Page 68 of Tell No One
The guy might well be laughing, but Tag was worried. How long until Delaney decided he was a pest he no longer wanted around? It wasn’t as if Tag was of any use to him.
“How did things go today?” Delaney asked.
“Exciting. I fed a duck and another duck came, then another. I walked off and they followed. I had a line of them waddling behind me until some kid threw a slice of bread and that was it, I was abandoned. I thought about going into the zoo but I wasn’t sure how long you’d be so I just wandered and people-watched. No one was watching me apart from the ducks.”
“Good.”
“What about you?”
Tag listened with increasing horror as Delaney talked. He didn’t say a word until Delaney got to the end. He still didn’t say a word, just gulped a lot.
“Have I rendered you mute?”
“They’re monsters. They make a game out of men with rifles hunting people like me? Do you think that’s what happened to this prince?”
“Perhaps.”
“You want to find out? I mean I think Rafiq would be better knowing one way or the other. I feel sorry for him. For both of them.”
“People who are prepared to pay to murder for fun need to be dealt with, as do those who arrange such things.”
Tag swallowed hard. “Do you want me to be bait?”
Delaney glanced at him.
“I can run fast.”
“You can’t outrun a bullet. Maybe they let the person being pursued have a good head start, maybe they don’t, but one man running with a tracker has no chance against those following with rifles, even if they’re not good shots. It’s going to be rigged so they win and the victim dies.”
“You could shoot them before they shoot me.”
“You’re not going to be bait.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m hoping I’ll get invited to shoot someone else.”
Tag sat upright. “You can’t let them shoot anyone.”
“I’ll have informed my boss before that was anywhere near happening.”
“So youcoulduse me.”
Delaney glared. “I don’t want to.”
“Is it because you like me?” Tag smiled.
“You’re an irritating little shit. I don’t like you at all.”
“You luuurve me.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake.” But Delaney couldn’t help grinning.
His phone rang and he put a finger to his lips before he answered. Tag got the message.
“Hello,” Delaney said.
“I received your gift.”
