‘Why not?’
‘Because things will take an unpleasant turn for Matthew and Jada if you do.’
‘Then just let me go.’
‘I can’t do that.’
‘You told me yourself that none of us are irreplaceable.’
‘I have invested too much time and effort in you to let you fuck up your future.’
‘Stop recording me. Turn off the cameras in my house,’ Anthony replied. ‘Don’t monitor me. Let me get on with my job.’
Hyde hesitated. ‘You attended a Freedom for All meeting. You disappeared from surveillance after our last meeting in London. I cannot trust you.’
‘Likewise. But I’m doing as I’m told. I’ve sent my family away so that I don’t lose focus. When the next stage of this project is over, I want out. And I want a guarantee there will be no repercussions.’
When Hyde didn’t answer immediately, Anthony’s finger again squeezed the trigger. It was enough to secure an answer.
‘Okay,’ said Hyde. Anthony lowered his weapon, the screens turned themselves off as quickly as they had switched on.
78
Jeffrey
Jeffrey’s head turned sharply as the front door swungopen, hitting the wall with a thud. He knew who was there before their eyes met.
Noah was breathless, his cheeks a dark crimson colour. He stopped at the entrance to the lounge when he caught sight of Jeffrey sitting on the sofa. Jeffrey wore only his underwear.
‘So you got my video?’ Jeffrey asked. ‘I wasn’t sure because you didn’t reply.’
The clip had lasted a minute. It was of Luca lying face down on his and Noah’s bed and Jeffrey on top of him, smiling to the camera as he rocked back and forth.
‘Why?’ asked Noah.
‘You gave up on your marriage. Did you expect Luca to wait around?’
‘I needed space.’
‘And look where that got you. But based on everything I’ve seen and heard over our time together, your marriage was over long before I arrived or you walked out. Luca was never going to be enough for someone like you and he knew it. So he wasn’t going to waste any more of his life.’
‘We are DNA Matched. We belong together.’
‘So why have you been looking for a divorce lawyer? I’ve seen the search history on your work computer.’
‘Because we were happier before we got married! If we get divorced then we can start again; go back to the way things were.’
‘Well, as you can see, it’s too late for that. You’ve lost him. He and I are together now.’
Noah’s eyes narrowed. ‘Is that what you told the others, Jeffrey?’
‘What others?’
‘The other couples you’ve sabotaged and picked apart and forced to split up even though they wanted to stay together? And what about the others who didn’t survive your intrusion? Those who ended up dead like Harry and Tanya Knox? Or disappeared like Mickey Richards or the Armitages?’
Jeffrey’s body tensed. How could he know their names? Then he recalled catching a glimpse of Noah talking to someone at the Freedom for All meeting. Could they have been colluding?
‘Freedom for All has built a substantial case against you,’ Noah continued, confirming Jeffrey’s suspicions. ‘Every couple you split up, each client you were supposed to counsel but instead created conflict for, the ones who rejected you and you ruined . . . we’ve all made official complaints against you.’
