Emrys walked through the station, making for the café he preferred to use for initial contact meetings. It was public, busy, and open. So, anonymous in a way that only hiding in plain sight could manage.

He was in there often enough that all it took was a nod to the people behind the counter for a coffee to be made. He sat at a table near the back, one with a good view of the space and passers-by but not tucked secretly away in a dark corner.

As the waitress put his mug on the table with a smile, she walked in.

Audra Rowanoak, successful business executive, some high-up technical role in one of those multinationals with more reach and power than most national governments. He’d read up on her of course, found photos, checked, and cross-checked information. He hadn’t expected her to be quite so…

The waitress interrupted his thoughts. “That who you’re meeting today then? Should I wait and take her order?”

That was another reason he came here. The staff were smart and disinterested.

He replied. “I believe so and thank you.”

The girl smiled and crossed to meet her, gesturing back towards Emrys and saying something.

Audra’s gaze met his, her eyes widened slightly. They were green. Green eyes, black hair, skin that hinted of a heritage in warmer climes.

He sat forward as she approached. She was tall, made taller by the wickedly spiked heels she wore, and the sharp, perfect lines of her black trouser suit. She moved like someone used to exercise, swimming maybe, or running. Perhaps both. She wasn’t a fighter though. Beyond that first glance around the café, she’d not looked away from him. A good enough tactic in a boardroom, no doubt, less useful in the places she wanted him to go.

She reached the table. “You’re Mikkel’s friend?”

Emrys stood and offered a hand. “Emrys Myrddin. You’d be Audra then?”

Her lips pinched a little as she inclined her head and took his hand. A good firm shake, just long enough to be polite, barely. She probably wanted him to call her Ms Rowanoak. Sadly, he wasn’t one of her suit-bound, corporate minions, so she’d just have to cope.

He bit back a smile, a fraction too late, and waved her to a chair. “The staff here are very good, they’ll have your coffee with us in a minute, and then we can discuss your request.”