‘Then you’d better tell her so she doesn’t hear about it from anyone else.’
‘Her health is bad enough as it is without hearing about this.’
‘All the more reason to be honest with her.’
‘You don’t understand.’
How could he tell her after the past weeks spent working on the costume and set designs with her? It would be the worst betrayal.
‘You’re right,’ Bruce said. ‘I don’t understand dishonesty.’
‘I’m trying to protect her.’
‘You can’t protect people with lies, Gabe.’
Telling the truth was what had always got him into trouble. And he had to make sure Sofia didn’t hear it.
‘I have to go.’
‘Fine. Whatever. Run away. Again.’
Bruce was meant to understand but disappointment flooded the hurt. Gabriel wanted to touch Bruce but the giant had locked himself away and wouldn’t feel it. Maybe they just needed some time then he could explain properly without Bruce overreacting. He walked past Bruce towards town to get his car.
‘What I don’t understand is why you’d want to ruin the place where we’ve got so many memories?’ Bruce faced the theatre, not him.
‘But I don’t want to ruin it. It was a mistake but if you can’t see that, then we really do have problems.’ He stayed for a second in the hope that Bruce would look at him, that he’d relent, but he didn’t. Gabriel walked on, his head as murky as the river with no clear idea of what to tell Sofia without making her health worse.
Chapter Eighteen
Bruce couldn’t think straight. And if he couldn’t think straight, he couldn’t cut straight. He feigned illness while on the job and went home. Not that home would be the most welcoming place either. At least when he got inside and called out for Rachel, she wasn’t there. He checked for her stuff and found it still in what used to be her bedroom. He’d stripped it of everything that was hers a year earlier.
He scanned the rest of the rooms to make sure nothing had been stolen. His power tools were the most valuable things in the house. The TV was a hunk of junk and wouldn’t have got more than twenty bucks from even the most generous buyer. And he didn’t have a stereo or much that could fetch a price. If he had anything, he would have sold it to pay the mortgage.
He paced through the house, wanting to put things away, to move them around, get things in order, but it was still tidy after the disastrous evening when he was meant to have had dinner with Gabe. Maybe it was for the best that Rachel had shown up.
If he’d spent the night with Gabe then found out about his lies, that would have been worse than the current shambles he was in. He flexed his fists, needing to use his hands to fix something. He should be at the theatre. He should be earning. He should be paying off more of his mortgage. He should be talking to Gabriel.
But the thought of hearing more lies tightened the back of his neck. If he couldn’t work and he couldn’t talk to Gabriel, he needed to do something or he was going to go insane. That left him with chasing overdue payments and he had more than enough anger to charge through anyone’s tears or excuses. He opened his diary and his finger tapped Jason’s brother’s name. He was going to enjoy extracting money out of Kyle.
He stood while he dialled, feeling like it gave him some sort of upper hand in a conversation where neither of them could see each other. It rang a few times before it answered.
‘Bruce Clifton?’
Cold grease slid down his throat and congealed in his stomach. That voice. He’d recognise that sticky tone anywhere. Goddamn it for caller ID.
‘Jason. Where’s your brother?’
‘Oh, he’s in the shower. He came up to Sydney for a visit. How are you?’
Ready to throw up.
‘Fine. Get him to call me back when he’s free.’
‘Wait, Bruce. We haven’t talked in so long, it’d be nice to catch up.’
‘Nice for whom?’
‘Ouch. I guess I deserve that. I wasn’t very good to you, was I?’
He had to get off the phone. Jason was in the past and he could damn well stay there.
‘I’m not getting into this with you, Jason. Tell your brother to call me.’ He moved the phone away from his ear.
‘How’s Gabriel?’
Jason’s question roiled inside Bruce’s stomach. He tensed to withstand the cramps. ‘Excuse me?’
‘Gabriel Mora. You’re unlikely to have forgotten him.’
‘Why would I know how Gabriel is?’
‘Because I know he’s in Brachen. Kyle saw him and there’s a rumour going around that you two are now an item. Can’t keep anything a secret in Brachen for long.’
‘I’ve got nothing to say to you about Gabriel.’
He chuckled like some evil voice out of the dark. ‘Have you forgiven him yet? I can tell by your tone you haven’t forgiven me.’
‘I don’t forgive liars, Jason. He told me nothing happened between the two of you when you lived in Brachen. Your little parting shot was nothing but your own jealousy.’ At least he could be sure of that.
‘Effective though, wasn’t it?’
‘But not long-lasting. Now this little reunion has been hell, I’m going.’
‘Did he tell you we slept together when I moved to Sydney?’
Jason wouldn’t give up, even when he’d lost. He just needed to hang up but something about his lies were hard to ignore—like one of those ugly fish at the bottom of the ocean using a light to lure their prey. But Bruce had Gabriel’s assurances to keep him safe. He just had to hold on and not get hooked.
‘No, because it didn’t happen,’ Bruce said. ‘I won’t fall for your lies again. I did it enough when we were going out.’
‘For once I’m telling the truth. You ask him. You ask your precious Gabriel about it and see how
