‘I’m not with Golden Boy,’ she said. There was a cramp in her left shoulder. She could feel her temper starting to take hold. ‘I never have been.’
‘Sure.’
‘Alberto’s my stepson.’
‘Yep.’
‘And that’s all,’ she said. She wanted to scream it. She forced herself not to.
‘If you say so.’
‘I do say so. And actually – if I wanted to “be” with him, as you so tastefully put it, I could whistle for it. Because he doesn’t see me that way.’
Max’s eyes narrowed to slits. ‘And how does he see you? Exactly?’
‘As his stepmom. Which is what I am. Nothing more, nothing less.’ Annie took a calming breath. He could do this to her, every time. Make her blind with rage, completely lose it. But she wasn’t going to. Not this time. ‘And you know what? I’ve had this out with you already. About a thousand times. And I am not doing it again. So let’s get down to business, shall we? The man who planted the car bomb. Do you think it was Redmond?’
‘Dunno. Bulky and red-haired, that was the description Layla gave me of that fucker in the park, and it matches what the police are saying about the bomber. But Redmond? Not sure. Could have been.’
Annie’s mouth dropped open. ‘What do you mean, it could have been?’ she snapped. ‘Is that the best you can do? You’ve got people crawling all over this city and you say it could have been?’
‘No other sightings,’ he shrugged.
‘Well, let’s not wait for sightings,’ said Annie sharply. ‘Let’s go to where the Delaneys are likely to be found. Their old houses, clubs, the places they controlled. What about the scrap yard, is that still operational?’
‘We’ve covered that. The scrap yard’s gone, has been for years. Everywhere’s been checked out,’ he said. ‘No sign of Redmond. The boys have lifted quite a few stones, waited to see what crawls out from underneath. Nothing much has, except-’
‘Then we’re sitting ducks! If he realizes Orla’s been taken care of, he’s going to come in all guns blazing.’
‘You going to let me finish? We’ve found a distant Delaney relation called Dickon. We think there’s a cousin too, but we’re having trouble tracking him down.’
‘For God’s sake, Max, why didn’t you say so?’
Max gave a slow smile. ‘Scared?’
Annie glared at him. ‘Fuck you. Of course I’m scared. I’m scared for Layla. She’s already trying to break out, and it’s dangerous. She has no idea what we’re dealing with here – and I don’t want to tell her just how sick, scary and downright bloody perverted Redmond is.’
‘If he’s alive,’ said Max.
Annie nodded slowly. ‘You know what…?’
‘Go on.’
‘I’ve got a creepy feeling. I think he is. I really do.’