Page 11 of Mercury Rising

“Mercury?”

He nodded.

“I’m Nick Campbell.”

Nick was tall, dark-skinned, with a buzzcut and deep brown eyes. Mercury was absolutely blown away. He radiated sex in an olive T-shirt and light blue jeans. Mercury would probably haveadvised a tight white T-shirt on such a warm summer’s day, but even so.Wow.

“Hi, Nick. Yes, I’m Mercury.”

“And I see you’ve met Gavin.”

Mercury gave the man a nervous smile. Gavin rewarded him with an icy glare.

Nick walked over and peered out of the window.

“Are you expecting someone else?” Mercury asked.

“I’m not blind to who you are, Mercury,” Nick said. “I don’t want photographers hanging around.”

“I’m not going to lie,” Mercury said. “The odd one might bother us. I’m hardly royalty—I don’t think we’ll have a mob. I’m not here for bullshit. I want to get this over as smoothly as possible. Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it.”

Nick raised an eyebrow. “Very honest. I’m impressed. Come with me. Gavin, please can you make sure the art room has enough paint? They’re all really into art at the moment.”

“Sure,” Gavin said. He stalked out of the room.

Mercury had obviously made an enemy. He remained at a loss to explain why.

He and Nick walked through into the kitchen. It was almost as big as Mercury’s at home and filled with lots of equipment.

“Wow,” Mercury said.

“We run cooking classes,” Nick explained. “A local restaurant chain sponsors them and gifted us all this stuff. We’re very lucky. The other room through there is a cinema room. We don’t have the latest equipment. We were lucky that one of the kids’ fathers was throwing out a projector so I thought why not.”

“Why not indeed,” Mercury replied.

“Film club is on a Wednesday. The kids love it. Sometimes I’ll throw in a curveball likeSome Like It Hot. Any suggestions gratefully received.”

Mercury pondered that for a second. “I’m not much of a film buff. Give me a Marvel movie and I’ll be happy.”

Nick regarded him with curiosity. “I can see we might have to educate you too.”

“Bring it on. So, tell me about the kids who come here.”

Nick’s face lit up. “They are brilliant. Well, most of them. Of course, occasionally we get a bad apple but they either sort themselves out or they leave. We don’t entertain drama at Bodhi House.”

“How old are they?”

“Between eleven and eighteen. The most formative time when they’re saying goodbye to childhood and facing being an adult. Not always the easiest thing in a place like this.”

Mercury breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m glad it’s teenagers. Children terrify me.”

Nick appraised him. “I hope you don’t live to regret those words. This mob might be different to teenagers you’ve experienced in Kensington.”

“Maybe on the surface,” Mercury replied. “Anyway, like I said, I’m here to learn and work. Where are they all now?”

“It’s the last day of school before the holidays. They come here seven until nine in the morning and three until eight after school. All that changes next week when they drift in and out whenever they like. Obviously, there are timetabled events but I want them to see this as a home from home. It’s really helpful with their independence development.”

“And what about me?”