Kayleigh felt her core temperature drop, almost as though Marcus had driven through a fall of ice-cold water. "What do you mean, we're being followed?"

"I've been driving around the same block for the past five minutes," Marcus replied. "So has that black Prius."

His voice remained steady, but his face was beginning to betray him. She noted the droop at the corners of his mouth, the hard jaw beneath his beard, which Kayleigh thought needed trimming, the sharpness in his eyes. He was strange. Strong. Different every time she looked at him and it baffled her how there was something about him she just couldn't figure out despite knowing the man like the back of her hand.

Marcus Burrows swore under his breath and started dialling a number he knew by heart on the dashboard screen. "Reporters aren't usually this persistent and it's not like we're royalty," he explained, taking his eyes off the road only to check the rearview mirror every now and then. 

He took an exit without warning and Kayleigh turned in her seat just in time to see the black Prius swerve off the highway and speed up behind them.

"Pick up, pick up, pick up!" Marcus muttered under his breath.

Finally, her brother's voice filled the car as though he was right there with them.

"Hey, Leon," Marcus greeted with relief. "Did you get home alright?"

"Yeah, man, we're good. Thanks again." His voice sounded tired and worried.

"Is Nicholson okay?" Marcus went on before Kayleigh had time to ask the same thing.

Leon barked out a short laugh. "Yeah. She's finally sleeping it off. Remind me never to upset her again, will you?"

"Gave you a piece of her mind, did she?"

Despite his light words, Marcus's expression remained focused as he slipped onto another main road and stepped on the gas again.

"Yep... And her fist and her shoes... That girl is stronger than she looks!"

Kayleigh opened her mouth, fully intending to tell him that it was nothing less than he deserved, but once again, Marcus spoke over her.

"Listen, stay indoors until I call you, alright? There might be some reporters hanging around if they think Abi and I are in there. And keep away from the windows."

"Don't worry, we're not planning on going anywhere at this hour. So, you won't be coming home?"

Kayleigh looked at Marcus, remembering he hadn't answered when she asked where they were going.

"No."

"Can I have your bed for tonight, then?" Leon rambled on. "Rosie's sleeping in mine."

"Sure, man, whatever you need," Marcus agreed, glaring at his mirrors again.

"Thanks. Alright, I'll call Kay to make sure she got home safe and that that jackass didn't try any funny business with her."

Kayleigh's face flushed with anger. But just as she was about to respond, Marcus cut her off for the third time, this time also shooting her a warning look.

"Kayleigh's with me," he announced as she narrowed her eyes at him. She didn't like him speaking on her behalf.

"Oh," her brother said, clearly surprised. There was a slight pause and then he asked, "You're taking her to her apartment?"

Marcus pressed the bridge of his nose and that was when Kayleigh realised he was battling with something internally.

"I can't," he answered finally. "I can't risk exposing where she's staying. There were a lot of paps there tonight, Leon. They were still there when we left."

Another pause.

"Alright. Where are you going then?"

This time Marcus positively winced before answering. "Uncle Emre's."

Leon's reaction was instant and loud. "You're taking my sister to the Secret Garden?"

Kayleigh's eyes widened. She swatted Marcus on his arm but he continued to drive ahead without flinching. "It's the safest place in London," he started factuality.

"Yeah but... Dude, that's my sister!"

"I know that," he gritted, still ignoring Kayleigh's questioning looks. He exhaled and flexed his fingers on the wheel. When he spoke again, his voice sounded more composed, even if he didn't look it. "I know that, and you know she's like a sister to me too. I just want to get her somewhere safe." He shot Kay a pleading look and added, "She's fast asleep in the car. You have nothing to worry about."

Kayleigh had to bite her lips shut to stop herself from screaming at the pair of them. One angry heartbeat. Two angry heartbeats. Three angry heartbeats... and then Leon gave in.

"Yeah, alright. Yeah, you're right. Okay. I'll talk to you in the morning."

Kayleigh saw the tension leave Marcus's shoulders when Leon hung up the call.

"What was that all about?"

Marcus looked straight ahead, turning left, then right until they were back on the same highway they'd been driving on but facing the opposite direction.

"Why didn't you want me to talk to Leon?"

"Put your hood up," Marcus demanded.

"Answer me!"

"Did you not hear your brother freak out? Can you imagine his reaction if he finds out we're being followed? I called him to make sure he and Nicholson got home okay. Which they did. Now, I'm trying to do the same thing for us! I'm going to stop at that service station. If they're paps, they'll drive by and take some photos along the way. So, please, Kayleigh will you put your bloody hood up?"

"If? What else can they be?" Kayleigh asked, the panic causing a quiver in her voice.

Marcus pulled into the station and hid the car behind the first pump. Kayleigh noticed he didn't turn off the engine as he turned to look at her.

"I'll explain everything when we get to Emre's. Keep your head down. They weren't that far behind."

Kayleigh lifted her hood and lowered her head while Marcus rummaged in the glove compartment until he found a baseball cap. He put it on and pulled her into his chest to hide her from the street behind her. Her curiosity was eating through her gut but she didn't move. She focused on the sound of his fast but steady heart. 

And then she noticed it. His scent. How has she not noticed before? He smelled like the sea again. The sea and the sun they watched rising so many times over Southwold. She raised her eyes to his face and observed him as he kept his gaze focused above her head. For a moment she recognised the twenty-year-old Marcus she could confidently say she knew.

"They passed us. They didn't even look this way. I think, by some miracle they didn't notice us going in."

"You saw them?" Kayleigh whispered.

Marcus nodded.

"Did they take any photos?"

"No."

"Okay. Okay," Kayleigh said willing her heart to calm down. "You can take me home, then?"

Marcus looked at her hopeful face, and again, Kayleigh got the feeling that there was something he wasn't telling her. "It's too risky, Kay. Uncle Emre's place is just five minutes away. Nobody knows about it-"

"Except Leon and every other girl you took there before you became a big shot, right?"

She witnessed the effect her outburst had on him, but she couldn't say she was sorry. Her rage was back. She was tired and exhausted and she wanted the night to be over. "I know all about the Secret Garden."

Marcus's gaze dropped to their interconnected fingers, and Kayleigh scoffed snatching her hands away. She hadn't even realised when that happened. She turned to look out the window again, pulling herself as close to the door and away from him as she possibly could. Then she stated, "But since none of them were reporters, paparazzi or hungry editors wanting to expose our big, dirty secret, I suppose it's okay."

"Kay Kay..."

The defeat in his voice wasn't enough to soften her. 

Finally, with a heavy sigh, Marcus drove the car out of the station.

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