Page 96 of Tell No One
“London Bridge station. They want me to bump into Feely on his way to work.”
“Think they’re watching you?”
Tag hadn’t thought of that. It explained the lack of a tracker: too risky.
“I would be,” Delaney said.
“Barker is a wanker.”
“What did he do?”
“Hit me.”
Delaney hissed.
“They wanted me to look a mess, as if I’d been sleeping rough, but Barker hit harder than he needed to. I signed a contract. They offered me thirty thousand to do this and I made them make the payment to a children’s cancer research charity. Just so you know.”
“I’m not going to let you get hurt.”
“I know you’ll try, but you’re not to get hurt either. I…” Tag changed his mind about what he was going to say. “I’m going to go. Don’t call me back. I’ll see you soon. You’ve tried to make it hard to like you, but I do. You’re not a hopeless case. Okay?”
He ended the call before Delaney answered, and made his way back up into the station. Once he’d found The Colombian Coffee Company, he walked away and found a place to wait where he could see people coming out of the station.
If Feely was early, then he had to be ready. But when it got to seven fifteen, Tag made his way back to the coffee shop and started to ask those who were going inside if they’d please buy him a drink. As he’d expected, he was mostly ignored. He had his back to the direction Feely would be coming from and he wished he could control his heart, which was beating so hard it felt like everyone around him should be able to hear it.
“Please would you buy me a coffee?” Tag asked a young guy in a suit.
“What would you like?”
“Just black, thank you.”
Tag was amazed someone had agreed. That had fucked up his plan. Now what was he going to do, just stand and drink it and look shocked when he saw Feely? The guy came out with two cups and handed one to him.
“Thank you very much,” Tag said.
The guy nodded and walked off.
“Please would you buy me a pastry?” Tag asked the woman who came next.
She ignored him, as did the next three people.
Tag found a place to sit on the ground just to the side of the coffee shop and drank the coffee. Once it had all gone, he put it in front of him. He didn’t have anything to make a sign but he looked as if he was begging. He kept his head down. Either Feely would see him or he wouldn’t. Maybe he hadn’t even caught the train that day. What he didn’t need was someone telling him to move on, so he sat and hoped.
When a fifty pence piece was dropped in the cup, Tag looked up to say thanks and found himself freaked out at the sight of Feely, even though he was expecting to see him.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Feely asked.
Tag scrambled to his feet. “You! Shit! Get the fuck away from me or I’ll scream.” He looked around as if he was deciding whether or not to run.
Feely backed him up to the wall.
“I’ll yell for help,” Tag blurted.
Feely laughed. “I’m not doing anything. Why are you begging?”
“Thanks to your lot, I don’t have any money.”
“Whose fault is that?”
