Annie pulled out a chair. She didn’t dust it off, although it took an effort of will to resist the temptation. She sat down, took a breath. And told her cousin and her cousin’s children about the intruder – leaving out the shooting and who she believed the victim to be – and the bomb, and the man who had tried to attack Layla.
‘Holy crap,’ said Molly when Annie finished speaking.
‘I think you should all clear out for a while,’ finished Annie.
‘So that’s why Layla’s at the club with all that muscle hanging around,’ said Junior.
Annie didn’t reply to that.
‘I don’t run,’ he said defiantly. ‘Not from nobody.’
Annie looked to Kath, then Molly. ‘I’m here to let you know, that’s all. I think you’d be well advised to disappear, take a holiday, tell no one where you’re going. Because they’ve had a serious pop at me, and at Layla too. There’s no telling where they intend to stop. And you’re family.’
‘And if we don’t?’ asked Molly.
Junior crossed his arms over his well-muscled middle. ‘Fuck ’em. Let ’em come.’
Annie stood up. ‘Look – I’m telling you, you should go. Talk to Steve, there’s a safe house waiting.’
‘And if we don’t?’ asked Junior.
‘If you don’t… well, keep your eyes open. Whoever they are, they’re not messing about.’
Tony drove her back to Holland Park. She hadn’t been indoors ten minutes when the doorbell rang. She poked her head out of the study door, expecting to see Rosa letting someone in. Instead she saw Bri doing the honours.
Instantly she recognized black-haired Sandor, big as a bear as he lumbered inside. He was scanning the interior, checking everything was clear. Then Alberto Barolli stepped into the hall, two more men coming in behind him, covering his back.
Annie leaned against the door frame and grinned with delight. ‘Shit!’ she said. ‘The eagle really has landed.’
‘Hiya, Stepmom,’ said Alberto, striding across to give her a hug. ‘You OK here? I came as soon as I could.’
‘I’m fine. There’s been some trouble, though.’
Alberto glanced around. ‘Layla here?’
‘No, I thought she’d be safer elsewhere.’ She told him about Ellie’s place.
‘I’d like to see her, I’ll go today.’
‘She’d like that.’ Annie said it automatically, though she doubted her own words. Layla had been awkward around Alberto all through her teenage years. Attending school in England, she had managed to duck out of any significant contact with him. Teenage girls were funny.
When she had been a teenager… Annie thought back and almost cringed with the shame of it. God, she had been obsessed with Max. She’d hung around wherever she’d thought he’d show up. She’d literally thrown herself at him. Annie was convinced that Layla’d had a similarly massive crush on Alberto. And she wondered whether her daughter nursed an infatuation for her glamorous and dangerous ‘stepbrother’ even now.