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I gave a sigh of frustration, and Jasper reached out and squeezed my hand. “Get back inside and stay safe.”
I looked past him to where the valet had driven up with Jasper’s Jaguar. “Wait, can’t we—”
“I’ll see you, Tory,” he murmured and brought my hand to his lips briefly, then he was gone, pushing through the crowd and climbing into his car. As he pulled away, the crowd turned on me, swarming around me, calling my name, and clamouring for information. I took a shaky breath.
“I’m sorry, I—”
“Tory, here!” The familiar voice cut through the crowd, and I felt a strong hand grip mine, pulling me through the throng.
In seconds, I stood between Jack and West who used their considerable frames to shelter me from Jasper’s adoring fans.
“Here.” Jack pulled off his black hoody and passed it to me. “There’s some cash in the pocket and a bar around the corner. We’ll meet you there after we deal with the crowd and get out of here.”
I nodded. He steered me to the edge of the crowd as West used his weight to block the surging people. Jack did the same while manoeuvring me to where I could see the side street that ran past the hotel. “Down there and on the right. The Eagle. We’ll be there soon.”
I moved quickly, dodging a few people who had shown up that way, pulling the hoodie on as I went. The side street was narrow and dark, and I paused behind a huge bin to pull Jack’s hoodie over my head. It was soft and warm, and it smelled like him. I took a breath, the scent steadying me. Jack and West had blocked the street, so I made my way swiftly down it in the other direction.
Arriving on a parallel street, I looked around for the bar Jack had mentioned. More of a traditional pub, I spotted it on the corner. I slipped my hood up and headed for it, glancing around to make sure I wasn’t being followed. I didn’t see anybody, but I was paranoid, and I was sure I felt eyes on me. The pub was warm and crowded, but no one even looked up as I entered. Young people in their twenties stood in groups near the jukebox doing shots, and older people clustered around tables drinking white wine spritzers and pints of lager. I felt around in Jack’s pocket and felt the rustle of a couple of banknotes. I gave a sigh of relief and pushed through the oblivious crowd to the bar.
“Double vodka,” I said when the barman finally got to me. “Not the red label stuff if you can help it.”
“Make that two, on me.”
I turned around to swiftly convince the gentleman that I could pay for my own drinks and did a double take. “Jabari!”
“Hey, Tory.” He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. I returned the hug, trying to be as brief as possible. I barely knew the guy, but he was obviously the touchy-feely type.
“What are you doing here?”
“I told you, I was selected to come to London...”
“I know why you’re in London, Jabari. I’m just confused as to how you just happen to be in the bar I randomly walked into.”
My mind was racing. Was Jabari another one of my priests? He did seem to be rather desperate for my attention for someone who’d just met me, but I had dealt with creeps before who had been like that. I really hoped Jabari wasn’t a creep, but if he was one of my priests, I really wasn’t feeling the connection like I had with the others.
He looked slightly ashamed and grabbed his drink as the barman set them down next to us, handing the guy a twenty. He took a quick drink, watching me over the rim of his glass. As he lowered it again, he sighed.
“Okay, so I kind of realised this would come across as a bit creepy, but I saw the posts on social media about you being out in the city, so I figured that if I showed up, we could maybe have a quick drink without you having to come all the way out to meet me somewhere. I arrived at the hotel about fifteen minutes ago and saw the crowds harassing you and some guy. I didn’t know you were such a celebrity!”
“I’m not a celebrity,” I muttered. “People just don’t like to leave me alone. But that doesn’t explain why you’re here in the bar.”
“I saw you leave after your bodyguards came out. I figured you’d be meeting them somewhere afterwards when it calmed down. You looked upset, and I thought you might like to see a friendly face.”
I nodded, and he smiled and held up his glass. “To chance meetings and old friends.” I gave him a half-hearted smile and lifted my glass, downing it in one go.
He grinned and beckoned the barman back over. “Another two please,” he asked, sliding the two empty glasses across to him.
“No, it’s okay...”
“Don’t be silly, you look like you need a drink. Oh, before I forget, I brought you something from Zagazig.” Jabari reached into his pocket and pulled out a small paper bag.
“Oh, you really shouldn’t have.”
He shrugged. “It’s nothing priceless, I just saw it in the market and figured you didn’t have time to get any souvenirs when you were there, so...”
I opened the bag and tipped a gold bracelet out onto my palm. It was a narrow cuff set with blue stones that caught the lights and sparkled, reminding me of the desert sands and the sunlight glinting off the waters of the Nile. I smiled and slipped it onto my wrist.
“It’s beautiful, Jabari, thank you.”
