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‘He’s a pen-pusher, like the rest of them.’
Thea wasn’t asking what the job title meant. She was asking what all of it meant; the fact that Miles had lied to her about who he really was and what he really did, and worse still – Thea caught sight of the photos of the woman and two children that had alighted from the taxi when she’d arrived at the address on his licence – about the fact that he was married.
She slowly lowered herself into his office chair and stared at the photos.
‘Are you all right?’ the security guard asked again.
‘I don’t think so.’ She looked up at him. ‘Has he left, do you think?’
‘One moment.’ He pressed a button on the little radio device on his shoulder. ‘Hey, has Miles Bannon left the building, do you know?’
‘No, he hasn’t. I saw him walk out of the door in the direction of the toilets.’
‘Great – thanks.’ The guard turned to Thea. ‘He’s still here.’ He hesitated. ‘Look, I’ve got to get back to the desk. Will you be okay?’
Thea stared at the photos. It felt like the dumbest question she’d ever heard. Of course she wasn’t okay. Her boyfriend, her partner, the guy she had made grand plans with – if only in her head – wasn’t who he’d said he was. She had hoped that they would move in together, get married. She had liked the idea of travelling, of living abroad, but she loved her job and had hoped he would stay and work in London. But that was what he’d been doing all along – living in a flat the next borough over. When she’d thought he was in Hong Kong, he’d been just a thirty-minute cab ride away the whole time.
She now understood why he never wanted to go out much. He was scared of being seen. It was no wonder she got phone calls and texts from him at odd hours; he could only contact her when his wife was out or asleep or when he was at work.
The odd hours that he apparently kept because he was in a different time zone were one big horrendous lie – as was this fantasy of his life as some hot-shot, jet-setting international lawyer. The only truthful thing he’d told her was that he worked in this bank.
She heard the lift door open and the security guard head back to his desk. She got out her phone and dialled Miles’s number. From somewhere out in the corridor, she could hear the faint sound of a mobile phone ringing.
He answered. ‘Hi, Thea. Did you get home all right?’
Thea swivelled around in his chair, holding a photo of him and his wife. She imagined that he was biding his time, hanging around in the office until he was sure she’d left in the taxi. Wasn’t her phone call the perfect timing for him to leave and head back to his wife?
She looked towards the door at the end of the room. She presumed he’d have to walk back through the office to get to the lift and exit the building.
‘Thea?’
She said, ‘Not exactly.’
‘Why what happened?’
Thea heard the sound of a door opening, and footsteps. ‘I got waylaid.’
‘Really? Why?’
‘Something happened.’
‘On the way home?’
Thea could hear his voice getting closer.
‘You could say that.’
‘Oh, dear. I could try and come over later. It would have to be quite late, though. Would you like that?’
‘No, actually.’
‘I think that’s probably for the best.’
‘You think so? Is that because you’re jetting off tomorrow?’ Thea stared at his desk, shaking her head.How could I have been so stupid?she thought.
‘I’ll call you as soon I touch down.’
‘Another big contract abroad?’
