Tyler offers me an apologetic grin. “Yeah, I may have kind of been staying here. I needed somewhere to lie low for a few days.”
I fold my arms over my chest and glare at him. “So you just thought you’d break in here?”
He shrugs. “I guess.” He runs a hand through his dyed blonde hair. “I’m sorry, Taylor. I know I should have asked, but I had nowhere to go.”
I sigh. “If you’d have asked me, I would have said yes, Ty. How bad is it?”
He looks away from me and looks at Grayson, Dom and Owen, before he turns back to me. “Can we talk about this in private?”
“No,” Grayson says firmly, before I even open my mouth.
Dom clears his throat and holds his hand up. “Hey, I’m Dom. Ev’s step-brother and this is Owen, our friend. “
Ty smiles and bobs his head in greeting to them both.
“Look, we’ll head back downstairs and unload the car,” Dom suggests, and he snags Owen by the elbow who looks like he’s enjoying the show and they head downstairs.
Ty looks from me to Grayson and Grayson scoffs. “I ain’t going anywhere. If you’ve brought trouble to my girlfriend’s door, then I need to know.”
Tyler sighs and nods. “Fair enough.” He walks to the window, giving us his back, and looks out into the street. “You know I was doing some runs and selling for the Doyle’s?”
“Yep,” I reply.
“Well, I got mugged one night when I’d just picked up from him. I think it was probably a rival dealer.” He turns back to face us. “So then I’ve no drugs to sell and I’ve no money to give to Doyle.”
“How much?” I ask him.
Ty places his hand behind his head. “It was a grand’s worth, but he’s been adding interest on, so now I owe him three grand.”
“Fuck, Ty,” I exclaim and he nods, grimacing.
“Yeah, that about sums up the situation I’m in. That’s why I needed to lie low. I didn’t need him turning up at my home and scaring the shit out of my mum or my brothers and sisters. I just needed to come up with a plan to get my hands on some money.”
“Oh, Ty.” I reply. I feel for him. Yeah, he’d got himself in this mess, but he is trying to make some money to help his mum out. “What will they do if you don’t have the cash?’
Tyler swallows and pales. “I might not be able to walk for a while.”
Grayson scoffs from behind me and I turn and give him daggers. “This is not your problem, Ev.”
He was right. This isn’t my problem. I should turf him out and leave him to sort it out on his own, but I wasn’t brought up that way, and if I can help someone, then I’d try to. I look round my mum’s room and I can see he’s been sleeping here. There’s a blanket that had been left in the airing cupboard on the floor.
“You can stay here a while longer,” I announce, and I hear Grayson mutter something under his breath before he strides out of the room and thumps downstairs.
“I don’t think your guys too happy with that decision,” Tyler says with a tight smile.
“You let me worry about Grayson,” I pause, “Ty, I don’t have any money. Not yet, anyway. I’m up here this weekend to put the house on the market.”
Ty reaches out for my hand, but I take a step back from him.
“I’m not expecting you to bail me out, Taylor. I just need a place to lie low for a few more days until I have a plan.”
I gesture out of the room. “I should try to talk to Gray. You should come down and meet Ems.”
Tyler nods and he follows me out of the room and down the stairs. When we walk in the living room Dom and Izzy are deep in conversation and I can see Ems and Owen grabbing bits of out of Dom’s car through the lounge window.
“Where’s Gray?”
Dom gestures with his head through to the kitchen.
“Izz you remember Ty, right?”
Izzy smiles warmly at him. “Of course. Good to see you again, Ty.”
“Help them unpack,” I order him as I leave the room. If he is going to be staying here, then he can make himself useful.
I find Grayson in the kitchen, leaning against the worktop and looking out into the small backyard.
“Hey,” I say tentatively. I know he is pissed off and I‘m not sure what reception I’m going to get.
His stormy eyes find mine. “Hey.”
I invade his space and place myself in front of him. “He’s a friend, Posh.”
Grayson scoffs. “He doesn’t want friendship with you.”
“Well,” I reply as I step into him and place my arms around his middle. “It doesn’t matter what he wants, because I’m not interested.”
Grayson shifts his position, and he looks down at me. “He’s trouble and I don’t want you getting mixed up in it.”
I shake my head. “I won’t I promise. I’m just letting him stay here while he works out his next steps. He’s nowhere else to go Gray.”
He nods. “I don’t like it.”
“I know, baby,” I say as I move my arms to around the back of his neck. “It’s just a couple of days and then he’ll be gone.”
Grayson sighs and gently tilts my chin with his fingers. “You’re too good, you know that? You want to take on other people’s problems and fix them. You see the good in everybody, even when they don’t always deserve it.”
“So, you’re not mad at me?” I ask, batting my eyelashes at him.
He chuckles. “I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at him for taking advantage of your big heart. I’ll be keeping a close eye on him and any whiff of trouble coming to your door, he’s gone, okay?”
“Of
