Deep Water by Mark Ayre (best big ereader TXT) 📕

collected her phone from the floor. Ben’s team was done. Someone would be driving past Tony’s house in—Abbie checked the time—eight minutes to collect the bin bag. Ben would be disappointed if this person was not met.

“I need to borrow some clothes,” said Abbie.

Tony disappeared. Returned with a few choice items from his sister Alex’s wardrobe. Abbie dressed and checked herself out in the mirror. Rolled her eyes.

“Never send a straight guy to pick clothes for a woman.”

“What?” said Tony.

“Well, if this skirt was twice as long, it would just about qualify as too short, and you do know tops are supposed to keep the breasts in? Feels like this one’s trying to evict mine. Also, you’re staring.”

She turned away from the mirror, and Tony looked down, flushing. Still barefoot, Abbie grabbed Alex’s heels from the floor and chucked them at Tony.

“No chance I’m wearing these. I need boots or trainers. Something I can run in. Slippers would be better than these.”

She rechecked the time. Three minutes. Went into the bathroom and collected the bin bag. Tony was waiting in the bedroom when she returned.

“Go on then. Find me some shoes and meet me downstairs. Then you can take me shopping.”

After ditching the bin bag through the window of a dark car to a man who would not reveal his face, Abbie and Tony headed into town. The sun was beginning to dip, tumbling towards the houses. Nightfall on day one of Abbie's latest mission was almost upon them.

Money being of little consequence and in no short supply, Abbie wasted no time purchasing two new outfits. After paying, she headed into the toilet, stuffing one outfit into her drawstring bag—with Alex’s getup—and dressing in the other. When she exited the bathroom, Tony shamelessly allowed his eyes to trace over her tight black trousers, snug white tee, and expensive fitted jacket.

"You still look hot," he said.

"What every girl wants to hear," Abbie muttered, but she was barely paying attention. The shopping centre was vast. They were at its centre, an enormous open circular area surrounded by shops and the toilets in which Abbie had just changed. Across the circle, past the escalators, A woman argued with a teenager outside an expensive shoe store.

"You're beautiful too," Tony was saying. His face flushing. "I think you're stunning; I just meant… what are you looking at?"

"Your sister," said Abbie, striding past Tony. "And that must be your nephew. Ollie, was it?"

"That's right. Poor kid."

"Having a mum like Angel must be hard."

"No, I mean because of Aurora. They grew up together; were like best friends, inseparable. Her death hit him even harder than anyone. Except for maybe Ana.”

Abbie could see that. As she crossed the shopping centre, it was impossible to tell the subject of Ollie and his mother's argument. Still, while Angel remained calm, her face holding that annoying grace and beauty Abbie had noted earlier, Ollie's expression was distorted and distraught. He looked to be on the verge of a complete breakdown.

When Abbie drew within earshot, she heard Angel say, "Darling, we cannot keep having this conversation. I told you we'll make him pay for your sister. We’ll get Jacob, I swear, so could you, just for today, please—"

"Everything okay here?" Abbie cut in, smiling at son and mum.

Like Abbie, Angel was proficient at hiding her feelings beneath a neutral expression. But she was unable to stop the shock touching her eyes at the sight of Abbie, if only for a second.

"What are you doing—"

"Alive?" Abbie cut through Angel's words. "Yes, sorry, I have that annoying habit of letting people down by living beyond what they consider to be my expiration date."

"That's sad," said Angel. "That you have repeatedly driven people to wish you ill."

"I think I've just been unlucky," said Abbie. "I mean, it's happened again. You'll not believe what Tony and I just faced."

“Given I sent two guys to teach you a lesson for hurting my sister, I'd hope I would believe."

"Okay, you will," said Abbie. "But I think these guys misunderstood your instructions. When you said "teach Abbie a lesson," I think they thought you meant kill me, rather than sit me down and explain why it was not okay to assault an attempted rapist."

Angel gave a demure grin and stepped forward, closing the gap to Abbie.

"Actually," she said. "I think you misunderstand. I didn't really tell the guys to teach you a lesson. I told them to cut up your pretty face so even your mother wouldn't recognise you."

"My mother actually doesn't recognise me. Early-onset dementia. It's tragic. I wish I'd told you earlier. I could have saved you whatever you spent on these guys."

Angel didn't respond right away. Her smile remained, but for the first time, it looked frozen, not quite right. To many, Angels' eyes would have looked the same as ever. Abbie could see the fire burning there. Here was someone who did not like being teased.

"You have your jokes," said Angel. "They'll make Tony laugh because he wants to screw you. As for me—"

"Angel, that's enough." Tony had moved next to Abbie, facing Angel. He was aiming to look and sound imposing. No chance. Angel was his sister, but she was thirteen years his senior, and the difference could have been forty. She seemed to tower over her little half brother.

"It's enough when I say it's enough," Angel said.

"Tony was with me today," said Abbie. "Your knife-wielding maniac friends came within an inch of gutting him before I shouted his name and made them think twice. You have no idea how close you came to losing a second sibling."

Angel looked from Abbie to Tony. There was no guilt in her eyes. Nor any emotion, now she seemed to have expunged the anger.

"I warned the boys their target might not be alone. Told them, if she was with a member of my family, they weren't to cause too much damage."

"Too much?" Tony questioned. "A light beating would have been okay, then?"

"A light beating might