Ben shied away, laughing.He got to his feet.“Err…” He scratched his neck, seemingly embarrassed at something then sat again.He took a sip of the tea.“Any sugar?”
Nikolas licked his lips.“You don’t take sugar.”
Ben gave him a brief glance.It wasn’t the expression he’d been giving Nikolas for eight years, the one that told Nikolas he saw through all his bullshit so “shut the fuck up”.Ben laughed again.“Sorry, but who are you?”
It was something of a showstopper.
Ben looked at Squeezy, brows raised questioningly and with a slight flick of his head to Nikolas, clearly repeating his question to his friend.Squeezy sat very cautiously at the table.Nikolas was incapable of moving.Or speaking, come to that.
Squeezy asked hesitantly, “What do you remember?”
“Remember?”
“Yeah.What were you doing…I don’t know…yesterday?”
“Um.I’m not sure.Fuck, was I drinking?Did I pass out?”
Nikolas perched very slowly on one of the other chairs.Ben stared at him.“So, you are…?”
Before Squeezy could speak, Nikolas interjected quickly, “My name is Sir Nikolas Mikkelsen.Do you remember me?”
“Nope.Sorry, sir, should I?”He suddenly looked around, and his eyes widened.“Where is this?Did—?”
“Ben?”Squeezy immediately laid his hand on Ben’s arm.“Fucking chill out, okay.There’s nothing wrong here.We were on an op together.You got injured.Bang on the noggin’.You’ve been out of it for a while.It’s all good now.Few days, and the doc says you’ll remember everything.”
Ben visibly relaxed.“Okay.We were on an op together?But you were in the States on the Apache course.Did you get booted off?Tosser.”
Squeezy blinked at Nikolas and spread his fingers on the table.Ten.He’d been on the Apache course ten years ago.
Ben regarded Nikolas more fully.“So…sorry, I’m being a pillock, but you are…?”
Once more Squeezy appeared to be about to answer, but suddenly they heard the front door being opened and Tim came in.Squeezy rose so fast a mug of tea slopped over the table.He caught Tim around the waist and propelled him out of the room, an urgently whispered conversation ensuing.Ben kept his gaze on Nikolas.“I wasn’t injured, was I?”
Nikolas started.“What?”
“I’m not fucking stupid.”He tapped his head.“No injury.No headache.What the fuck is going on, sir?Hey, are you okay?You look…shit!”Ben grabbed a towel draped over the counter and handed it to Nikolas as he threw up.He patted him a few times on the back then sympathised wryly, “I hope that’s your sink.”Nikolas nodded then straightened, running himself a glass of water.
“This is my house, yes.The op was running from here.You may have been drugged.That’s why you can’t…why you can’t remember…can’t remember…”
“Anything?”
“Yes.Thank you.Can’t remember anything.That’s what I was going to say.”
* * *
Nikolas had his hand on the phone to call Andrea Gillian, but Squeezy had already done it.She came into the kitchen half an hour later with a very subdued Tim and Squeezy, and made Ben sit at the table once more.She sat opposite him.
“My name is Dr Gillian.Do you remember me?”
Ben shook his head.“Sorry.”
“No need to apologise.I’m going to ask you a series of questions.They may confuse you.Please just answer truthfully to the best of your knowledge and not worry too much about them.”She actually managed a smile.“I might throw some trick ones in just to try and catch you out and test if you’re fooling around…how old are you?”
Ben nodded as if glad to start with an easy one.“Twenty-two.I’m taking this seriously, trust me.”If he felt the tension in the room rise a notch at that answer, he didn’t show it.He did occasionally flick his eyes to one side, as if trying to see Nikolas, who had moved to stand in a darker part of the kitchen.
“What’s your name?”
“Ben Rider.Benjamin, although only my mother calls me that.”
