Page 55

One Year Later

Robert squeezed the soft hand that clutched his.

Sounds buzzed – car horns, the clattering of suitcases following hundreds of footsteps, all veering off in every direction, the occasional shout as people greeted their family and friends.

No one ran to greet them. Their only welcome was the sunlight sparkling on their faces and the humid temperature overheating their armpits. Everywhere Robert looked, there was a sea of heads.

The soft hand tightened its grip, cutting off the blood supply to Robert’s fingers. He turned to face the woman. ‘Let’s find a cab.’

Nina swallowed, her eyes darting from person to person but not actually seeing anything. ‘No, I’m leaving.’

‘Nina—’

‘This was a bad idea.’ Her throat convulsed. ‘I don’t remember it being this hot, but of course it is!’ A laugh bubbled out. ‘I mean it’s Mumbai. Oh my God, we’re in Mumbai.’

Robert used their linked hands to pull her closer. Aye, that attracted a few stares – such PDAs or, more likely, couples that looked like them were still uncommon in Mumbai… But Robert didn’t give a fuck. Throughout the trial, Nina had been his rock, her touch soothing when things looked bleak and fortifying when the tide turned their way.

Going into it, Robert had known how volatile things could be in court, even when the evidence was on your side, and Anne’s solicitor had certainly put up a fight but without success – the image of Anne being led away in handcuffs replayed in his mind. And later, Dickheadson too, screaming and pleading as he was dragged away.

It’s done; she’s locked up. And thanks to all the lies she’d told him, the courts had granted them a quick divorce under extenuating circumstances. Of course she’d tried to stall and cause more trouble, but his rock had once more stood by him.

He’d won his fights. Now he’d stand by Nina as she confronted her own past. Step one of that plan had been to coax her into boarding their flight. The next step would be to get her to their hotel. ‘Let’s check in, maybe get something to eat.’

Robert pulled Nina towards the sign which indicated pre-booked taxi pickups. She dragged her feet but followed him. In the last year, he’d seen her do many things outside her comfort zone without fleeing from them, but this would be the biggest test of her staying power.

Robert spoke as they dashed past people. ‘Our hotel’s right by the sea. It looks fancy. It’s all the way to the south of the city – which you said was like the city centre. I’ve never been so?—’

Nina smacked the back of her hand against his chest, and just in time too because a couple of women – all barely five feet – dashed in front of him. ‘Rule one: have some sense of place. In a city with a population multiple times that of Scotland, you need to be aware of where you stand. You don’t walk without looking.’

Robert smirked. ‘You don’t seem to have lost your sense of place.’

Nina poked him in the chest. ‘This was your grand idea. They won’t even recognise me.’

Aye, Nina had shown him pictures of her when she’d first come to the UK. The Nina back then and the beautiful woman in front of him looked similar but weren’t the same person at all. This woman – his woman – had strength, grace, confidence and a sensuality to her that still made his body hum. ‘They might not recognise you, but they’ll know who you are.’

Their cab arrived, and they stuffed their bags in the back. The moment Robert shut the car door, the taxi driver took off, leaving Robert grasping for the seat belt.

The driver didn’t say much, except asking Nina for some sort of code relating to the taxi app, then they were swooshing down corridors towards the car park’s exit.

Within a minute, they emerged from the car park and right into a vortex of bridges. On one side of the road lay a construction site; on the other a sea of motorbikes. Then they hit traffic… and not the kind you saw on the M8. Fuck no. This was… an ocean of cars, ranging from rattly old ones to new Porsches, all sitting next to each other in a haphazard mix. Horns sounded from all around, and then a bike whizzed past their taxi, somehow squeezing through the gap between cars.

Nina shook her head. ‘Aye, it’s all coming back to me, even though it feels… odd.’

Robert sighed upon seeing the wee upward tilt of her lips. ‘Your family will be glad to see you.’

That was the wrong thing to say. Her smile vanished. ‘I don’t think?—’

He reached out and engulfed her hand. ‘Darling, this last year, you’ve stood by me. I want to do this for you. Now that you’ve burned all your bridges and dusted off the ash, it’s time to rebuild them.’

She bit her lip, her gaze falling to her feet. ‘I’m scared.’

‘I know. That’s why I’ll be by your side every step of the way.’

‘Always?’ She whispered it, but not with fear – no, it was vulnerability that made her voice so low.

Robert squeezed her hand. ‘Forever and always, darling.’

Nina turned forward to watch the road. ‘Forever and always.’

Smiling, Robert settled in. Mumbai – now this would be a truly exciting adventure.

* * *

Crime and romance don’t take a holiday…

Return to Glasgow and find out how one seemingly false call can change everything a man knew about his life.

Joshua is ready to meet his match in Sloane!