Max had a comment at last. ‘But they had the passports, right? The ones for the Grey/Jones party? I’m so fucking confused right now.’

  ‘That’s right,’ Kate gasped. ‘Where are Clara and Claire? What did you do with them?’

  ‘We didn’t do anything with them,’ Sasha said, annoyed.

  Kate rounded on Max. ‘Wait. You checked the passports. Didn’t you see it wasn’t them?’

  ‘The names were right.’

  ‘So they had the women’s passports? But surely you should have noticed… Oh god, your reading glasses. You didn’t wear them, did you?’

  ‘I lost them.’

  ‘Bullshit.’

  ‘Fine. They make me look old,’ Max snapped.

  Kate began to cry. ‘They killed them at the docks and took their IDs.’ She looked at Josie and Kate in dread. ‘Why did you do it? What were you running away from?!’

  Max got his phone out and started checking something.

  Josie groaned. ‘Kate, please please can you just calm—’

  ‘The booking was cancelled,’ Max suddenly announced, squinting at his phone.

  Kate stopped crying rather quickly. ‘What?’

  ‘The reservation was cancelled the day we left, about an hour before we shoved off. There’s an email here saying something about personal stuff. They apologised for cancelling so late in the day, but they paid twenty percent of the fee.’

  Kate wiped her eyes, looking mildly embarrassed. ‘I asked you if you checked the email account.’

  ‘I was busy,’ Max said.

  ‘Busy on bloody Tinder, no doubt!’ Kate snapped.

  Max swallowed. ‘I don’t go on that anymore. But let’s get back to the point, here. These two might not be murderers, but who the hell are they?’

  Josie shrugged. ‘From the sounds of it? Just stowaways.’

  Sasha looked at her. ‘So, we didn’t steal the trip?’

  Kate, now that she didn’t think anyone was a serial killer, was a lot more bolshy. ‘Yes, you did. You got on this boat, and took this trip, that we believed had been paid for. You stole from us!’

  Sasha sighed, her relief slipping away. ‘Ah. Right.’

  ‘And you used false documentation,’ Max added.

  ‘It wasn’t false. It just wasn’t ours,’ Josie pointed out. ‘And by the way, not that it’s a big deal, but if you’d have checked your emails sooner, none of this would have happened.’

  ‘You’ve got a bloody nerve,’ Kate said. ‘Trying to blame us for your fuckery. And I still want to know how you got those passports and knew about the trip?’

  Josie put her hands in the air. ‘This was kind of a misunderstanding. If you listen for a minute, maybe it’s not too late to figure out a way to sort this mess.’

  Max stood, and everyone turned to him. ‘It might be a bit late, actually.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Kate asked.

  ‘I think I can see border control.’

  Everyone span to see the boat on the horizon, whizzing in their general direction. Sasha wondered if she might faint. But consciousness stayed with her, annoyingly. She was gonna have to feel every inch of whatever the hell was about to come.

  Twenty-Eight

  ‘Is it Italy or Greece?’ Kate asked.

  ‘I think I can spot a blue and white flag,’ Max said.

  ‘That you can see?’ Kate shouted.

  ‘I’m long-sighted,’ Max explained tetchily.

  ‘So it’s Greece. Christ, not those two,’ Kate moaned. ‘They’re the worst ones.’

  Josie looked at Kate. ‘Why are you shitting bricks? We’re the ones about to go into a Greek jail cell.’

  ‘Greek prison? I can maybe whip up a tzatziki?’ Sasha muttered to herself, and Josie looked at her.

  ‘I know, but it’s my only plan.’ Sasha shrugged miserably.

  Josie was shocked at how quickly things had gone wrong. In the space of ten minutes, she’d ruined things with Sasha, and the entire shenanigan was on its arse.

  ‘Oh Christ, oh Christ, oh Christ,’ Kate was muttering.

  ‘Seriously, why are you the one sweating right now?’ Josie asked.

  Kate stared at her. ‘What do you mean? You think we’re gonna get away with this?’

  Josie was not clicking. ‘What the hell are you getting away with?’

  ‘We’re in trouble, whatever your name is. We’re up to our eyes in it. Because it’s our job to check your ID and Max fucked up. They’re not gonna believe it’s a mistake.’

  ‘Why wouldn’t they?’ Josie asked, baffled.

  ‘You don’t think people in our position get bribed to take people to other countries?’ Kate asked her, paling.

  Josie was still confused. ‘If you were trying to sneak into Greece, I think there are easier ways for a Brit. You could take a flight in about three hours. And then just, you know, not leave.’

  Kate shook her head at Josie. ‘It’s not as simple as that. Once your IDs come into question, everything could be a lie. You could be coming from anywhere. Going anywhere. You could be anyone. So that makes us criminals too. Human traffickers!’

  Sasha was horrified. ‘I never thought. God, Kate. I’m so sorry.’

  Max put his arm around Kate. ‘It might be alright. If I bought the IDs, they might, too.’

  ‘Shut up, Max,’ she said, shrugging him off.

  Josie tried desperately to think of some way out. Might the Greek agents believe they were Clara and Claire? Josie doubted it. This was border patrol. They were looking for people trying it on.

  Not like Max, who was sloppy. They’d gotten lucky with Valentina because she didn’t care. They couldn’t rely on good fortune a third time.

  This was a fuck-up too far. Josie had to do something. It was only her that was supposed to be in trouble. And now she’d dragged everyone on this boat into the shit.

  Josie stepped toward the edge, leaning over the railing to watch the other boat get closer. They were still a few miles away. ‘I can tell them it was me, Kate,’ she said over her shoulder. ‘I’ll make it clear I was the offender. It’s all verifiable. I mean, it might take a bit of time for Greek authorities to get their ducks in a row, but—’

  ‘No, Josie. It was both of us,’ Sasha said, sidling up to her.

  ‘You know that’s not true,’ Josie said.

  ‘I don’t care what’s true. I’m not letting you do this alone.’

  ‘No,’ Josie said, and whatever else had happened between them faded. The clouds parted, and Josie knew what was right. ‘I never had a future. If I go down for this, nothing is lost. You could do anything with your life. You don’t deserve this.’

  ‘I’ll never do anything,’ Sasha said tearfully. ‘You’ve seen what I’m like. I’m just gonna run that restaurant until I die. That’s who I am. This was the only time I didn’t feel like I knew exactly what came next. Being on this boat with you was the only time I ever felt like there was magic in my life.’

  Josie looked at her with astonishment. ‘Sasha, you know I—’

  ‘Can you two shut the fuck up for a second? I’m trying to figure out where to hide you,’ Max suddenly said.

  Everyone looked at him. ‘Eh?’ Kate asked.

  ‘I think I know a spot that could work,’ Max said.

  ‘It doesn’t matter if you could hide them. The paperwork for the trip! They’re listed!’ Kate berated him.

  Max shrugged. ‘We’ve got an email explaining exactly why the people that booked this boat aren’t on it. We can tell the Greeks we decided to take the trip anyway, since we had the free time, and we had the deposit to spend.’

  Kate sighed. ‘Max, this is a terrible idea. Just forget it.’

  Max smiled at her. ‘Look, we both know I’m a piece of shit. I’m sneaky, I’m lazy, I’m selfish,’ he said easily. ‘But guess what that means? I know how to get away with things.’

  Kate barked a laugh, outraged. ‘No, it doesn’t. I busted you for every fuck-up you ever made. Like that five hundred quid you spunked on the greyhounds.’

  Max smirked. ‘But guess what? I actually lost twelve grand.’

  Kate gaped. ‘What?!’

  ‘But I got it back before you realised,’ Max went on. ‘All but the last five hundred. I had to crash my old motorbike into a rental van my mate was driving and put in a false insurance claim. Broke my leg, but it was worth it. I was in trouble with you, but not twelve grand worth.’

  Kate glared at him. ‘That’s how you broke your leg?! Not buggering about on your nephew’s skateboard?’

  ‘And that’s the tip of the iceberg, Katie,’ Max said with a nervous smile. ‘Really. I’ve done so much shit. We’d have gotten divorced about five years earlier if you knew the truth.’

  If Kate had been angry before, she was nuclear now. ‘I’m so fucking furious, I think I could honestly murder you,’ she yelled at him, breathless with rage. She took a second to collect herself. ‘But I will rip you a new arsehole after you hide these two. OK?’

  Josie and Sasha looked at each other. Would they do this? Could they? They both exchanged a silent agreement.

  Josie turned to Max. ‘What are we doing?’

  Twenty-Nine

  ‘You want us to hide behind surfboards? That’s the big plan?’ Sasha said, peering into the small storage cupboard.

  ‘It’s half the plan,’ Max said, but Sasha was not reassured.

  ‘If they come in here, they’ll go straight to us,’ Josie said.

  ‘Then I better make sure they don’t come in here,’ Max said.

  ‘How the hell are you gonna do that?’ Sasha demanded.

  Max held up a hand. ‘Don’t worry about it. Just get in.’

  They climbed in behind respective surfboards on either side of the small space. ‘I am worried about it, Max,’ Josie said. ‘Just so you’re aware.’

  ‘Let me do my thing, alright?’ Max urged, and they heard the door of the closet shut.

  ‘This isn’t gonna work, is it?’ Sasha said from behind her surfboard.

  ‘We’re hanging everything on the most useless man I’ve ever met,’ Josie said from behind hers. ‘So, probably not.’ She paused. ‘I really am sorry.’

  Sasha wanted to tell her not to be, but she wasn’t sure if it was safe to keep talking. Then she heard loud Greek being spoken, which turned quickly to English. The agents were on the boat.

  ‘You’re transporting holidaymakers?’ one of them said, a man with a no-nonsense tone.

  Max laughed. ‘We were supposed to be. But they cancelled. I can show you the cancellation paperwork from Hammonds if you’d like to see it. We decided to take advantage of the route planned. We had a fully stocked boat and nothing to do. Why not, eh?’

  The man he was talking to didn’t sound so jolly. ‘I see. Can we see your paperwork?’

  Several silent minutes went past in which Sasha was left to imagine the very worst.

  But the man eventually said. ‘Fine. Now, we’re just going to do an inspection. Purely customary. Flora and fauna etc.’

  Sasha didn’t believe that. They knew she was here somehow, and they knew where. They were coming for her.

  ‘Knock yourself out,’ Max said. ‘We don’t have anything more exotic than tinned tuna.’

  Sasha heard feet clumping in the direction of the cupboard. But they went right past. Sasha didn’t believe it would be the end of it.

  And then the worst possible thing happened. Sasha had a terrible feeling that she was about to… Yep, there it was. Nervous laughter was rising.

  It began as it always did. Tittering. But that would lead to chuckling, which was a gateway to guffawing. Once that began, nothing would stop it from becoming a roar that would lead the Greek border control right to her. She was going to laugh herself into a Greek jail cell.

  But after a couple of small giggles escaped, she heard Josie say quietly, in a calm and soothing tone that Sasha didn’t recognise, ‘Sasha. I know what’s happening right now. But I just want you to breathe. Nice and deep. Concentrate on your breath.’

  Sasha didn’t think that would do anything. But she did as she was told out of sheer desperation.

  ‘That’s it,’ Josie said, in that oddly relaxing tone. ‘Just concentrate on the breath. In. Out. In. Out.’

  Sasha kept going, focusing only on the act of inhalation. She still felt like she might laugh, but she kept going. And then it was no longer funny. The laughter was leaving. Sasha kept breathing, and the urge was completely gone.

  But it wasn’t over yet. Because not long after Sasha had gotten ahold of herself, the feet came back in their direction. Very close indeed. Sasha held her breath as the door clicked open.

  ‘Storage?’ the man asked, and Sasha felt like he was standing right next to her surfboard. ‘Anything I need to—’

  ‘Oh, er…’ Max said nervously, and anyone could have heard his anxiety. He was practically telling them to rip the cupboard apart.

  ‘What’s that?’ the Greek man asked.

  Sasha knew in her blood that the man was gonna pull this stupid surfboard away and find her cowering.

  But then the man said, ‘You put something in your pocket.’

  ‘It’s, er, well… It’s nothing you need to worry about. Just, erm, could you let me put this in my pocket before the wife…’

  There was the sound of extra feet shuffling in. ‘Before the wife what?’ asked Kate.

  ‘It’s nothing,’ Max said quickly. ‘It’s old. Some old renters must have…’

  ‘Let me see that,’ Kate demanded.

  There were the sounds of a light tussle, and a Greek accent said, ‘Now, this is really—’

  ‘Max, these are knickers,’ Kate said. ‘What the hell is a pair of used knickers doing in this cupboard?’

  Max laughed anxiously. ‘Kate, you’re blowing this out of proportion. Just calm it down.’

  ‘I know who these belong to! You had Valentina on this boat, didn’t you?!’ Kate exploded.

  ‘Who? I don’t know any Valentina,’ Max cried.

  ‘From Casalegno!’

  ‘Oh, ah… Yeah, that does ring a bell now,’ Max said.

  ‘You promised me you wouldn’t do this again!’ Kate bellowed. ‘You promised on the dog!’

  The next thing Sasha heard was flesh smashing against flesh, and she was in no confusion about what the sound was.

  The Greek man yelled, ‘Grab her, would you!’ and then it sounded like Max and Kate were dragged out of the cupboard.

  All went quiet. Untold minutes passed in silence, during which Sasha tried not to move so much as a toe muscle. She didn’t dare to think it was fine yet.

  But after a time, the door creaked open and Kate said, ‘They’ve gone. You can come out now.’

  Sasha shuffled forward, and her surfboard fell over and slapped on the ground. ‘They left?’

  Max appeared, holding a bag of frozen peas over his eye. ‘They’re a dot in the distance.’

  Josie appeared from behind her surfboard. ‘Are you serious? They were practically on top of us.’

  Max laughed. ‘Yeah, well. You can thank Punchy, here. We’ve just had a talking-to on the main deck for five minutes about not bringing violence to their country.’

  ‘You asked me to hit you,’ Kate said defensively.

  ‘I said slap,’ Max said. ‘I didn’t say hit me like George Foreman.’

  ‘What does this have to do with grills?’ Kate asked.

  Max chose not to answer that. ‘They told us we should split up for our own good. I thought the Greeks understood about infidelity.’ He blinked. ‘Or am I thinking about Italians?’

  Kate heaved a big sigh. ‘Before you drag the reputation of any more nations, can I just say… You’re a weasel and I don’t forgive you for anything, but you saved my arse today. So thanks.’

  Max grinned, pleased with himself. ‘No drama.’

  ‘I can’t believe that worked,’ Josie said as they left the closet.

  Max shrugged. ‘Hide the bigger crime in a smaller crime. It’s a classic for a reason.’

  Sasha turned to Josie. ‘And how the hell did you know to do that thing with the breathing? I was about to blow everything.’

  Josie shrugged. ‘Some of my clients get a bit tense being touched. Some of them start laughing just like you do. Sometimes I have to do some breathing stuff with them before we can crack on with the deep tissue stuff.’

 

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