CHAPTER ONE
London
Three years later
Rory was always on her mind, so when Sky thought she saw him striding through the crowded underground railway platform, her heart skipped a beat. She blinked, and the shadow was gone. Imagined it. Wouldn’t be the first time.
She slouched back against the tiled wall in the Hyde Park Corner tube station, scoping the crowd on the platform, looking for an image to sketch—looking for a side of London people didn’t immediately see. She scoured the streets wherever she went, making mental notes she could incorporate in her grungy drawings of city life. The distant sound of trains in the tunnels condensed with the sound of voices around her. She narrowed her eyes, allowing the view to blur.
Once again, a black leather biker jacket caught her attention. The guy wearing it strode along the edge of the platform. When he drew to a halt, he glanced at the electronic notice board. She saw his profile and something inside her responded acutely. She hadn’t imagined it. It really was Rory Rattigan—his familiar thick dark hair, his tall, muscular frame.
Over two years had passed since she’d last seen him. He’d taken off for London with Sean and Draco. They had big plans. Make money, hack their way to fame, rule the world. Last she’d heard Sean was serving a jail sentence for cyber crime. The other two had vanished from social media, making it hard for her to keep track of them. Even though she looked out for them, it was a big place, millions of people. She wasn’t even sure any of them were still in the city.
As she craned her neck to get a better look, he slung a black bag over his shoulder. Her fingers closed tightly around the strap of her own backpack—identical to his. His dad had given them all one for Christmas. Sky smiled. Rory had kept his as well. She ached to run over to him, grab his arm. It was what she’d done in the past, and it always ended badly. Nevertheless, that familiar sense of longing filled her, defying her ability to turn away and ignore his presence.
The tube train rattled into the station, drawing to a stop with a high pitched screech. The crowd hustled forward. Unable to resist, Sky moved through the crowd, keeping him in her sights. For once she didn’t hate the fact she was short, because it meant she could skirt the shopping bags and dive into the gaps, closing the distance fast. The passengers moved like rabid zombies onto the tube train. Usually she would wait until the last moment and stand right by the door. Not this time. Not with Rory in her sights.
By the time the staccato “mind the doors” announcement sounded she was two bodies away from him. Elbowing a business man in the ribs, she got one body closer. Luck was on her side, because her target had found a spot to stand. Rory had his back against the far side and turned to face her just as she closed in. The crowd behind her did the rest of the job for her—she was pushed right up against him a moment later.
His attention was on the phone in his hand.
Rory. His name whispered around her mind. It really was his familiar thick dark hair, his tall, muscular frame just a whisper away from her. She breathed him in, her body acknowledging the familiar mix of leather, his favorite cologne and engine oil. That hadn’t changed. Neither had the worn in jeans that clung to his hips and thighs, and the heavy Jack Daniels buckle on his belt. Her fingers twitched as she recalled latching her fingers over that belt, tugging on it while they’d stolen forbidden kisses with eager, hungry mouths.
His dark brown eyes were overcast, making them appear almost black. His chest was broader, more muscular. The soft fabric of his T shirt stretched over taut muscles. In a heartbeat she was back at home in Cadogan, watching as he’d tugged oil stained T shirts over his head after working on his motorbike, casting them aside with a surly glance in her direction. She’d never been able to look away, and had never forgotten. His face was rugged and defined, with dark stubble covering his jaw. It was sexy. He had a scar she didn’t remember, a slightly curved line stretching the length of one cheekbone.
The tube train sped off.
He shoved his phone into his pocket.
When he shifted, the leather of his jacket brushed against her coat. She leaned in, willing him to notice her. He glanced along the crowded tube train, craning his neck as if he was looking for someone. Then his gaze landed on her.
Sky lifted her chin, staring up at him.
Recognition flickered in his eyes. He scanned her with curiosity. “Sky?”
She breathed, smiled, nodded.
He lifted his eyebrows. “Wow, kiddo, look at you.”
Kiddo. She hated that.
“Visiting London?” He peered down the crowded train again.
Curious, she followed his gaze. The carriage was packed. Was he with someone, or meeting someone—a girlfriend maybe? “No, I’ve been living here.”
“Broke up with Wales, huh?” His handsome mouth quirked at one corner.
“Why not? You did.” The train rocked and she put her hand against his leather jacket to steady herself.
He eyed her slowly. “Copycat.”
Was he always this annoying? “I’m hoping to get a place in Art College next term.”
“I thought you were studying in Wales?”
How did he know that? “It didn’t work out.”
“Blew it, huh?”
The urge to smart mouth him and turn away had her in its grip. As per usual her stepbrother was treating her like a little kid. She didn’t need it any more. She’d grown out of it.
“You look great,” he added.
Her annoyance quickly faded. They were so close she could feel his breath on her face. “You’re looking pretty good yourself, Rory. I’m glad we bumped into each other.”
Their eyes locked. It was still there—that familiar tug between them. Her lips parted. He looked at her mouth. She thought he might kiss her.
Then he refocused, and glanced away staring over her shoulder. “Shit.”
He moved his bag off his shoulder and clutched it in one hand. A frown darkened his expression. “Sky, it’s not a good time.”
Annoyed, she wished she hadn’t approached him. She should have stayed on the platform and waited for another train.
Then she noticed his gaze had locked onto something specific.
She glanced back and saw a guy elbowing his way through the crowd, hood up, eyes on Rory. Her attention sharpened. Rory was in trouble. Some things never changed. “Something to hide?”
“You could say that.” He flashed a warning glance and shifted, so he blocked her view of the oncoming guy in the hoodie. “Stay out of it. Act like you don’t know me.”
Sky was intrigued. “You’re a spy on a mission, right.”
His mouth lifted at one corner. “Near enough. I’m going to have to jump off at the next stop.” He locked her gaze. “Shame.”
That single word and the look in his eyes melted her. She didn’t want to say goodbye. Not now. No matter what trouble he was in.
Sky risked another glance back. The guys approaching him didn’t look like police, and the one in front was a heavyweight, like a nightclub bouncer. A voice in her head warned her to stay out of it. She’d vowed to make it work out in London and that meant keeping her head down and not gravitating to trouble the way she had at home in Cadogan.
The guy got held up by a woman holding a toddler in one arm and a folded push chair in the other. She was giving him a piece of her mind, in colorful language.
The train began to screech as it approached the next station. Rory made ready to leave. Every cell in her body objected.
“Take my bag,” she blurted. She checked her pocket. Her keys and phone were there. It was all she needed. “I’ll take yours. I’m getting off at this stop anyway.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “And then?”
“Meet me at the Coffee Wagon on Paddington station, eight thirty tomorrow morning. We’ll swap back then.”
He shook his head. Then looked down the carriage again. “Okay, but quickly, and leave as soon as you can.”
The tube train entered the station.
Rory gripped her by the collar on her jacket.
Her breathing stopped.
“Be careful.” The intensity in his eyes floored her.
Why was it such a big thing to him? Eventually, she nodded.
They swapped bags.
She paused when she felt the weight of the bag. Her stomach instantly felt leaden. “It’s not drugs is it?”
If it was, she was out of there. Drugs had played a big part in the way her life had played out so far and she never wanted to see or hear about them again. The thought that she might actually be going to cart some around inadvertently by offering to help him out made her blood run cold.
Rory shook his head. “No. Computer data. I want to keep it private. That’s all you need to know.” His eyes flickered, reassuring her.
It was good enough for her. The train doors opened and she headed out without looking back. She darted across the platform and up the stairs, her heart racing as she urged herself through the crowd, well aware they—whoever they were—could jump off the tube train before it pulled away again, if they’d seen the swap.
She glanced down at the bag in her hand, clutching it tightly as she jogged up the escalator. What was in the bag? She wanted to know but forced herself to wait until she was outside and well clear of the tube station.
It was raining. She pulled up her collar and headed down the street. Pausing under a streetlight she opened the bag. It held around a dozen USB sticks and what looked like two computer hard drives. One of the USB sticks had a red sticker on it. Otherwise they were pretty nondescript. Data? Whatever was on there Rory really didn’t want those other guys to get hold of it. What the hell could it be?
Dizzy and high because she’d acted so impetuously, she bit her lip. She couldn’t make sense of what she’d done for him, but it meant she’d see Rory again. She had bait. Then she would show him she wasn’t “kiddo” any more, and he’d regret treating her as if she was.