on the arm. ‘Don’t be so sexist.’
‘Hey,’ James yelled. ‘You’re not my bird any more so if you go around hitting me I might just hit you back.’
Kerry laughed. ‘Try it and see where it gets you.’
Kerry had a point. She was miles smaller than James, but she could still kick his arse.
‘Here we go again …’ Lauren sighed. ‘I definitely preferred it when you two weren’t talking to each other.’
‘Getting back to the subject in hand,’ Kyle said firmly, ‘what we need is a boyfriend for Hayley Large. A good-looking guy who’s comfortable around girls, but who would also make Mr Large throw a fit if he thought the lad was trying to get his hands on his daughter’s goodies.’
‘That’s a sweet idea,’ Lauren grinned.
James nodded until he realised that four sets of eyes were staring at him.
‘Oh no,’ James said. ‘Not me …’
‘Totally you,’ Lauren said, as she bounced on Kyle’s bed with excitement. ‘You’re always mouthing off about what a stud you are and how girls find you irresistible. Now you’ve got a chance to prove it.’
14. ETHICS
James had slept on the plane and his body clock was stuck on mid-afternoon when everyone started going to bed. He had a restless night and when it got to 5:30 a.m. he gave up on sleep and headed for the fitness centre in the recently refurbished gym.
It was a Saturday. Following a lonely walk across campus, James found the gym deserted and drew childish delight from running his hand over banks of light switches, setting off hundreds of fluorescent tubes.
After warming up with stretches and shuttle runs, James started pumping weights. He wasn’t big on team sports, but he found pushing himself in the gym or on the athletics track satisfying, and working out was always better when the gym was empty and you didn’t have to fight over the equipment.
Fifty minutes later, James was soaked in sweat, his veins were all pumped and the exertion had kick-started his brain. A couple of staff members were on the treadmills as he headed off to soothe himself in the plunge pool, but the dining room was virtually empty when he arrived for breakfast.
James knew he needed protein to replenish his aching muscles and the chef obliged by cooking up thin strips of steak with scrambled eggs and mushrooms. Zara came up behind and tapped his shoulder while he sat at a table reading the Premiership preview in the Saturday paper.
‘You’re up early,’ Zara said.
‘Jet lag,’ James explained. ‘Couldn’t sleep so I hit the weights.’
Zara nodded. ‘You want to be careful. If you start looking too much like a bodybuilder, it restricts the kinds of missions we can send you on.’
James slapped his belly. ‘There’s not much chance I’ll ever look like a bodybuilder. I’m too fond of my food.’
To prove the point, the chef put a plate stacked up with steak and eggs on the table, along with his side of toasted muffins and jam.
‘Cheers,’ James grinned, as the chef looked towards Zara.
‘I’m afraid the buffet won’t be ready for another twenty minutes or so, but I’d be happy to cook anything you fancy.’
‘Well I wouldn’t normally …’ Zara said guiltily, as she watched James tuck into his food. ‘But I quite fancy what he’s having. I’ll have my steak well done and a pot of strong coffee.’
‘No worries. It’ll take seven minutes to fry the steak.’
‘Thanks,’ Zara nodded. Then she looked at James. ‘I need a proper meal. I’ve been back and forth between campus and Luton for the last two days and it seems like all I’ve eaten is Burger King and hospital sandwiches.’
James noticed that three little red-shirts had gathered around a notice by the door. ‘Is that an update on Gabrielle?’ he asked.
‘I just pinned it up,’ Zara nodded. ‘She’s been incredibly lucky. The knife went into her back this much’ – Zara held her hands twenty centimetres apart – ‘but despite that, it missed all of her major organs, and it’s the same with the injury to her side. The surgeon described it as a minor miracle.’
‘So she’s going to be OK?’
‘It’s not a hundred per cent, but it looks good. She’s lucid now and they’ve moved her out of intensive care. She could be out of hospital within five days, although she might need another operation if her tubes don’t heal properly.’
‘That’s quick,’ James said, as he gulped a lump of steak that he hadn’t chewed enough and almost choked himself.
‘There are a lot