If I want to protect her, I have to look like I don’t care. Like I’m a part of this.
Chapter Nine
LEONI
Courtney is already waiting for me in the bar just around the corner from my apartment. She stands the second she sees me, holding out her arms for a much-needed hug. I fall against her and break.
“Oh Lee,” she whispers, rubbing her hand up and down my back. “I’m so sorry I haven’t been around,” she continues as we pull apart to sit. I swipe at my eyes, forcing a smile.
“You look so tanned,” I sniffle. “Beautiful.”
“Well, work was a bitch, but I can’t complain when I was overlooking the beach for most of the trip.” Then she tips her head slightly, the way friends do when they’re worried but don’t have the right words.
“I’m okay,” I whisper, another tear slipping down my cheek. I laugh, wiping it away. “It’s been a rough few weeks.”
“How’s your mum and Jord?”
I scoff, “Mum is a mess and Jordan… he’s angry. Bitter. Looking for someone to blame.”
“But they arrested the guy, right?”
I nod. “Yeah, and it should feel like a victory, but it doesn’t. Maybe when they charge him…” I shrug, trailing off. “It can’t be over drugs, Court. My big brother couldn’t have died over fucking drugs.”
She reaches across the table and squeezes my hand. “He was always trying to be bigger,” she mutters. “It was so frustrating because he was a good man with a good heart. He just wanted the best for you all.”
“He was trying to replace dad, be the man of the house. But we didn’t need that. We just needed him.”
“Have you spoken to him… your dad?”
I nod. “He’s sending me a visiting pass. The prison told him the news, but he was in seg when it happened, so he found out a few days later.”
“Seg . . . again? Jesus, how long’s he been inside? And he’s been in seg more times than out.”
I nod in agreement. “He’s got ten years to kill; he was never going to do it quietly.”
“Any luck finding a job?” she asks.
I take a sip of the wine she got me, stalling whilst I scrape together my answer. The pause is too suspicious, and her eyes narrow in on me. “What?” I ask innocently.
“That look,” she says, frowning. Her eyes scan my clothes, and she smirks. “You didn’t leave.”
“The morning you left for work,” I remind her, “The guy at the door, he was Warren’s heavy.”
She laughs, “Heavy? What is he, the mob boss?”
I don’t respond; instead, I take another drink and divert my eyes briefly. “Well, anyway, turns out I signed a contract and I have to give proper notice.”
She scoffs, waving a hand dismissively. “No one takes any notice of those things.”
“That’s what I said, but he was insistent that his father would pursue me if I walked. So, I’m serving my notice. Well almost. I haven’t actually put it in writing yet.”
“What else?” she asks, her eyes still trained on me, full of suspicion.
I swallow the lump threatening to choke me. “He’s still a massive wanker,” I say, shrugging, whilst picking at the corner of a beer mat. “A complete arse.”
“Oh my God,” she hisses, leaning closer. “You shagged your boss!”
I gasp, glancing around like she’s just screamed it across the bar. “Keep it down.”
