The Society by Karen Guyler

Author:Karen Guyler [Guyler, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Unexpected Books
Published: 2021-03-11T22:00:00+00:00

32

Luke’s seeing what he could do opened doors she’d never expected to walk through, right out onto the tarmac apron, where a half dozen private jets gleamed in the rays of cold sunshine.

“Oh my God, are we going on a private jet? This is so cool. You have to let me get a photo of this, Dad.”

Charles handed Lily her phone. “Just the camera, no internet.”

Luke came down the steps of the closest gleaming plane. He smiled and held his hand out to Eva, drawing her in close, murmuring in her ear. “I quite like being your knight.”

Eva snapped a glance at Charles, but he was more interested in checking the number on the tail.

“Hello, young lady. You all excited for your trip?” Lily nodded and grinned at Luke so hard you’d never know anything awful had happened to them that morning. “Let’s get on board then.”

The inside of the plane was more than she could have dreamt of. She rushed from seat to seat, undoing tables, reclining, straightening up, opening cubbyholes, stroking soft leather. “Wow, this is all so cool, Anya’s going to be so jealous. Everyone’s going to be so jealous.”

“I just have to go over a couple of things with security. Passports?” Luke held his hand out to Eva.

With a flick of the cover he’d see she wasn’t Sara Peyton and Lily wasn’t Madeleine. Charles had gone through the biometric scanners at security while Eva’s insides squirmed and her heart beat ‘criminal, fake ID’ against her ribcage all while she smiled at passport control and agreed that Madeleine Peyton was her daughter, keeping a hand on Lily’s shoulder to guide her through the subterfuge.

Eva placed hers and Lily’s on Luke’s palm but rested her fingertips on them. “It’s probably not a good time to tell you they’re not. . .” She dropped her voice, felt herself sagging. “I’m sorry, someone blew up our house this morning.”

“Hence travelling light.” She nodded, even that an effort against her new bruises and scrapes, delayed shock and the exhaustion the promise of comfy reclinable seats had released in her. “And the hasty exit.”

She nodded again, waved a hand at her front. “And the fetching look of building dust.”

Luke looked at her passport. “It’s a good one, I won’t tell if you don’t.”

“Thank you, I’m—”

“You’re not going to apologise again, are you?” He smiled, teasing her, but she couldn’t help being defensive. “I’m not normally so helpless.” The word stuttered out of her. She hated even the sound of it.

He touched her arm. “Take a seat. Last-minute security check, then we’ll be out of here.”

Lily was still road-testing everything in the cabin.

“Lily, calm down and strap yourself in somewhere.”

“Sir, can I put your bag in the hold?” A woman in her early twenties looking catwalk perfect, everything manicured and hair sprayed away, held her hand out for Charles’ holdall.

“No, I need to keep it with me.”

“Of course, but I need to stow it in one of the cabinets for take-off.” He relinquished it like he was Lily giving up her phone.

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