I turned back to Randell. It couldn’t be a coincidence that he was here. London was far too big for that. He must have been lyingin wait for me. He had probably got wind of the news that I worked at The Darlington. “What do you want?”
“Justice.”
I snorted. Justice would have been Randell dead instead of my mum. Or at least Randell locked up in prison for what he had done to us. “Leave me alone, you bastard!”
I made to turn away, but Randell grabbed my arm again. It took every shred of self-control I had not to wince.
“What do you want?” I repeated.
He came closer. “Money.”
“Do I look like a bank?”
“You owe me.”
My face hardened. “I owe you nothing!”
“Oh, believe me, you do!” Randell hissed, spittle flying.
Disgusted, I wrinkled my nose. “I’ve paid off my debt.”
Randell gave a grim smile, revealing a chipped front tooth. It looked like his face had collided with the edge of a table—or with a fist. I was betting on the latter. “You paid off your mum’s debt, but not your own.”
“And what debt would that be?”
“For the rent. And the food.”
I rolled my eyes. He had to be kidding. The initial panic I’d felt at seeing him again had faded, replaced with a burning rage that coursed through my veins. “We gave you half the rent every month, and if any of us was buying food, it was me. Most of the time, you were both too high to go shopping. So don’t tell me I owe you something.”
“I need money,” Randell hissed, ignoring my words. He knew I was right, but he was desperate and wanted to squeeze every last penny out of me. I refused to play ball.
I crossed my arms. “Then get a job.”
“Or you give it to me.”
“I don’t have any money.”
“Maybe you don’t, but your rich boyfriend does.”
I blinked. So that’s what this was about. Not only had he found out that I was working for The Darlington; he’d also seen the photos of Henry and me together.
“Henry isn’t my boyfriend. He’s my boss. The only thing I get from him is my salary, and that money belongs to me.”
“So you’re going to leave me in the lurch?”
I didn’t feel an ounce of sympathy, only satisfaction. “Yes. We’ve gone our separate ways, Randell. The only thing that ever connected us was my mum, and she’s dead—because of you. Now leave me alone. My friends are waiting for me.”
Without waiting for a reaction, I turned and made my way back to Amy and Grace, who had been watching our conversation from a distance. I could feel Randell’s gaze drilling into me.
“See you soon, Kate!”
I ignored his threat. I was done with him.
“Is everything all right?” Grace asked when I caught up with them.
“All good.”
“Are you sure? That guy was weird.”
