Page 30 of Tell No One
“No family. Unless you want to be my Daddy?”
Delaney laughed. “No.”
“I’d be a good boy for you.”
“No, you wouldn’t.”
Tag stretched out his legs and arms, then gave a heavy sigh and curled in on himself again like an armadillo. “I got drawn into something that I’d never have done if I hadn’t been offered that money. I had a life and it might not have been great, but it’s been tipped upside down, everything’s fallen out and now I have nothing.”
“What do you want?” Delaney asked.
“A TAG Heuer watch?”
“Is that why you’re called Tag?”
“One of the reasons.”
“You’re not getting a TAG Heuer watch.”
“If there’s no money, then how about a job?”
Delaney tried one last test. “You can still make your money on the streets.”
Tag sucked in a breath. “Is that what you think I did? I told you I’d never had sex with anyone for money. Didn’t you believe me?”
Delaney heard the hurt in his voice. So Barkerhadlied.
“I worked in a pub. I was a barman and a waiter. Then the Master made me an offer and I thought…why not? A thousand pounds for one night? I could do that. A one-off. It might not seem much money to you, but it would have made a big difference to me.
“I made my way home that night still wavering, because I’m not stupid. The Master had said it was legal and not dangerous, but that meant nothing. I knew I probably wasn’t going to like what they wanted me to do. If I’d known he wanted to be called the Master, I wouldn’t have said yes. Probably.”
“What did you think they wanted?”
“I knew sex would be involved and I sat on the bus going home from work talking myself in and out of going to the party. I wasn’t sure if I could go through with it. Then I got home and found two blokes in my room and one thousand turned to four.Thatwas a life-changing sum. And you know what? My life has changed, except not for the better. And it got a whole lot worse this morning. I’m sorry I dropped you in it. I won’t say anything to anyone.”
He sounded choked, and Delaney pulled up and turned to look at him. Tag fumbled with the door opener and scrambled from the car, stalking off onto the shingle beach. Delaney switched off the engine and followed, the stones sliding beneath his feet as he pursued Tag down to the water.
“Your name isn’t even Vadim, is it?” Tag asked when he reached him.
“No.”
“What is it?”
“Delaney.” It wasn’t. Not exactly. But it was the name he was most known by, the name he was most used to hearing.
“I bet it isn’t.”
Delaney shrugged. “Call me what you like.”
“Daddy?”
“Except that.”
“It would have been easier to flounce off on a sandy beach.” Tag picked up a pebble and tried to skim it. It plopped straight down. “I’m not looking for a Daddy. I can look after myself.”
The next three stones went straight down.
“Guess that sums me up,” Tag said. “No joyful bouncing over the waves, I just sink. Though I do keep trying.” He threw another and it disappeared.
