Page 81 of The London Girls
‘Olivia!’ George’s bark made her jump. She looked over her shoulder and saw him walking quickly towards them, which made her get up and dust herself off.
‘You have a message for me?’ she asked.
‘This one is urgent,’ he said. ‘And top secret.’
‘Aren’t they all?’ Ava asked, and Olivia gave her what she hoped was a withering look.
George ignored her, and Olivia hid her smile. ‘I need you to leave immediately and deliver this to the shipyards at Plymouth.’
‘Of course,’ she said, at the same time as Ava leapt to her feet.
‘George, you know that’s my route! I know it like the back of my hand, it’s—’
‘The route that almost killed you,’ George ground out. ‘And in case you’ve forgotten, you haven’t been cleared by a doctor to return to work. It’s only because of my good grace that you’re here at all.’
Ava pouted, but bless her, she kept her mouth shut after that.
‘I’ve studied the route before, I’ll be fine,’ Olivia said, looking between the two of them. ‘Ava, it’ll be all yours again as soon as you’re back on deck.’
She retrieved her satchel and held it out to George, looping the strap over her neck and setting it on her hip when he passed it back to her.
‘Girls, while you’re both here, I want you to know that I’m recruiting for a new role,’ George said. ‘I’ve been asked to appoint the most well-suited rider to train new recruits, and I’ll be deciding between the pair of you. Truth be told I’m reluctant to put either of you out of service, so I’m still working through the logistics.’
Olivia grinned at Ava, who gave her a smug look back.
‘Let the best woman win then,’ Ava said.
Olivia nodded. ‘Let the best woman win.’ With that she was on her bike, revving the engine for Ava’s benefit before riding out of the garage and out into the night air.
As she rode, taking care navigating the dark streets, she thought about the letter in her pocket, the one Leo had sent her from somewhere in England before he’d come home on leave again. Before he’d died. It hadn’t felt right leaving it at home, so she’d decided totake it with her, to keep him close, and she liked knowing it was there, as if he was somehow still with her.
A familiar boom sounded out then, a bomb far enough away that it didn’t terrify her, but close enough to make her cautious. She slowed slightly, listening for danger, knowing she should turn her light off to avoid being seen. The moonlight was just bright enough to illuminate the path ahead, so she turned the headlamp off and leaned down lower, her eyes focused on the road as her thoughts switched back to the letter, and then to her brother.
You’ll be riding beside me again in no time, Pete, just you wait.
CHAPTER TWENTY
FLORENCE
‘You look like someone just killed your dog.’
‘I don’t have a dog,’ she replied.
Florence looked up and saw Jack leaning against the open door of the ambulance. She’d decided to clean Petal for something to do, but now she was sitting in the passenger side with the door open, cloth in hand.
‘Something on your mind?’ he asked.
‘You could say that,’ she said with a sigh.
Jack folded his arms, clearly waiting for her to tell him.
‘It’s Ava,’ she said with a sigh. ‘She’s being so pig-headed about going back to work, and we’ve barely spoken since an argument we had the other night. I just don’t understand why she can’t take her recovery more seriously. It’s too soon for her to go back.’
‘I see,’ Jack said.
‘Now you’re giving me that look like you don’t agree with me. You were there that night, you saw how badly injured she was with your own eyes. Tell me you agree with me.’
He groaned. ‘Florence, it’s not about me agreeing with you or not.’
