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That single word and the look in his eyes melted her. She didn’t want to say goodbye. Not now. No matter what trouble he was in.
Sky risked another glance back. The guys approaching him didn’t look like police, and the one in front was a heavyweight, like a nightclub bouncer. A voice in her head warned her to stay out of it. She’d vowed to make it work out in London and that meant keeping her head down and not gravitating to trouble the way she had at home in Cadogan.
The guy got held up by a woman holding a toddler in one arm and a folded push chair in the other. She was giving him a piece of her mind, in colorful language.
The train began to screech as it approached the next station. Rory made ready to leave. Every cell in her body objected.
“Take my bag,” she blurted. She checked her pocket. Her keys and phone were there. It was all she needed. “I’ll take yours. I’m getting off at this stop anyway.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “And then?”
“Meet me at the Coffee Wagon on Paddington station, eight thirty tomorrow morning. We’ll swap back then.”
He shook his head. Then looked down the carriage again. “Okay, but quickly, and leave as soon as you can.”
The tube train entered the station.
Rory gripped her by the collar on her jacket.
Her breathing stopped.
“Be careful.” The intensity in his eyes floored her.
Why was it such a big thing to him? Eventually, she nodded.
They swapped bags.
She paused when she felt the weight of the bag. Her stomach instantly felt leaden. “It’s not drugs is it?”
If it was, she was out of there. Drugs had played a big part in the way her life had played out so far and she never wanted to see or hear about them again. The thought that she might actually be going to cart some around inadvertently by offering to help him out made her blood run cold.
Rory shook his head. “No. Computer data. I want to keep it private. That’s all you need to know.” His eyes flickered, reassuring her.
It was good enough for her. The train doors opened and she headed out without looking back. She darted across the platform and up the stairs, her heart racing as she urged herself through the crowd, well aware they—whoever they were—could jump off the tube train before it pulled away again, if they’d seen the swap.
She glanced down at the bag in her hand, clutching it tightly as she jogged up the escalator. What was in the bag? She wanted to know but forced herself to wait until she was outside and well clear of the tube station.
It was raining. She pulled up her collar and headed down the street. Pausing under a streetlight she opened the bag. It held around a dozen USB sticks and what looked like two computer hard drives. One of the USB sticks had a red sticker on it. Otherwise they were pretty nondescript. Data? Whatever was on there Rory really didn’t want those other guys to get hold of it. What the hell could it be?
Dizzy and high because she’d acted so impetuously, she bit her lip. She couldn’t make sense of what she’d done for him, but it meant she’d see Rory again. She had bait. Then she would show him she wasn’t “kiddo” any more, and he’d regret treating her as if she was.
CHAPTER TWO
Rory watched Sky flitting up the stairs as the train pulled out of the station, straining to keep sight of her for as long as he could. She looked hot. Really hot. He liked the idea of seeing her again.
It had been weird and oddly fascinating. Her help wasn’t really needed, but it did mean there was absolutely no risk of his hacker kit getting into the wrong hands.
The crowd had shifted. Both Jackson and Dino were right by his side.
“Give me the kit,” Jackson demanded, as he came face to face with Rory.
“No.” Rory towered over him.
Jackson was built like a brick shithouse though and wasn’t fazed. He reached out and grasped Rory’s elbow.
“Watch the jacket,” Rory said, enjoying the situation now his kit was safe.
“Excuse me!” A woman elbowed Jackson in the chest.
