Chris was still on the end of the bed. He took his shoes off, a laborious process, like he’d aged fifty years. Lucas ignored him and turned his attention to the book, rereading the last couple of pages to get himself back into the story.
And he tried to keep his eyes on the book when Ella came out of the bathroom, stripped down to her underwear, carrying her clothes neatly folded. He couldn’t help but be drawn, though, to the backs of her thighs, the slimly drawn curves of her hips and waist, the skimpy tease of the matching black underwear.
She put the clothes near the bed, wrestling under the duvet before tossing the remaining items on the pile. Lucas looked at them, the material flimsy and spent, even more suggestive of the nakedness that was tantalizingly out of reach beneath the duvet.
Perhaps Chris had noticed him looking because he stood up now, staring at Ella like he was mystified by something, probably just by the fact she’d been happy to walk around like that in front of a stranger. He started to put his shoes back on.
Lucas put the book down and said, ‘What are you doing?’
He finished tying his laces, then stared at Lucas defiantly.
‘I need some fresh air. I’m going out.’
Ella lifted her head and stared at Lucas too, waiting for his response. Chris looked wired, determined to get out of there for a while, certainly in no mood to listen to reason. Lucas was hoping Ella might say something, plead with him to stay, but she remained silent, probably sensing, as he did, that it was pointless.
There were other ways of stopping him, of course, but he supposed they were hardly appropriate for a situation like this. The simple truth was, he should never have agreed to the job in the first place; it wasn’t what he specialized in, protecting people, baby-sitting. But here he was, shark playing dolphin, jumping through the hoops but fooling no one.
‘Give me your phone.’
Chris reached into his pocket and threw the phone on the bed, a petty act that seemed to embarrass him once he’d done it. He looked earnestly at Lucas and said, ‘I won’t be long. I just need some space, you know? Fresh air.’
Lucas nodded. ‘Don’t do anything stupid. Don’t call anyone, don’t speak to anyone. When you get back, you knock once and say, “It’s Craig.”’
‘Okay.’ He turned to Ella and said, ‘You’ll be okay?’
She let her head sink back to the pillow and said, ‘I’ll be fine but, like he said, Chris, don’t do anything stupid.’
He left without answering, and Lucas got up and locked the door behind him. As he sat down again, he heard Ella say, ‘Sorry about Chris.’ He looked over. He was about to tell her it was okay, to forget about it, but realized it wasn’t what she needed to hear.
‘How are you holding up?’
‘Not well.’ She sat up, propping the pillows behind her, all the time careful to keep herself covered with the duvet. She looked set to say something, but once she was comfortable she noticed the book in his hand and said, ‘What are you reading?’
‘The Nibelungenlied.’
‘The what?’
‘It’s an old German epic poem, the story Wagner used for the Ring Cycle. Of course, the opera isn’t as good as the book.’ She didn’t even smile, but that was hardly surprising; she was worried and upset, and he spent too much time on his own, his sense of humor stuck in a cul-de-sac where it was required to amuse only him.
‘You read that stuff for pleasure?’
‘It’s a good story.’
She shrugged and said, ‘Did you go to college?’ He shook his head. She thought for a second or two before saying, ‘Have you read any Jane Austen?’
He shook his head again.
‘Never thought it was my kind of thing.’
‘You should try Persuasion. I just finished it. I’d lend you my copy but it’s in my bag.’ He smiled. He liked that they were discussing books, like a real conversation. It wasn’t real, obviously, but it felt close, to him at least.
‘You should try this, too,’ he said. Her mind was already elsewhere, though, probably dragged back by the thought of her bag sitting in their hotel room in Montecatini. It wasn’t a conversation, and her mind wouldn’t allow her the luxury of talking books when there were more important things.
She looked deep in thought for a while before saying, ‘Do you really think they were trying to kidnap me?’ It took him a moment to register the tone of the question; she wasn’t searching for a more innocent interpretation but for a darker one. It made him think she’d had more idea of her father’s business interests than Hatto had given her credit for.
‘It’s hard to say. There are a lot of enthusiastic amateurs out there at the moment. They don’t always act like you expect them to.’
‘But?’
‘My guess is they were sent to kill you.’