Diamonds Forever (Diamond Trilogy 3) - Page 83

‘Not kidding. I reckon he’s in a pretty bad way right now,’ said Jason. ‘And somebody needs to help him.’

‘Well … the police?’ Ross held his palms upwards before diving to retrieve the cigarette papers from the floor.

‘They’re a last resort for me,’ said Jason. ‘Had a bit more to do with them than I’d like. But you could go up there. Pay a visit, like, as the friendly landlord, and see what’s what.’

‘Me? What’s it got to do with me?’ Ross did not seem at all happy at the prospect.

‘It’s your house, Ross!’ cried Mia. ‘Where’s your backbone?’

‘Smoked it away,’ he muttered. He found a tobacco tin and began the process of rolling his cigarette. ‘I don’t suppose you’ve got any …?’ He looked hopefully first at Mia, then at Jason.

‘I’m clean,’ said Mia firmly, somewhat to Jason’s surprise. ‘Or trying to be,’ she amended. ‘I have good days and bad days. Anyway. A man’s in danger and you can help him. Why wouldn’t you?’

‘What can I do?’ whined Ross. ‘Harville’s got no respect for me. He’s the reason I’m in this state. I’m off the hard stuff now, but I still owe him thousands. He isn’t even paying me rent for the cottage. Just bungs me the odd eighth now and then. I’m not his landlord, I’m his bitch.’

‘He’s got you right where he wants you,’ said Mia. ‘He’s good at that. We all know it.’

‘Don’t we?’ said Jason dryly. ‘But you don’t have to do anything. Just pay him a visit. We’ll hang around the back while you’re in there with him and see if we can find Deano. No need for anything heavy. Just turn up and say you wanted to, I don’t know, get some book from the shelves or something. It’s your house.’ Jason threw up his hands. ‘You can think of a better excuse than I can.’

‘He won’t buy it. It’ll look weird,’ moaned Ross, lighting his cigarette.

‘Weird is Harville’s normal,’ said Jason.

Ross managed a faintly amused grimace.

‘Yeah, you’re not wrong,’ he said. ‘I suppose I could go up and pretend I need some gear. He always enjoys a chance to make me beg.’

‘There you go, then,’ said Jason approvingly. ‘Sorted. Let’s go. You coming, Mia?’

‘Do you want me to?’ She sounded breathless, almost honoured.

‘Why not? Maybe you can redeem yourself.’

Jenna swore under her breath as her phone rang for the umpteenth time.

She had been holed up with Linda for at least three hours now, and her marketing, PR and all the other people had been ringing frantically about the Facebook photo all afternoon. She was exhausted with the topic, and the embarrassment of it, and very angry at her continuing imprisonment.

‘Where the hell are the police?’ she muttered to Linda, an often-repeated question.

‘They’re busy, I expect,’ said Linda vaguely, looking up from the reality show she was half-watching. ‘You know what it’s like round here.’

‘Busy? I’m being held prisoner here! I suppose they’re all hiding in their speed traps, looking for easy prey. Meanwhile, in the real world, women are being threatened.’

She could hear how spoilt she sounded, but she was too annoyed to care. This was really beyond the pale.

She glanced at her phone, expecting to see the same names that had been cropping up all afternoon, but to her surprise the number that came up was one of Deano’s.

‘God,’ she moaned, clutching her forehead at the thought of what Deano might have made of the photograph. ‘I don’t need this.’

She didn’t answer it.

But it kept on trying until, at the fifth attempt, she gave in.

‘Deano.’

‘No, sorry, this is Parker? His new agent?’

She made everything sound like a question, an intonation Jenna had become used to in LA but heard infrequently in Bledburn.

Tags: Justine Elyot Diamond Trilogy Erotic
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