I stand up, glad those painkillers seem to be kicking in. I hold my hands out for Alec.
"Come on," I encourage him when he hesitates. "Don't let him see you like this."
My words seem to bring him out of it because he gets up off the floor. I smile softly.
He leans down so I can run my fingers through his hair until it's back to it's normal wave.
I turn around while he changes out of his pyjamas.
I can't really do anything about his red eyes but I take him into the bathroom so he can wash his face. His glasses hide most of the redness.
Alec grabs my hand before I can exit the bathroom. He smiles and I see some of the hurt leave his eyes.
"Thank you, Sunshine," Alec says, kissing my forehead. I smile back, squeezing his hand gently.
He almost stops when he sees Dominic at the counter with the rest of the guys. I see a wall of steel come up in front of the hurt and pain in his eyes.
Convinced he's got this, I release Alec's hand. He goes straight to the cabinets and get out a glass, filling it with water before casually leaning back against the bench.
I see Dom straighten when he sees Alec. Guilt is stained on his face but hurt quickly takes over when he's met with Alec's strong mask of indifference.
"How was he?" Jace murmurs, coming up behind me.
I bite my lip and shake my head. "It's not good," I whisper back. Jace sighs and nods.
Luc calls everyone to the table and I see relief briefly flicker cross Alec's features.
I end up between the twins and we recount our experience on the way back from the Thai place to everyone while we eat.
I also write down the car model and number plate for Alec who apparently is a hacker.
"I do a jobs on the legal side but it's mainly just messing around," Alec says modestly. The blush creeping up his neck betrays him.
"Messing around," Luc scoffs. "The ACIC would have nothing if it wasn't for the account numbers and tips that mysteriously appeared on their doorstep."
A smile crosses Alec's face and it's so mischievous it reminds me of the twins.
"I had Alec try to find you," Jace tells me. "Your father must be using a fake ID on the house and everything because I couldn't find you."
I nod. That doesn't surprise me. "He bribed the principal so my name is different on the records. I don't know how, it's not like we have a lot of money."
That seems to trigger something in Jace's brain.
"Hey, that reminds me. How did you get that Hilux?" Jace asks, a puzzled look on his face. The guys nod like they've been thinking about that.
"I was walking home from school one day and this guy pulled up beside me. He said he knew my mum." Jace's eyes widen.
I shift in my seat, when sitting becomes uncomfortable.
"Let's move this to the living room," Alec suggests, catching my movement.
Alec sits in the corner of the couch and I sit beside him. He smiles and opens his arm, telling me to move closer. I tuck my legs in and curl up in his side, his strong arm around me.
I see the pain enriched in Dominic's slumped shoulders as he passes us and guilt hits me. I try to shake it off.
"Anyway," I say once we're all sitting, "I was sceptical at first. I'd never met him before but he showed me an old photo of them. He said my mother had set some money aside for Dec and I, if anything were to happen to her. He gave me all the bank details and everything from the window of his car."
"How did he find you?" Dominic asks and I shrug.
