Page 5 of Tell No One
A Middle-Eastern-looking driver got out and opened the rear door.
Tag climbed inside. “Thanks.”
No answer. Tag clipped on his seat belt and settled into the soft cream leather. The car smelt good. He hadn’t been inside a car for ages and never in one like this. “How long is it going to take to get there?”
“An hour.”
Tag sighed and stared out of the window. He should have brought a book.
Another lad joined them a couple of miles later, collected from the foot of a tower block.
“Hi. I’m Tag.”
“Billy.”
Billy had a lot of teeth and a sweet rounded face. His straight blond hair, parted in the middle, fell all the way to his shoulders. Not Tag’s type, but good-looking. Billy also bit his nails. All the time. He was bigger than Tag with muscular arms that strained the material of his shirt.
“Have you done this before?” Tag asked.
“No talking,” the driver said.
Tag stuck out his tongue and Billy smiled.
“What do you do for a living?” Tag asked.
“I said no talking.” This time the driver snapped the order.
Tag frowned. “How are you going to stop us talking? What harm are we doing just having a conversation?”
“You’re annoying me. It’s not a good idea to annoy me.”
Tag opened his mouth to say something else and felt Billy’s hand settle on his knee for a moment, a warning look on his face. Tag winked and started to sing Hosier’sTake Me To Church.Billy smothered a laugh. Tag wailed loudly on theamensand caught the driver’s eye in the mirror. Tag never did know when it was better to keep quiet. But he did know when it was good idea to stop pushing. Sometimes.
“You’ve got a great voice,” Billy whispered.
“Thanks.”
Tag spotted the name of their destination chiselled on a stone slab as they went through large metal gates. Harborne House. They’d come through a village called Harborne about a mile back. Tag had kept a close eye on the route that had brought them to Surrey. He always had a variety of plans ready for when things didn’t go as he wanted or expected. Mostly run, run or run, but he and Billy weren’t being taken over water to a boat where the only way off was to swim—which would have been bad news, or to a rundown warehouse miles from anywhere. Harborne House was within reach of civilisation. If Tag was concerned, he could just leg it.And say goodbye to the money?Yeah well, live to fuck up another day or die with money in his pockets? Hardly a difficult choice.
There was rolling grassland either side of the tree-lined drive they were travelling down, sheep grazing on one side. Harborne House turned out to be a large Georgian mansion built of pale London brick with wisteria artfully climbing over a third of the frontage. The cascades of bluey-purple flowers seemed to be eating the house, though the building looked immaculate.
They were taken around the back where the guy from the pub stood waiting. He wore a white shirt, black tie, open black waistcoat and black trousers, and Tag thought it looked like some sort of uniform. Billy climbed out first and as Tag went to join him, the driver yanked Tag back and pinned him against the car.
“Nowyou want to shut me up?” Tag leaned in as if he were going to kiss him. Though his knee was ready for action.
“You’re a disobedient little shit,” his captor said through gritted teeth. “And you’re going to find out what happens to disobedient little shits.” He laughed, then shoved Tag towards Billy.
Tag pretended to stumble, then unnecessarily straightened his jacket as he came upright. “That’s abuse! What’s your name? I’m going to report you.”
The driver stepped towards him, murder in his eyes.
“Kareem! Leave him,” the man with Billy called.
“Nice to meet you,Cream.” Tag fluttered his eyelashes, then joined Billy.
“Ayreh Feek!” Kareem called.
Tag turned to look at him. “Ah, that’s okay. Thanks for apologising. I forgive you.” Kareem had yelled outfuck you. Tag knew a bit of Arabic. Well, the swear words mostly. Though he regretted drawing Kareem’s attention.I am so stupid.The number of times he’d been told to tone himself down and he always failed. Still, he had to take his fun where he could find it and he wasn’t a fucking pushover.
