Page 117 of Tell No One
Delaney closed his eyes for a moment. “I make sure you do. Now shut mouth and sleep.”
Once Delaney could move again, he reached for his phone and pulled the covers over their head. He pulled up an ordnance survey map of the area and pointed out the position of the castle.
“No point running along the road in either direction. They’d catch you. I’m pretty sure you’ll be stopped from taking those routes anyway. They’d expect you to run along here, out past the helipad, or maybe this way, to the left at the back of the castle. You’d be staying close to the road and the hills are less steep. But this is the best route. Around the loch and up. Hard work but you’re a good runner.”
He traced it with his finger, then got Tag to talk him back over it.
“What about my footwear?” Tag asked. “I still have the fell running shoes you bought me but the others have the tracker.”
“The fell shoes. The others offer no grip and you’re going to be running over rough terrain. I’ll find you without the tracker. Worst case scenario, you get to a high point and look for the loch. Put on an extra sweater if you have one. Assume it’s going to be cold. I’ll try and keep everyone in the drawing room after you’ve left the house.”
Delaney stroked Tag’s cheek. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Guess what? Neither do I.” Tag gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “Me and Ahsan could run tonight. Get a head start.”
“They’d send up the helicopter, catch you in an instant.”
“What’s going to stop them doing that straightaway tomorrow?”
“The hunt is part of the deal. Otherwise, they could have just stuck you outside and shot you. If Ahsan hides, you have to take his tracker or they’ll find him. They won’t expect you to be looking for it, so hopefully, it will be easy to spot in the backpack. Possibly under the base board if there is one, or in a small pocket. If you can’t find it, take his backpack.”
“How am I going to know when it’s safe to come back?”
“I’ll light a fire. You’ll see the smoke.”
“Will you flap a blanket over it? Because what if it’s them making a fire ready to cook us?”
Oh fuck.
“I was joking.”
“Christ. I wish you hadn’t said that.”
“I talk too much when I’m frightened.”
“You talk too much anyway.” Delaney kissed him.
“I notice you’re no longer promising not to let anyone hurt me.”
When Delaney opened his mouth, Tag put his finger over his lips.
“I know you’ll do your best. Send me back to my room. We both need to sleep.”
“I can’t help thinking there’s something else I should have told you. Bullets ricocheting off rocks are a sign that you’re in range. Run and change directions fast.”
Tag took a deep breath. “Okay. Make me leave.”
Delaney nodded and threw back the covers. “Fuck off now,liubymiy.I need sleep. You too distracting.”
Tag climbed out of bed and left the room without looking back.
If this goes wrong, I am going to kill Barker.
Kareem was sitting at the end of the hallway when Tag left the room. He kept up the pretence of being used hard and winced as he walked past him to get to the room he shared with Ahsan. Kareem followed him every step of the way, breathing on his back, but he didn’t touch him. He unlocked the door and locked it again when Tag was inside. Tag had a quick shower before he climbed into bed with Ahsan, and though he was careful, Ahsan woke.
“Are you all right?” Ahsan whispered and clutched Tag’s hand.
“Yes. Are you?”
