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Two more housekeepers burst through the door, one with a first-aid box, and I kind of wanted to laugh. We were way beyond that with Mrs Arndale and her ‘touch-ups’. Her lips were several sizes too big for her face, and this had probably been another one of her botched face lifts, judging by the state of her bandages. It wasn’t the first time and wouldn’t be the last.
Finally, I allowed myself to step out in the corridor and spent a moment trying to calm down. Reuben was solid. He could handle this in his sleep, and he knew Mrs Arndale better than I did.
Leaning back against the wall, I slid down until I was sitting on my haunches, my head hanging between my knees. The sound from the lift broke the white noise in my head. I straightened up before the paramedics swooped past me and made my way on unsteady legs into the lift and downwards.
Breathe. Breathe, Hugo!
Enough. Enough, Hugo.
I’d had enough of being this weird, broken person, not least because I had a feeling I wasn’t him anymore. I was perhaps, rather capable, not as useless as I’d always felt, which was just as well because now I needed to write reports and get hold of everyone else’s reports and do a freaking incident form since I’d pressed the emergency code and no doubt have to go sit down with Finn to make sure everything was done right.
“Hugo!”
Speak of the devil.
“Hey,” I said, trying to push past Finn to get out of the lift, but his hand was on my arm, pushing me back inside. Stunned, I watched him jabbing seeming random floor numbers. The door closed behind him.
“Okay,” he said. Taking a deep breath, he loosened his collar. His tie was crooked, and that wasn’t Finn at all. He was flustered and flushed, and I suddenly wanted to press that emergency code again just to get Mark to come and rescue me from his boyfriend and whatever panic was brewing here.
“What’s up?” I asked, trying to sound calm, but fuck this day already. Sideways.
“I have Lewis Hope sat in my office,” he said like he was talking about booking yields, room rates, bloody corporate discount codes.
“Lewis Hope,” I repeated like a muppet.
I had no idea how I was able to speak, how I hadn’t slumped on my knees to the floor, but instead of doing all the things I thought I would do in this situation, I stood there as the lift doors opened on the third floor. Finn stabbed his fist against the button, never taking his eyes off me.
“He didn’t ask for you. He asked for me. By name. I’ve told him I’ve gone to get coffee. I’ve got Eddie and Stewart guarding the office door. Security are still out the front. Clocked him before he even opened his mouth.”
“Okay?” I didn’t know what to do with my hands, so I just crossed my arms as words rattled around my brain. Bad. Bad things. Really bad things.
Bad things will happen, Hugo, and you will know what to do.
Fucking hell.
Fucking bloody Psychic Mona and her cakes and stew and bullshit. I almost laughed, swimming in my own panic. Almost.
“Hugo, you have to tell me what to do here. Security has already rung the police. They’re on their way. But I want you to have the choice. Do you want to speak to him before we have him thrown to the wolves? Or do you want me to handle this? I haven’t got the full story here, and I don’t want to go over your head—”
“Let’s go,” I interrupted like the idiot I was. Well, maybe not an idiot. Maybe I was simply insane. Maybe I could sit at that next group meeting with Mabel and talk about my week and casually say that I had a woman with a grey face faint on me, and that I almost threw up in the corridor afterwards because of the blood on her bandages, and then my ex showedup and I was supposed to handle that? I couldn’t handle shit. I didn’t understand anything. I didn’t know how to deal with anyone right now, least of all Lewis.
I barely remembered what he looked like. Hadn’t heard his voice in what felt like years. Ten years of my life. More than that, actually.
I went to jab the lift button. Lobby. Down.
Finn beat me to it, pressing five.
“Hugo,” he said sternly.
“Finn,” I said back. “You gave me the option.”
The doors opened. Fifth floor. I stared at him. He stared back.
“You sure?”
He was frightened, and I didn’t blame him. I was terrified too, but…
This was my life. I had a choice here. I could let this go. Let the police handle whatever needed handling and get on with life.
