Authors: Sophie Hamilton

Stitch-Up (37 page)

“What did I tell you, Dash?” Latif gave me that crooked
smile as he tipped up the brim of his cowboy hat. “The house doesn't always win!”

“Against the odds!” I flashed him a huge smile.

The paparazzi cameras exploded.

His Aviators reflected a million starbursts.

My heart exploded with them.

“We smashed it, Dash.”

“Yeah. I can't believe it!”

“Believe it.” He squeezed my hand.

“I do,” I whispered. “And now we need to tell the world.”

“It'll be truth for a day, Dash. Truth is a slippery thing. It don't stick.”

I frowned, desperate to put the record straight. I wanted to clear Latif's name for starters. But Latif was no longer at my side; he had already slid back into the shadows.

He put his finger to his lip.

Yukiko and I lingered in the limelight. I cleared my throat, opened my mouth to speak. Stopped. Below, my parents' world was pressing in on me. But they hadn't wanted our side of the story when it mattered. The cabbies had the scoop. They'd get it out there. I turned my back on the media.

Latif stretched out his hand as I walked towards him.

“Safe,” he said, putting his arm around me as we followed Ren and Yukiko along the ramparts in the direction of Crunch Town.

Acknowledgements

I am deeply grateful to:

Laetitia Rutherford, my agent, for her encouragement, patience and invaluable advice. Mulcahy Associates for their support, and Joanna Moult for her editorial comments on early drafts.

Templar Publishing for making
Stitch-Up
a reality, especially Helen Boyle and Emma Goldhawk. My editors, Anne Finnis and Emily Sharratt, whose attention to detail and insights made all the difference. Will Steele and Tom Sanderson for nailing the brilliant artwork.

Olivia Mead, Sarah Benton and the publicity team for their enthusiasm.

Dad and Mum for the space and encouragement to follow my dreams.

Eppie for her constant support.

The Martin-Niemoller-Stiftung for granting permission to use Martin Niemoller's poem.

Chima Akenzua for his parkour displays.

Oscar Stephenson for his wise words of youth.

And special thanks to Christopher for his belief, excellent advice, generosity of spirit, and for not leaving the building when the going got tough.

Sophie Hamilton
was brought up in a sleepy hamlet in Warwickshire, where she spent every possible moment horse riding and going for long walks with her dog, Mopsa.

After studying history at Sussex University, Sophie came to London, and fell in love with the city's crazy cosmopolitan mix.

For years, she worked in the television industry as a film researcher and a producer. Her programmes ranged from hard-hitting documentaries to arts shows and, most enjoyably, programmes highlighting the lifestyles, quirks and foibles of the rich and famous. She then decided to swap the manic environment of television for the solitary life of a writer, and the result is her debut novel
Stitch-Up
.

Sophie loves travelling, but is always glad to come back to London. The first thing she does on her return is go for a run along the Thames to get back into the flow of things.

She is currently busy writing the sequel to
Stitch-Up
, titled
Mob-Handed
.

sophiehamiltonbooks.co.uk

Coming in 2015â¦

The exhilarating sequel to Stitch-Up:

DASHA is living with Maxine, but life as a civilian hasn't quite panned out as Dasha had hoped: Latif is in exile in Lebanon;
Tracker
controls Londoners, filming them day and night, and the Golds are using information stolen from data clouds to rig the forthcoming London elections.

When Latif's mum goes missing, Dasha is forced to turn double agent and return to her old life. Can everything she learned from Latif help her to outwit the manipulative, unscrupulous figures at the heart of the conspiracyâ¦ her parents?

A TEMPLAR BOOK

First published in the UK in 2014 by Templar Publishing,

an imprint of The Templar Company Limited,

Deepdene Lodge, Deepdene Avenue, Dorking, Surrey,

RH5 4AT, UK

www.templarco.co.uk

Cover design
www.the-parish.com

Typesetting by Aztec Design

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

ISBN 978-1-84877-423-0

Printed and bound in Great Britain