As the conversation continued without any input from the girl, I started to wonder if I was just going crazy. Was I just imagining things because I was essentially jealous?

But her figure had been right, too. Tall and really well put together. Her hair had been dark, and she'd moved in the same way I remembered Rita gliding over to Joe. There couldn't be too stunners like that out there who knew something about me, could there?

So maybe she knew them, too. Maybe her apparent interest in Joe was really to do with watching him on behalf of some of Lucas's friends. Which sounded all a little bit conspiracy-theory to me. But why else was she here looking for me with a couple of heavies?

I jumped as someone tried the handle of the computer-lab door. I held my breath as I heard a louder male voice.

"No lights on."

Of course, my phone chose that moment to issue a cheery chirp, announcing a text message.

Shit, shit, shit.

And then I heard another voice, which initially flooded me with relief.

"Can I help you?"

It was Eva Lang, my beloved math tutor. The building hadn't been empty after all. I risked a glance out of the window and saw her on the stairs, looming like some slightly middle-aged guardian angel.

"Sorry?" one of the men said.

"I asked if I could help you."

"No... No, we were just..."

"Were you looking for a friend? Because there aren't any students left this evening."

I got moved around a little and got a proper look at the guys outside while their attention was on Eva. The big one was doing the talking. He looked like an uglier version of Jason Statham and he spoke like he had a bad head-cold.

"We're waiting for someone."

Eva gave him a level look. "It could be a long wait. Security will be here to lock this place in about five minutes."

I glanced back at the big guy. He was staring right back at Eva like she was some kind of insect. Quite suddenly, I felt afraid instead of relieved. She was one defenceless person against two heavies and whatever Rita was. If they'd come to do something bad to me, would they see her as just another casualty?

My heart was in my throat somewhere as he stood stock-still, and then said quietly, "OK. Guess we'll catch her another time."

It was only as they started to leave and my breathing returned that I remembered that Joe would be out there by now, waiting for me.

I pulled out my cell-phone. The text had been from him:

Not to hassle you or anything, but I could probably eat about three of you right now I'm that hungry. Meet me in the Sports Cafe and I'll grab a burger xx

I typed back a quick and shaky:

Stay in the cafe - on my way. x

I sent it, and then counted to a hundred while I waited for the three of them to be well and truly gone. I still opened the door as quietly as possible, peering out toward the entrance which was thankfully empty. It looked dark and intimidating out beyond the doors, though, and I wondered if I could back down on my text and ask Joe to come back out here in ten minutes.

"Working in the dark?"

I must have lost a good year off my life with the shock the voice gave me. I'd just assumed that Eva had left, but she was standing behind the reception-desk, apparently looking for something in some papers. I was glad she wasn't making eye-contact.

My mouth was so dry that I couldn't get actual words out in reply. Not that I knew what to say anyway.

"I think some of your friends were looking for you," she went on.

I shook my head, and croaked, "Not friends."

She nodded her head, slowly. "I admit I couldn't see you four having coffee together. I've already called the security guard over. Maybe you should hang around here until he arrives."

I nodded, and waited with dread for her to ask me something, but she kept on hunting through those papers. In the end, it was my own desire to talk to someone that made me say, "It's not me they're looking for, really. It's - well, my boyfriend, I guess, but it's not even him really." She looked up at me, consideringly. "I didn't think you were the type."

"What type?"

"The type who's only into men who are bad news."

For some reason I found myself blushing. "I'm not. He's not bad news at all, is the worst thing about it. His brother's in trouble, and he tried to help."

Eva gave a very slow nod, and then sighed. "You know, there's trouble and there's trouble, and at least one of those looked like the kind that needs the law getting involved. You need to talk to this boyfriend, and tell him he's not an action hero."

I smiled in spite of myself. "I'll try. And he's definitely got the wrong name for an action-hero."

The door squeaked open, letting in one of the friendlier security-guys from the gate.

"Am I walking you ladies somewhere?" he asked, and for once his slightly patronising air was nothing but reassuring.

I got them to walk me to the Sports Center, even though I really didn't want Eva catching sight of Joe-Moe. I knew she would be thinking badly of him, and it made me wince. I knew exactly why she was thinking like she did, and I knew he didn't deserve it.

The whole thought-process made me feel exactly like a dumb teenager all over again, the kind who defends her no-good boyfriend and believes that nobody understands him. And then I felt even more like a teenager when Joe glanced up from a table and my legs went a little bit useless.

"Hey, Morgan," he said, giving me a small, tired smile. "Did you start coding again and forget all about me?"

I thought about those three coming to find me and tried to smile at him. I did my best to wak over normally and I gave him a hug where he sat. My arms were shaking so much that he clearly felt it, and stood with a frown.

"What's up?"

I had one of those weird moments when I tried to talk, but instead ended up fighting not to cry. To hide the humiliation, I buried my head against his shoulder and gave him a firm squeeze. It was easier to swallow it down and talk when not looking at him.

"Slight problem with some people we almost know," I said. "Looks like some associates of Lucas's were looking for me."

He drew back from me, in obvious shock. "Are you serious?"

I nodded, and looked away from his gaze to try and keep on holding it together.

"How did they know about you?"

"I think you have a slight informant problem," I said, hating that I had to tell him. "You know that girl from the restaurant? Rita? She was with them."

I made some eye-contact with him again, and it was the most uncomfortable thing seeing him fight not to believe me.

"Rita? Seriously? What are - Are you sure? I don't think she's got anything to do with those guys. She hasn't even been here for ages."

I nodded at him. "I saw her, too. I'm pretty positive. She just seemed to know I did Math here. Do you think she knew that?"

There was a pause, and then, slowly, Joe-Moe nodded. "She messaged after you left the restaurant. She was - she was wondering if everything was ok. I said yes, fine, that something had come up, that you were an impulsive math genius and it wasn't a worry. We - we chatted a bit about you. But I don't-"

He shook his head, trying to deny it again.

"Maybe you need to talk to her," I said, despite hating the idea of him going anywhere near her.

"Yeah, maybe I do."

I let him put his arm around me but we walked in silence out of the cafe, his burger forgotten on the table. I didn't know if I was imagining waves of distrust coming off him, but it made me feel pretty terrible.

"Hey," I said to him, as we reached the parking-lot and he opened up his beat-up old car. "I hope it turns out to be ok. I didn't - I don't want to mess things up with your friends."

He shook his head, and gave me a grin as he pulled me gently toward him. "Yeah, you're so inconsiderate, being hunted down by my people and some of my brother's drug-dealing friends." He gave me a light kiss on the lips. "Sorry, I'm probably coming across all angry. But literally none of it is directed at you. I'm just trying to find a scenario in all this where it's nothing more a mistake, and hoping that I haven't just dragged you into a mess. K?"

"I'm glad," I said, enjoying the hug he gave me more now. "Cos I hate having to be angry back. It's so tiring."

I felt about a thousand times better as we drove away, but there was still a part of me that was terrified about Rita convincing him I'd made it all up, and another part of me that was more normally afraid of being in danger. On the plus side of it all, I had absolutely no space to indulge in the more regular kind-of worry about losing Joe. If I was being positive about the current threat-to-my-life, it was at least a little different.