress around us to conceal what wearen’tdoing.
