Читать книгу Sweet Talking Money - Harry Bingham - Страница 24

There remained one last ritual of departure.

Bryn woke the sleeping Cameron, and let her blink and stretch her way into wakefulness.

‘Oh my God,’ she said. ‘If I’m not still dreaming, I’m in trouble.’

‘Good morning,’ said Kati, stroking her hair clear of her eyes.

‘What’s good about it?’ said Cameron, shaking it back again. ‘I am still dreaming, right?’

Kati ruefully shook her head.

‘Delirious? Suffering from a rare idiopathic brain disorder?’

Kati shook her head.

‘Maybe to all of those,’ said Bryn, ‘but we still need to get out of here.’

Cameron stared at him: the ultimate proof of the weird turn her life was taking. She stretched some more, allowing the kinks and pressure points down her spine to give a full report on their night’s entertainment. ‘God, could you guys really find nothing more comfortable than chipboard?’

Bryn gave her a sheet of paper and a pen. ‘You need to write a message,’ he said. ‘Everyone’s going to wonder why you’ve just upped and gone. You need to give them a reason.’

‘Reason? Well, hell, that’s easy. Dear Everyone, I cheated and now I’ve gone to hide. Or how about, Dear Everyone, this English guy I hardly know thinks that everyone’s out to get me and it turns out that paranoia is infectious.’

‘Welsh,’ said Bryn. ‘I’m Welsh. Say anything except the truth.’

Cameron ignored him and wrote fast, holding the paper so only she could see it. Once done, she folded it, addressed it, and left it in plain view for anyone to find. Despite her self-control, her hand trembled slightly and her ears burned at the shame of finding herself in this situation. Bryn didn’t ask to read the note, Kati gave her boss a supportive squeeze, and the three of them marched to the loaded truck.

Bryn put the key into the ignition, but before switching on, he made a speech.

‘From now on,’ he said, ‘secrecy. Our first and only rule. Other companies have assets. They have mines, or power plants, or aeroplanes, or shops, or miles of phone cable, or factories, or warehouses. We have none of that, just knowledge, the information that’s in this truck, and the genius that’s in your heads. We need to take care of it.’

‘Better get another driver, then,’ said Cameron.

‘Buckle up,’ said Bryn, doing as he advised and checking the empty road in his wing mirror. ‘Corinth went to considerable trouble to ruin you – trouble and expense. They’ll be watching carefully now, to see which way you jump.’

‘And?’ said Cameron. ‘Which way are we jumping?’

Bryn grinned at her, turning the key in the ignition until the big truck vibrated with the desire to leave. ‘You’re not just jumping,’ he said. ‘You’re going to disappear.’