Page 73 of Replay
Not very.Not unless that person was seeking you out.Spook had said as much himself.It was a big country.They only played in big cities.It wasn’t like any of them routinely popped down to the shops.Also, while in Sweden, at least, Spook tended to avoid excursions to anywhere peopley.He mainly resided in the UK, and Xane could count on his fingers how many times his friend had visited his sisters, and all of those visits had been to the two who lived in Stockholm, or Tove was it, who lived way up north in Skellefteå, never to the one near Växjö.
Ava, and that Marshall dude, had to have tracked her down and set her up to approaching him.
Fucking, crapping hell!
They reached Spook’s suite.Xane held his hand out for the key card.Rather than going straight in, he swiped and put a foot over the threshold to hold the door open.“Alle, I wonder if… I think it’d be better if you let me talk to him on my own.”
Her mouth immediately opened in protest.Allegra Hutton wasn’t one for being shunted aside.
“Please,” he pleaded, using his best manners.“It’ll be easier that way… if you’re not there.We’ve know one another a long time.”
“You know all his secrets,” she added for him.
“Yeah.”
Even with the door only open an inch, a disturbing array of bashes and clanks could he heard from within.Allegra looked ready to push past him.Xane braced himself accordingly.“Alle, please.”He placed his hands on her shoulders.“I know what he means to you.”
“I love him.”
Xane nodded.“Me too.”He got it.Leaving was the absolute last thing she wanted to do.It also happened to be the thing he needed her to accept.“Look, I’m sorry if this sounds harsh, but eventually, he’s going to run out of things to break.I know you’ve seen the scars on his arms.Let’s not allow this to get to the point where he considers that an option.”
She paled.“He wouldn’t.They’re from a long time ago.Wait, is that woman something to do with—”
“Alle,” he said firmly, giving her shoulders a squeeze, which seemed to focus her.“Please.There are things he’s afraid of telling you.Let me talk to him alone first.”
“Is she someone from his past, Xane?”
He nodded hesitantly.“I think so.”
“An ex?”
“She hurt him pretty bad, Alle.”
“She’s the reason he’s—”
Xane pressed two fingers to her lips to quieten her.“Save it.Spook’s the priority right now.”
Slowly, Alle’s chin dipped, then her gaze followed.“Okay,” she sighed.
“Thank you.”Xane turned towards the door.“Dani and Luthor will let you in if you need somewhere to go,” he said over his shoulder.
“It’s okay.I have my own room.”
“I’ll let you know when he’s ready to see you.It could be some time.”
“Okay,” she agreed, reluctance echoing through the syllables.
“I’ll look after him.I promise.”
She didn’t say anything to that.Xane waited until she’d turned the corner of the corridor before he pushed the door any wider.He lifted the DO NOT DISTURB sign off the back of the door and hung it on the handle.Then he sent Luthor a text.
Xane: Could be some time.Don’t wait up for me.
