“Are you sure?” Walker said.
“Maybe I can help her,” Barboza said, glancing towards the upper floors of the hotel. “It’s worth a try.”
Walker shook his head. “You saw the look in his eyes,” he said. “The best thing you can do for Sadie Hobbs is to put her out of her misery. But if you do that, you might be the one taking her place. Leave it alone Barboza.”
“No Walker,” she said, still with that defiant look in her eyes. “I don’t think I can.”
Ten minutes later, Walker and Barboza were standing on Bishopsgate. After coming out of the hotel and going back into Station to pick up his supplies, Walker had come out with a change of clothes, consisting of a fresh black t-shirt and a pair of khaki hiking trousers that were a lot more comfortable to walk in than his dad’s old jeans. A large sports bag was draped over his shoulder, carrying enough supplies to get him over the Thames and into the Hole.
His axe was hanging by his side, as always.
Barboza was standing in front of him. She was smiling, but Walker thought he saw a hint of sadness in her dark brown eyes.
“You’re going to make me a promise Walker,” she said.
“Am I?” he said.
“Yeah. You’re going to promise to come back to me. Can you do that?”
Walker tried to think of the right thing to say. Something reassuring, that wasn’t an outright lie. “I’ll try,” he said. “I promise that much.”
He extended his hand towards her. He’d thought about pulling her into an embrace – that’s what he wanted to do – but something inside was holding him back. How long had he known Barboza? Had it even been a week yet? The weird thing was that after Alba, his feline companion on Stanmore Road, Barboza was the closest thing to family he’d had over the past nine years.
It was a sobering thought.
She took his hand and they shook.
“You be careful,” he said to her. “I’m not so sure you’re staying with the good guys after all. Know what I mean?”
“Yeah,” she said. “Hey, what if you’re the only good guy left in London?”
Walker broke off the handshake.
“I killed a rogue last week Barboza,” she said. “And I can’t even remember what the filthy bastard looked like. Yesterday I killed a soldier in my mum and dad’s house – I stuck the axe in him like he was a chunk of firewood. Like he was nothing. His face is disappearing too. Does that sound like a good guy to you?”
Barboza looked away. “I’ll never forget the face of the one I killed,” she said.
“I know,” Walker said. “And that’s why you’re staying here.”
Barboza smiled. She leaned forward and stole a kiss on Walker’s cheek. Like her handshake, the kiss was warm and soft against his skin. Then she turned back towards Station and walked over to the entrance like she was in a hurry to be gone.
“Remember your promise Walker,” she called back to him. “Come back to me.”
He watched her disappear through the entrance of the old Liverpool Street Station, leaving him standing alone on the sun-drenched road.
“Aye,” he said.
The End
Author Note
Hello there,
Thanks very much for reading this collection. I hope you enjoyed the three books featured here.
Now I’m going to ask for a wee favour if I may? If you enjoyed the box set and have a spare moment, would you mind leaving a short review online wherever you bought it? It can be super short, like two words long! You see there’s a rumour going around that when an indie author gets to fifty reviews they get a unicorn.
I want one of those.
Thank you so much. And all the best!
Mark Gillespie
Also by Mark Gillespie
Sleeping Giants (Future of London #4)
Kojiro vs. The Vampire People (Future of London #5)
* * *
The Complete FAB Trilogy
FAB: (FAB Trilogy #1)
FAB: The Fifth Angel (FAB Trilogy #2)
FAB: Revolver (FAB Trilogy #3)
The Outsider Tales
* * *
For more info on the books (plus mailing list details - No Spam Guaranteed!) visit:
www.markgillespieauthor.com/books
The Future of London: (L-2011, Mr Apocalypse, Ghosts of London) Page 56