They clung to each other and both cried. It truly was a complete mess. How had it come to this and what was the purpose of it all?
‘He is not well,’ said Sasha eventually, as he pulled away. ‘He is a very ill boy. He needs treatment, which I cannot afford. I need money for the operation.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ said Tina, with genuine emotion.
‘I need your help.’
‘Me? What can I do? I haven’t got any money, Sasha.’ She dropped her hands away.
‘You have something that I need. Something I gave you.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘Okay, listen very carefully.’ He ran his hands down his face and then holding her at the tops of her arms, looked intently at her. ‘Do you remember your last birthday we had together. We went to Covent Garden for a meal?’
‘Of course. You ordered a huge bottle of champagne.’
Sasha nodded. ‘That is right. And do you remember what I gave you?’
‘A necklace.’ The memory washed over her. It has been a lovely evening, one she had treasured in her memory as the last time they had been out together. A bittersweet thought.
‘What else did I give you?’
‘A key,’ she stumbled over the words as her emotions fought to take control and send her into another ocean of tears. ‘You said it was the key to your heart. That it locked the happiness in for a lifetime.’ Oh no, now she realised he had been laying the groundwork in case something went wrong with the robbery. Her once-beautiful memory of their evening out for her birthday had, in fact, been the last supper, except she hadn’t known it then. Hadn’t known that a week later he would be gone, seemingly forever.
She realised the sob was her own.
‘Tina, stop, please. You must listen.’
He sounded desperate. Who the hell was he to tell her to stop crying, to stop feeling? ‘You have no idea how much pain you have caused.’
‘I’m sorry. More sorry than you can ever understand, but please listen. I have not got much time.’ He glanced around, up and down the seafront. ‘Do you still have the key?’
Tina wiped her eyes, quashing the grief that was churning in her throat. ‘I do. It’s at home.’
‘It’s for a safe deposit box in Brighton.’ He handed her a piece of paper. ‘These are the details. You must get me the money so I can pay for Nikolay to have the operation he needs. Without it, he will die.’
In that instant she knew she had made a mistake. She stood up, pulling Sasha to his feet. She had only seconds to act.
Tina threw her arms around him. She kissed his cheek long and hard.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she whispered.
‘What for?’
‘You must forgive me.’ She felt his arms tighten around her. ‘Trust me. I will do it.’
He pulled back to look at her.
‘Thank you. Спасибо.’
She leaned in and whispered in his ear. ‘Бегай. Бегай!’
Chapter 30
‘No!’ John shouted, pulling the headphones from his ears.
‘What did she say?’ said Martin, doing the same to his headset. John was already throwing the driver’s door open.
‘Бегай. Run,’ shouted John as he slammed the door shut. ‘She’s telling him to run.’
The two men raced towards the seafront, it was over fifty meters away and Sasha now had a head start. Their feet pounded the tarmac, covering the distance at speed.
They rounded the corner of an ice-cream stall. The bench was just along from it.
There sitting, her hands on her lap, waiting for them, was Tina.
‘Where is he?’ demanded John coming to a halt in front of her.
She shook her head. ‘I’m sorry. I couldn’t do it.’
‘For fuck’s sake, Tina!’ He was aware he had shouted. John scoured the promenade. Apart from a couple of joggers and someone walking their dog, it was empty. John spun round, his eyes scanning every direction.
‘There! In between the cars,’ said Martin. ‘I’ll go. You stay with her.’
Tina stood up and watched Martin thunder across the crazy golf course, hopping over the small stone wall in pursuit of Sasha.
‘What the hell were you playing at?’ demanded John, fighting to keep his temper in check.
‘You heard what he said. His son is sick. He needs the money to pay for life-saving treatment,’ she said. ‘I couldn’t let my son’s brother die.’
After everything Sasha had done to her, she could still find compassion. John felt humbled and shamed.
A crackle of a radio splintered the quietness between them and a rasping, out-of-breath voice sounded out.
‘Lost him … Can’t see him anywhere.’ John saw the relief on Tina’s face. Martin’s voice came again. ‘John? You there, mate? Did you hear me? He got away.’