“So she isn’t out?”
“Yes, yes, she is. But I don’t know where.”
“Right. I see. Thanks, then. Tell her I called, will you?”
“Fine, bye.”
He slammed the door.
“So much for confirming your theories, whatever they are,” said Jasmine sourly as they turned back into the street.
“I’m not giving up yet,” said Krish, taking her by the hand and leading her around the corner to the alleyway behind the steep terrace. They picked a path among bins and football-playing boys until they reached the backyard of Anjali’s house.
“You think she’s in? So what? If she doesn’t want to talk to you, she doesn’t want to talk to you.” Jas shrugged.
“I think she’ll lead us to an explanation if we wait long enough.”
“Krish, I’m cold, I’m tired, I don’t fancy hanging around this smelly alleyway all—”
She broke off as the backyard door swung open, revealing a familiar figure, preparing to make a mad dash along the pathway to where a large limousine had just pulled in at the alley top.
Chapter Six
“Ajay, Ajay!” It wasn’t just Jas saying his name. The footballing boys had paused in their game to leap around him.
But he ignored them, his face like stone, his gaze, betraying guilty unease, fixed on Jasmine.
“What are you…doing here?” she gasped. “Why…? Please, explain, please.”
“I’ll explain,” he said at last. “To you. Only you. Come to the car with me and I’ll make things up to you.”
“Oh no,” interrupted Krishnan. “Where she goes, I go.”
Ajay eyed Krishnan with cold dislike. Eventually he gave them a stiff nod.
“Okay. In my car.”
They followed him up to the limousine and stepped in after him, seating themselves between the two goons they had seen in the shop earlier. Ajay offered them champagne, which they both declined.
“I’ll give you a lift,” he said. “Back to Leicester. Driver! Belgrave Road, make it snappy.”
“We have a car—” Jas began.
“We’ll come back for it later,” Krish interrupted her. “Right now, we need that explanation.”
“There’s no sex tape,” blurted Jas as the car drove slowly through the busy streets, working hard to avoid knocking over cricket-playing children.
“On the contrary,” said Ajay. “There is a sex tape.”
“What? But how…”
“Just not of me and you. Of me and Anjali.”
Jas stared at Ajay, then at Krishnan, then back at Ajay.
“She’s blackmailing you,” said Krishnan.
“Right. She’s blackmailing me. Her brothers have the tape, which they’re keeping hold of until she wins the contest.”