“Get him to base, call Clint and Victor, and tell them to bring Craig and Nicola. He’ll need his parents. They don’t need to know that we’ve found him yet, though. Just take them there but keep them separate from him until I get there.” Darwin nods and moves away flanked by King and Arlo, who’s now speaking into his phone, no doubt relaying my orders to Clint.
“Are you okay?” Shelly asks glancing at my bleeding cheek now the others have left.
“Yeah, it’s just a graze,” I tell her still looking around the space.
“And the rest of you? That wasn’t a small tumble from your bike, which is wrecked by the way. I know you meant to do it, but still…” she leaves her sentence hanging.
“The adrenaline is still pumping, I’ll be fine for a while, then I’ll rest.”
“Crazy fucker,” she mumbles before walking toward her bike.
“Shelly.”
She turns and waits for me to speak.
“Keys,” I demand and hold my hand out.
She rolls her eyes and throws her bike keys at me which I catch while making my way to her Ducati. It’s a woman’s bike—that just my opinion—but I can’t deny, as I slide on and she jumps on behind me, that even with it just sitting idle, it sounds nice. As I pull on the throttle, and we rush forward, I concede I like the power. Maybe I’ll consider a Ducati as my next buy.
I drive back to our house first, needing to get my Kawasaki and give Shelly her bike back because when this shit is done, I need to go see my brother.
LIV
Waking up with a pounding headache, I blink back the curse that sits on the tip of my tongue. I take in the whitewashed sterile walls of the hospital room and pull myself into a sitting position. In films and books, when people have been in hospital, they wake up to a group of family and friends who fall upon them, cooing with joy that the person is awake. I wake up to an empty room. “Figures,” I mutter, falling back on the bed. An internal door swings open making me jump, and Toby bursts through it.
“Liv.” He rushes out barrelling over to me. “Bloody typical, the minute I go to take a piss, you wake up,” he huffs, taking a seat next to me.
“Just the vision I wanted.” I deadpan, raising an eyebrow.
Toby hangs his head, and I give him the time he needs. I know him so well. He wants to apologise, but he’s trying to think of exactly the right words.
“There’re no words I can throw at you to excuse myself,” he tells me, meeting my eyes with his. I nod. He’s right, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still love him. He needed to acknowledge his behaviour, and he has. “I’m sorry, Liv. I’m still not entirely sure what happened.” His head drops down again. “Everything just built and exploded. I guess there was too much… past, present, and foreseeing my future in the same way.”
“What way?” I ask.
“In Isaac’s shadow.”
I frown. There’s nothing I can say. I’m surprised and a little pissed off at him.
“I’m sorry.”
“You said that already,” I snap.
“Liv?” His head bolts up, his questioning gaze meets my angry one.
“He’s your brother and your best friend,” I hiss out. “For years he’s been stuck inside a prison cell, and you’ve had your family and friends around you. How could you possibly be in his damn shadow?” I hurl the words at him.
Toby pinches the bridge of his nose, and I sigh. “I’m sorry.” I find myself repeating his words back to him.
“I guess I never felt like I was good enough. Like I was the poor imitation of my big brother. Just not quite hitting the mark.” His tone is one of defeat.
“You were always good enough,” I tell him and his returning smile relaxes me.
Toby grabs my hand in his. “I know, Liv. Although, you and I only started dancing together after he went to prison.”
I open my mouth about to argue then close it again. He’s right. I used to dance with Isaac. The only time I danced with Toby was when Isaac wasn’t around. “I didn’t know it bothered you,” I tell him.
“It didn’t.” The corner of his mouth twitches and I slap him on his bicep.
“Wanker.”
He bursts into laughter.
“Are we good?” he asks as we both fall silent.
“Always, Toby.” My words are warm. “No more smashing mirrors, okay?”
He blanches. “No, not again.”
Some grudges are worth holding onto, and some actions demand harsher consequences. There are those people who would have made it harder for Toby. Although I’m still annoyed by his actions, I feel like I should give him some leniency. The number of times over the last few years he’s helped me out, saved me, cared for me—times that other people have no idea about—I owe him a little understanding.
“You like Shelly,” I state.
“I like Shelly.” He parrots me, and I’m shocked he admits his feelings so freely.
“Does Isaac know?” I question.
He shrugs. “Probably now.” He can’t stop the smirk that spreads across his face.
I blow out a breath, not knowing what to say. Toby doesn’t seem too worried, and I narrow my eyes at him. “What aren’t you telling me, Tobias?” I bark.
“If there’s something I’m keeping from you, and I’m not saying there is, then it would indicate that it’s something I can’t tell you.”
Rolling my eyes, I purse my lips. “Good job you’re not a spy, Toby. You’d be crap at it.”
He forces a chuckle, and I shake my head. Tiredness
