“Arden!” a voice rang out from above us on the terrace. I looked up to see Simon coming towards me, with Riz and Marina behind him.
“We shouldn’t be seen with him,” Marina said bluntly.
Simon glared.
Marina gave me a dirty look. I was besmirching her candidate by being near him.
“You can stay back then,” Simon spat at her. “But I’ll check in on my friend.” He came down the stairs to join me and the Douglases.
Instinctively, I took a step back.
“I think she’s got the right idea, actually, Anson,” said Tommy. “Maybe none of us should be near him. Can’t believe you’ve been near Tatiana. If we’d known you had family history for it …”
Odette gasped, and Simon gripped Tommy by the arm and yanked him back.
But none of them met my eye. Maybe they were right. I probably shouldn’t be near them.
“I … I have to go,” I said and began to retrace my steps towards the kitchen.
“Arden, no, go the back way! The reporters!” Odette shouted. “Simon, do something!”
But I was walking faster. “Ah, leave him!” I heard Tommy’s voice. “He wants to sulk.”
I walked as fast as I could around to the front of the house. The door to the kitchen was closed, Katrina had finished her smoke, so instead I started to make my way down the driveway. So what if there were reporters? Hell, maybe it’d be a good thing to try and say something. Yeah, I could give a statement. I could say—
“There he is! Forrest! Arden!” I heard a voice in front of me. The gates to Honningtons were about twenty metres away. I stumbled. A flash of lights put spots in my eyes. “Oi, over here, Arden! Any comment on the piece?”
My voice lodged in my throat. I had a speech planned … but I— I couldn’t think of anything to say. I had to defend myself, but I couldn’t think of any way to.
There was the rev of an engine behind me, and I jerked away. A sleek, dark car pulled up, and the window wound down.
Errol Mottley looked at me evenly from inside the vehicle. “Get in, Arden. Don’t even think about speaking to them.”
I didn’t have much of a choice. I got in and Errol floored it towards the gates. They were on an electronic sensor and opened metres from us, sending the reporters out of the way as they swung outwards.
There was a flash of bulbs from the few reporters who hadn’t been pushed back, but Errol drove too fast for them to get much of a look.
I stared back but felt his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t give them the satisfaction, mate.” I nodded and pulled myself around in my seat to look forward.
“Thank you.”
“Not a problem.” He grinned at me. “I was leaving anyway. Where should I drop you?”
“My house is up on the hill.”
“Your house? Surely it’ll be better to stay away tonight.”
“I can’t … I—”
“Tell you what, it’s early yet, let’s go get a drink in Sittingston and we’ll discuss what you can do when you’ve cleared your head.”
I was gonna say no, but he was already pulling onto the High Street and turning north, away from my house, before I could answer.
“I’m not sure, I should. My dog will need me.”
“Does the dog have food and water?” I nodded. “Then it’ll be fine for a few hours.”
I felt guilty at abandoning Kenny, but the thought of going home was less than enticing. Would there be crowds of reporters waiting for me?
