Page 25 of The Unlikely Pair

“Who the hell are they?” I can’t help voicing the question circulating in my head for the last half-hour.

“I’m afraid I don’t have a clue,” Harry says.

“When they were speaking, it sounded like Russian to me,” I say.

Harry stares at me skeptically. “Russian? You think the Kremlin is behind this?”

He doesn’t seem particularly perturbed by the idea that one of the biggest nations on Earth is hunting us.

“I don’t know. Maybe. Or some other Russian terrorist group.”

There’s not much difference between the Russian government and terrorists, in my opinion.

“What would they want with two British politicians?” he asks.

“We’re close to an election. I imagine disrupting our democracy could be their objective. Who knows?”

I think this might be the longest Harry and I have ever conversed without bickering. However, it doesn’t feel like the time for an extended celebration of that achievement.

Nor is it probably the time for an in-depth discussion about international politics. I’m sure Harry and I will have a lot to dissect and speculate about later.

If we live that long.

My legs shake, almost threatening to give way under me.

Regardless of who they are, we have armed terrorists hunting us.

My eyes lock onto Harry, and some of my fear mingles with irritation that of all the people I could be here with, it has to be Harry Matheson.

My feelings bubble out of me in the form of sarcasm.

“Am I allowed to be melodramatic yet?” I ask. “Because my assessment of this situation is we’re lost in the Scandinavian wilderness with minimal survival skills and armed terrorists hunting us. Unless you’ve got a different take on it, I’m thinking we’re quite epically fucked.”

Chapter Eight

Harry

Toby stares at me with a combative expression, as if he’s challenging me to disagree. Despite the bravado of his words, his face is pale and his chest rises and falls rapidly.

My stomach is churning, but I make sure nothing shows on my face.

Although I naturally feel compelled to argue with Toby, I don’t think the facts will be on my side in this particular case.

“It appears we are facing a rather unfortunate conundrum,” I say.

He snorts. “I told you something was dodgy about Kade and the whole situation.”

“I don’t believe there is any point wasting time rehashing who was right about what. What’s important is our next course of action.”

Toby raises a skeptical eyebrow. “Is this an attempt to avoid acknowledging that I was right?”

“Fine. You think more like a terrorist than me. I’ll readily concede to that.”

If I hadn’t been studying Toby’s expression so closely, I would have missed the slight upward twitch of his lip because his face quickly relaxes into a scowl.

“I should have just left your skeptical arse back at the clearing. At least that would’ve given me the answer about what they want with us.”

“But what about your social conscience, Toby? Isn’t that the foundation of the Labour Party?” I ask archly.