'To more lies?'
'Do me a fucking favour.' He winces again, shifts slightly and gathers his senses. 'I knew what you'd done. As soon as I woke up, I remembered.'
'You did?'
'Yes. But I pretended to forget. It was a lot easier that way.'
'Then why this?'
Clearly exhausted, he turns to Clive for help. 'You tell her.'
'Are you sure?'
'Of course I'm fucking sure.' He closes his eyes.
Hesitating for a moment at the foot of the bed, Clive looks at the door.
'This wasn't an accident,' he begins.
'What?'
'Don't interrupt,' he warns me sternly. 'Like he said, we haven't got long. His brakes had been tampered with. That's why Dan couldn't stop the bike. That's what he remembered this morning. He wanted to tell me … but I already knew. I took a call from Boyd yesterday, when you were seeing Dan. He just told me straight out: he'd set it all up. One of his lackeys got into the garage, slipped in when the doors were open.'
'So that's why the police are coming?'
He shakes his head.
'Accident investigation. No doubt they've found a fault with the cables. They'll be asking Dan about his enemies … and he'll be pleading ignorance.'
'But … ' I waver, struggling to keep up with the facts. 'You're not going to tell them?'
Eyes still closed, Dan shakes his head.
'You remember the threats?' Clive asks.
'Of course.'
'Well, they still stand. If we involve the police, he'll stop at nothing. He's made that perfectly clear. He's already shown us what he can do: Jodie, your sister … and now Dan. The sort of people working for Boyd don't have a conscience. They'll do anything for money. You won't be safe. Nobody's going to be safe. We can't protect everyone, and neither can the police. I've already spoken to Foultons. They agree. No police involvement. Not yet.'
'So why this? Why finish with me? I don't understand.'
Dan's eyelids flicker and rise. Clearly, he's gathered enough energy to talk again. Levelling his gaze on me, he takes over, forcing out a quiet explanation between breaths.
'He wants to split us up, Maya. You know that. Everything he's tried so far hasn't worked. So now he's moved on to something else.'
'Which is?'
He pauses, eyes softening, and swallows. 'He told me to finish with you … and make it convincing. Layla was the only thing I could think of.'
'And you just went along with it?'
'What choice did I have? It was only going to be temporary. Until we find him.'
'You had the choice to let me know what was going on.'
'Which is what he wanted to do,' Clive intervenes. 'But Foultons advised against it. If you two try to deceive Boyd, at some point, somebody's going to slip up. And look at the state of him, Maya. Can you really keep your distance?'
'She can do it,' Dan says quietly. 'I told you, she can.'
In an instant, every last scrap of anger dissipates, leaving me with nothing but a familiar warmth in my chest, as if my heart's about to catch light. I'm not being dumped at all. In fact, I'm being protected. And more than that, the man I love believes in me, utterly and completely. He trusts me, and I'm not about to let him down. Overwhelmed by it all, I watch as he blinks. Teardrops glisten in his eyes.
'Dan, no.' In a panic, I reach out and smooth his forehead with my palm. 'Don't you dare cry. I hate it when you cry.'
'Touché,' he smiles.
'I'm sorry … I'm so sorry … I've been so awful.' My own tears are flowing now, and I can barely get my words out.
'No,' he whispers. 'You just proved how much you love me. The last thing I wanted was to hurt you. I wanted to tell you. I wanted to … '
'You just did what you thought was right,' I reassure him. 'It's okay. Don't worry.' I look at Clive, catching the warning in his eyes. Time's running out and we need to get down to practicalities.
'So … ' I return my attention to Dan. 'We have to make him think he's won.'
He draws in a breath. 'It could be weeks. Months. I'll have all your things moved back to Camden. You'll be shadowed. Nothing obvious. You'll still be protected, so don't worry about Boyd. I'll be watching you, every day. But you can't contact me.'
My brain fumbles.
'We could phone, text, write to each other.'
'No. No chances. We don't know what he's capable of. He's already got our phone numbers. He might be tapping our calls. And you can't tell anyone. Apart from the security firm, it's you, me and Clive. We're the only people to know.'
'Not Lucy?'
He shakes his head.
'But how can Clive go on seeing her?'
'I can't,' Clive interrupts. 'Our two worlds need to remain separate.'
'But you need to tell her.'
'The fewer people who know, the better.'
'So you're going to end it with her?'
He looks away.
'And this doesn't bother you?'
'Of course it bothers me,' he snaps. 'But she can't know and you can't tell her.' He turns back, his eyes boring into me. 'And don't let her go on the rebound, for fuck's sake.' He points a finger. 'I don't want her seeing anyone else.'
I'm about to tell him he's asking for the moon when the door opens and the nurse appears.
'The police are here.' He casts an anxious glance in Dan's direction. 'They want to see you now.'
'I'll stall them for a couple of minutes,' Clive announces. Moving to the doorway, he ushers the nurse away. 'And then we need to get Maya out of here.'
***
I rise to my feet, lean over and kiss him, taking in the softness of his lips. I have no idea when I'll feel it again.
'I love you,' I murmur, nuzzling my cheek against his.
'I know.' A hand comes to the side of my head. 'Be strong. Keep painting. Make sure Lucy stays on the straight and narrow. And put on a good show.' Fighting back a sob, I raise my head and find him looking up at me, deadly serious now. 'You'll need to see other men.'
'What?'
'A few dates. Make it look like you're moving on.' Even though this must be killing him, he gives me a smile. 'But no kissing … and definitely no shenanigans. I fucking own you, woman.'
'And I fucking own you right back,' I smile through a host of tears. 'So what will you do?'
'I've got enough on my plate for now.' Arching an eyebrow, he nods at the splints, his mess of a leg. 'But when I get out of here, whatever you see, whatever you hear about me, don't believe it.' His blue eyes glimmer. 'And never forget – not for one second – that I love you.'
'How can I ever forget?'
His smile deepens. Eyes locked, we gaze at each other for an age. It's only when I hear voices outside the door that he speaks again.
'We'll sort this out, sweet pea. We'll find Boyd and we'll deal with him. And then you and me … we'll have a life together.'
I kiss him again, suddenly aware that there's something else I need to do. The nickname's kicked my brain into action. With shaking hands, I unclasp the necklace.
'What are you doing?'
'I can't wear it. If Boyd finds out … '
He reaches up, closing his fingers around mine, around the pendant.
'Keep it safe,' he breathes. 'Look at it and think of me … because one day soon, you'll be wearing it again.'