19. Nineteen

Nineteen

M y stomach turns over, the way it always does when I hear his name. "What … what news?"

"I don't know. The private investigator has sent some photos over. Come on. Let's take a look."

Art takes my hand and leads me round his desk. He sits down and pulls me onto his lap. Within a few clicks, he brings up his personal emails on the laptop. "He's been tracking Theo's movements. Everything has seemed pretty routine. He goes to work every day on the tube to an accountancy firm in Shepherd's Bush …"

I nod. "Yes, he's worked there ever since he graduated."

"He comes home every evening and doesn't seem to go out much. There aren't many comings and goings at his place. It's pretty uneventful stuff, but I asked the PI to let me know if anything out of the ordinary happened."

I nervously chew my thumbnail. "And? "

Art clicks open the email. "And we're about to find out."

Four black-and-white images appear on the screen. The shots are taken at night from a distance. Theo's wearing black and looks shifty, glancing over his shoulder as he walks into a building. The last two photos show him leaving.

"So … that's the bastard." There's a stiffness in Art's voice. His jaw twitches with tension, and his gaze darkens as he glares at the photos.

I realise this must be the first time Art's clapped eyes on him.

"Yeah," I say quietly.

He narrows his eyes as he looks closer at the screen. He furrows his brow.

"What? What is it?" I ask.

A look of recognition crosses his face before changing to concern.

I glance at the photos to try and work out what's going on. It's dark. I can't make out what the building is. "What's the matter?"

"The building Theo's going in and out of in the photos. I recognise it."

This is getting weird.

"Where is it?"

Art scrolls down and reads the bottom of the email. "I thought so. It's Savage. He arrived at ten last night and left at midnight."

I look at him in disbelief. "What? I don't understand. I'm pretty sure he never went to that sort of club while we were together. How would he have afforded it? Mind you, I didn't know everything he got up to … I didn't think he was cheating on me either."

Art idly strokes his hand up and down my arm. "There haven't been any reports of him arriving or leaving with anyone. He could be going to get laid … unless …" He trails off, staring at the photos, lost in thought.

"Unless what?" My eyes slide from Art to the screen and then back again, trying to fathom what he's thinking. "It could be a coincidence."

He slowly shakes his head. "I don't believe in coincidence. Your ex is going to a club I used to go to, and he suddenly knows stuff about my past and us. There's a link. There's got to be. "

Goosebumps prickle across my flesh at the horrid thought that someone who knows us both is at the centre of all this. "Who could it be?

Art strokes his fingers across his jaw in thought. "The only people who know about the accident and me going to prison are my old PR guy, Mum, you, Lucy, Big Steve, and Ash. None of whom go to the club."

My hackles instinctively rise at the mention of her name. "Aisling does."

"Did. She stopped going a couple of years ago."

I frown at the fact that he's probably right. I think this is a step too far, even for her. I rack my brains. "There's got to be another link."

Art looks at me. "Tara."

"Does she know about the accident?"

"She worked at Dark Desires a long time. She could have easily overheard something between me and Big Steve over the years. She was always hanging around the manager's office."

My eyes widen as my brain ticks back to my conversation with Theo. Everything clicks into place. "That's it! Theo mentioned something about everyone only being separated by six degrees. I thought he was just trying to freak me out, but maybe he was telling me something."

Art nods as the story slots into place. "He's a nutter and in love with you. He'd probably bring you up at some point if he and Tara got talking in the club. She'd put two and two together."

"I bet she'd think she struck gold when she realised who Theo was. She's hated me from the start. She told me about you owning Dark Desires because she hoped that would break us up. This is a perfect opportunity for her to try and do it again."

"And she and I didn't exactly part on the best of terms," he says.

Even now, Tara might be stirring things up. Because Art cut her out of the loop, she could be trying to be clever by getting someone else to do her dirty work for her.

"What now? Are you going to go to Dark Desires and confront her?"

Art rakes his fingers through his hair and gives me a troubled look. "She doesn't work there anymore. After I cut her off, she was so pissed off, and she resigned. "

"And now, she's getting her revenge," I add, staring at the black-and-white photos of Theo. "So, how are you going to get in contact with her?"

"Firstly, we need to be certain Theo's definitely spent time with her at the club. If he has, then there's a high chance that's where all this shit started."

"How are you going to do that?"

Art picks up his mobile off the desk and starts typing a text. "I know a guy at Savage who works in the back office. He'll be able to tell me whether they've had any sessions together."

"Isn't that illegal?"

Art shoots me a look and presses Send. "I'm hoping the lure of a year's free gym membership will prove too much of a temptation for him. I'm going to get to the bottom of this. I think we're onto something here."

"If we find out Tara has spent time with Theo, what next?"

"I need to speak to her."

"Why don't you call her and arrange to meet her somewhere?"

He frowns, shaking his head, not convinced by my suggestion. "She was pretty pissed off when I cut her out; she's not going to agree to meet up with me for a little chat. She worked at Dark Desires for three years and left because she was so fucked off with me."

"She's had a thing for you for ages," I say flatly. "I'm pretty sure she'll agree to meet you anywhere."

He exhales deeply and leans his head back against the chair. "Maybe but not to chat."

My stomach twists with uneasiness at what he's getting at. Tara wouldn't want to talk to him. She'd want to fuck him.

"What are you saying?"

He throws me a hesitant look. "If I text her and arrange to hook up with her at Savage, she might go for it."

I stare down at my hands in my lap, uneasiness running through me. "Like you used to. "

He curls his hand in mine. "It's the only way I can think of getting her to meet me."

Him going back to the club. With Tara. I run my thumb over his knuckles and try and work out how I feel about the idea.

"I'll be able to question her. I want to know what she's said about me and you. I'm going to stop this once and for all." He puts a finger under my chin and lifts my face, forcing me to look at him. "But if you're not happy with me meeting up with her there, I won't."

I stare at the grainy images of Theo's face on the screen. Art's right. Tara might not be the only one stirring up trouble. Theo's my ex, and he's trying to cause problems between us. After all these years, I'm not letting him waltz back into my life and start fucking things up for me. He's fucked up enough of my life already.

I can't believe what I'm about to agree to. Even if it is a ruse.

"Do it," I say firmly. "But I'm coming with you."

He frowns. "What?"

"I want to hear it. I want to know what she says, and I want to know what Theo's said to her. This affects us both."

His mobile beeps again. Art drags his gaze from mine and looks at the screen. The frown on his forehead deepens. "My guy says Theo and Tara have met several times over the past few months." He glares at the photos of Theo, his gaze hardening. "The game's on."