“No.” He didn’t snap the word at me or shout, butthat one syllable rang with absolute authority. “You’re coming back toourhome.”
I shook my head. “I’m going back to my flat, Rafe. I––”
“Darling, I’m sorry. I want to give you whatever you need, but I can’t let you go back to your flat.”
“Letme?”
“If you don’t want to be with me anymore, I understand, but you’renotputting yourself in danger while your family and their associates are being prosecuted. It will be too risky for the next few weeks until I can tidy it all away.”
My gaze shot from the window to him and I blinked. “Tidy it all away? You’re tidying allwhataway?”
He shrugged. “Your family and their bullshit.”
“M-my family? What do you have to do with my family? Youhatemy family.”
“Well, I don’t hateallyour family. Your brother Zach seems like a reasonable chap, and certainly not of the criminal persuasion.”
I stiffened. “When did you meet Zach?”
“Oh, you know. When he came over to shove me and shout at me for being a total arsehole.”
“Hewhat?” My voice was pitched high now as I started to panic. “He-he wouldn’t… Zach wouldn’t do that. He’s gentle and––”
“Yeah, well, the boy does need to work on his attack skills. Being good at science is one thing, but a man’s got to be able to defend himself too. But there’ll be time for that in due course. Certainly, he needs feeding up, an endeavour which Martha is likely embarking on as we speak. He and Ozzie should be home from school now having been collected by Dave before he came here.”
“Home from school?” I said weakly, still a little dazed. “My brother’s home from school, and he’s atyourhome? But you don’t even know Zach. How could he possibly––?”
“Oh, Clara, darling, do keep up,” he said softly as he moved to me, gently took my backpack, slung it over his shoulder and then put his hand on my lower back to guide me towards the exit. “I know you’ve been through a lot in the last three days, but I’m afraid I’m going to need you to focus.
“Your brother is staying with me. As are you for the foreseeable future. Your mother has been offered alternative accommodation but would prefer to stay in her own home. Seeing as she now has the run of the place after your father, brother and all their associates were arrested – and as the large majority of your father’s money is in her name, so she does not lack funds – I considered this arrangement acceptable.
“Zachary is a different matter. He isnotstaying with your mother. I cannot guarantee his safety there, plus it’s not a supportive enough environment. Zach needs to focus on his upcoming exams. The GCSE board will not make exceptions for the recent turmoil. He needs a safe, quiet home in which to study, and he needs to be with you so he doesn’t worry.
“Now, we need to get a move on because Poppy unfortunately purchased thelarge chunkBranston Pickle from Waitrose earlier, and I know that is unacceptable to you. So we need to make a pit stop on the way, and they’ll worry if we’re not home in time for Martha’s lasagne.”
My mind was turning all this new information over and over as I allowed Rafe to steer me out of the room. We walked down the corridor, past the nurses’ station where Rafe was his normal charming self, and out of the glass double doors at the front where, of course, Dave waswaiting for us, completely oblivious to any parking regulations whatsoever.
“Hello, love,” Dave said softly as he held the door open for me, and I slipped into the back, followed by Rafe.
“Er… hey,” I whispered, giving his kind face a half-smile.
“My brother really shoved you and shouted at you?” I asked Rafe once we were settled in the back. I felt the familiar cocoon of the plush bulletproof environment wash over me.
“Yes, as he bloody well should have,” Rafe said, completely casually. “To be honest, I was on the verge of punching myself in the face at that stage, so it wasn’t altogether unwelcome.”
I shook my head slowly. “I’m not sure I understand what’s happening here,” I whispered, looking down at my hands that were twisting in my lap and feeling my eyes sting. Very slowly, Rafe reached over to me. His large hands covered mine and then gently held them between us so I was turned to face him.
“All you have to understand now is that you’re safe,” he said in a soft but firm tone. “Let that sink in before we try to address anything else. You and your brother have been very brave for a very long time. You both deserve some peace whilst you recover.”
I looked up from our joined hands to his face, and one of my tears spilt over down my cheek. His jaw tightened as he tracked its progress.
“Safe,” I whispered.
“Yes, darling,” he said softly, lifting one of his hands from mine so his fingers could very gently swipe away thetear.
“O-okay.”
Rafe wanted me safe. This I could understand. He’d found out I was responsible for the downfall of the Masons, and he felt guilty. Zach and I were obligations now. If I were braver, I would refuse his help – I didn’t want to be an obligation or a burden to Rafe. But my head was hurting, and I wasn’t that brave, not really. So that was why I nodded. Why I let Rafe gather me into his arms and hold me close the rest of the car ride home. If Rafe’s guilt meant that I could breathe in his expensive aftershave and innate Rafe smell, feel his strong arms around me and hear the steady beat of his heart under my ear, then I decided I could live with it.
