Sheburst into tears.Laurie froze with horror.He'd forgotten thatClara had met him, that he'd visited the Mayfair house severaltimes to make sure of her welfare in the wake of the Petrica case.“I'm sorry.I didn't mean—”
“You mustn't go.You can't drag Sasha off to God knows where,away from everything he knows.”
“You don't understand.The police can't help us.This is myonly way of protecting him.”
“Laurie, it's insane!You must at least tell him.You can faceit together, unless...”
“Unless what?”Laurie asked helplessly.What the hell had hebeen thinking?Yes, she was independent, bright beyond her years.But she was still a little kid, and he had just dumped all anadult's cares on her.“Oh, Clara, don't cry.”
“Shut up!Unless there's something more going on here,something to do with your bloody ego, or...”She hauled in asobbing breath.“Is it money?Do you need some?Because...I'mloaded, you know.Or I will be when I come of age, and in themeantime they give me an allowance I can't even spend, it's somuch—”
“Miss Fitzroy?”
Theyboth froze.Dracinsky had appeared on the steps of the church.Herface was grim, but apparently more a beacon of safety to Clara nowthan her brother's: she slipped off the wall like a scared weaseland fled to her, evading Laurie's outstretched hand.
Thedragon cast a look over her shoulder before she led Clara away.Laurie waited for it to strike him dead where he stood, but it wasmore perplexed than angry, as if she would have helped him if shecould.
No-one could help Laurie now.He watched them leave, suddenlycold in the afternoon sun.He had cast himself adrift—Sasha too,and he had to make the best of it for both of them.Your bloody ego...Heshrank from the echo, tried to shake it off like water from a cat'sfur.No.His actions were nothing to do with that.They were proudand unselfish, not only saving his lover but making the spectacularbest of a bad job.He was going to be Devlin Steele, and build anew world for both of them.
A shoutfrom across the green attracted his attention.Sasha was outsidethe marquee, waving and beckoning him over to breakfast.He'd losthis smart jacket, and from somewhere he'd acquired a child.OnceLaurie had waved back, he grinned and turned away, swinging theinfant high in the air, making the little thing shriek withdelight.
O brave new world, that has such people in it!Laurie touched the golden rose at his lapel.Already it was wilting, but beneath it, in his inside pocket, hislast batch of paperwork from the studio was safe—a passage out fortwo, complete with cleared working visas.Sasha was listed asstaff, a language consultant and expert in Romanian culture.Well,Blood Moonand all its predecessors had their roots in the Carpathianmountains, whose wildness sometimes shone from Sasha’s eyes atmoments of passion or fear.Give Sasha half a day with an internetconnection, he could make himself an expert in anything you caredto name.
Everything had fallen into place.Laurie forgot Clara’stears, the grey ghost and the shadow of Stefan.He forgot aboutRomeo.Laurie was a man in a play—a man who’d made it so big hecould solve everyone’s problems with one golden touch.He smiled,tossed away the dying rose, and set off to meet his newlife.
Chapter Thirteen
“I'm sorry, Mr Petrica.It really is a random check, youknow.”
Sashadragged his attention away from the one-way glass long enough tosmile at the Customs and Border Protection clerk.His rucksack wasopen on her desk.She had removed its contents respectfully.“Yes,”he said.“I work with immigrants in the UK.I know thedifference.”
The dooropened to admit another officer in LAX uniform.If bullying ethnicminorities had been the order of the day for either of them, they'dhave had to begin with themselves: their ID badges read Hernandezand Cheung.Officer Cheung frowned back over his shoulder.The doorwas still open, and through it there drifted the music of awell-brought-up Englishman having an elegant fit.Sasha put hisface into his hands.
“Your friend's gonna get himself in trouble if he carries onlike that.”
“I know.”Sasha looked up.Hernandez was now repacking his bagjust as carefully as she'd emptied it.Her dark eyes wereconcerned.From the corridor beyond the interview room he heard thewordsbarbaricandtransparentdiscrimination.The words joined up intosentences, as if Laurie were pacing, had reached the far end of thecorridor and started back towards him.
Is it because he was carrying a rucksack?Or was it thecolour of his skin?
OfficerCheung shut the door.He looked like a nice guy, but he had ano-nonsense set to his jaw and a holstered Glock on his hip.“A fewyears back,” Sasha said with muted urgency, “there was a case inLondon where armed police opened fire on a man on the Underground.He was just an electrician on his way to work.He was Brazilian,and he was carrying a rucksack like one of the 7/7 bombers.Thepolice shot him dead.”
Hernandez nodded.“I read about that.”
“My friend out there—Laurie—he was just a kid, but he was veryupset about it.He worries about the way I look.He wanted me tocarry a holdall today, not a rucksack.”
“It would have made no difference.I'm not saying thereisn'tdiscrimination, MrPetrica—we're not perfect—but that's not the case here.”
“I know.”Sasha placed his hands on the desk.His palms weren'tsweating yet, but they would soon start.Polite and friendly asCheung and Hernandez were, security staff in a massive US airportwould not take much more of what Laurie was dishing out.“What I'mtrying to say is, we had a rough flight, and it is so, so unlikeLaurie to behave like this.If I could just see him for oneminute—if you're finished with your checks, that is...”
Theofficers exchanged a glance.“Is he still in primary inspection?”Hernandez asked.
“If they haven't slung him into a holding cell to cooloff.”
“All right.Yes, Mr Petrica, we're done with you.You're allclear, and we apologise for any delay to your journey.Welcome toLos Angeles.”
Sashafollowed Cheung back out of the inspection suite, abehind-the-scenes maze so close to the cheerful stream of life inthe arrivals halls and yet so divorced from it—a different country,with sensitive laws of its own.Sasha's work had trained him how tonavigate within this little world.For Laurie it was alien ground,although Sasha had thought him sufficiently debonair to conducthimself properly anywhere.
Nottoday.The clear, carrying voice rose again, knocked out of itsusual timbre by stress and rage.Quickening his pace, Sasha strodeinto the corridor.“Laurie.Laurie, I'm here.You stop that rightnow.”
