“Ooh,” breathed Kira, eyeing Sam with unmasked interest. “No problem.” Then she whispered to one of the girls standing next to her, “He’s been eating his greens, huh? Yowsers.”
I rolled my eyes. The man was built like a brick shit house. Sam was a couple of inches taller than me, so must have been at least six foot four. All the security detail (one was patrolling the street outside) were dressed in black and, although I hadn’t admitted it out loud, they were intimidating bastards. Kira didn’t blink an eye and, if I wasn’t mistaken, she’d managed to make the big bastard blush.
“Mr Lucas.” Camilla Morrison’s soft voice drew my attention as the security men started searching her and Pavlos. “I, um . . . I didn’t know we were coming here tonight. Kira is . . . unpredictable. She likes the book group to go on ‘field trips’. I had no idea . . . she said someone called Henry asked us to come and . . .” she trailed off and shot Pavlos Martakis an uncertain look. He smiled down at her, took her hand and gave it a squeeze.
“I’m sure Mr Lucas hasnoproblem with us being here, Mils,” he reassured her with an easy smile. When he looked over to me, he may still have been smiling but there was a steely look in his eyes as he raised his eyebrows.
I rubbed the back of my neck. Henry had been a little brighter in the week since Kira’s last visit, but it wasn’t like he was a changed man. Was it really worth all this hassle?
“Do me!” I heard Kira cry and looked over to see her push her way in between Camilla and Pavlos, spread her arms wide and throw her head back. “Searchme. Make sure you’re thorough. I am a known criminal.”
Sam gave Kira a measured look and took her bag from her hand to go through it.
“Ki Ki,” one of the other women said in an exasperated tone. “You’ve been arrested once for being naked in Burgess Park with a bunch of other crazy women. I hardly think that constitutes being part of the illegal underworld.”
“Shut up, Libby,” Kira snapped, “and let the man do his job. His country is depending on him.” Sam let out a muffled snort as he stepped away, his eyes dancing. “Is that it?” Kira asked, disappointment in her tone.
“Dr Murphy,” Sam said, his lips twitching. “Do you have any identification other than a library card from 2008?”
Kira’s lips twisted to the side as she looked up at him. “Um, no.”
“Look she’s a doctor at the hospital we work at,” said Pavlos Martakis. “We can vouch for her.”
“Er, Claire and I work at a strip club,” one of the two blonde women said as she raised her hand. “But we saw her take a splinter out of Big Barry’s finger this one time. She seemedreallyprofessional.”
I took a deep breath. “May I enquire how many of you . . . work at that establishment?” I asked slowly. Strippers visiting me at my home was not something I needed leaking to the press.
“Oh, just us two,” the blonde told me. “I hope you’re not prejudiced, mate. We contribute to the economy just as much as the next person.”
“That’s right,” Camilla Morrison put in in her quiet voice. “They bring in foreign investment to the country as well.” She shuffled slightly behind Pav after she spoke with a fearful look in her eyes.
“At leastI’mnot a stripper,” Pavlos said through a smile, clapping me on the shoulder in a familiar gesture that was totally foreign to me given my normal interactions. “Be thankful for small mercies.”
“Hospital ID?” Sam asked, handing Kira back her purse and ignoring the stripper comments.
“Oh, I keep it on a lanyard at home.”
“Driver’s licence?”
“Can’t drive.”
“What?”
“They said I was ‘dangerous’,” she made air quotes and rolled her eyes on the last word.
“It’s fine,” I told Sam. “I know who she is.”
Sam looked at me and then nodded. “Okay, you lot are clear to go through.”
“Thanks, big guy,” Kira chirped, grabbing hold of Camilla’s hand and leading her past me and towards the kitchen. “Don’t be intimidated, Professor X,” she told Camilla. Then, in a stage whisper she added, “And make sure you get a proper look at his arse later.”
Now I could feel heat hittingmycheeks and I heard another snort from Sam. Annoyed at the reaction she’d provoked, I stalked after Kira, but then paused in the hallway to look back. The three remaining females were still standing where I’d left them –they had their heads cocked to one side, and were very obviously looking at my backside.
“Yo, Henners!” Kira cried as she burst into the kitchen. “How’s it hanging?”
“Hey, I’m Pavlos,” Mr Martakis said as he moved around the table to shake hands with Henry. “Sorry for the invasion, but Kira said you were keen for a bit of literary criticism and she won’t often let me come along. Sexual discrimination and all that.”
“I don’t discriminate against you cause you’re a bloke, Willy Fiddler,” Kira said as she flicked the kettle on and unwound the scarf from her neck. “I won’t let you come cause you’re boring when it comes to your missus and you won’t let us have any fun.”
