Red Notice

34

Tom took Delphine’s hand. ‘Colin, remember, I need you to stay right where you are, mate.’

‘Wait! Wh-where are you going?’ The chief steward’s voice was a strangulated whisper.

‘Don’t worry, I won’t be long. You’ll be fine here. Just do what I asked you, OK?’

Tom led Delphine towards the back of the train. Though his expression and body language showed no outward sign of tension, his gaze was never still, scanning the faces of the passengers they passed, alert for any sign of threat.

‘Do you think he knows you know?’ Delphine’s nausea had been overridden by the adrenalin rush of fear.

Tom raised his hand. ‘No.’

His voice was low. Delphine had never heard it like that. Tom was in work mode, and this was her worst nightmare, but she suddenly knew with absolute certainty that he would die rather than see her harmed. And that dying was not part of his plan.

‘OK.’ She fell silent, but couldn’t stop her eyes straying to the other passengers as she passed them. With her imagination in overdrive, she saw potential enemies wherever she looked. She hesitated as she reached the seats where Grace, Rose and Daniel were sitting, then hurried by without speaking or catching their eye.

Tom led her to an empty window seat, right at the back of the end coach. ‘Sit there. And don’t move unless I come for you.’

Without waiting for a reply, he walked back to where she’d been sitting and collected her bags. When he returned, instead of putting them in the rack, he put them on the table in front of her.

She gave him a puzzled look. ‘Won’t this seem a little odd?’

‘No, it’ll just look like you’re paranoid about losing sight of your luggage. And if things go to rat shit, it’ll act as a barricade. Keep low behind the luggage. It’ll give you some protection.’

‘Rat shit?’ she said, unable to keep the fear from her voice.

He gave her a reassuring smile. ‘It’s just a precaution,’ he said. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll make sure everything’s OK.’

‘Tom.’ She held out an arm. ‘It’s not me I’m worried about.’

‘This is what I do, remember.’ Tom gripped her hand within both of his and kissed it gently before letting it drop onto her lap. ‘I’ll be fine.’

He headed back the way they’d come. If he was right, Laszlo would now keep his head down until he reached Paris. Or maybe he’d stop the train somehow and make a jump for it once they were on the other side of the tunnel.

That didn’t matter for now. What did was that if Laszlo passed the toilet and saw the damage, he would know immediately that he was compromised.

And if that happened, Tom would have to take him on there and then, and hold him until the Brits, French — anyone — came and helped him.