Slippery Creatures by KJ Charles

Author:KJ Charles
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: pulp, gay, romance, bisexual, twenties, adventure
Publisher: KJC Books
Published: 2020-05-12T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Will expected trouble that night, or at least feared it. He didn’t drink, put his knife under his pillow, nailed a board across the back window, and checked all the locks were fast. It gave him no great security but a mildly comforting illusion of control. He slept lightly, waking at the slightest sound from the city and the creaks of the shop, and by six in the morning had reached the conclusion that he really did need to move to a hotel or some such. If only he could afford one.

He’d go and see the lawyers, he decided, asking for an update on the process of probate and, while he was at it, for a further advance of a hundred pounds against the estate. Cash in hand would be vital if he had to disappear in a hurry. That sent his mind back down the pathway Kim had set it on, not for the first time.

He couldn’t just disappear without money. He’d tried life with no friends to call on, no meaningful experience, and nothing but the clothes he stood up in, and he’d all but starved. Work was simply too hard to find these days. If he could sell the bookshop it would be different, but he couldn’t do that until probate was granted, and he was fairly sure international criminal gangs worked faster than lawyers. He’d have to find someone trustworthy to administer his affairs, who would send him the money without disclosing his whereabouts. It could doubtless be done. It would have to be done, because he couldn’t stick around here to be shot at.

He rather regretted that. Bookselling hadn’t been the career of his choice, but now he saw its charm more strongly. He liked the old shop, he was getting used to the smell and the slow pace. He’d have enjoyed mastering the trade and taking time to read. He could have made a life here.

He didn’t care about leaving London as such, but he would miss Maisie badly, and for all Kim’s talk of disappearing, to leave her without a word of thanks or farewell would be villainous. She was a good friend, a real one. If things had gone down a different track, they might have made a couple. Thank God they hadn’t, because the only thing that could make his situation worse at the moment would be if he had a fiancée for Zodiac or the War Office to bully.

Well, not quite the only thing. Kim could make it worse.

Will didn’t want to think more about that. He cleaned up and swept the shop, made it to the lawyers’ office at nine-thirty on the dot, and charmed his way into five minutes with Mr. Deakin, his uncle’s solicitor. That was about as far as his luck ran.

“I understand your predicament, Mr. Darling,” Deakin assured him. “And I do appreciate that the law seems to laymen to drag its feet more than is reasonable. However, let me assure you that matters are proceeding as swiftly and smoothly as possible.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.