For the next three days, I worked. Every once in a while I found myself looking around, trying to spot Trevor, but I never saw him. Perhaps Lee had decided to respect my wishes and not have his brother follow me. Or perhaps he was just good at hiding.

The night Lee visited our flat, I’d given in and told Alexis everything. She’d warned me off from the very start, and I had every intention of heeding her advice, but my heart, or maybe it was my vagina, had other ideas. In the end, she didn’t berate me for my choices. After all, if anyone could understand what I was going through, it was Alexis. She’d had an affair with her boss, which in a way was just as illicit as what had been going on with me and Lee.

When I clocked out of my shift on Saturday evening, I’d almost forgotten about all the nasty business and threats to my safety. I had the entire weekend off, and I planned on making the most of it, starting with going to see Reya perform at a small music venue in Soho. Since I worked such unpredictable hours, I rarely got the chance to see her play, so it was a real treat for me.

I decided to catch the Tube into the city so that I could have a few drinks, and wore a dark blue pencil dress with a long royal blue coat and heels. It wasn’t often that I dressed up in a proper girly fashion, so when I did, I put in the effort. I blow-dried and straightened my hair, so it looked shiny and sleek, and wore a small bit of makeup.

I was just walking out of my building when a head suddenly dropped down from above, giving me the fright of my life. Holding my hand to my heart, I stared up at Trevor, who was hanging by his legs from an overhead bar like a goddamn monkey.

“What the hell?” I said, willing my pulse to slow down.

Trevor swung his body around and dropped to the ground, shooting me a wide, toothy grin.

“Sorry about that, Constable. I forget sometimes that people aren’t used to my ways.”

“Your ways?”

“I like to get around in an unconventional fashion.”

“Uh-huh, and what are you doing here?”

“Watching out for your safety,” he replied. “Though if you ask me, I’m not sure you deserve it, what with how you had a hand in fucking up my little brother’s life.”

Oh, for crying out loud. I was in no mood for this conversation. “Your brother fucked up his own life. I just happened to be the one to catch him doing it.”

“Potato, potaaato.”

“I’m serious, Trevor. I was doing my job.”

Stepping past him, I tugged my coat tighter to defend against the cold and walked in the direction of the tube station. Trevor followed heavy on my heels.

“You know, that sounds a lot like something Hitler would say,” he commented.

I rolled my eyes. “I appreciate a well-placed Hitler card as much as the next person, but in this case, you’re completely off the mark.”

Trevor gestured a Nazi salute and I narrowed my gaze, beginning to think that of all the Cross brothers, this was the eccentric one. He wore a pair of pale ripped jeans, chains hanging from the pockets, steel-toe cap boots, and a baggy grey T-shirt that read “Oh. Okay.” under a red tartan bomber jacket. His build was slightly wiry, and his short dark brown hair was messy.

We walked side by side for a few minutes, begrudgingly on my part, before arriving at the Tube station. I swiped my Oyster card while Trevor proceeded to jump the barriers and continue toward the escalators like he hadn’t a care. I looked around, irritated to find there were no attendants about.

“Hey, you can’t just….” I called before stopping mid-stride, my mouth agape as I watched him jump atop the escalators and effortlessly slide down the middle. Several people watched in surprise the same as me, while one man shouted after him angrily, saying he was going to break his neck. I boarded the moving steps and looked down to see Trevor waiting for me at the end, casually leaning against a wall as he checked his phone. He slid it in his pocket when I finally reached the platform.

“So, where to?” he asked, like everything was perfectly normal.

“You…I…eh….” I mumbled, trying to get my head around what he’d just done. “Are you crazy?”

He held up his thumb and pointer finger. “Just a little bit.”

“You need to go back up now and pay for your fare,” I said, trying to sound stern.

Trevor shook his head. “Nah, don’t fancy it.”

I was about to protest further when he grabbed my arm and propelled me forward just as a train reached the platform. Before I knew it, he’d shoved me on board and was ushering me into a seat. I yanked my arm out of his hold and glared at him.

“You’re going to get us both killed.”

He let out a long sigh, sounding like a bored teenager as he replied, “You need to loosen up.” He paused as he cocked a curious brow. “What is it that Lee sees in you anyway?”

What he said got my back up as I stood, walking away from him and down the centre of the aisle. I went through the doors separating the carriages and entered the next one. It had fewer passengers than the last, and I sat down in an empty seat, folding my arms across my chest. A second later, Trevor plonked down beside me, and I scowled hard.

“It’ll take a lot more than storming off in a huff to get rid of me, Constable,” he teased, a grin on his face.

“I’m not in a huff.”

“You are,” he said, pointing his finger into my shoulder. “You’re all in a tizzy because I wondered what Lee sees in you, but you didn’t wait to let me finish. I think it’s the hair. He’s always had a thing for gingers, though his last girlfriend, Tammy, had a dye job, that weird plum colour.”

His mention of an ex-girlfriend caught my interest, and I slid my gaze to him.

Trevor’s grin widened. “Oh, now she’s curious.”

“Shut up.”

He nudged me. “All ya gotta do is ask, Constable. They don’t call me ‘old blabbermouth’ for nothing.”

I gave him a tiny smile. There was something about Trevor that was so playful and child-like that I couldn’t seem to help being charmed by him, even if he had just broken several laws in the space of about three minutes. I was off duty, after all.

“So, tell me, then,” I urged him.

“What do you want to know?”

“How long have they been broken up?”

“About six months. Lee called it quits when she started asking for too much stuff, wanted him to buy her a house, a new car. I mean, the brazen-faced cheek of it!” he exclaimed, and I laughed. “Seriously, though, Tammy wasn’t too bright, didn’t realise that the minute you start flashing the cash, people begin to take notice.” Trevor eyed me meaningfully, and I didn’t need him to explain further. My gut twisted as I was given yet more evidence of Lee and his family’s criminality. “Anyway, Lee’s been all ‘wham, bam, thank you, ma’am’ ever since. Well, until you came on the scene, that is.”

“I’m not sure you should be telling me this.”

“What you gonna do, arrest me?” he asked jokingly, though there was a bite to his words. He still hadn’t forgiven me for Liam, not by a long shot.

“Believe it or not, I only want what’s best for you and your brothers, and though it goes completely against everything I stand for, I care a great deal for Lee, more than I should.”

Trevor eyed me, a quiet descending between us. I turned my head and stared out the window at all the blackness whizzing by.

The silence was only broken when Trevor asked cheekily, “So, does this mean I can start calling you sis?”

I shook my head at him, unable to hold back a chuckle. “Piss off.”

At the next stop we got off, chatting on the walk to the venue where Reya was performing, and, surprisingly, Trevor bought me a drink when we got there. It was a couple of minutes before she was supposed to be on stage, and my unlikely companion was on his phone again. It was starting to irritate me.

“Who are you texting so furiously?” I asked.

Trevor chuckled. “I’ve never heard texting described as furious before. Do my fingers look angry or something?”

“Answer the question.”

“It’s Lee. He wanted to know where we are.”

“Oh?”

“He also told me he’d break my balls if I try coming on to you. I told him you weren’t my type.”

“My disappointment is palpable,” I deadpanned.

Trevor held his phone up to snap a picture. “Say cheese.”

“What are you doing?”

“Lee asked for a pic,” he answered simply, focusing on his phone. “He says he likes your dress. Wants to know what you’re all dolled up for.”

“Tell him it’s because I’m meeting a man,” I replied sassily.

Trevor widened his gaze but continued tapping on his phone. “If you say so.”

I sipped on my drink and waited for Lee’s response. Trevor chuckled. “He says he almost forgot you two had a booty call set for tonight, but he appreciates your effort.”

“That’s a lie.”

“Sure.”

“It is,” I exclaimed. “Anything that went on between me and your brother is over.”

“Well, alrighty, then. So, what’s on tonight? Anything good?”

“Reya’s performing. Remember my friend you met at the nightclub?”

“Chesty Laroo? No shit.”

“If you call her that to her face, I’ll punch you in the testicles.”

Trevor threw his hands in the air. “Hey, ease up. Though it might surprise you to discover, she’s not my type, either. I just said all that stuff about her the other night to piss you off.”

“Are you gay?”

“Nooooo.”

“Well, you seemed to like her at the club.”

“That’s because I’m a shameless flirt,” he said, batting his long lashes. I had to admit, they were pretty enviable. “I can’t help it. Don’t get me wrong, I’d give her a go for a night, but I’m not sure I’d be a returning customer, if you get me.”

“You’re disgusting.”

“I’m just honest. People can’t handle honesty these days. But anyway, I was talking to her because I have a gig I think she’ll be good for.”

“What kind of gig?”

“A ‘none of your bidniz’ kind of gig.”

I levelled him with a deathly stare. “Whatever you’re up to, don’t you dare even think about involving my friend. Reya’s had a rough enough time of it already.”

“Oh, yeah, what happened to her?”

Lifting my martini glass, I threw his own line back at him. “None of your bidniz.”

Trevor laughed loud enough that the women sitting on the other side of us turned their heads. When they saw who the source of the laughter was, they took their time checking him out. Trevor shot them a wink and a suave little, “Ladies.”

Turning back, he eyed me up and down, a secretive grin shaping his lips. “Okay, I think I get it now.”

“Get what?”

“Why my brother has such a hard-on for you. You’ve got a smart mouth. It’s kinda sexy.”

“Oh, shut up,” I said, just as the house lights dimmed down and a brunette stepped onto the stage to announce Reya’s performance. She had a quite a good following these days, so the bar was packed to the rafters.

A minute later my friend took to the stage, dressed all in black: black dress, black tights, black shoes. Her hair was styled in vintage waves, and her makeup was golden-era Hollywood. She looked striking without showing an inch of skin, and I noticed Trevor’s attention was glued to her. He sipped on his pint as Reya’s hands met her piano keys and she played the opening chords to her song. Mouth close to the microphone, she breathed in and out, creating a sound effect as though she was gasping for air. Her style was so realistically unique, and the very reason why I’d been drawn to her from the first time I saw her perform.

When she sang her voice was clear, her accent slipping through and making the lyrics sound more honest. She had the attention of every person in the room, and I noticed that Trevor was uncharacteristically silent. I thought I heard him mutter something under his breath, but I didn’t quite catch what he said.

All too soon her set was over, and the crowd roared their applause. She gave a little bow and walked off the stage, disappearing behind a red velvet curtain. I knocked back the end of what was my third martini, or was it my fourth? Anyway, I finished it and nudged Trevor with my elbow.

“I’m going backstage to see Reya. You coming?”

He nodded and followed me. A minute or two later, we found her packing up her stuff up into a small duffle bag. Sometimes she brought her keyboard to gigs, but since the venue had its own piano, she’d played that instead. It meant she didn’t have a whole bunch of equipment to carry home. Rising, she hitched the bag up on her shoulder before she saw us. I hurried forward, pulling her into a hug and telling her how great the show was. She held her hand up to me, displaying a bandage on her middle finger.

“I almost had to cancel. Cut myself trying to get the crappy window in my bedroom open. It’s killing me now, but at least I got to play.”

“Well, you’d never notice.”

“Bit of WD40 should do the trick,” Trevor put in randomly, and Reya’s eyes wandered to him. She seemed perplexed as to why he was there, but she didn’t question it.

“Pardon?”

“For the window,” Trevor explained. “If it keeps sticking.”

“Oh, I’ll keep that in mind,” she said, an awkward silence elapsing.

Trevor stood with his hands clasped behind his back, studying her. “Why don’t you open your eyes when you sing?” he blurted, something like disappointment in his voice.

“I….” Reya began. “I don’t know,” she lied before turning back to me and changing the subject. “Did you see how many people were here tonight? Crazy talk. It’s a relief I’ll be able to pay this month’s rent now.”

“I know,” I exclaimed. “I’m so proud of you.”

Reya beamed before a guy approaching us caught her attention. “Speaking of which. That’s the club manager. I’d better go and collect my pay.”

I motioned for her to go and a minute later she was back, frowning as she slotted an envelope into her bag.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked in concern.

She shrugged, not meeting my eyes, and I knew she was upset about something. “The bastard low-balled me. When I booked this gig, they said I’d get to keep forty percent of the ticket sales, and now he’s claiming we agreed on twenty. Since I never signed any official contract, there’s nothing I can do. God, I’m such an idiot sometimes.”

“Are you serious?” I said angrily. “He can’t do that. I’m going to have a word.”

Reya grabbed my hand. “No, don’t. If I kick up a fuss, they won’t let me play here again, and I need the money.” We shared a moment of eye contact, and a second went by before we simultaneously realised that Trevor wasn’t standing next to us anymore. Scanning the room, I found he’d approached the club manager, and appeared to be having a serious talk with him.

“Oh, my God, what’s he doing?” Reya hissed, her grip on my hand tightening.

“I don’t know,” I said, pulling out of her grasp before she left a permanent mark.

The club manager gestured wildly with his hands while Trevor spoke over him, his stance confident. The manager frowned and rubbed his chin. Trevor said something else, and then the manager seemed to motion for him to calm down. A moment later he pulled some money from his pocket, counted out the notes and shoved them into Trevor’s hand. Lee’s brother turned and sauntered back to us, holding the money out to Reya.

“There ya go,” he said.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“The twenty percent he owed you.”

“How did you….” she began, but Trevor cut her off.

“Nobody puts baby in the corner,” he said, as though that explained everything. Reya stared at him, flustered, clearly no idea what to say.

“That doesn’t even make any sense,” I told him.

“Course it does. Now come on, I believe you two lovely ladies owe me a drink.”

Yep, definitely the eccentric one, I thought to myself as we let him lead us back to the bar.

***

I woke up the next morning with the mother and father of a hangover. I’d stayed out longer than I planned to, letting Trevor convince me into going to nightclub after nightclub. The three of us drank and danced, and then drank some more. I literally lost count of how much alcohol I’d consumed, and that never happened. Every time Trevor looked at his phone, I got a little tingle down my spine, knowing he was texting Lee. It was disconcerting that just being around someone who had contact with him got me excited.

Though honestly? There was very little about my relationship with Lee that wasn’t disconcerting. Or, well, my non-relationship, as seemed to be the case now.

Alexis gave me a smug grin as I trudged my way to the bathroom. She sat by the kitchen counter, eating a bowl of cereal, and looking pleased with herself now that she wasn’t the only one who wanted to vomit their guts up first thing in the morning. Though at least she had a valid reason.

Instead of taking a shower, I ran a bath, pouring in extra bubbles before sinking into the soothing water. The honey and almond scent made me feel a little less like death warmed over. When I finally got out and dressed myself, I decided the first order of call was to go shopping for hangover food. It was after one o’clock when I left the flat to walk to the nearest shop.

Unlike last night, this time I spotted Trevor before he spotted me. He was hanging from the same metal bar, half his body suspended in mid-air.

“How’s the head, Constable?” he called when he finally saw me.

“Thumping. Why are you here?”

“I’m on guard duty again. No rest for the wicked.”

“Well, I’m just going to the shop. Then I plan on spending the rest of the day in bed, so you can head home,” I said, continuing on my way as Trevor dropped to the ground, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking alongside me.

“Lee wanted me to invite you over to ours. When I told him about our escapades last night, he said you must be hung over as fuck, and in need of a good feeding. He’s cooking a roast.”

“I’m not going to your house,” I said, my statement final.

“Why not? It’s free food, plus you’ll get to swoon over my brother and be all, Oh, Lee, take me upstairs and handcuff me to your bedpost. I want you to take me prisoner this time,” Trevor teased, pitching his voice higher. I smacked him on the arm and told him to shut up.

“I do not sound like that,” I huffed, and he chuckled.

“I know you don’t, you’ve got a bit of a husky rasp going on. Very sex-ay. But seriously, you’ve got to come. Lee said he wants to update you on everything that’s been happening. I mean, he’ll probably end up crying tears of sorrow into the gravy pot if you don’t show.”

I gave him a narrow-eyed look. “You’re really weird, do you know that?”

“Oh, give it up, we both know you’re charmed.”

“I’m far from charmed.”

“Then why have we already walked by the shop, huh? You’ve decided to come over and you don’t even realise it yet.”

“Why can’t Lee just call me on the phone and ‘update me’?”

“Maybe because that’s the unsexy option. Or maybe because the phone lines are being tapped.” He widened his eyes in mock terror.

I frowned, knowing I was never going to win with him. “But won’t it be a bit awkward? Liam’s got to hate me, and Stu’s never exactly been my biggest fan.”

“Lee’s already had a word with them. They’ll be on their best behaviour.”

I eyed him for a minute, unsure whether he was telling the truth. Unfortunately, I couldn’t deny that I really wanted to find out what was going on. Maybe my hung-over brain wasn’t functioning properly, because after a minute I finally gave in and told Trevor I’d go with him.

When we got to Lee’s street, I glanced up and down, checking to see if there were any suspicious-looking vehicles around. As it happened, there were only a few cars, and all of them were empty. Besides, being such a shrewd customer, I thought that if Lee was being monitored, he’d know about it.

Christ, what the hell was I doing? I really shouldn’t have been there. The old woman I’d noticed peeking out her window at me before was standing by her doorstep two houses down, a sweeping brush in her hand as she swept dust from her hallway out onto the street.

“Hello, Trevor,” she said with a warm smile, at the same time eyeing me somewhat suspiciously. Did she recognise me out of my uniform?

“Afternoon, Mrs Spencer,” Trevor replied, “You’re looking fetching this fine Sunday.”

The woman chuckled and shook her head, waving him off. God, he really was a shameless flirt. I swear, if there was a cat in front of him, he’d find some way to chat it up.

Stepping inside the house, Trevor led me into the living room, where Sophie was sitting on the floor, playing with her son and another little girl. It took me a moment to recognise her as the next door neighbour’s kid, the one I’d seen the first time I came here.

“Isn’t that the girl from next door?” I asked curiously. I remembered how she’d run to Lee, like he was a safe place away from her nutjob of a mother, and how it had warmed my heart.

Trevor’s expression sobered as he nodded, while Sophie explained, “This is Billie. I’m taking care of her because her mum’s gone AWOL. She was in the house alone for two days before I found her. Some people don’t deserve to have kids.” She sounded angry, and I couldn’t blame her. I remembered Lee telling me how Sophie’s mother had abandoned her in a similar fashion when she was only little. Looking back at the girl, I saw that she was wearing clean clothes and her hair was braided into a French plait. It seemed like she was being well looked after, but I still wanted to suggest they call social services.

“Sophie’s determined to foster her,” Trevor told me quietly. “Lee’s not sure the social will give her the green light, though.”

I nodded, looking back to Lee’s cousin and completely getting it. Even though she was young, there were some women who were just born to be mothers, and seeing how Sophie interacted with Billie and her son was evidence of that.

“So, you’re with Lee now? Can’t say I saw that coming,” said Sophie, breaking me from my thoughts. Her expression gave nothing away, and I really couldn’t tell how she felt about me.

“Oh, no, we’re not….” I began, but she waved me off.

“Don’t bother. I get it. I just hope you both know what you’re doing,” she said, her face serious.

And that was the problem, wasn’t it? I wasn’t sure either one of us had a clue what we were setting ourselves up for, or where this would lead. Ever since I’d first met Lee, a feeling of recklessness had formulated in my gut, and it had only grown bigger and bigger each time I saw him. A part of me didn’t want to live by all the rules and procedures anymore; it wanted them to scatter in the wind.

Trevor turned to go into the kitchen, and I followed him. Stu was sitting at the table, typing on a laptop, while Lee stood by the cooker, checking on the food.

“What the fuck’s she doing here?” somebody asked angrily, and my attention went across the room to Liam, who was leaning against the wall with his arms folded. I shot Trevor an annoyed glance. Clearly he’d been lying when he said Lee had told his brothers I was coming.

“Yeah, I second that,” Stu piped in, his eyes narrowed to slits.

The two of them regarded me with open hostility, causing my stomach to twist with discomfort. The notion that I shouldn’t have been there echoed in my head once more. Lee wiped his hands on a dishcloth and levelled each of his brothers with a sharp look. “The two of you, shut it. She’s here because I say so.”

Both Liam and Stu bristled at the authority in his voice, but they didn’t argue. I barely had a chance to blink when Lee came toward me, his stride purposeful.

“Karla,” he breathed, and the way he said my name made me shiver. He slid his fingers between mine and pulled me back out into the hallway for privacy.

“They’re right — I should leave,” I said before he could get a word in.

His hands went to my face, palms cupping my cheeks as his eyes flickered over my features. “You look tired,” he murmured, his voice low and tender. The gravelly tone had a strangely arousing effect on me, and I suddenly felt too warm. I was also overly aware of how much I’d missed him. All of him.

Trying to summon some reserve, I took his hands and lowered them from my face before stepping back a bit. Clearing my throat, I said, “Trevor said you had an update for me.”

Lee frowned and closed the distance I’d put between us. “Still all business, eh?”

“I don’t see how I should be any other way.”

We stared at one another in silence, so much want between us I could almost taste it on my tongue. Unable to resist, my gaze lowered to his lips. I missed how they felt on me, missed how his eyes could devour me from the inside out. Schooling my expression, I knew Lee could see just how much of a hard time I was having being this close to him. He took a deep breath and stepped away.

“All right. Let’s do this your way, then. The update is that everything’s been settled. Nobody’s gunning for you anymore. It was mostly a precaution anyway, because they didn’t even know your name.”

Air rushed out of me all at once. “That’s good news.”

Lee eyed me speculatively. “Yeah, it is. So, are you staying for dinner, or are you gonna run off now that you’ve gotten what you wanted?”

“You could have just called me, you know.”

“I know,” Lee said, looking me up and down before whispering, “but then I wouldn’t get to see you.” He breathed in deep, moving closer, and I shivered slightly. “You smell incredible. What is that?”

“Uh, honey and almond,” I answered, blinking. His proximity was causing me to flounder a little.

“Stay, Karla, eat. I want to spend time with you. And I promise I won’t touch you unless you ask me for it,” he told me huskily.

I should have tucked tail and fled right then, but I didn’t. No, I was my own worst enemy, because I didn’t have the willpower to say no to him. Finally, I nodded shyly and was rewarded with the handsomest of smiles. He took my hand in his again and led me back into the kitchen.