Despite the traumas of the previous night they eat with a good appetite, even though breakfast consists mainly of bread and marmalade. After breakfast, Mac scouts up and down the road. He is almost certain that the raiders have not returned but his cautious nature dictates he takes no chances.
The drive to Birmingham is silent; all are wrapped in their own thoughts. Aranya, in particular, is trying to come to terms with her revelation of last night. Up to now, her life has revolved around herself; her wants, her needs. The people she associates with are either there to satisfy her every whim or want something from her because her parents are rich. She has never had to consider others and the presence of this man is causing conflicting emotions which she is having difficulty sorting out.
After a bit of a search, they find a hotel near the city centre. Mac persuades the receptionist to give them adjoining rooms and to let them in early. They dump their small volume of luggage and, while the girls luxuriate in the shower, Mac phones Klugman to gives him the news.
Klugman is appalled. "Good God, Mac, this is a situation and no mistake. To tell the truth, I was beginning to get a bit worried but I sort of assumed that no news is good news. You know what I mean?"
"Yes. It's not your problem. But I could do with some help."
"Anything I can do, though I'm not sure what I can do." He gave a short laugh. "Financial skulduggery's more my line."
"I need to find out what's happening. Where Kent is, that sort of thing. For now I have to assume we'll be attacked at any moment."
"I see that, but how can I help?"
Mac gives him the name of a detective he worked with in the past and Klugman promises to get onto it right away.
Having done what he can in that area, Mac turns to more immediate problems.
"What did you manage to rescue," he asks the girls who are looking much happier.
"Not much," they say, sheepishly. "Only a few bits and pieces."
"Well at least you managed to rescue something, which is more then I did."
"Why? What happened?"
"I'm afraid our visitors took dislike to my wardrobe." He sees the girls appalled expressions and grins. "Perhaps they didn't like my taste in ties. We need to do some shopping."
The girls' faces light up. "Shopping? Great."
"I hate to remind you but we're on the run. Here's what we do. We go to chain stores only. We buy no more than two items in any shop. We make sure there are lots of people around. Oh, and simple, practical clothes only."
"But why? Why all this fuss? Aren't we safe now?"
He looks at their smiling faces, clean and scrubbed from the shower. They look so young and innocent, his heart goes out to them. For a moment he is tempted just to order them to do what he says but it's their lives that are at stake and, so far, they have coped with the situation remarkable well. They were obviously made of sterner stuff than their appearance and pampered background would suggest.
"I don't know," he confesses with a shrug. "That's the problem - I don't know anything. So, until I do, we've got to assume that we're in constant danger. We can't stay here more than a few days. We have to move on."
The girls are looking very sober and Aranya shivers. "Where to?"
"I don't know. I'll think of something."
Having assumed they were safe, the realisation that they might still be in danger hits them hard.
The shopping expedition does not start out as the merriest of occasions. Although Mac thinks they are safe for the moment, his dislike of unknown enemies make him extremely wary. The girls catch some of this mood and, for a while they are somewhat subdued. But nothing can suppress their natural liveliness for long and they are soon shopping as if it was the only thing in the world. They have a flair for clothes, carefully examining everything and rejecting items Mac thinks are perfectly acceptable. He has to admit that, while following his strictures on practicality, everything they buy has a certain extra degree of elegance.
When it comes to his turn, they are scathing about his selections and insist that they will choose for him. They take as much time choosing his wardrobe as they did their own, rummaging through piles, picking things up and rejecting them. They are a joy to watch as they consult on styles and colours. They are clearly enjoying themselves and, despite himself, their enthusiasm is infectious. In the end he comes away with a better range of clothes than he would have chosen by himself. Klugman's credit card proves very useful.
After the personal items come the practical ones. If they are going to be on the run for any length of time, they need to be prepared. Waterproofs, stout shoes, hats, a camping stove are purchased 'just in case'. Finally they visit a supermarket to purchase bottled water and some provisions. Mac is grateful that Klugman put a generous limit on the credit card. The girls find it rather exciting and wander round with wide-eyed expressions. They give the appearance of never having been in one before. Once again Mac struck by the thought that, for such otherwise sophisticated girls in their late teens, they sometimes seem very young. He gives a mental shrug and puts it down to the fact that he does not know any teenagers.
That evening they eat in the hotel restaurant. Mac chooses a dimly lit corner where he can watch the entrance. His paranoia is rampant and he finds it difficult to join in with the girls relaxed banter. He does notice that, recently, they have stopped being critical of everything in sight and for that small mercy he is grateful. He thinks somewhat ruefully that, if he were to come in to the restaurant and see himself dining with two young and beautiful girls, he would be very envious. He wishes he could just shut everything out, forget his troubles and simply enjoy their company.
Their good humour vanishes as soon as they are back in their rooms. The girls are very nervous about sleeping alone and want him to stay with them. Mac feels the blood rush to his face. What he would really like to do is sleep with them and he knows it will be hard to share a room but not a bed. The girls try all their wiles but Mac is adamant. Only the knot of fear in the pit of his stomach prevents him from agreeing. In the end they agree a compromise. He will watch over them until they are asleep. If they wake in the night or feel afraid they can bang on the wall. He assures them that he is a light sleeper and will hear.
As the pair settle down in bed, he sits in a chair in the corner. His emotions are very mixed. His initial impression of a couples of spoilt and pampered brats has slowly changed over the week. All through this crisis they have behaved with courage and good humour. In part, he realises, this is probably because they do not fully understand the true extent of the danger they are in but, for amateurs, he's really quite impressed. Also, as he has come to know them better as people, so his desire for them as women has increased. They are the most exquisitely beautiful creatures he has ever met and their fresh, youthful beauty has aroused emotions he wasn't even aware he had. Their exotic genetic mixture of east and west, their dark expressive eyes, their satin-smooth vellum skin, their graceful movements, their long legs - all have served to ignite an unquenchable lust in him.
He glances over to where they are sleeping, dark hair splayed out across the pillows. They look so young and innocent. Suddenly he is filled with anger and guilt. Anger that these to beautiful girls should be the subject of kidnapping and terror and guilt that he lusts after their fine young bodies. He dislikes the situation they are in: he hates the uncertainty and he doesn't feel safe. With a sigh he quietly returns to his own room where he spends a restless and disturbed night full of half remembered dreams.
They stay in their rooms all the next day. They have nothing to do and snap at each other like unfriendly dogs meeting in the park. He steps out and buys a jigsaw puzzle and a pack of cards. They serve to pass the time, if nothing else. He is very tense. The lack of a phone call from Klugman is making him nervous and, somehow, being stuck in the same room as them is only increasing his lust even if, right now, he can't stand the sight of them. His unsettledness communicates itself to the girls who are bitchy and uncooperative, sprawling on the beds or the chairs with total unconcern that they are displaying more of themselves than they should.
The next day starts the same way. Mac doesn't know if can take another day like the previous one and is trying to think of some safe thing they can do when the phone rings. Its shrill call startles them into silence. For a moment they can do nothing other than listen as if they had never encountered a telephone before, then Mac lunges for the handset.
"Mac?" comes Klugman's hearty voice.
"Yes."
"You okay?"
"Yes. Any news?"
"Yes. I've managed to find Kent. He's in a fair old state. Wanted to rush off to collect his girls immediately. I told him I needed to speak to you first. So we'll be there tomorrow, probably about noon. That okay with you?"
"That sounds fine."
The girls, sensing some good news are bouncing up and down and tugging at this sleeve. He pushes them away.
"Where are you staying?" Klugman asks.
"In Birmingham. Near the centre. Call me when you get here and I'll give you details then."
"Why not tell me now?"
"Let's play it my way. Call me."
"You're the boss," Klugman sighs.
"Who was it? Who was it?" the girls demand as soon as Mac has put the phone down.
"Mr Klugman. He and your father are coming tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? Why not today? Why not now?"
"Because tomorrow it is."
"Then everything's all right? We can go home?" Sunita asks.
"I'm so sick of this dump," Aranya says with some feeling then, catching sight of Mac's face, puts a hand on his arm and adds, "Oh, I'm sorry Mac, I didn't mean you. You've been wonderful. It's just that… I'll be glad when this is all over."
Mac pats her hand and smiles thinly. "So will I. But I don't know that it is all over yet."
Their faces fell. "Not over? But you said…"
"I said your father was coming tomorrow. That's all."
They looked as if they would burst into tears. Mac sighs. He hates giving explanations.
"Look, all I know is that Mr Klugman has been in touch with your father and they're coming here tomorrow. I don't know that everything's all right - I hope it is - I expect it is - but I don't know. So until I do I'm going to take every precaution I can think of."
"Oh. Right."
"Look, girls," he is almost pleading. "You've trusted me this far. Please trust me a little more. Okay?"
The remainder of the day is a nightmare. The girls alternate from high excitement to total despair. Sunita goes on a crying jag and, when Mac tries to console her, Aranya snaps at him and blames him for the entire situation. Of course she is immediately sorry and bursts into tears herself. Mac deals with things as best he can - stoically.