Free Toxic by Alice Lingard Page A

sofa.
    “It's okay.” Tom took her hand. “They reckon she'll be right as rain once it's done.”
    “When?”
    “I don't know exactly. There's a waiting list.”
    “How long?”
    “Several months.”
    “What happens in the meantime?”
    “She has to take it easy.”
    “Why didn't she say something to me?”
    “She doesn't want to worry you. She said she'd tell you the day before the operation so you didn't have chance to worry beforehand. Don't let on I've told you or she'll kill me.”
    “Thanks, Tom.”
     
    Lacey drove back to the Commodore in a haze. After her mum had pulled through the heart attack, Lacey had assumed all would be well provided she took it easy and changed her diet. A bypass was a serious operation wasn't it? What if she couldn't wait several months?

Chapter 12
     
     
    Lacey didn't even acknowledge the security guard's greeting when she arrived back at the Commodore. Her mind was elsewhere. She needed to read up on heart bypass operations. Lots of people had them these days, didn't they? Maybe they weren't something to worry about.
     
    “How was your mum?” Raw was waiting for Lacey in the penthouse. She'd been so preoccupied that she hadn't even noticed his car was in the basement garage.
    “Okay, I think.”
    “What's wrong?”
    “She has to have a heart bypass operation. I wouldn't have known anything about it if Tom hadn't told me.”
    Raw pulled Lacey to him so her head was resting on his chest. “She'll be okay. Your mum's a tough old bird.”
    She wiped away a tear. “I know. I just wish she'd told me.”
    “When is the operation?”
    “She's on the waiting list. Tom reckons it could be several months.”
     “Why don't I make a few calls?” Raw said. “I'll find out who the best surgeons are, and if we can speed things along.”
    “Thanks. That would be great. I'm just glad she's got Tom there with her.”
    “He's a good man.”
    “He must be to put up with Mum.” Lacey burst into tears. “I couldn't bear it if anything happens to her.”
    “It's going to be okay. I promise.”
     
    Lacey had the mother of all headaches, so Raw insisted she lie down in the bedroom for a while. She hadn't intended to, but she nodded off. By the time she woke, it was almost midday.
    “Feeling better?” he asked when she walked out of the bedroom.
    “My headache's gone.”
    “Good. I've made a few phone calls, and should have some news later today or tomorrow latest.”
    “Thanks. I'm sorry for burdening you with this. You've got enough on your plate with Todd. Any news there?”
    Raw shook his head. “I've still no idea where he and Suzy are. But then, if we can't find them, hopefully that means no one else can either.”
    “Do you still think they're in danger?”
    “Todd has really fucked up this time. You remember how quickly we got him out of Spain?”
    “Yeah. You said you'd 'engineered' it. Bribed the officials.”
    “Let's just say money changed hands. The amount of drugs they found on Todd was more than he should have had for personal use, but was still small fry. That's why we were able to persuade certain people that it wasn't in their interest to pursue the case. It turns out Todd actually had a shit load more drugs which he managed to dump before the authorities got to him. If he'd been caught with the full amount, we wouldn't have been able to buy him out of prison. With that quantity of drugs, there's no way they would have turned a blind eye.”
    “How did you find out about the other drugs?”
    “Todd was supposed to bring them into the UK for some particularly nasty people. The kind of people you don't mess with. And particularly the kind of people you don't let down. They're out one or possibly even two million pounds for the drugs which Todd dumped.”
    “Can't he explain to them why he had to dump them?”
    “They don't care about excuses. They paid him to deliver the drugs to the UK, and he didn't.”
    “I don't understand why he'd get involved with