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CHAPTER 34

TIA LOOKED AT me, wide-eyed in panic.

Luke must have gone over to Arabella’s and found Tia missing. Rats. My streak of bad luck was holding, and the cat was out of the bag. Our cover was blown. The beans were well and truly spilled.

“I’m just with some friends,” Tia told her brother. “Yes, I do have friends apart from Arabella. No, not the same ones I used to hang out with.” Tia screwed up her face. “No, I’m not taking drugs.”

Tia held the phone away from her ear as Luke lost it and started yelling. I didn’t catch most of it over the music.

“No, I’m not with a guy,” she said.

Except Tia, what with being sat on Ryan’s lap and all, sounded well and truly deceitful.

“It’s just friends, honestly. No, I’m at one of their houses. The stereo’s on really loud.” More yelling. “I can’t turn it down. Er, the remote’s gone missing.”

Ouch. Tia was such a bad liar it was almost painful. We’d have to work on that.

But not tonight. I reached over and took the phone out of her hand.

“It’s Ash.” Now it was my turn to hold the phone away. “For goodness’ sake, stop shouting. It achieves nothing. Look, this is my fault. I called Tia earlier and asked if she fancied a night out with me and a few friends. She was planning a quiet evening with Arabella, but I encouraged her. I’m sorry.”

“She’s my little sister! What have you done, dragged her out clubbing?”

Luke didn’t lower the volume, but our waitress held out a pair of earplugs on a silver tray.

“We are in a club, yes, but it’s perfectly safe, and Tia’s had one of us with her at all times.”

“Clubs aren’t safe. All sorts of bad stuff happens. There’s sex, drugs, alcohol. Someone could have spiked her drink.”

“Not in this club. The door policy’s strict. Anyone even thinking of trying that would be out on their backside.” With my boot up it.

“You don’t know that.”

“Yes, Luke, I do. You want to know why? Because it’s my club, and I set the door policy. And as I hardly ever come here, but I’m in here now, the staff are all on their best behaviour. If someone so much as took a cough sweet this evening, they’d get questioned. Tia’s had one glass of wine, which, I’ll point out, is far less than I’ve seen her drink when you’ve taken responsibility for her.”

That took the wind out of Luke’s sails a bit. “Whatever. I want her home, right now.”

“Fine. But just remember, this was on me. Don’t punish Tia for something that wasn’t her fault.” I hung up and turned to Tia. “Gonna have to go now, honey.”

“I know.” She hung her head. “I’m sorry.”

“I’ve called for a car,” Bradley informed me, ever efficient.

“Thanks, Bradley.”

“You want me to ride with you?” Ryan offered.

“Can he?” Tia asked me.

“Sure.”

The journey back was quiet. Tia sat in the middle of the backseat, curled into Ryan, who had his arm wrapped around her shoulders. I stared out of the window, contemplating how I’d managed to mess things up yet further with Luke. In the game of Bad Girl Bingo, I’d managed to check off covering up a crime, lying to a teacher, and corruption of a minor all in one week. Go me.

All too soon, we drew up at Luke’s home in Lower Foxford. I hadn’t been there since the night of the kidnapping, and it was back to how I first remembered it—a peaceful mock Tudor mansion rather than a hive of crime scene activity.

Tia turned and gave me a long hug. “Thanks for sticking up for me tonight.”

“That’s what friends are for. Just pile everything on me. I’m already in Luke’s bad books; a bit more manure slung at me won’t make any difference. I’ll get Bradley to send your artwork over to Arabella. At least you can pretend you did the project at her place.”

“Love you, Emmy.” Tia hugged me tighter, tears glistening in her eyes.

Apart from Dan when she was drunk, people didn’t often tell me they loved me. In fact, the last person to do so had been Tia’s brother, and I never did say it back. Emotion was something I didn’t do well and now was no different. Words stuck in my throat.

I squeezed her back, breathing deep. “Take care of yourself, yeah? Call me when you can.”

Tia gave Ryan a quick hug as well then walked to the house, dragging her feet. Luke’s silhouette appeared in the open doorway, hands on hips. Still angry. Great.

He moved aside to let Tia past, and I felt his glare, even though I couldn’t see it. When the front door slammed behind them, Ryan tapped on the privacy screen and our car slowly pulled away. Another perfect end to an evening involving Luke.

Would the storm clouds hanging over us ever clear?