Page 146 of A Long Way Back
“And a journalist at the hotel who intends to ignore that. Ben Carter.”
“Shit.”
“How did Carter find you?” Devan asked.
“Tay and I were in Covent Garden when there was that terrorist attack.”
“Ink got stabbed,” Jonty blurted.
“I was using one of Tay’s crutches to keep back the guy with the knife and people filmed with their mobile phones and put it on YouTube. Carter recognised me, and followed me up here.”
“The hero who discharged himself from hospital and didn’t give his name?” Lily asked.
“Not a hero,” Ink mumbled. “But yes, I did discharge myself.”
“Don’t you have an offender manager?” she asked. “Someone who’s supposed to be looking out for you? He’d be telling you not to talk to the press.”
“I do. I told him about Carter and he said he’d look into stopping him, but I’ve lost faith in that happening.”
“And you want to talk?” she asked. “Because once you do, you’re fair game.”
Ink nodded. “Yes.” He wanted it all to end, one way or another.
“I know someone who’d love to talk to you. I’ll give her a call.”
“It has to be today,” Devan said. “I can’t have Carter opening his mouth.”
Ink sighed. “It’s a book that he’s writing.”
“But he could get a newspaper to buy this story. I’ll call you back.”
There was a knock on the door and a receptionist showed Tay into the room. Tay wrapped his arms carefully around Ink and hugged him.
As Devan finished telling Tay what had happened, his phone rang.
“Hi, Lily.”
“Vicki Leeson will be with you by around five. She’s flying up. Features writer forThe Sunday Times,with a view to an article in the magazine. I didn’t ask, but what does he want?”
Devan looked at Ink. “Fee?”
“Nothing.”
“You heard that, Lily?” Devan asked.
“I heard. Bye.”
Devan put his phone down. “Now we need to find a way to stop Carter speaking to you until she gets here.”
There was a long pause.
“We could tell him he’s had to go to the hospital to get his stitches out,” Jonty said.
Devan smiled. “That’s actually a very good idea.”
Jonty frowned. “You say that like I never have good ideas.”
“What was the first thing you thought of before you said that?”
