Counterfeit Love (17 page)

Byron shrugged. ‘
Something
important to them.’

Lucy’s heart skipped a beat at the sound of Byron’s words. She turned to face him. ‘
You
were looking for something,’ she whispered slowly. ‘When you came here last time.’

Byron’s eyes grew wide and he stepped backwards. ‘You think
I
did this?’

‘I didn’t say that.’

Byron shook his head. ‘Well what are you saying?’

‘I’m saying, it’s a bit odd that you turn up here last night and then this happens this morning.’

Byron frowned. ‘The events are totally unrelated!’

Lucy shrugged. ‘So, you want to tell me why you really came here last night?’

‘I’ll show you.’ Byron took Lucy’s hand and led her into the kitchen. In the middle of the chaos stood a bunch of pink lilies. Byron pulled them from their untouched vase. ‘I brought you these.’ Byron held them aloft for a few moments and then returned the flowers to their water. ‘I wasn’t sure if I’d still be in the country this morning, so I dropped the flowers off last night.’

Lucy glanced at the flowers and then glared at Byron. ‘You don’t think it’s a little strange that they’re the only things the right way up in this whole apartment? Why should I believe anything you tell me?’

Byron took a step towards her, his arms outstretched. ‘Lucy, don’t do this.’

Lucy backed away. ‘I am. And I’ll keep doing it until you tell me what’s going on. I need to know who you are.’

Byron dropped his head, took a deep breath, opened his mouth and said nothing.

‘Well?’

‘I dig up dirt, but I’m not a geologist,’ he said eventually, still looking at the floor.

Lucy nodded. ‘I got
that
bit.’

Byron looked up and sighed. ‘I’m a reporter with
Under the Wire
. I dig up dirt on people, on businesses.’

Lucy frowned. ‘What, like M.T. Lai?’

‘Not
like
him. I
am
M.T. Lai.’

Byron watched Lucy’s jaw drop open at the mention of his name. He knew this day would come sooner rather than later, but he’d been hoping to reveal his identity to Lucy after he’d broken the story on the Cobra. Then it might have made it easier for her to forgive him.

Lucy stumbled off and slumped onto the tiger sofa, shaking her head. ‘You can’t be. He’s pale and has hairs growing from moles on his chin … and … and no, you’re not Lai, you’re Lloyd! Byron Lloyd.’

Byron sat down beside her. ‘It’s my pseudonym. I can’t say Lai is that popular in the organised crime world. I have to keep my real name out of it.’

Lucy was still shaking her head. ‘No, no.’

‘What, you think I’m lying to you?’

She looked up. ‘You haven’t stopped lying to me since the night I met you.’

Byron reached out to take her hand. ‘It’s the truth.’

‘Or maybe it’s another lie,’ Lucy said, getting to her feet. ‘I heard you talking on the phone. I know that you were talking about Sam Tang.’

Byron nodded, taking a step towards her. ‘I broke the match-fixing story. The boss wants me to go back to Malaysia to follow it up. I’ll go tomorrow. I’m certainly not leaving you today.
’

Lucy collapsed back onto the sofa and put her head in her hands. Byron sat down beside her and gently put his arm around her to soothe her. She flinched but didn’t pull away. ‘I’ve been working on something big. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you all of this before.’

Lucy looked up at Byron. The colour had drained from her face. She looked in pain, which was hardly surprising. But the worst news was yet to come.

‘I think you’ve got yourself involved in something very bad here,’ Byron continued. ‘That package you were given was meant for an organised crime boss.’

Lucy blinked in disbelief. ‘Miss Chan is an organised crime boss?’

Byron shook his head. ‘She works for one. They call him the Cobra.’

Lucy stared at Byron blankly. ‘But you told me …’ she began.

‘Forget what I told you.’ Byron took her hand and stroked it, trying to reassure her, before he continued. ‘It was just a story I made up to cover what I was doing at the Art Bar. But you need to know that the Cobra’s really dangerous. You don’t want to get in his way.’

Lucy nodded, but he wasn’t sure she was taking it in.

‘Lucy, I think the Cobra’s men have been here looking for something.’

‘What do you mean?’ Lucy whispered with a shiver. Byron noticed that her skin was covered in goosebumps – probably from shock. He pulled her towards him. Lucy let herself fall against his shoulder.

‘I’ve been chasing the Cobra for a year – following tipoffs and rumours from one end of China to the other. I’m pretty sure he’s involved with drugs. I was in the Art Bar trying to track him down.’

Lucy frowned. ‘And your boss in the safari suit?’

Byron shook his head. ‘He’s not my boss – just a guy who I’ve been watching. I knew from snippets of conversation that he’d bought a shipment of supplies from the Cobra. He was there to meet Miss Chan.’

‘Except I was the one who got the package,’ Lucy said, almost to herself. ‘But it was just a sailing shirt.’

Byron shrugged. ‘I know, strange gift. I’m working on the theory that the guy in the safari suit was delivering
Hound Dog
as payment for his order. That’s why I was in the
Hound Dog
shirt at the yacht club. I was trying to find out more.’

‘The yacht as payment? That’s got to be worth millions. Must be a pretty big shipment.’

Byron nodded. ‘So I’m wondering, did he say anything to you or give you anything else that might be useful?’

Lucy glanced out the window and stared into space. Byron wasn’t quite sure if she’d heard him.

‘Lucy?’

She took a deep breath and then got to her feet and picked her way through the debris to her handbag. Slowly she pulled out a gold key. Byron leapt up and was beside her in a second. She handed him the key, and then looked at him warily. ‘Something like this?’

Byron studied the key, turning it over in his hand, inspecting the initials on one side and the dragon on the other. This had to be it, all right. The smoking gun he’d been looking for. Now he just had to work out what it unlocked. At least the dragon gave him a pretty good idea where to start.

‘Thanks, Lucy,’ he said. He leant towards her to kiss her, but she pulled back. ‘You’ve done the right thing. Sorry I’ve been so secretive about this. I’m not used to sharing my stories with TV reporters. I hope you can understand.’

She nodded, but Byron wasn’t sure she did.

‘Promise you’ll let me know when you’re about to break the story,’ Lucy said firmly. ‘I want a heads up so I can get right on it. I want to be the first to broadcast it.’

Byron smiled. Her flat was trashed, the Cobra’s thugs might be back any second, but she was still thinking about the story.
What a reporter.
It also suddenly occurred to him that she had totally outplayed him, keeping the key to herself.

‘It’s a deal,’ he said. He put out his hand to shake on it, but she leant forward and gave him a kiss, then suddenly pulled away, looking at her watch.

‘Crap! I’ve got to get to work.’

As Lucy raced off to her room, Byron took out his mobile and texted his boss to tell him to find someone else to chase Tang in Malaysia; he had new information on the Cobra. Next, he called the police to report the break-in.

‘Right, police are on their way,’ he called to Lucy. ‘But if you have to go to work, I can wait here for them as well as the locksmith. I’ll make some calls while I wait.’

Lucy emerged from the bedroom with her wash bag and an armful of clothes, still looking pale. ‘Thanks, Byron. I really appreciate it.’

‘Least I can do for getting you into this.’

She shook her head. ‘I got myself into it.’

‘I wish I’d told you about the Cobra sooner,’ he sighed.

Lucy shrugged. ‘I think we’re both guilty of deceit here.’ She looked around the room. ‘Do you think they’ll be back?’

Byron thought for a moment. He didn’t want to scare her, but he wanted her to be prepared in case someone did. ‘They might. I’ll get the locksmith to put a couple of dead bolts on the door.’

Lucy set down her shower gear on a chair and glanced around the room, still looking nervous.

‘You can stay at my place if you want,’ Byron offered.

Lucy frowned. ‘What about Charlotte? She’s got a big event and will be coming home late. I don’t want her coming back to an empty apartment. Or worse.’

Byron put his arm around Lucy. ‘I’ll stay here tonight. I’ll stay as long as you want me. There’s a tiger sofa over there with my name on it.’

Lucy’s face relaxed into a slight smile. Byron pulled her towards him, thinking how much he wanted to lie down with her right then.

‘I’ll be here for you,’ he whispered into her hair.

She pressed her face into his chest. ‘Hold me tight.’

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair, feeling like he could stay in that position forever. At the moment, he didn’t care about the Cobra or Tang. He just wanted Lucy. ‘What have I done to deserve you?’ he breathed. She lifted her head and looked at him dreamily. He leant towards her face and kissed her beautiful mouth.

‘I really should be getting ready for work,’ Lucy finally said, breaking away from his lips.

‘Mmm,’ he said, not releasing her.

Lucy lifted up his shirt and kissed his chest. ‘I really should have a shower now.’ She peeled off his shirt, dropped it to the floor and ran her hands across his chest.

‘Yes, you should get ready.’ He took her face in his hands. ‘But … I … don’t … want … you … to … go,’ he murmured between kisses.

Lucy looked at him coyly. ‘Come with me for a shower.’

Byron was momentarily stunned by the offer, but she smiled and took his hand. As she led him towards the bathroom, Byron was unsure if he was awake or dreaming.
This can’t be happening
, he kept thinking. He was half wondering if he might have died and gone to heaven when there was a noise at the front door. He turned to see Charlotte walking in.

‘
Bloody hell
,’ she whimpered, looking at the scene in front of her. Then she noticed Byron and Lucy hand in hand by the bathroom door. ‘
Bloody hell
!’

‘It’s not as bad as it looks,’ Lucy said, releasing Byron’s hand. She grabbed his shirt from the floor and threw it at him, then raced to the door to give Charlotte a hug.

Charlotte looked around the apartment. ‘No, it’s worse. Much worse.’ She groaned as she marched into her bedroom, then returned to the lounge. ‘Police been yet?’

Lucy shook her head.

Charlotte sighed. ‘At least the girls will be here in a minute. Hopefully they’ll get the mess sorted out.’

‘Thanks for that. I know you must be flat-out today preparing for the party. You definitely don’t need more problems.’

‘No, plenty of my own. But I do have some good news. I can get you in.’

Lucy frowned. ‘
Tonight
? You know I love a Desire party, but tonight? I can’t. I’ve made plans with Byron.’

Charlotte smiled. ‘You’ll want to come to this one. Because your all-time favourite tycoon is going to be there.’

‘Yu Weiran?’

Charlotte nodded.

Byron felt his whole body stiffen. He’d never met Yu, but he knew he was some cashed-up princeling with an eye for art and pretty women. The same guy that Lucy had mentioned just before she threw him out of her bedroom. ‘How well do you know Yu?’

‘I only know that I have to get him to agree to an interview this week, and it’s Friday.’ Lucy slumped on a chair, looking dejected.

‘Well you should go to the party tonight, if you need to see Yu,’ Byron said quietly.

Byron had imagined a night in with Lucy – TV, champagne and some steamy sex. But he could hardly stop her from chasing a big interview, when she’d just handed over the Cobra’s key. ‘I can pick you up after the party.’

‘Really?’ Lucy asked. ‘You don’t mind?’

Byron shook his head. ‘Not at all,’ he lied.

‘Why don’t you come, too?’ Lucy beamed at Byron, then turned to Charlotte. ‘What do you say, Char? Think you can swing a plus one?’

Charlotte wrung her hands. ‘Not sure, Luce, seeing as you’re not really invited either.’

Lucy frowned. ‘
Please
? It’d be a nice thing to do, seeing as Byron’s been so helpful this morning, picking me up from the airport and getting the police and things.’

Charlotte took a deep breath. ‘Okay, just this once.’

Lucy gave her roommate a hug. ‘Love you, Char.’

Charlotte grinned uneasily. ‘Love you, too.’

‘Enough to lend me your green backless dress?’ Lucy asked, stretching her neck out and stroking it.
She looks superhot
, Byron thought.

Charlotte nodded. ‘It’s hanging up.’ She paused. ‘Well, it was.’ She gave Lucy a wink. ‘Wear it responsibly.’

‘Of course!’ Lucy cried. She was suddenly looking like her old self again.

‘See you both tonight,’ Charlotte called from the door. ‘I’ll send you details. Remember, microphones, cameras – all in the cloakroom, Luce. This will be the last one I invite you to if you give Yu a hard time, because I won’t have a job.’

Charlotte blew Lucy and Byron a kiss, then disappeared. ‘Maids are on their way,’ she shouted from the landing and then clip-clopped off down the stairs.