Bradshaw thought about it. ‘Edgar,’ she said eventually.
‘Great. Two people and a dog.’
Locke laughed. ‘And I’ll speak to a friendly journalist. Make it clear that you do not enjoy our protection.’
‘You’ll be a pariah, Poe,’ Doyle said. ‘The press will crucify you.’
‘I know. I need them to. Puck has to believe I’ve reached rock bottom.’ He took a deep breath. ‘And after a few days, I need you to publicly call off our engagement.’
‘Absolutely not!’
‘You have to, Estelle. As long as I have you, I have something.’
‘I will not quietly sit here while the gutter press goes to town on you. It’s out of the question, Poe.’
‘I know.’
Doyle blinked in surprise. ‘You do?’
‘I do. You won’t be sitting here at all. You’ll have taken that lecturing gig in Arizona that you keep putting off.’
‘I—’
‘I can’t have him wondering who to target, Estelle. He saw me dive on Tilly in London, so I think that’s who he’ll choose anyway, but we have to narrow down his options to one.’
‘Well played, Washington!’ Bertie said from his armchair. He raised his glass.
‘Keep out of this, Bertie!’ Doyle snapped.
‘No, Lady Doyle, I don’t think I will,’ Uncle Bertie said, his voice firm and clear. ‘This is a high-risk operation, and it must be distraction free. And, like it or not, you are a distraction. A very pretty one, I may add.’
While Doyle simmered, outmanoeuvred, Flynn said, ‘What about me? We’ve known each other a long time. Are you sure he won’t look in my direction?’
‘You live in a secure penthouse. You have an underground car park. You’re a hard target, boss. Tilly lives in the burbs.’
‘But just in case he isn’t sure who to use to get to you, Poe, I have a small suggestion,’ Bradshaw said.
‘What is it, Tilly?’
‘I learn how to playDezinformatsiya. He’s the world’s top-rated player. I think if you give me a little time, I can knock him down to number two. And I’ll leave enough breadcrumbs that he’ll be able to find out my identity.’
‘Can’t you just hack into their database and change all the scores?’
‘Where’s the fun in that, Poe?’
‘Beats me. How long?’
‘I’ll be world number one by the time you go on TV.’
She said it with such confidence, Poe didn’t bother following it up. If Bradshaw said she could master a game in a matter of days that Puck had spent a lifetime perfecting, then Puck was about to lose his crown. Poe grinned. Puck would hate that.Almost as much as his ex-wife becoming richer than Posh and Becks.
‘OK, you’ve lost your best friend and you’ve lost your fiancée, Poe,’ Locke said. ‘What else do you have in your life? What else do we need to take from you?’
‘My job,’ he said emphatically. ‘If I lost that, I probably would reach rock bottom and keep going down.’
‘You might get suspended anyway,’ Flynn said. ‘A plan this reckless, with seemingly catastrophic results, will provoke a response with our senior managers. It’ll have to.’
‘I’ll have a discreet word with the Home Secretary,’ Locke said. ‘Tell her it would be advantageous if you became the nation’s scapegoat.’
