The Passenger by Daniel Hurst (great book club books TXT) 📕

funds and fast. But I’m not just after some short-term cash today to tide me over until my next mark. What I’m after this evening is a proper payday, and the woman sitting opposite me is going to be the one who gives it to me.

But I must be patient and bide my time. The train has barely left London, and it’s still extremely busy. I need to give it ten minutes or so until we have left the capital behind and passed through a couple of stations before I make my move. The quieter the train is, the better. I don’t expect Amanda will make a scene, not when I tell her what is at stake, but I still have to take my time and get this right. I can’t afford to screw this up and not just because I need the money.

I can’t afford it because I don’t want to end up back in prison again.

I sit forward suddenly in my seat and take out my mobile phone from my trouser pocket, pushing the negative thoughts of potential failure from my mind and instead focusing on the task at hand. Amanda is busy working away on her own dream, so I should be doing the same.

Moving my fingers across the keypad on my phone’s screen just as efficiently as Amanda’s own hands on her laptop keyboard, I type out the message to my accomplice that will keep him up to date with the situation at hand.

“Train is late leaving London. New arrival time - 18:53.”

6 JAMES

‘Get up! We’re running out of time!’

I hear the frustrated plea from my girlfriend from the bathroom but remain in the same position I have been for the last ten minutes, which is under the duvet with my head resting on the pillow.

I’m in Louise’s bed, and I’m in no rush to leave.

But I’m not going to be able to keep stalling forever, and I’m hoping that I’ll get an update any second now about exactly how long I have to do this before I really do have to get out of here. Fortunately, that update arrives a second later when I see the notification flash up on the screen of my mobile phone, and I click on it to read the new message I have just received.

“Train is late leaving London. New arrival time - 18:53.”

I check the time now and see that it is 18:02. We’re running almost half an hour behind the original schedule. That delay isn’t great, but it shouldn’t change things too much. Everything can still go to plan, providing there are no more hiccups.

With Louise currently out of the room, I have no need to be discreet, so I type back a quick reply.

“Keep me updated.”

‘Who are you texting?’

I look up from my phone to see Louise standing in the doorway.

Damn, I didn’t hear her leaving the bathroom.

‘It’s just a mate,’ I reply as I lock my phone and put it back down on the mattress under the duvet beside me.

‘Sure it’s not one of your other girlfriends?’ Louise asks, and I think she is teasing me judging by the look on her face, but I have to be careful with my answer, nonetheless. I can’t have her look at my phone and see the messages because that would spell trouble for the plan and make it way more complicated than it needs to be.

‘My only girlfriend is right here in this bedroom with me,’ I reply, and Louise smiles.

‘That’s the right answer.’

I watch her wander away again, and I’m relieved that she is giving me a minute before she tells me to get up for the tenth time. That’s because I need to stay at this flat until I receive the next message from that train, the one that will give me much more useful information than simply informing me of an estimated time of arrival.

I sink back into the pillow again as Louise walks back into the room, holding her own mobile phone.

‘My mum’s just texted me. Her train has been delayed, so she won’t be back until seven now.’

Of course, I already knew that, but I act as if it’s welcome news, peeling back the duvet and patting my hand on the mattress, inviting Louise to rejoin me in the warm bed.

‘Okay, but only ten minutes,’ she says, easily persuaded. ‘She’s delayed, but she’s still on her way.’

‘We can do a lot in ten minutes,’ I reply with a cheeky smile as Louise gets back into bed, excited by the prospect of passing the time in a much more enjoyable way than it might otherwise have to be.

As Louise snuggles in nearer to me, I make sure to keep my phone a good distance away from her in case a new message should come through. It could happen at any moment and the sooner, the better.

‘So what do you want to do?’ I say as I begin to kiss her neck, but Louise stops me.

‘How about you tell me a little more about yourself.’

That wasn’t what I had in mind.

‘Come on. We can do something more interesting than that.’

I try to initiate another kiss, but Louise pulls away.

‘Seriously. You can’t just keep coming around here and getting into my bed. Not unless you actually answer some of my questions.’

I sigh and sit up further in the bed. While this isn’t ideal, anything that kills the time between now and when I get the text message from the train is fine by me.

‘Okay, what do you want to know?’

It’s a pretty open question, but considering I haven’t actually told Louise that much about myself, it’s a valid one. Besides, it doesn’t really matter what she asks me.

I’m going to lie to her anyway.

‘I don’t know. How many girlfriends have you had before me?’

I roll my eyes. ‘Really, that’s what you want to know?’

‘You said I could ask anything.’

‘Fair enough. I’ve never really had a serious girlfriend.’

‘No way. I don’t believe you. You’re lying.’

‘No,