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Owen glanced sideways at him and nudged his thigh. “Forgive me if I’m a little starstruck, but I’ve read all about you… I’m a huge fan.” Owen lowered his head as if embarrassed, and Josiah noticed how thick and dark his eyelashes were, brushing over his lightly tanned skin.

Josiah sat back and watched the various people in the room with a detached eye.

Alexander was still rooted to his spot by the fireplace, gazing fixedly at that point on the floor.

Owen was talking enthusiastically about Josiah’s various high-profile cases, his hand resting lightly on Josiah’s thigh.

Tyler was standing at the large bar, watching everything that was going on.

There were only three teacups, so Alexander clearly hadn’t been invited to this party.

Tyler had sent him very pointedly to the kitchen for his refreshments, but Alexander had returned to the room far too quickly to have taken advantage of that offer.

“If you want to play golf here again, I’m always on the lookout for a worthy opponent,” Tyler said, bringing Josiah’s tea over to him, together with a slice of rich, dark, freshly baked chocolate cake.

“I’m hardly that, surely,” Josiah demurred.

“You could be – you have excellent hand-eye coordination – but if you want to practise, I’m sure Owen would be happy to play with you.”

“I’d love to,” Owen cried, looking delighted.

“How very kind,” Josiah said, noticing that Owen’s hand had inched a little further up his thigh.

“You can stay over if you don’t want to travel. Just give Owen a call, and the two of you can sort out a convenient time,” Tyler said.

“I wouldn’t want to take Owen away from his training.”

“Not at all. It’d be such an honour for me, and if the boss says it’s okay” – Owen grinned cheekily at Tyler – “then it’s okay. Here’s my nym.” He reached for his holopad and sent the code over instantly. “Please call. Anytime,” he said eagerly.

Josiah grunted and took a bite of the cake. It was as delicious as it looked, and he sat back and revelled in the rich flavour; good chocolate was always something to be savoured.

Owen started chatting to him excitedly about golf – and his hand resumed its place on his leg.

Tyler moved towards the bar with a satisfied look on his face, pausing in front of Alexander.

For a second the genial manner slipped, and he flashed a dark, knowing smile at his former indie.

Alexander didn’t flinch, or return the smile – he just kept on staring at the floor.

Tyler followed his gaze, frowning, and then his expression darkened.

Giving a startled growl, he strode away.

“Excuse me, gentlemen – I need to piss,” he said, leaving the room abruptly .

The instant Tyler was gone, Alexander began to shake. He tried visibly to get himself back under control by clenching his fists tightly and taking deep breaths, but he looked as if he was going to faint.

Josiah couldn’t remember the exact words of the song that Alexander played during his yoga practice, but he could remember the tune, so he began to hum it softly.

Owen glanced at him, startled, but Josiah only smiled genially and hummed even louder.

The sound finally permeated Alexander’s panic attack and had an effect, his breathing slowing, colour returning to his skin, and his fists beginning to uncurl.

By the time Tyler returned to the room a few minutes later, Alexander’s impassive mask was firmly back in place.

Josiah finished his tea, ate up the last morsel of the delicious chocolate cake, and put the plate down with a happy sigh.

“Thank you. That was very good,” he said. “Almost spot on, in fact.”

“I thought you’d enjoy it – you said chocolate was your favourite.” Tyler grinned.

“I’m not referring to the cake.” Josiah pointedly removed Owen’s hand from where it was now resting perilously close to his crotch.

“I’m referring to the young man. He does look a lot like Peter – although far too young, much too good-looking, and ridiculously over-styled.

Peter wouldn’t have known good styling if it had bitten him on the arse, despite all my best efforts. ” Josiah stood up.

“Sorry?” Tyler looked rattled.

“I understand.” Josiah inclined his head sympathetically.

“You didn’t have much time to prepare. After Reed called, you found out as much about me as you could before I arrived.

You put a call through to wherever you keep your charming young men and instructed them to get Owen ready.

No doubt someone on your staff did some research to discover what my ‘type’ is, and dressed and styled him accordingly.

Then, when the conversation between you and I had turned serious, you went to arrange the golf and gave the order to have him helicoptered in.

I’m impressed. People don’t usually go to such lengths to seduce me. ”

Out of the corner of his eye, Josiah saw a look of surprised delight pass across Alexander’s face – which he quickly suppressed .

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding,” Tyler said, his voice becoming flatter and harder. He looked like a deadly snake, poised to strike.

“Oh, I don’t think so – although that was one of the deftest interrogations I’ve been party to for a long time, and I speak as a trained investigator.”

Tyler feigned bafflement. “I don’t follow…”

“Firstly, there was the offer of alcohol, trying to discover my particular vices. You used what you’d found out – the very delicious chocolate cake that you instructed your chef to make – to ingratiate yourself to me.

Then there were the gentle questions, too harmless to be inappropriate: ascertaining my level of job satisfaction, probing whether I’m happy with my salary, and establishing my view of indies – whether I’d be amenable to fucking one, presumably.

” He glanced at Owen, who had gone quite pale.

“You created a false sense of intimacy by telling jokes, including me in your clique, and offering me access to any of the attractive young indies you employ who take my fancy. It was all very well done. You warned me against Alexander’s seductive powers, but really, he’s not the expert seducer in the room – you are. ”

Tyler gave an amused grunt, his eyes glittering. “Well, well, this has become interesting. You know, I like you, Raine.”

Josiah gave a hard smile. “I have no idea why.”

“Because you’re different. Most people are boring and easy, but you’re far more interesting.”

“Thank you. The one thing I can’t work out is what this whole charade was all about.” Josiah waved his hand around the room. “You almost certainly had nothing to do with Elliot Dacre’s murder, so why go to such lengths to get me onside?”

Tyler shrugged. “It’s a habit. I like to make friends and influence people. Who knows – I might need the advice of a senior investigator one day.”

“You play a long game.”

“I have to. You don’t start out with nothing and get to where I am without learning to make friends in useful places along the way.”

“You started out with nothing? I wasn’t aware of that,” Josiah mused .

Tyler stared at him from narrowed eyes. “I told you my story.”

“And I heard it, but clearly you and I have different definitions of ‘starting out with nothing’. You grew up in a big house with plenty to eat, were given a good education, and someone paid for you to attend the finest university in the land. Now, I can understand that you feel your father was exploited, and he probably was, but it seems to have upset you more than him, and not to the point where you’ve fought against the exploitation of indies yourself.

” Josiah glanced meaningfully at Owen, whose skin tone had gone from pale to ghostly.

“You see, I grew up in the Quarterlands. Go take a visit sometime and then let’s talk again about starting out with ‘nothing’.

Now, this has been interesting, but it’s time for us to leave.

Alexander.” Josiah snapped out the name, and the IS immediately scuttled over, his head down.

Tyler stared at him coldly. “You don’t want to make an enemy of me, Raine.”

Josiah gazed at him, equally coldly, for a long moment. “Likewise,” he said quietly. Then he strode from the room with Alexander at his heels.

Josiah didn’t say a word as they left the mansion and climbed into his waiting duck.

He drove off that island as fast as he could, speeding through the water to put as much distance between them and George Tyler as possible.

They emerged onto solid ground on the other side, and he slammed his foot down until they were miles away.

Then he pulled over and turned to his IS.

“So… that was interesting,” he said.

Alexander’s mask was now well and truly gone, and there was a huge smile creasing his face. “Oh my God. You were magnificent!”

Josiah grunted. “I probably shouldn’t have done that, but I really hate being played. I was an idiot to show my hand so clearly, though.”

“A magnificent idiot,” Alexander said proudly.

Josiah shook his head. “Alexander – what the hell was that about? George Tyler didn’t kill Elliot Dacre, or arrange to have him killed. So why did you take me there?”

“You said you wanted to find out about my life. It seemed a good place to start.” Alexander shrugged, turning away. Josiah put a hand under his chin and pulled him back, so he was facing him again.

“The truth,” he insisted.

“The truth is that I’m a bad judge of character, and you’re not. You saw my brother’s weaknesses, when most people are starstruck by him.”

“What has that got to do with George Tyler?”

“Nothing.” Alexander winced. “It has to do with me.”

“I’m lost.” Josiah threw up his hands in despair.

“I like you, and God knows I want to trust you, but I don’t have the best track record where trusting the right people is concerned. So, I wanted to see how you handled George Tyler. I wanted to see what you made of him, and whether you could see the truth of him, the way you did with Charles.”

“You were testing me?” Josiah asked incredulously.

“Yes. You passed, if that’s any consolation.”

Josiah rubbed his temples wearily. “It could be – if you trust me now, and if you’ll help me find Dacre’s killer, because I’m sure you’re the key to his murder.”

“I’m not quite there yet.” Alexander gave an apologetic smile. “Not even after today, although that really helped. If you knew my history, you’d understand why.”

“Tyler seduced you, too, once…” Josiah said slowly.

“Yes – he dazzled me, like he tried to do with you today. If only he’d known how very hard you are to seduce.” Alexander grinned. “I could have told him that.”

“But back there you thought it’d worked – you thought I’d give up my integrity just because Tyler sweet-talked me and offered me a pretty young man to sleep with.”

Alexander sighed. “Don’t take it personally – it’s just that I’ve seen it happen too often before.

I thought Tyler had worked his magic on you, the way he did with me.

I adored him when I first met him. He was so unlike my father; he had such drive and ambition.

He made me feel like I was part of something, and that I could be his friend – and I wanted that, so much. ”

“That’s how he works, and he’s good at it – the best I’ve seen. You shouldn’t blame yourself – it’s easy to be sucked in by a man like that.”

“You weren’t,” Alexander said quietly.

“I’m thirty-nine, and I grew up in the Quarterlands. You were barely more than a kid when Tyler sank his claws into you.”

“He played me like the fool I was.”

Josiah pondered that for a moment, trying to piece together the parts of this very complicated jigsaw. “I’ve read your file. Are you saying that you ended up as his IS because…?”

“It was a trap. He trapped me.”

“You didn’t steal that money?” Josiah asked eagerly. “Is that why you took me there? Do you want me to prove your innocence and get your sentence overturned?”

“No,” Alexander said firmly, his jaw clenching. “I stole the money; I’m not pinning that on him. It was a trap, but I didn’t have to walk into it quite as stupidly as I did.”

“Alexander, I can’t help you if I don’t understand what you want me to do,” Josiah cried in exasperation.

“I’m getting there. The trouble is, that trust I spoke of goes both ways, and you don’t fully trust me yet, either.”

“I’m getting there,” he parroted back with a wry smile.

Alexander didn’t return it. His face was deadly serious as he spoke. “None of this is what you think. In order for you to understand what’s really going on here, I’ll have to tell you something that will make you angry, or upset, or both, and I want you to trust me before I risk that.”

“Angry?” He felt his old wariness return. “With you?”

“Possibly. I don’t know.” Alexander gave a despairing shake of his head. “But I can’t tell you what this is about without also telling you the thing that will upset you, and right now, I don’t think either of us trusts the other enough for that. I’m sorry.”

“You do know that I can’t just sit around waiting for this bloody trust to happen, don’t you?” Josiah said. “I have a killer to catch.”

“I know that.”

“So, what do you suggest I do while we’re both circling around each other like this? ”

“Your job,” Alexander said quietly. “Just do your job. That’s all I ask.”

Josiah let out an explosive sigh and banged his hands against the steering wheel. “This would all be so much easier if you told me what the hell is going on.”

“I need to be absolutely certain that you’re the man I think you are first. You’re the one shot I’ll ever get at this; I can’t blow it. I’ve been waiting too long.”

“Okay – but if you wait much longer I might run out of patience, and then it’ll be too late.”

Alexander nodded. “Understood. And Josiah?” He leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. It was sweet, innocent, and heartfelt, and its warmth spread through him. “Thank you,” he said softly.