"Care to explain what you mean by that?" Nitro finally asks. She turns to look at him, then to Wrath, who right now looks like he wants to kill her.
She chews on her bottom lip, taking this moment to look at me. I raise an eyebrow at her as I see the corner of her lips curl up into the smallest of smiles before her gaze settles back on Prez. "If you had done your research, you would have known that I had been arrested twice for public disorder and breach of a court order."
"Huh." Data cuts her off and we all turn to him. "I saw the records, but I couldn’t work out what they were for," he says.
"Data?" Prez questions.
"Remember when I said I thought I had something on her, but couldn't be certain and I would let you know once I figured it out?" Nitro nods at him. "Well, it was this. There were records of her arrest, but they're sealed tighter than a submarine. I've been trying for days to get into them. Now I know what I'm looking at, it should make it easier for me to unseal them."
"Don't waste your time," Andrea states. "I'll have my solicitor send you everything you need, save you the trouble." She turns back to Nitro. "I tried twice to see Nova and Mason after Roger said they didn't want to see me anymore, once at their house, the second time at the diner where Nova works. He was home when I went to the house. I was arrested on the doorstep, the kids weren’t in. I still haven't figured out how he knew I was at the diner before I'd even got a chance to see her. I was arrested right after I stepped out of my car. That was two years ago."
She takes a few sips of water and then glances at Wrath. "I understand your anger, and you thinking that I abandoned them, but I can assure you I've spent every day thinking of those two kids. I've even had someone watching them for me, trying to get me some proof." She blows out a breath.
"What do you mean? Who the fuck have you had watching them?" Nitro snaps before I even have a chance to ask.
I watch her fingers tap on the arm of the chair, she's nervous. She blows out a breath and faces Nitro. "He's an old friend of Nova's parents. He went to school with her father. "
She takes a few sips of water, then places the bottle back on the table. "A man named Arthur Black."
Chapter Fifty-Two
I couldn't breathe in there; my head is swimming with all of the information I've heard and shared over the last couple of days. I'm still so confused over the whole will thing. How are there two? And how did my uncle manage to convince everyone his was the right one? I'm mad at Wrath for being mad at Andrea, but I understand why he is. There is a tiny part of me that’s mad at her too, especially now I know about the second will.
"Nova." I glance up at Tongue as he gently places a hand on my arm. "Would you like a drink?"
I shake my head. "No thank you."
"Can we go sit outside for a minute, I'd like to talk to you," he tells me. He glances around the room at the few people milling about before glancing back at me.
"Yeah, of course," I answer, not really sure what he wants to talk about, but I figure it's important, given how nervous he looks.
We walk to the back of the building where the play area is, and we take a seat on one of the benches. I watch him as he stares at the climbing frame for a minute before turning to face me. "I'd like to share something with you, but I have to ask you not to say anything to anyone, none of my brothers here know and I would like to keep it that way."
"You don't trust them?" I ask, curious.
"I trust them, Nova. I just don't want them looking at me with pity. I don’t want to feel ashamed about my past," he says.
"Well, you've probably guessed I'm pretty good at keeping secrets," I say, smiling at him, trying to ease the tension.
"I understand what you and Mason have gone through. You see, I too suffered a similar childhood." He stops, his eyes flicking back and forth over mine, and I’m assuming he's waiting for some sort of reaction. But I sit there in silence, waiting to see if he wants to share anymore of his story.
"I..." He licks his lips then turns away from me, and I see the shame building already. I reach out and place my hand over his, giving it a little squeeze.
"Tongue, you can tell me anything you want. But you don't have to if you're not comfortable. Please don't feel like you have to share anything with me." He glances at me and gives me a small nod, then faces back toward the climbing frame.
"I never knew my dad. My mum was a drunk and a drug addict. She would do anything she could for her next fix, including sleeping around. I was the result of one of her many indiscretions. When I was eight, she fell pregnant again with my little brother. She stopped thedrink and drugs for a while, but that only lasted six months into her pregnancy, my brother was born two months premature.
“It was good for a while after he was born, she was still drinking but had almost stopped the drugs all together. I should have known it wouldn't last long though." He stands, walking to the climbing frame and around the swings, taking a seat. I give him a minute, but when I realise he isn't coming back over to the bench, I make my way over to him and take the swing next to his.
He blows out a heavy breath, keeping his head low. "I never got the chance to play in a playground, growing up. Neither did my brother. Seven months after she gave birth, she started using again, only she had two kids and no way to pay for her fix." I see him swallow then turn to face me. His skin is grey, his eyes dull and full of sadness.
"She let her dealers abuse me, to pay for her drugs. I was so scared every day that they would decide they wanted to hurt Jack instead, so when I knew she needed her next fix, I'd take him to a neighbour’s house and hide him there until it was over. I was eleven when it finally stopped." He blinks at me then turns his face up toward the moonlight.
"Tongue," I whisper.
"Please don't judge me..."
"I would never."
