Free Anything but Ordinary by Nicola Rhodes Page B

lately, if I can see that something is wrong, that this isn’t the real you then she certainly can.’
    ‘I don’t think she did see,’ said Denny miserably.
    ‘Tamar knows the real you,’ said Cindy firmly. ‘She’ll be back.’
    Denny risked a smile. ‘You don’t think you’re biased?’ he asked wickedly.
    Cindy stiffened imperceptibly.
    ‘I mean because you want her to come back too,’ he added.
    Cindy relaxed. ‘I know she’ll come back,’ she said. ‘She can’t do better than you.’ she touched his face lightly. ‘If there’s a better man than you out there, I haven’t met him.’
    This was dangerous ground. ‘Maybe she has,’ he said glumly. 
    ‘If she hadn’t in five thousand years,’ said Cindy. ‘What are the chances of it happening now?’
    * * *
    Tamar was sat in the commissary nursing a coffee of unparalleled toxicity, when a hand touched her lightly on the shoulder and a familiar voice said. ‘Hello gorgeous.’
    ‘Hello Slick,’ she turned with a mocking smile.  ‘What can I do for you?’
    ‘Dinner,’ he said promptly.
    Tamar laughed. ‘When you tell me your real name I’ll consider it,’ she told him. She was beginning to enjoy his company. She liked his refreshingly direct admiration.  He found her beautiful and did not see any reason to pretend otherwise. It was nice to be appreciated.  He would look at her at odd moments with undisguised and fervent desire. Denny had looked at her that way once. Of course, he was no Denny, but he was handsome and charming and he exerted that charm in her direction at every possible opportunity. Sometimes she would screw her eyes up to distort his image. With the floppy blonde hair and long lean physique, he looked a little like Denny, and he had the same hands, the same long sensitive fingers, artistic hands. Tamar had always appreciated Denny’s hands.
    She wondered idly what it would be like to let herself be tempted by this man. And would she be pretending all the time that he was Denny?  The way Denny used to be …
    ‘Sorry,’ he was saying. ‘That’s the one thing I can’t do, even for you. It’s a secret.’  He put his fingers to his lips.
    ‘It can’t be that bad. I knew a guy called Eugene once, but I never thought less of him for that.’
    ‘It’s worse than that,’
    ‘Not Cyril?’
    ‘No, and I’m not telling you.’
    ‘So it could be Cyril.’
    ‘It could be, but it isn’t.’
    ‘Cecil?’ Torquil? Tarquin? Denzil? You know, I once knew a guy called Florid Underdrawers. Whatever it is, it couldn’t be worse than that !’
    ‘You made that up.’
    ‘I swear, although to be fair, he was a dwarf.’
    ‘Okay, it’s not worse than that, but I’m still not telling you.’
    ‘Okay, suit yourself,’ she turned back to the heinous coffee.  ‘It’s your loss anyway,’ she added.
    ‘Believe me, I know,’ he said.
    They were interrupted by a wailing siren accompanied by a screeching voice announcing to the complex “INTRUDER ALERT, INTRUDER ALERT… TEAM ALPHA TO THE HOLDING ROOM.”
    ‘Intruder alert?’ said Tamar, getting off her seat. ‘How can there be an intruder alert? A mouse couldn’t break into this place.’
    ‘If we’re being called to the holding room, then it means they’ve caught someone,’ said Slick, ‘probably sneaking around outside. Usually they aren’t trying to get in at all. Why would they be? It’s not as if anyone knows this place is here.’ 
    Tamar found her heart sinking; although she had not even realised, until it did, that it had soared for a moment when the alert came through. She realised that she had irrationally hoped for one split second that the intruder might be Denny. Now, she realised, that it probably was not. Even if it was then, according to Slick, he had been captured, and that would not be a good thing. 
    She knew where the holding room was and she was not looking forward to seeing it again under any circumstances. 
    The rest of the team,