Page 88 of Playing for Keeps
“Where are you?”
“I’m at a friend’s. Why?”
Udo turned to Steven. The tone in Howard’s voice sending unease through his system.
“Would that friend happen to be Steven Cox?”
Shit.
“Yes, so?”
“I’m at the gates. I’ve been calling and buzzing for ages. Can you let me in?”
“One second.”
Udo terminated the call. By now, Steven had sat up, his face etched with worry.
“What’s going on?”
“Howard’s at the gate. He’s been calling.”
“I put my phone on silent after Naomie left.”
“I don’t like this. You’d better let him in.”
Steven leapt off the couch.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have muted the intercom,” he said over his shoulder. “God forbid I’d want some bloody peace.”
He pressed the button.
The wait for Howard to come up the drive seemed to last for an age. It had to be serious for him to come out at this time.
“I’m scared,” Udo said.
Steven put his arm around him. “There’s nothing to worry about. I’m sure of it.”
His tone suggested otherwise.
Howard’s Volvo pulled up outside and Steven went to answer the door. Udo paced the room as he waited.
Poor Howard looked harassed when he came into the room.
“Howard?” Udo asked. “What brings you here?”
“I had a call from one of my reporter friends,” he said. “They’re running a story on you two in the morning.”
It was as though the world had stopped turning.
“What?”
“Then we’ll sue them,” Steven said.
Howard lifted up his phone. There was a crystal-clearphotograph of Udo and Steven on the sun loungers earlier in the day. What made it all the more damning was they were kissing.
“What the fuck?” Udo said.
Steven grabbed the phone. “How the hell did they get in here?”
