“I’d like that, that’d be nice.”
We lapse into silence, gazing out the window at the countryside as it whizzes by. I must drift off for a bit, because when I open my eyes again, we’re in the tunnel. I stretch and look over at Dominic, who has his eyes closed. I can’t help but smile, because it seems we really did wear each other out last night.
I fish my phone out of my pocket, and open the messages from Char, of which there are so many.
Babes! I love you! Have a great time tonight.
Oh, by the way, Greece is amazing, you were right. Girls’ Trip?
Ahhhh I saw the pictures from the launch on IG, you looked GORGEOUS. I am so proud of you! Bring me back a bottle!
Mia, do not go on Instagram. DO NOT.
Please do not panic. It’s going to be alright.
I frown at the sudden change of tone.
Do not check the news. Let me know when you get back to London. Tell Dom to take you straight home.
Along with the seventeen missed calls from her number, I start to feel uneasy, panic whirring in the pit of my stomach.
I go back to my messages, and find one from Jordan.
Let me know when you get back to London. I’ll come right over.
I reach over the table and gently shake Dom’s arm. He blinks as we emerge from the tunnel, and frowns at me.
“You alright, love?”
I show him my phone, and he squints at the screen.
“Something’s going on,” I say, pointing at his coat pocket. “Have you checked yours?”
He pulls his phone from his pocket, blinking as he looks down at it and swipes across the screen. His frown deepens, making the butterflies in my stomach worse, then his eyes widen, and he feverishly scrolls through something on his screen.
“Fuck,” he mutters. “Fuck.”
“What is it?”
Dom’s eyes flash around us, and he leans on the table, closer to me. “Kasia’s sending a car to pick us up from the station, and a security detail.”
“A security detail?” I shake my head. “What are you talking about?”
He takes a hold of my hands, and takes a deep breath. “Mia, I need you to know, that whatever happens, however this plays out, I don’t regret it. Not for a second.”
“Dom, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?”
He glances around to make sure we’re alone, then takes his phone from his lap. He places the phone between us, and my brain has trouble comprehending what I’m seeing.
It’s a blurry photograph of a house, taken from a dark garden. Windows are lit up from within, illuminating… my kitchen. My kitchen, where I’m perched on the counter, my dress around my waist. And Dominic between my thighs, his mouth on mine. A big red bar blurs out my tits, and the words “The Father, The Son and The Holy Sh!T?” are emblazoned across it.
I look up at Dominic, and all I can say is, “Hardcastle.”
26
MIA
“Where are you, darling?”Char’s voice is clipped, matter-of-fact.
