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‘He’s been arrested as have a number of other individuals who don’t work at the restaurant. Turns out he cacked his pants as soon as they got him—gave up all the names he knew within a matter of minutes of his arrest.’
Weasel. ‘Right. So, what’s next?’
‘Suspect the police will ask you to come to Keswick. Prepare yourself, Jack. For these sleepy little lake cops, this is big. These sorts of busts don’t happen very often.’
I sigh. ‘Thanks Kenny. I owe you one. I’m actually heading to Keswick today to stay at the cottage, so I’ll be in the area if you or the police need anything.’
I hang up the phone and hold my head in both hands. It’s a lot to process.
‘More drama?’ Dalton appears on the doorstep.
‘I can’t keep up.’
Dalton hands me keys. ‘Your bag’s in the car. I also threw in some food and a couple of bottles of water. You get going. I’ll lock up here.’
‘Thanks, mate,’ I say, rushing towards the car.
‘And, Jack?’ Dalton shouts.
‘Yeah?’
‘You know if you need anything we’re all here for you.’
I nod, gratefully. ‘Thanks.’
‘Now go on. Go get your girl!’
Chapter 44
Leyna
It takes me a momentto realise where I am when I wake up. Bright sunlight streams into the upstairs bedroom of Jack’s cottage in the Lake District and I’m tucked up underneath a tangle of white sheets. It is cosy and lonesome at the same time—because everywhere I look, all I see is Jack. I can still smell him here, on the bedsheets, the pillows. And then, like a burst dam, all of the emotions and memories of the last few days return so swiftly that I cover my eyes, trying to block it out.
I should have known. I took all those precautions. I made sure to never show myself to any of them after class. I should have known that at some point in time this would come back to bite me in the ass, but why did it have to happen so publicly?
I feel like the rug that I had stood on for so long, the one that had kept me from falling over and had once kept my feet cosy and warm, had just been pulled out from under me and all those insecurities I had thought were buried deep suddenly rear their heads and swim to the surface. My biggest insecurity of all, of feeling out of place, like a fish out of water, of seeing myself as one thing and everyone else seeing me as something else, was quite literally thrown in my face. Although I went to Oxford, everyone looks at me and thinks I got an NVQ from the local college. For years I have managed to keep these insecurities in check. Now, getting called out, harassed, shamed in such a public way in front of someone I cared deeply about, it was simply too much. I thought I’d conquered these feelings that had plagued me my whole life—clearly, I hadn’t. And then the fire...
