Imposture (DI Gardener 6)

He reached down and cradled her head in his arms, as if she was a newborn child. She may as well have been because Anthony realised how incredibly frail she was. He

suspected she didn’t have long.

“Please, tell me, what’s he done?”

She took her time in answering. “I think he might have got the better of us at last.”

Zoe then smiled. “I’m so sorry,” she said.

“What for?”

“Everything. If it wasn’t for me, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“It doesn’t matter now,” said Anthony.

“It was me…” Zoe stopped speaking and suddenly started coughing.

Anthony tried harder to comfort her, pulling her a little closer, as if by tightening his grip he would somehow stop the coughing.

Eventually she did. “It was me… who wiped you out. He made me.”

“I realise that. No one else would have been clever enough.”

“I didn’t want to.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Anthony was on the verge of tears himself. Michael and James had gone. Zoe was close, and within the next few minutes, Anthony was sure to be facing certain death.

“Did you bring everything I asked?”

“Yes.”

“Good. He’s frightened stiff of syringes.” Zoe paused, drawing breath, calming down. “You probably won’t have to use it. I’m sure he’ll cave in at the sight of it.”

“I’ll use the bastard anyway.”

Zoe smiled again. “That’s the spirit. Go get him, tiger.”

Anthony would rather not. “What about you?”

She took her time in replying. “Don’t worry about me.”

“You need an ambulance, Zoe.”

“No. No time. Finish him off… and then me and you can start again. We’ll show the world that no one messes with DPA.”

Tears rolled down Anthony’s face. Whatever wrong they had done, didn’t seem to matter. With DPA it was all for one and one for all – the four musketeers. Hurt one, you hurt them all.

Zoe’s eyes widened and she drew in a breath.

“What’s wrong? Are you in pain?” Anthony carefully laid her on the floor and pulled out his phone.

Zoe waved her hand. “Told you. No time. Go now. Sort him out. Then you can sort me out.”

She smiled again and Anthony felt a wave of revulsion for Roger Hunter, despite the fact that he had been the victim from the beginning.

He held Zoe’s face in his hands.

“You’re right, girl. You and me against the world.”