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Shit. His message came in fifteen minutes ago and I don’t know how I’m going to get away. I down my water and head back into the lounge. Keeley is still wearing her green ballgown, now with a plastic tiara on her head and a handbag shaped like a frog dangling from her wrist. Mabel is sat with Annika on the white sofa as she shows her how to use her new iPad.

“Are you a tech wizard yet?” I ask and Mabel rolls her eyes at me. “Hey, no social media, okay?”

She looks up at me with a frown. “Okay, but why?”

I rub the back of my neck; I don’t want to lie to her but I don’t want to scare her either. “Because Annika and I want to keep you as safe as possible for the time being and having a presence online isn’t the safest thing in the world. So, just for now, no profiles on social media.”

She nods in understanding. “Can I take some online classes? If I make fake profiles? I haven’t been to school in a really long time, and I’d like to catch up as much as I can.”

“Of course,” Annika answers before I can. “And we bought some books for you both, educational ones too.”

I’m struck by her choice of words.We. I didn’t do anything.

“For me too?” Keeley’s little voice asks behind me.

“Sure thing, princesa.” I instinctively hold my hand out to her to pull her into the conversation, but she looks at it unsurely before giving it a wide berth and going to sit beside Mabel.

“But I can’t read,” she says quietly.

“She’s not stupid,” Mabel blurts nervously. “I’ll teach her to read, she just never got taught before.”

Annika holds a hand up to stop the girl’s rambling. “No one thinks either of you are stupid. We’ll work on it together.”

Mabel seems to deflate with relief, nodding in appreciation. Keeley’s attention has been taken elsewhere, rummaging through a bag on the sofa. “What are these?” She pulls out some brightly coloured Lycra.

“Swimsuits,” Annika answers.

The way Keeley’s eyes nearly bulge out her head has me stifling a laugh. “So, we can go swimming? In your big, fancy pool?”

“If you’d like,” Annika says mildly.

“Can we, Maybe? Can we, please?”

While the girls discuss it, I turn to Annika and lean down to speak to her quietly. My cock does a little jump when my proximity summons a sharp inhale from her. “I need to run out for something for a bit, is that okay?”

She glares at me, annoyed. “You don’t have to be here at all, Campos. I’m more than capable of looking after myself.”

“I told you not to fight me on that,rainha. I just need to grab some things that Den forgot to pack for me, wouldn’t want to be without my swimming trunks.” I smirk as she rolls her eyes at me. “I’ll be back shortly.”

“Fine,” she says with an attitude I want to pound out of her, so I decide to shake the nest a little.

“Be a good girl.”

I leave with Annika’s shocked eyes following me out the room.

Knight Point is a hilltop on the outskirts of the city with panoramic views of the capital’s skyline. The slight rain from earlier has abated and the grassy land at the top of the hill hasa green and earthy smell as it dries in the summer evening sun. Captain Marks leans against the hood of his car, taking a greedy bite from a burrito wrapped in wax paper as I approach.

“Diet’s going well then,” I quip.

“Fuck off.”

I chuckle and come to stand next to him, my arse on the headlight, my arms crossed over my chest while I look out on the city below. There are a few dog walkers about and about fifty feet away, below us is a playground where there are children playing noisily, jubilation and excitement filling the air.

“I need information Harv,” he says around a mouthful of burrito, brushing his hands clean and throwing the wrapper through the open window of his car where it joins a few others. I raise my brow at him and he shrugs. “We’ve been busy, I haven’t been home much, gotta eat on the go.

“Busy with what?” I ask, my interest piqued.

“Official police business, Harv, you know I can’t give you the details.”