Chapter 25

25

S ol was halfway through watching The Revengers , Richard Fynn's first foray into that franchise of corrupt half-droid, half-human cops that was released in 2008.

She was battling her impulse to fall asleep, and it didn't help her case of somnolence that she didn't care for all the fast-paced, CGI-heavy action sequences. Plus, the flick was almost two and a half hours long. When did Hollywood start ditching the whole superiority of ninety-minute movies with people just talking?

She was about to shut the television off, search for the rest of the plot of the movie on Wikipedia, and go to sleep when she heard the doorbell.

It was after ten and she wasn't expecting anyone. She was rarely up that late at night, usually tucked in bed with the company of a good book—a health-conscious custom she'd picked up during her California days.

She wasn't in the habit of opening her front door for no reason either, especially not that late. She checked the camera on her smart lock and saw Luke at her front door. She rolled her eyes impatiently but went toward the door. What on earth could he want with her? He'd called her a couple of times that evening, but she'd hoped he'd taken the hint when she hadn't picked up the phone.

She was not interested.

She stopped herself halfway to the door. She didn't want to chat with him. It was late, she was tired, and she had a long flight the following evening. She could simply not answer the door, and that would be it. He buzzed again and a question popped into her mind: How did he know she lived there?

She'd never given him her London address. She panicked a bit. She lived alone, and he probably knew that since he also knew where she lived. She didn't know that much about him at all. Luke buzzed a third time, and she talked to him through the smart lock app on her phone.

"How do you know where I live?" she asked, a tone of alarm she hadn't intended to show in her voice.

"That's what I came here to explain. Also, to tell you about my line of work and why I was so hasty this afternoon when I saw you," he said through the smart lock.

"I wouldn't call it hasty, I'd call it rude," Sol said.

"Listen, I'll be at the pub around the corner for a while. I'm sure it's still full of people, in case you want to come and we can talk in a public setting where you feel safe." It was as if he read her mind.

"How do I know you won't be waiting for me on the street when I get out of the house?" Sol asked.

"Because you can check the camera on your doorbell, and you've been alone with me before. You know I'm a nice person. And it's not like I haven't tried calling before showing up unannounced. I'll be waiting at the pub."