Page 65 of Being Lost

“You promised, Lost,” I remind him, my voice a low growl. If I don’t say anything, he’s likely to start labelling everything club business.

“Fuck, woman.” He turns his head, one side of his mouth turned up. “You’re going to be a pain in my ass, aren’t you?”

Dan chuckles. “You bet she is.” He winks at me.

Lost shakes his head, then starts to speak. “Okay. It doesn’t hurt us if Token keeps doing what he’s doing, even if he doesn’t turn up anything useful. We can’t discount the information that we did find in that box, nor that Alder knew of its existence. That could still be what he wants. There are hundreds of what-ifs and assumptions here. But, and here’s the first one, what if Alder had a tunnel dug years back like his wife suggested to you Patsy? He might have stopped using it, or I don’t know, part fell in? It was close to being discovered? Hell, could have been discovered and blocked off. But what if he needs to find a new route into the country? If he’s desperate, he might go back to revisit one he originally used.”

“But where would a tunnel be?” I ask. “We know border control is always looking for tunnels. Surely they would have come across something that old?”

“If it’s stayed hidden that long, maybe Alder thinks it’s a safe route?” Dan raises an eyebrow.

“But something that safe would have been used before and not abandoned.” Lost taps the wood again, a gesture that seems to help him think.

“What if the feds did find it?” I suggest. “What if they watched it for years, then gave up?”

“It would have been destroyed.” Lost dismisses my suggestion, then stills. “Unless they didn’t find it, but they got too close. Alder moved operations because it was too risky. Now, with no other choice, maybe he’s opening it back up.”

“He wasn’t using a tunnel when I knew him,” Dan puts in. “He had couriers crossing the border.”

“But his network has been broken up?” Lost questions Dan who raises his chin.

“I don’t know what the feds actually did, but I gave them enough information.”

Lost rakes his fingers through his hair. “Going back to your other point. Alder wants to know what Patsy knows. It is possible he thinks that there was some ‘in case of my death’ message left somewhere that Phil would have gotten to you, Patsy.”

“That makes sense,” I tell him, though it is worrying. “More so than a fictional tunnel he might have dug.”

Lost fills his lungs and looks at my son before turning back to me. “Any thought of you leaving has got to be put out of your head, Patsy. We didn’t have a clue why Alder had you in his sights, now we’ve come up with something that gives us a clearer picture and it’s one I don’t like. You’re fuckin’ important to Alder, and he won’t stop if he thinks it was you who spoke to the feds, and he’ll want to know exactly what was said. You’re staying here, with me. So I can protect you.”

I’ve never thought of myself as weak, but I’ve never been challenged before and the thought of leaning on Lost is comforting. But the more important I am to Alder, the more desperate he’ll be to find me. If he does, anyone protecting me will be in danger. If I leave, Lost and Dan will be safe. I don’t give Lost a response; he won’t like the thoughts in my head.

“Hey, Dan!”

“Salem?” Dan swings around as he answers.

“Got something you might want to see.” The enforcer’s standing by the back door.

Dan grins. “I’ll be right there.” He waves a goodbye to me and Lost as he stands and leaves.

Lost smiles at me. “Salem seems to have taken your boy under his wing. Said he was impressed with him today.”

I return his expression. “He was excited about helping out in your shop.”

“As long as he stays out of sight, Salem will be happy with an extra pair of hands. He likes mechanical shit?”

“He seems to have taken to it. I don’t think he’s ever had a chance to work with his hands.” Except for beating people up, I remember.

“Lost, Patsy? Cindy’s got food on the table. You coming inside?”

It’s Eva. Lost queries me with a tilt of his head. When I nod, he pulls me to my feet.

As we enter the kitchen, Lost pulls out a chair, and gentlemen like, holds it as I sit down. He then takes the one beside me. I look around slightly nervous, wondering if people notice I seem to be monopolising his attention, but no one remarks on it, nor seems to find it strange.

I have to admit to being dubious about eating something a club girl has prepared, but it turns out to be a tasty casserole. Even though I’d not long eaten a burger, my stomach makes some room.

I’ve had a chance to eat about half when Smoker, who’s sitting at the opposite end of the table, has a coughing fit.

Once he’s regained his breath, Lost points at him, and tells him in a tone full of authority, “You’re going to the doctor.”

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