𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐦 𝐀𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬

➜ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑

AT THE WATERFRONT PART 2

Tamara led Alex and Jack back the way they came with Atlas swiftly following behind. Then across the atrium and over to one of the lifts. Once inside, she produced a key. The building had twenty-five storeys; they key activated the button for the top floor. The doors closed and they were whisked upwards at speed. Alex felt his stomach sink as the atrium disappeared beneath them. Atlas looked up at him, eyes laced over with worry, she whined and pawed the boy's leg watching his facial reaction attentively. He stooped down and hugged her tightly, she moved her body closer and rested her head on his shoulder lightly, tail slightly wagging. Twenty floors up, lift entered a solid shaft and the view was blocked. Another few seconds and they slowed down. The lift stopped and the doors slid open.

They had arrived.

They were in a huge room with windows on two  sides giving breathtaking views over St Katharine's Dock, the yachts and cruisers resting at their moorings far below. Tower Bridge was close by. It looked unreal, a toy replica, sitting in the afternoon but expensively furnished with three Persian rugs spread over light wood floorboards. The furniture was morden. On one side stood a dining-room table with a dozen leather chairs. A corridor ran past a black Bechstein grand piano to a closed door at the end. There was a sunken area in the middle of the room with three oversized sofa and a glass coffee table. Tea - sandwiches and biscuits - had already been served.

"Hey, Alex are you alright?" Jack asked her hand rested on his back face full of worry. He sighed softly and stood back up patting the Dire wolf's head.

"Yeah, I'm alright." he nodded and she sent back a reassuring smile before glancing around the room.

"This is quite a place!" Jack said.

"This is where Mr Drevin stays when he's in London." Tamara Knight pointed out one window. "You see the boat third from the left? The Crimean Star. That belongs to him too."

Jack gasped. The vessel was gleaming white, the size of a small ocean liner. "Have you been on board?" she asked.

"Certainly not. My work with Mr Drevin doesn't allow me to enter his private quarters," she explained primly.

Just then the door at the end of the corridor opened and Nikolei Drevin came in. It occurred to Alex that there must be a second lift that brought him up to another part of the penthouse. He was alone hand clasped in front of him, his finger tugging at the ring. "Thank you very much, Miss Knight," he said. "You can leave us now."

"Yes, Mr Drevin."

"Have you made the arrangements for Sunday?"

"I've left the file on your desk, Mr Drevin."

"Good. I'll talk to you later."

Tamra Knight nodded to Alex. "It was good to meet you," she said - but without enthusiasm. The she turned and walked back into the lift. The doors closed and she was gone.