Page 81 of Tell No One
No answer.
“Try this question instead,” Tag said. “What are we doing here?”
“Keeping away from people who are trying to kill one or both of us.”
“But we can’t hide forever.”
Delaney didn’t say anything.
Tag squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. “Tell me the plan,” he whispered. “Pleeeease.”
“Stop whining.”
“Tell me again who might be trying to kill us.”
“Give it a rest.”
“Do we need to add names I’ve not heard of to the list? Have you pissed off people all over the UK? The entire world? We need to make a list and go through it, see if we can work out what we should do.”
“What’s with the ‘we’?” Delaney asked.
Tag flinched. “I want to help. I’m here with you, aren’t I? We’re a ‘we’. If we’re not a ‘we’ then I can just leave, right?”
“Not until Norbury and his team are in custody.”
Then I’m on my own again.While that was what Delaney no doubt wanted, it wasn’t what Tag hoped for.
All he had to do was make Delaney want him enough to keep him.
And what fantasy world am I living in? One in the capital of Sweden?Stockholm Syndrome seemed a distinct possibility.
While Tag made an elephant to hide the other bag of diamonds, Delaney was glued to his laptop reading Norbury’s files. Tag wasn’t sure exactly what he was looking for, but he’d declined Tag’s help. So Tag carried on making animals with the clay and sculpted a dog, tiger, penguin and baby and polar bear, plus baby. They were all on the mantelpiece and he had no clay left.
He picked a book from the shelf and lounged on the couch but he couldn’t get into it. Maybe he’d done a lot of sighing because Delaney huffed and pushed to his feet.
“Put your shoes on. I’ll give you a driving lesson.”
Tag leapt up.
His enthusiasm had long gone by the time Delaney finished explaining what everything was and how to change gear.
“Did you get all that?” Delaney asked.
“Yes.” Though, had he?
“Okay, so drive. Talk me through what you’re doing as you do it.”
“Handbrake is on, check the car’s in neutral and start. Then, clutch in, select gear and then handbrake off and clutch up, foot on the accelerator.”
“Good. If you’re worried at any time, just put your foot on the brake. The car will stall but better that than hitting something.”
Tag managed to get the gear stick into first and tried to do what Delaney had told him to do with his feet, that sort of balance, only for the Land Rover to jerk forward and stall. When he did manage to get his foot off the clutch and keep going, he was moving so slowly, he could have walked faster. At least they were only on the track leading down to the gate.
“Second gear,” Delaney said.
Tag tried but the Land Rover juddered to a halt.
“What did I do?”
