Ever had one of those moments where despair turns to hope? My heart gave a weird skip, and I felt my lips curve of their own accord. Perhaps I hadn’t misjudged Sky after all?
“I’m at Albany House. Can you get somebody to drive her over?”
“Now?”
“Right now.”
“Zander’s just about to leave. I’ll see if he’d mind a detour.”
I could get Alaric to meet them downstairs rather than showing off my messed-up face to Zander. One of my eyes was going black too. I could hide it with make-up—I’d had plenty of practice over the years—but I was still pissed off about it. But you know what they say—out of darkness cometh light. Which sounded all very biblical but was actually the motto for the city of Wolverhampton.
“What are you smiling about?” Alaric asked.
“Sky’s just turned up at the office.”
His eyes brightened too. “Really? Why?”
“Tom didn’t say, but he’s sending her over here.”
Except when Tom called back a minute later, it turned out he was no match for a strong-willed teenager.
“Sorry, boss, but Miss Malone doesn’t want to go with Zander.”
“Why? He’s hardly an axe murderer.”
“Apparently, she’s already late for work.”
Well, I had to give her points for being conscientious in at least one area of her life.
“Can you put her on?”
“One moment.”
I held the phone out to Alaric. “You need to convince her to come here instead of going to work.”
“Why me?”
“In case you hadn’t noticed, she isn’t my biggest fan.”
“She just doesn’t know you the way I do, Cinders.” He flashed me a grin as he took the phone. “Hey, Sky. We’re about to eat dinner. You like macaroni and cheese? Call in sick, and I can order a pizza too if you want.”
A pause.
“How much will skipping work cost you? … Then I’ll give you that much in cash. Yes, as many toppings as you want. … See you in half an hour.” He passed the phone back. “She’s on her way, and we owe her fifty pounds and a pizza with everything. The way to her heart is through her stomach.”
“Actually, it’s better to go through the armpit. Less resistance.”
“Please, Emmy.”
“Or through an eye socket to the brain.”
“Just be quiet and order the damn pizza.”
CHAPTER 15 - SKY
THE HEAVENS OPENED as we pulled out of the underground parking garage at Blackwood Security’s fancy office building. If that wasn’t a metaphor for my life, I didn’t know what was.
The guy driving me—Zander, he said his name was—didn’t seem bothered by the storm, just switched on the blowers to de-mist the windscreen and turned the wipers onto fast. He had a black sports car too. Was it mandatory for getting a job at that company? Probably.
I didn’t appreciate being summoned across London, but I was so damn hungry, and there wasn’t any food at home. I’d spent Alaric’s money on three different bus fares, and the prospect of going straight to the club and working for eight hours straight in boots that pinched my feet was more than I could bear, especially when he’d offered to give me more cash. The way I felt right now, I’d probably do something stupid like faint in Harlequin’s.
No, I’d go to Emmy’s place, eat the pizza and the macaroni and cheese, tell Alaric what he needed to know, collect the cash, then get the hell out of there.
And at least I didn’t have to ride on another bus to get there.
“Do you know Emmy?” I asked Zander.
“Yup.”
“Is she always so demanding?”
“Yup.”
“Do you ever say anything but ‘yup’?”
“Yup.” He glanced at me quickly, eyes crinkling. “Sorry, couldn’t resist. How do you know Emmy? Are you one of the foundation kids?”
“What foundation?”
“Guess not, then.”
“I only met her this morning. We…uh, we had a fight.”
“Like a slanging match?”
“No, more of a punch-up.”
“And you lived to tell the tale?”
If I wasn’t mistaken, there was a hint of awe in his voice.
“Yeah. Why?”
We stopped at a red traffic light, and he turned to take a closer look at me. Why did I feel like I was under a microscope? Finally, he spoke again.
“Most people who take on Emmy end up with more damage. All you got was a few holes in your jeans?”
“Those were there already.”
Zander started laughing. “You’re ballsy, kid.”
“I’m not a kid. I’m eighteen.” Practically. “Can I borrow your phone?”
“Why?”
“Mine broke, and I need to call my brother.”
Zander reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a slim smartphone, and tapped in the code to unlock it.
“Here you go. Brothers worry—I know that from experience.”
If only. When Lenny got high, he forgot I even existed. I punched in his number from memory then cursed under my breath when it rang and rang. Finally, voicemail clicked in, the generic greeting he’d never bothered to change.
“Lenny, it’s me. I’m gonna be out for a few more hours, and my phone broke so you can’t call me. Please, just go home if you’re out. Please.”
I passed the phone back to Zander, ignoring his look of concern. Sympathy didn’t help me. Not one bit.
“Younger brother?” he guessed.
“Older.”
“Yet you feel responsible for him?”
“I don’t want to talk about it, okay?”
Zander waited a beat, then shrugged. “Fair enough. What sort of music do you like?”
“Whatever.”
A moment later, the sound of classic rock filled the car, and I leaned back in the leather seat, trying to block out the world for five minutes at least. How much longer could I carry on with things as they were? The last decade had worn me down to the point where I felt like giving up, like closing my eyes and sleeping for eternity, but where would that leave Lenny? Once, I’d thought that if I could just get a decent job, I’d be able to fix the problem, fix him, but now? He needed professional help. I’d got him into two treatment programs, but he’d relapsed after both of them, the second time within days, and now we were right back at the bottom of the waiting list again.
Meanwhile, I was self-studying to retake the GCSEs I’d screwed up the first time because I was too busy hustling for money and dodging Lenny’s dealers, and I couldn’t remember what it felt like not to be exhausted.
How much more?
“We’re here.” Zander shook my shoulder, and I jolted awake. Shit. I’d fallen asleep in a stranger’s freaking car. Last time that happened, I’d woken up with a man groping me, and things had only got worse from there. Bloody hell, Sky. What happened to my sense of self-preservation?
My heart sped up as I blinked a few times, trying to work out where I was. Another underground parking garage, by the look of it. I recognised Emmy’s black sports car next to Alaric’s SUV, and there was a bright red motorbike in the far corner. The other six spaces were empty. Guess everyone else was out.