“I’m not sure. I was making tea—”
Kay snorted. “Reading tea leaves now?”
“Very funny. Anyway, I suddenly had a clear vision of a bus station in Oxford Street. I could see the sign for the Bond Street tube station… but there was, I don’t know, some kind of darkness or cloud over it… I think it’s related to the dreams.”
Kay held in a groan. She really didn’t want to go out, but this was what they’d been waiting for. “Okay, I’ll take a look.”
“Take someone with you, please. I don’t want you to go on your own. And let me know when you get back.”
“I will.” Kay agreed. If only she could actually talk to her triad about what Elizabeth had seen. But she’d made a promise, and unless she really had to, she wasn’t going to break it.
She said goodbye and made her way into the entertainment room, trying not to think about cold wine, hot cheese, spicy pepperoni…. Damn it all.
“So… who feels like going out tonight?” she asked hopefully.
Riley waved her hand tiredly. “I’m not moving until I absolutely have to.”
“James?” Kay gave him an encouraging smile. “Come on, I’m going to catch the tube down to Oxford Street and walk around a bit. Maybe I’ll have a drink while I’m there. Please come with me.”
He looked up, eyes tired, and dragged his hand through his hair. “Sorry, Kay, I’ve been looking forward to sitting on my arse and eating pizza.”
“Please, James, don’t make me go alone.”
James shook his head. “I’ll go with you tomorrow. Why don’t you stay and have something to eat with us instead?”
Zach stood up. “I’ll go with you.”
“Okay….” She gave him a cool look. “But if you start telling me to get rid of my motorcycle, I’m ditching you.”
Zach folded his arms over his chest, but his lips were pulled up at the sides into a wry smile. “No commentary on your life choices, promise.”
“Thanks.” She smiled back and tried to convince herself that they could get out, take a look, and get back before all the pizza was gone. Damn. It was never going to happen.
Oxford Street, when they got there, was a heaving, smelly mass of humanity. Tourists stopping to take photos, office workers pushing through the crowds, tired people trying to get home, drinkers spilling out of pubs down the side roads, laughing and joking.
Kay groaned as yet another tourist armed with multiple shopping bags pushed into her. How was it that whichever way she and Zach walked, it always felt like they were going the opposite way to the crowd?
“Why did you want to come here again?” Zach asked over the heads of the shoving, jostling throngs.
“Honestly, I don’t know! At this moment, I’m questioning several of my recent life choices.”
“Is it Oxford Street specifically that you want?”
“Yeah, near here…. I thought where it meets Bond Street, maybe?”
He gave her a puzzled look. “How about St Christopher’s Place? It’s just off Oxford Street and we could find somewhere to get a drink.”
Kay gave him a tired nod. Sitting down sounded like heaven, and they’d be near enough to where her gran wanted her.
St Christopher’s Place was a charming square that felt almost continental with its outside tables and hanging baskets filled with flowers, forming a rainbow of spring colors in the twinkling lights. And escaping out of the crowd was bliss.
They found an empty table for two and ordered drinks and a sharing basket of spicy chicken wings with fries, then huddled under the big space heaters warming the chilly night air as they caught each other up on their weeks. Zach had been spending a lot of time volunteering for the Council and he’d been working around the clock on projects for them. It sounded like a huge amount of work for very little reward, but Zach had wanted a place on the Council for years, and this was his way in.
Kay was genuinely happy for him, but she agreed with Elizabeth—there were serious problems with how the Council was run. And Zach looked shattered. Lines furrowed down his forehead and she hadn’t seen him smile properly in weeks. Months, maybe.
“Are you sure, Zach?” She looked over at her friend. “Is this definitely what you want?”
He nodded. “Yes. I’m so close now. When I’m on the Council, the first thing I’m going to do is make sure that everyone in the Order gets to vote for who gets offered a seat. And I’m going to open those places up to everyone.”
