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“I didn’t hurl myself…” I began, then remembered the details of that too. “Maybe I did…”
Minty eyed the tray of food then flicked her gaze up at me. “You finished?”
“M-hm.” I wiped my fingers on a napkin.
“You’ve hardly eaten a thing.”
“Don’t you start.”
“Rupert on your case, is he?”
I rolled my eyes.
“Thought so.”
“So, you’ve no idea what he’s planning?”
Minty stood and scooped up the remaining leftovers. “Not really, no.” Then she straightened. “But what I do know is some shit is going to go down tomorrow so I suggest you get ready.”
“For what?”
“To end this thing.”
“What are you doing now?” I asked her retreating back.
“I’m going to shower and hit the sack. Whatever is about to happen, I need to be ready too. Hector is going to need my support, and so is the Rebellion. I suggest you get some sleep too.”
I followed her cue and unfolded the blankets I’d been using a makeshift duvet. I pulled a cushion beneath my head and settled into the warmth. But as much as I tried, I couldn’t drift off to sleep. Thoughts of Elspeth and Dan, Minty and Hector, me and Rupert, Peggy, Em, all those who meant the world to me, filled my head.
I must eventually have fallen into a chequered sleep at some point, because the next morning, I awoke, and Minty had gone.
Rupert
The platinum Rolex felt heavy on my wrist as I checked it. Six-fifteen in the morning.
Sinclair was late.
I looked around his office seeing it for what it truly was: a command room from which a pathological liar had orchestrated the destruction of an enormous area of land, the habitat for thousands of creatures and the homes of half the islanders whose ancestors lived here long before we arrived. It no longer looked classic and opulent and steeped in history and legacy. It looked fragile and cold. Repellent.
As soon as I heard footsteps approach, I fired off the text message that would set the train in motion. Marcia would give the guys the signal to call off the hounds. The coast would be unmanned until we gave the order to resume, and Sinclair would be none the wiser unless one of them spoke. And they would. From that point on, the clock would be ticking, like a bomb about to go off.
He didn’t make eye contact as he strode past me to his desk. “What’s the latest?” he barked.
“I may have a route into a new supplier,” I lied. “It’s a new medical start-up. Rumour has it they’re finding the waste disposal fees prohibitively high so I’ve made them an offer they’re thinking very seriously about.”
“Good,” he snapped, shoving a bunch of papers to one side before stabbing at his keyboard with a stick-like finger.
“And the rest?”
I took a steadying breath. “I plan to follow up with those who haven’t returned my calls today, with an offer they can’t refuse: fifty thou per ton and a year’s supply of Bas for their top ten members of staff.”
Finally, Sinclair looked up. His eyes were dull and several new lines had appeared on his face since I’d last seen him only days earlier. “Does Ossian know?”
I clicked my jaw, trying hard to stay cool. Truth be told, I hadn’t been in the same room as Ossian since I smashed his face in, but to Sinclair I needed to appear to be putting the business before everything right now, and that included working with Ossian.
“I’m heading to the labs shortly,” I lied, again. “He’ll know soon enough.”
“Make peace with him while you’re there,” Sinclair said, his bullet eyes whistling through my ribcage. “I’ve told you before and I’m not waiting any longer. It’s an order.”
