HQ
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London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2018
Copyright © Kellie Hailes 2018
Kellie Hailes asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
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E-book Edition © August 2018 ISBN: 9780008301729
Version: 2018-07-13
An ear-piercing trilling ripped Ben from the soundest sleep he’d had in weeks. His hand blindly scrambled round his bedside table, searching for his phone. Who could be calling at this time of night? He’d collapsed into bed just after midnight, so he knew it had to be late. He peeled open one eye. It was nowhere-near-dawn kind of late if the pitch-blackness in his room was anything to go by. Finding the phone, he squinted against the glare of the screen to see who would be so rude as to ring at such an ungodly hour.
His heart, already thumping from the shock of being yanked out of his sleep, ratcheted up to a worrying state.
Poppy.
Apprehension settled heavy in his stomach. If she was calling at this time of night it couldn’t be for any good reason.
He peered at the screen. Not a phone call, a video call. Well, that ruled out her being in prison, at least. He was pretty sure they still only allowed voice calls.
He glanced at the time. Just gone three. Which made it the afternoon, maybe, if she was still in New Zealand. Though knowing Poppy, she could have tired of the place and moved on to South America, where no doubt she’d be in a jungle hugging a tree in protest of it and its foliage-filled friends being cut down.
He swiped across and watched the internet decide whether it was going to connect him to her or not. A creased forehead and impatient stare gave him his answer.
‘Ben? You there? Ben? Can you hear me?’
Ben clicked the sound down and reminded himself to mute his phone before he went to sleep from now on. ‘I hear you, Poppy.’ He stifled a yawn. ‘Where are you? Are you okay? Are you in trouble? Do you need bail money?’
‘Of course I’m okay.’ Poppy rolled her eyes. ‘I’m not a teenager, Ben. You don’t have to keep me from getting into trouble anymore. Not that you could’ve if you wanted to. And bail money? Really? I’ve never been in that kind of trouble. God, dramatic much?’
‘Fair enough. Sorry, Pops, but when I get a call in the middle of the night I fear the worst.’ Ben folded his pillow in half and elbowed his way into a half-sitting position.
‘Fine. Whatever. And turn on your light. It’s weird talking to the black hole of Ben.’
‘Sorry. Forgot you couldn’t see me.’ Ben switched the phone to his other hand, then leaned over and flicked on the bedside lamp. Its golden glow illuminated the small space around him.
‘Geez, Ben, what’ve you been doing?’ Poppy’s hand covered her eyes, her fingers splitting apart to peek through at him. ‘Do you even work these days? Or do you spend all your waking hours at the gym?’
‘Huh?’ Ben peered at the square on the phone to see what Poppy was seeing. ‘Oh, God, sorry, Pops.’ He pulled the sheet up to his armpits. ‘There, all decent.’